Reviewed by Jen: Oliver Twisted by J.D. Sharpe.

Product details:
Publisher: Egmont.
Release date: February 6th 2011.
Paperback, 274 pages.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 11+
Source: Received from publisher for review.
Reviewed by: Jen

“FLESH, the woe-begotten moaned at Oliver, baring teeth which were ragged and black.

“FLESH,” came another moan, and he turned to see two more woe-begottens behind. They began to shuffle towards him, barefoot – toes blue from cold, arms outstretched.

The world according to Oliver Twisted is simple. Vampyres feed on the defenceless. Orphans are sacrificed to hungry gods. And if a woe-begotten catches your scent it will hunt you for ever. When a talking corpse reveals that Oliver will find his destiny in London, he sets out to seek the truth. Even if it means losing his soul.

A long, long time ago when I was in high school my Brit. Lit. teacher tried to get me to read a book by Charles Dickens.  Let’s just say that the previous unit on Jane Austen hadn’t gone so well and there was no way on earth that I was going to even try to attempt Oliver Twist.  Besides. I already knew the story.  I’d seen the Disney movie where Oliver and his cronies were portrayed by cartoon cats and dogs who sang songs written by Billy Joel.  Isn’t that close enough? Apparently not because it seems that debut author J.D. Sharpe has accomplished the unthinkable, she has made me read and LOVE Oliver Twist!  Or at least her hellish version of it, aptly named Oliver Twisted.

Oliver Twisted is the first mash-up I have ever read and it was a blast!  This book is so much fun, even if you have never read the original (or saw the Disney movie).  Sharpe’s take on Dickens story is dark and malicious with just about every supernatural creature you can imagine thrown in for fun.  In fact, there are a few creatures that are from Sharpe’s own twisted imagination just to keep things interesting.  The plot follows the original story quite well (I know this because I checked Spark Notes), while taking on a whole new life of it’s own.  The world that Oliver Twisted lives in is filled with death and depravity due to the fact that the gates of hell have been opened and have spewed forth a mass amount of chaos on earth.  It is not until Oliver has a conversation with a talking corpse that he realizes his destiny may not have to revolve around starvation and abuse and maybe he could actually make the earth a better place.

As Oliver journeys to London he comes to the realization that he possesses a great power.  Unfortunately, it is this power that has made Oliver an invaluable asset to the Brotherhood of Fenris, an evil group of men who sacrifice children for kicks.  Throughout the book Oliver is conflicted about his true nature as Fagin, a soul stealer who has gained control over Oliver’s free will, attempts to convince him that he is indeed evil. 

Oliver Twisted is a must read for anyone who loves a good zombie, vampyre, werewolf, swamp goblin, warlock, soul stealer story.  In other words, if horror and gore are your thing, then this book is for you!!  From the first pages I was totally captivated by Oliver Twisted and could not wait to find out how it ended. The problem with that, of course, is that the story ends.  But in the author bio J.D. Sharpe says that writing horror is her calling.  I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

On a side note: I still have my original stuffed Dodger dog from the Disney store.  He’s much too cute to part with!