Meg & Minnie, best friends who were invited to an exclusive secret party on an island for the weekend. They are excited that their (shared) crush is going to be at the party as well, and all seems fine and normal until a storm rages in and strange occurrences start happening. When they pop in a DVD to watch, they’re faced with a bizarre set of images that seem to set off a string of events that escalate in horrifying nature. When the party goers start dying off, the list of suspects narrows. The question hangs in the air of whether it is one of the remaining teens or someone else altogether who has been watching them.
What a nail-biter of a read! Akin to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, this YA reworking of the creepy mystery follows that same premise. I devoured this in one sitting (while at the cottage, no less) and McNeil is very adept at creating a creepy & chilling setting. While I felt most of the female characters in this book were beyond irritating, the guys had a lot more personality to them. There was more diversity in character among the males, where the majority of the girls just often acted really catty and bitchy – and that got irritating quick.
The build-up of tension was well-paced and kept me riveted to the pages. I found myself constantly trying to figure it out before it was revealed – which, I hate doing but I can’t help myself sometimes! I wish I could get further into it, but being the nature of the story, I really can’t without discussing plot points and giving stuff away. I’ll just say that despite the very last moments where it felt a bit cheesy, I was actually quite surprised by the ending and who the killer ended up being. Well played, Gretchen. Well played.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ (4/5 stars)
Available: September 18, 2012
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I am so excited for this!! I have it pre-ordered on my nook so I can start reading it right away tomorrow. I really enjoyed her first book Possess, so I am looking forward to what creepiness she has given us in this one!!
Amy @ Book Loving Mom recently posted..Blog Tour: Rua by Miranda Kavi Review & Excerpt
Great review! I’m so excited for this one! I love a good, creepy read.
Kristilyn (Reading in Winter) recently posted..GUEST POST [BLOG TOUR]: Rhiannon Frater, author of Pretty When She Kills
Oooh I couldn’t imagine reading this at a cottage! That would have freaked me right out!
I always try to guess who the killer is too and I was definitely surprised by this ending.
Christa @ Hooked on Books recently posted..Fangirl Friday: Zombies!!!
I’ve heard so many good things about this book!
Great review, I’ll definitely be adding it to my TBR.
Montana @ The Book Belles recently posted..Decked with Holly by Marni Bates Book Review
oh i am always trying to figure out who the killer is beforehand. i really want to read this one. sounds creepy! thanks for the review!
fishgirl182 recently posted..Stacked (21)
Your blog is looking gorgeous. I’m loving the new header! Also, Ten sounds awesome and I want to read it soon. I always like to try to guess who the killer is but I’m never right. Glad to hear the ending is a surprise. Nice review!
Lucy @ The Reading Date recently posted..Mailbox Monday #16
Oh, I love a good surprise ending so I have to read this one. Too bad the female characters don’t hold up as well as the male ones but I’ still can’t wait to read it.