Final Cut by Olivia Worley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars**
Hazel Lejeune dreams of becoming an actress. Shortly after she graduates from high school, she ends up landing the lead role in a low-budget Slasher Horror movie. The filming of the movie will require Hazel, who goes by Haze, to travel to the small town of Pine Springs, Louisiana.
The thing that no one else knows, the secret that Haze is keeping, is that she’s been to Pine Springs before. It was actually in that very town that her father, known as the Pine Springs Slasher, was convicted of a series of murders 15-years previously.
Haze has mixed feelings about returning to the town she lived in prior to her father’s conviction. Mostly though, she just hopes no one will recognize her.
As the cast and crew arrive on set, Haze ends up in a situation she never could have dreamed of. Mysterious accidents plague them from the start and mentions of her Dad can be found throughout the script.
Then a gruesome murder shocks everyone involved. Clearly, there’s a real killer stalking the set, but it is just a Pine Springs Slasher copy cat, or is perhaps the wrong man behind bars?
Obviously, this is a crucial question to many, but to Haze it means even more. Now she’s left to try to piece together the truth of what happened 15-years ago, while also trying to get through this film alive.
Final Cut is a really strong YA Slasher. I loved the vibes, setting and the mystery behind the slashes. It did feel a little drawn out in the 2nd-half to me, but overall, a very fun read.
Olivia Worley is quickly becoming one of my go-to YA Thriller/Horror authors. I just love her plotting, atmospheres and intense dramas. Her writing is addictive, fluid and always a darn good time.
I love that she brought us back to Louisiana in this one, a setting I also enjoyed in The Debutantes. This felt secluded and dangerous, in a small town way, from the very start.
She also brought true slasher vibes to this. The danger and the kills were just boom, boom, boom, and definitely kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading further.
I would definitely recommend this to any Slasher fan, even if you aren’t a big YA Reader. I don’t think you necessarily have to be to enjoy this one. It doesn’t feel overly-YA, if that makes sense. More New Adult feel to me personally.
Haze was an interesting main character and I liked the growth she displayed throughout the story. Being back in Pine Springs really forced her to face her past, in a way she never had before. Well, that and the fact that she had a serial killer on her heels.
I liked learning about her background, and also the investigation into the murders that happened when she as a kid. I think that whole aspect added a little depth to the story that was needed and appreciated.
Overall, I feel this was well-plotted, while also keeping it fun and true to the Slasher style. Another success for Worley.
Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to see what Worley delivers next!!!