The Last Harvest by Kim Liggett

The Last Harvest by Kim Liggett
On Sale Date: January 10, 2017
Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Tor Teen, 352 pages
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 4 Stars

“I plead the blood.”

Those were the last words seventeen-year-old golden boy quarterback Clay Tate heard rattling from his dad's throat when he discovered him dying on the barn floor of the Neely Cattle Ranch, clutching a crucifix to his chest.

Now, on the first anniversary of the Midland, Oklahoma slaughter, the whole town's looking at Clay like he might be next to go over the edge. Clay wants to forget the past, but the sons and daughters of the Preservation Society—a group of prominent farmers his dad accused of devil worship—won't leave him alone. Including Ali, his longtime crush, who suddenly wants to reignite their romance after a year of silence, and hated rival Tyler Neely, who’s behaving like they’re old friends.

Even as Clay tries to reassure himself, creepy glances turn to sinister stares and strange coincidences build to gruesome rituals—but when he can never prove that any of it happened, Clay worries he might be following his dad down the path to insanity...or that something far more terrifying lies in wait around the corner. 

Set among the sprawling wheat fields is a small American hometown hiding dark secrets and a teenage boy that just wants to play football who finds himself irrevocably linked to a sinister legacy in author Kim Liggett’s newest YA horror novel, THE LAST HARVEST.

“I plead the blood.”

Seventeen-year-old golden boy Clay Tate is just trying to run the Neely Cattle Ranch after he loses his father to a terrible accident, one where he finds his father’s throat cut and left dying on their barn floor. Now, on the anniversary of his death the Preservation Society, a group of local farmers who accused his dad of devil worship, won’t leave him alone including his old crush, Ali. Gruesome rituals, an unreliable narrator, and dark atmosphere collide with teen romance, angst, and football.

One of my favorite things I love about Liggett’s books is how she writes a mix of horror and romance. She has this great ability at capturing teen’s voices and then setting them up in dark and chilling situations creating a story that is impossible to put down.

Eerie and haunting, the writing is so vivid and atmospheric in The Last Harvest - I loved it all the while keeping the lights on, of course.

Clay Tate is pretty much the golden boy. He’s sweet, dedicated to his family and an ex-football player who is in love with his old crush. He is also wondering if he isn’t going crazy as he finds himself at the center of something so dark, he’s not really sure if anything is real anymore. Strange visions are plaguing him along with sinister occurrences happening - all seemingly centered around the six founding families of their town.

Liggett captures Clay’s teen voice perfectly and if you’re a fan of the male’s point of view, you won't be disappointed here. Sweet and vulnerable, Clay comes across the pages easily likable. As a narrator, he is unreliable and many of the dark twists are made just that more mysterious and twisty for it.

There is a touch of romance in The Last Harvest. Clay knows there is something strange happening around him and part of that is the fact that his old crush Ali is suddenly taking notice of him. Again, I kept question everything all the while their blooming romance was screaming “danger” to me but I couldn’t resist hoping for it!

The Last Harvest is chilling and graphic, yet these jagged edges are softened somewhat with touches of teen angst, romance, and even humor.

It seems to fall in the upper YA category in my opinion and not for the squeamish but rather fans of the genre. The ending is not to be missed and left me surprised, needing more.

Pitched as Friday Night Lights meets Rosemary's Baby, The Last Harvest is completely creep-tastic in the best of ways and did not disappoint.