I found this totally gripping, but also YEESH, grim. And sometimes gross. (And some words that don't start with "gr," too! Harrowing, for one.)
SpoilerI found this totally gripping, but also YEESH, grim. And sometimes gross. (And some words that don't start with "gr," too! Harrowing, for one.)
Spoilers ahead:
I like Hannah as a character. She's practical, caring, and determined to survive and to help others if she can. She does start out as kind of a downer, but it becomes clear that she has basically decided not to try for anything she wants in life because she fears the pain of failure or losing things, and it's cool (if a little sudden) how she turns all that around in the end.
However, I was NOT PREPARED for how dire things would get in this book. I thought it would be a juicy thriller where some ridiculous rich people got brought low - maybe a little like the movie Glass Onion? At first, it seemed like I was right - most of the other characters are unpleasant, snooty rich people, and I kind of couldn't wait to see them get taken down a peg. But I wasn't ready for (A) just how unpleasant they could get, or (B) the fact that ALL OF THEM DIE, and Hannah has to helplessly watch two of them drown, and then Hannah is stranded on a tiny spit of rock with one of their corpses. That was ROUGH. (Plus, the whole stranded-on-the-rock wilderness-survival bit was just super intense and not something I expected.)
Sooo I'm torn about whether to pick up another book by the author. I couldn't put this one down, but it also left me feeling kind of stressed out and a little grossed out, even after I finished it. Maybe I'll try another one some other time, but probably not soon....more
Semi-obvious spoilers: Ha, the cover made me think Friday the Thirteenth slasher story, and I was thinking a bunch of the titular counselors would be Semi-obvious spoilers: Ha, the cover made me think Friday the Thirteenth slasher story, and I was thinking a bunch of the titular counselors would be murdered. It's actually more of a murder mystery with some good tense thrillery vibes. I like the setting, and I had a lot of sympathy for Goldie, though I was frustrated for awhile that she wasn't coming clean to her friends and her parents. Overall, though, I enjoyed this!...more
Definitely more a 3.5 than four-star book, but I try to round up if I can.
Slight spoiler: this may be a silly point, but those jaguars are definitely Definitely more a 3.5 than four-star book, but I try to round up if I can.
Slight spoiler: this may be a silly point, but those jaguars are definitely a Chekov's gun that never fired. You can't just have clearly-dangerous "pet" jaguars running around the cult's compound and never have them attack anyone! What?...more
Maybe even 4.5 stars. I don't know, I guess thrillers set in luxurious locales are just what I'm in the mood for right now!Maybe even 4.5 stars. I don't know, I guess thrillers set in luxurious locales are just what I'm in the mood for right now!...more
Spoilers: I was so relieved that things ended up okay for Henry. And that Liza survived, even though she and her soon-to-arTense, intriguing thriller!
Spoilers: I was so relieved that things ended up okay for Henry. And that Liza survived, even though she and her soon-to-arrive baby surely have a lot of challenges coming. I was worried!...more
Whew! I'm impressed. Also, I should not have finished reading this while home alone at night. Despite being a full adult, I was creeped out big time.Whew! I'm impressed. Also, I should not have finished reading this while home alone at night. Despite being a full adult, I was creeped out big time....more
Maybe 3.5 stars? I don't feel I can quite give it 4, especially since I almost put it down for good at the halfway point because the point of view chaMaybe 3.5 stars? I don't feel I can quite give it 4, especially since I almost put it down for good at the halfway point because the point of view character, Amaya, was so off-putting. I kept going out of curiosity about the mystery/thriller aspect and interest in the Sri Lankan setting. But ultimately (kind of a spoiler, but kind of obvious), basically everyone in this book is pretty terrible....more
Cool book! Excellent ominous, uneasy vibes for almost all of it.
*spoilers ahead*
I feel like a lot of the ending was a bit sudden? I'm glad things workCool book! Excellent ominous, uneasy vibes for almost all of it.
*spoilers ahead*
I feel like a lot of the ending was a bit sudden? I'm glad things worked out well for our protagonists - was afraid the story might end in tragedy - but I'm not sure I believe the protestors showing up at Niveus or the school somehow catching fire and immediately burning down. Also, if Devon has hardly any Twitter followers, it seems unlikely that his tweet revealing what the school is up to would go viral. But that's fine, I'll buy it for the sake of the story....more
This book is VERY soap-opera-y, and I think the prose is just okay, but it broke me out of a reading slump. You wouldn't know from my recent star ratiThis book is VERY soap-opera-y, and I think the prose is just okay, but it broke me out of a reading slump. You wouldn't know from my recent star ratings that I was in one, but I was. I'd been having trouble feeling motivated to keep reading, and having trouble connecting to books. This was the first book in awhile to give me that "ooh, do I have a second? I'm opening that book again!" feeling, so I'm giving it four stars for that alone....more
I found this enjoyable enough, but had a few issues. I guessed who the killer was, though not early on; I fra**spoiler alert** Spoilers ahead, beware!
I found this enjoyable enough, but had a few issues. I guessed who the killer was, though not early on; I frankly don't buy the last-minute-twist second killer; and the writing didn't impress me. (In fact, when I guessed the killer's identity, I thought, "she's acting suspicious; I think it's her, but it might just be that this author doesn't know how to write people acting like human beings.")
It's hard to pull off a story in which you get narration from the viewpoint of every character, and some of them neglect to mention in their internal narration that they are killers. It tends to feel like a cheat. And while neither Lauren nor Beverly actually lies in the portions of the book that they narrate, they certainly withhold important, relevant information. And honestly, obnoxious though Beverly's husband is, it's hard for me to imagine her suddenly deciding to poison him when the last time we saw her thoughts about him she still wanted to save their marriage.
Anyway, this was okay. I love the "snowed in together" trope in virtually any genre, and I love swanky hotels as settings, but I found the writing a bit repetitive and simplistic, and none of the characters really felt human to me.
The audiobook reader did a good job in general, but she gave Riley (Reilly? I don't know the spelling, because: audiobook) such an annoying mean-girl voice that I was ALMOST glad about her genuinely tragic death....more
I do love me a closed-room/isolation trope murder mystery, especially when it involves characters being snowed in! Interesting that this novel keeps tI do love me a closed-room/isolation trope murder mystery, especially when it involves characters being snowed in! Interesting that this novel keeps the identity of not only the killer, but the victim, secret right up until the end.
I'd have liked to see more character development for Samira. She's the only female character in the story who doesn't get chapters from her point of view. She and her husband are parents of a six-month-old baby, and we don't see much more to them than that. I'd have liked to get the perspective of the only characters trying to juggle parenting and having a fun New Year's with their wild college friends.
Very mild spoilers ahead, for this and for Ruth Ware's One By One: I see a lot of similarities - probably coincidental - between these two books. Each takes place in a remote, snowy lodge-type resort staffed only by a young woman and a young man. In each, a group of wealthy guests comes to stay, there is a murder, and everyone is snowed in and unable to leave or be reached by police. In each, the female staff member has a medical background (and a traumatic past) and takes on at least part of the investigation. Anyway, I liked both books!...more
A really good read! Great pacing, plotting, and characters.
Vague spoilers: I don't think Nora's actions in the end are quite fair to Lee. I understandA really good read! Great pacing, plotting, and characters.
Vague spoilers: I don't think Nora's actions in the end are quite fair to Lee. I understand why Nora makes the choice she does, but Lee is in danger simply from her proximity to Nora, and she deserves to know it....more
This is a thriller disguised as a horror novel disguised as a thriller. :P
I love the diversity of the cast, and the characters themselves are sympatheThis is a thriller disguised as a horror novel disguised as a thriller. :P
I love the diversity of the cast, and the characters themselves are sympathetic and interesting. I guessed the killer's identity from a mile away, and found the justification of all the murdery stuff rather flimsy, and I sometimes had trouble understanding what was physically happening (where WAS everyone standing when they waited to ambush the killer?). But otherwise, I found the book strong and compelling....more
Not entirely sure whether this is a thriller so much as a mystery, but I'm putting it down as one anyway. It's close.
This is probably rounding up fromNot entirely sure whether this is a thriller so much as a mystery, but I'm putting it down as one anyway. It's close.
This is probably rounding up from 3.5 stars. The writing is fine (though the author uses dog similes a LOT - everyone is always panting like a dog or following like a puppy or whatever). I saw the twist coming from a long way off, but it didn't bother me a lot. Cool that the heroine is Jewish; I don't see that in mainstream YA genre fiction a lot. Not that it comes up much, but still....more
It has been awhile since a book kept me up this late reading! I'm impressed.
Was amused when the book, early on, described Danny as a "geezer," becauseIt has been awhile since a book kept me up this late reading! I'm impressed.
Was amused when the book, early on, described Danny as a "geezer," because I am American, and here "geezer" means "an old person, generally male, with implications of being out of touch and/or cranky," but the author is British, and there geezer seems to mean what we in America might call a dudebro. (Like, a macho young cheering-loudly-at-sports-events type?) So I had to look that up to picture Danny correctly.
BIG SPOILERS
GONNA SAY WHODUNNIT
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
I'm impressed by the whole series of scenes toward the end, once (SPOILERS, HERE THEY ARE) Erin realizes that Liz is the killer, and the two of them are alone in the chalet. It's super tense and creepy. However, one thing that makes it unusual is that Liz is not especially physically threatening. She and Erin each have mobility-restricting injuries, hence their remaining in the chalet while others go for help. Liz has no weapon, unless you count the sleeping pills she used to poison Elliott. Also, since Liz is still hoping not to get caught, she can't afford to commit an obvious murder, so if she does try to kill Erin, it has to be in a way that looks like an accident or suicide or something, even to people who know that the two of them were all alone at the chalet.
For these reasons, it's unclear what Liz might do if she realizes that Erin knows - and indeed, once it's out in the open that they both know Liz is a killer, Liz does not take any immediate action. She tries to explain herself with a sob story, and then tries to poison Erin, but never tries to physically overpower or attack her. Erin pretends to have taken the poison and be dying, then sneaks out to ski away for help, broken ankle and all. Liz follows her, and it's very tense and scary - but even Liz herself, still unarmed, doesn't know exactly what she will do if she catches Erin.
So I'm not sure whether my feeling about all that is "wow, impressive that the author keeps the tension so high without an immediate deadly threat!" or "hmm, there's a reason that the villain usually has a weapon or other advantage when they are confronted." I do think the stakes might be higher if Liz were skiing after Erin with a weapon, for instance. On the other hand, the stakes are plenty high already, so maybe that's not necessary here.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the book! I may have to look into some of Ruth Ware's other work....more
I like the diverse cast, but sadly, I wasn't impressed by the writing. Some clunky sentences, some cliches, and the teens often feel really young to mI like the diverse cast, but sadly, I wasn't impressed by the writing. Some clunky sentences, some cliches, and the teens often feel really young to me. (Though to be honest, they probably just sound like actually teens, not the quippy, totally independent Buffyverse/PLL teens I'm used to in YA fiction.)
SPOILERS:
So Nancy has an affair with a student teacher, Peter. When a photo of them kissing gets out, he throws her under the bus, saying that she kissed him and the photo must have been taken just before he pushed her off. She tries to protest, but then gives in and goes along with the lie because she thinks no one would believe her over rich, well-connected Peter. GIRL YOU HAVE HIS TEXTS. He has been texting her to meet up and all kinds of stuff that would easily prove that they had a relationship, and this wasn't just her jumping him. Why does it never occur to her, even after she decides she's done with Peter, to use the texts to prove that he's lying? (I mean, she does kind of keep going back to Peter in this toxic way, so maybe she's still not quite ready to burn that bridge, but it's weird that she doesn't even think about it.)
Also, the ending. The ending!
I guessed that the anonymous blackmailer would be someone connected to Em and the mysterious Incident two years ago in which she died. That's often how these stories work, right? The dead girl's sister/boyfriend/best friend/whatever is back for revenge? But no - it turns out that Em wasn't really dead at all! She faked her own death, left the country, got plastic surgery and a new name, then RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL where she was nearly killed by bullies, insinuated herself into the main bully's life, learned everyone's secrets, pushed the main bully to attempt suicide (and murdered her when she failed to go through with it), then blackmailed the others before burning down a courtyard with all of them - and herself - in it. (Naturally, she is the only one who actually dies.)
Literally, WHERE ARE THIS GIRL'S PARENTS?
How did they let their teenage daughter devote a year or more of her life to a complicated revenge plot (which made her miserable, by her own admission)? Also, she was awfully dedicated to getting revenge on these girls who pretty clearly did not mean to almost kill her. (During an argument, they pushed her down and her head hit a statue. It's not like they stabbed or poisoned her.) And her revenge also encompassed the three friends of the bully who never touched her, including two who weren't even there when she got pushed! This is all absolutely bizarre.
I kind of enjoyed how outrageously dramatic it was, honestly, but still: nonsense....more
Really 3.5 stars, I think? I'm impressed by the page-turning tension of the book, but the twist bummed me out.
Before I get into the big-time spoilers,Really 3.5 stars, I think? I'm impressed by the page-turning tension of the book, but the twist bummed me out.
Before I get into the big-time spoilers, I just want to note that this book describes Diego's eyes as "copper" no fewer than five times. I feel like I kind of know what she means, but I also think of copper in terms of burnished copper, which is a bright orange. So I like to imagine Diego has eyes this color:
[image]
SPOILERS
Having Amber be behind all of this made me both frustrated and sad. Frustrated because I don't like when first-person protagonists hide knowledge from the reader, and also frustrated because CLEARLY Amber should have called off the whole thing early, like when Scott got hurt. I mean, she shouldn't have done it at all, but given that she did, she should have called it off as soon as things started to get out of hand. (She also should have had a secret back-up plan, a way to get out of the room if things went wrong. A copy of the key in her purse. Something.) And then it makes me sad, because I sympathized with her and didn't want her future to be ruined.
I'd be curious to hear a lawyer or someone speculate on exactly how screwed Amber is. She didn't mean for anyone to die. She set up a scary and tasteless prank. She had terrible luck with everything going disastrously wrong, and terrible judgment with her failure to come clean. But she didn't actually kill anyone.
Then again, even if things had gone as she planned, it was pretty monstrous what she meant to do. Everyone else in that room (including her best friend, boyfriend, and crush!) would have likely wound up with PTSD. As far as they were concerned, they'd have gone through a near-death experience, or the experience of trying to kill another person, or both. I wonder, had it gone off without a hitch, whether Amber planned to proudly admit that she set up the whole thing, or to let the perpetrator remain a mystery . . ....more
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