Blog 81 - TEN by Gretchen McNeil

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 294

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Publication Date: September 18, 2012

ISBN-13: 9780062118783

About the Book

Shhhh!
Don't spread the word!

Three-day weekend. House party.
White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do not want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—three days on Henry Island at an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own reasons for wanting to be there, which involve their school's most eligible bachelor, T. J. Fletcher, and look forward to three glorious days of boys, bonding, and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly, people are dying, and with a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the rest of the world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for three days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

My Review
I’ve been following Gretchen McNeil since before she came out with her Debut novel, Possess. So when I hear this one was coming out. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

Cover: The cover looks really dark and creepy. But it fits in with the story beautifully. I absolutely love the cover for this book. They did an awesome job with it.

Plot: I really liked the plot. I loved how Gretchen tied everything and every one of the characters to the story together. There was so much detail and thought put into this piece, and it shows. It shows very nicely. I loved how the journal entries and the deaths matched to what happened with them and the girl Claire Hicks. I really liked how it seems the deaths also go along with the order in which they interacted with Claire. As I was reaching the end of the book, I couldn’t believe the twist that she wrote. The person who is the killer I had no idea it was that person. I was like, “What? No way it was that person!” I was surprised to see who the killer was.

Overall: I really loved reading this book! I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone that has read Gretchen’s first book, Possess. Also for anyone who likes suspense, mystery or thriller type of books.

There should be a few more book reviews posted soon. Until next time! Happy Reading!

Blog 80 - We the Animals

Author: Justin Torres

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 125

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: September 11, 2012

ISBN-13: 9780547844190

About the Book

In this groundbreaking debut, Justin Torres plunges us into the chaotic heart of one family, the intense bonds of three brothers, and the mythic effects of this fierce love on the people we must become.

"A fiery ode to boyhood . . . A welterweight champ of a book." —NPR, Weekend Edition

"A tremendously gifted writer whose highly personal voice should excite us in much the same way that Raymond Carver’s or Jeffrey Eugenides’s voice did when we first heard it." —Washington Post

My Review

Things that I liked: I really liked how Torres wrote a story that was from the point of view of a family member within this family of three brothers who did what boys generally do: tear up stuff, throw rocks, and sticks. He shows the family life of his main characters, and of a minority family. He gives so much depth to all of the characters, even the minor characters.

Things I didn’t like: I didn’t really like that each chapter felt like a short story in itself. I know that may have been what he was going for. But for me as a reader, I didn’t particularly like it. I think that is just my reading preference though.

Overall: I thought it was a good read. I recommend it to those who would like a slice of life read in their collection. 

That is all for now. Happy Reading!