YA Thriller/Horror

Review: Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz

~ megs14malloy

Fractured TideFractured Tide by Leslie Lutz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

17-year old, Sia, has been scuba diving her whole life with her parent’s charter business.

She’s used to diving with the tourists, exploring reefs and shipwrecks. There is always something new to interact with in the quiet depths.

It’s quite a serious position for her to be in as well. There’s a lot to be responsible for. Not all the tourists have a lot of experience and getting people to follow even simple instructions can be a challenge.

With Sia’s father currently incarcerated, it’s up to Sia and her mother to keep the family business afloat. On one particular dive, Sia is exploring a sunken craft with some customers when disaster strikes.

Attacked by a mysterious monster of the deep, a customer ends up dead and Sia blames herself.

Making matters worse, they need to call for help when their boat is incapacitated. Another vessel, full of students on a science expedition, comes to their rescue. Sia, her mother and the surviving tourists board that ship.

It’s now that the real fun begins. Again it seems something is after them. The boat sinks and Sia finds herself washed up on a deserted island.

Eventually teaming up with a handful of other survivors, Sia and the others must figure out the secrets of the island and a way to make it off alive. This is no normal place.

Fractured Tide is a unique YA Horror story with an enticing set-up. I was surprised when I discovered that this is told in epistolary format, which is a narrative style I enjoy.

In this case, it is told through journal entries that Sia is writing for her father. It’s a full accounting of all the events happening on the ill-fated trip, including her thoughts and feelings on what is taking place.

I felt like this was a great way to tell this story. You’re literally learning everything as Sia is relaying it and you really only know what she knows, or interprets about the events going on around her.

In the synopsis, this book is compared to Lost and I would 100% agree with that. Especially considering towards the end, I had no clue what was happening; still don’t.

Honestly, I would have preferred more answers. I was a little confused for almost the entire second half and don’t really understand the end much at all. I mean I have theories, but it’s really a shot in the dark.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this story overall. I found it to be refreshing. I love Horror stories set at sea, so this one was fun in that regard.

I would definitely be interested in picking up more books by Leslie Lutz in the future. I hope she stays in this YA Horror lane, as she is clearly very talented at writing claustrophobic, uncomfortable narratives.

Yessss, that is absolutely a compliment!!!

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Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

~ megs14malloy

TenTen by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

On the ferry ride to Henry Island, best friends, Meg and Minnie, are mostly excited about the weekend ahead. A private house party with cute boys, booze and zero adult supervision. It’s bound to be a good time.

Meg does have her reservations though. She did have to lie to her parents in order to be there, meaning no one really knows where she is. This makes her nervous.

Minnie just wants to let loose and is hoping Meg will be able to relax enough to join her. They’re young, they’re momentarily free and it’s time to make some memories.

Once dropped off on the remote island, they discover their hostess isn’t even there yet; she’s stranded on the mainland.

Luckily, there is a group of teens there though, so they won’t be alone. The others have already settled in and are beginning to pregame. Meg and Minnie get their bags to their room and promptly join the fun.

There are some tense moments. It’s a mixed crew, but overall things are going okay. Then the inclement weather hits and things take a very sharp turn. Tempers flair and now it’s not as comfortable as it once was.

It’s the middle of the night when the first body is discovered. The teens have no way to contact the outside world because the weather has taken out the phone and wifi. They’re trapped on the island with a killer.

Will anyone survive the night?!

Ten is a good old fashioned Teen Scream that I am very happy I finally made time for. It wasn’t perfect and definitely reads a little dated, mental health wasn’t handled as well as it would be now, but overall, I had fun with it.

Another successful backlist bump!

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Review: Mary, Will I Die? by Shawn Sarles

~ megs14malloy

Mary, Will I Die?Mary, Will I Die? by Shawn Sarles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Five years ago four childhood friends decided to play a little game. Elena, Steph, Grace and Calvin were all part of the same car pool and thus, spent some afternoons together.

One afternoon while at Elena’s house, the foursome headed into Elena’s Grandmother’s old bedroom. Even though her Grandmother had passed on, all her old trinkets and belongings were still in the room, including a beautifully-ornate, antique mirror.

As many kids before them tempted with a mirror, they decide to play Bloody Mary.

In their version, the mirror is supposed to reveal their one true love. Regardless of what each one sees, they keep it to themselves and don’t speak of it again.

Everything changes for them after that day, but was it because of the game, or just life?

By the time the foursome reach high school, they’ve completely grown apart. Elena is a bit of a Regina George, Grace is quiet and bookish, Steph is an athlete with a secret and Calvin is a broody artist.

When certain events start haunting the teens, they begin to wonder if that game they played all those years ago could have something to do with it.

As circumstances get increasingly more dangerous, with those around them and even themselves at risk for horrible accidents, they start to panic a bit.

Also, there’s a new girl lurking about. What’s up with her? Could she be the demon’s new host, here to take them all out one by one?!

The four finally decide it’s time to put petty squabbles aside and work together to break the curse and banish the demon back to whence it came before it’s too late.

Y’all, Mary, Will I Die is a fun time, but I feel like I need to provide a bit of explanation along with this review.

First, this is on the very cusp between YA and Tween. I think that is important to point out, as a lot of YA stories are more on the older end of the spectrum, bordering on NA.

These characters have just started their freshman year of high school. It’s the very beginning of the school year, Halloween is actually part of this story, so just keep that in mind if you pick this up.

They act young and think young, but that’s okay! Young teens are allowed to have great Horror stories too and this one is so much fun. It gave me nostalgia for the Fear Street books I had devoured as a Tween, but with more detail and better writing.

This narrative alternates between the four main characters chapters and I liked getting to read what each of them were thinking as the curse begins to reveal itself.

Each of the four actually has a different connection to the curse as well, which I thought was cool. For example, my favorite was Calvin, who ever since they played the game was able to see visions of bad things happening to people which would then be revealed through his drawings.

The ending of this went a bit as I anticipated, but I thought Sarles did a good job with it. This reads like a young Teen Scream, so I think if you go in with the right mindset, and enjoy that type of story, you will definitely have a good time with this.

Who doesn’t love some Bloody Mary!?

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Review: Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

~ megs14malloy

Our Crooked HeartsOur Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the eve of Ivy’s summer break, while her boyfriend is driving her home from a party, a mysterious figure darts into the road in front of them causing her boyfriend to swerve in order to avoid it.

There’s a minor accident as a result and Ivy’s face gets a little banged up. More concerning to Ivy however is the figure that caused them to go off the road in the first place. What was that?

They stop and pursue the figure into the woods. It’s a young woman and she seems out of place. The whole event is very strange, leaving Ivy feeling haunted.

Nevertheless, they return to the car and her boyfriend drives her home, where she proceeds to break up with him. Not the best start to summer break.

Making matters worse, she actually gets in trouble with her parents because of the accident.

As the hits keep on coming, she’s now grounded. This is going to be a great summer.

((Insert dramatic teen eye roll here.))

Soon Ivy is going to be wishing her lack of freedom were her largest problem as she starts being plagued by a series of increasingly unsettling events. The figure in the woods isn’t done with her. She doesn’t know how she knows this, she just does. It’s all connected.

That’s our present perspective. We also get a past perspective following Ivy’s Mom, Dana.

When Dana was a teen, she and a couple of friends had a real The Craft-moment happening. I’m not going to say one of them was Nancy, but one of them had some Nancy-leanings.

If you know, you know.

As the Reader it is very easy to become immersed in both of these timelines. Equally interesting is how they are connected and watching the two of them eventually bleed into one another.

I thought Albert did a great job telling this story. There were a couple of aspects that lost me a bit, some scenes towards the end had a fever dream-type quality to them and that’s not necessarily my favorite to see in a narrative.

With this being said, overall I found this story to be intriguing as heck.

The moody, dark atmosphere was definitely a plus for me. I loved how full of magic it was. Witchy vibes for the win!

Also, I really enjoyed the relationship between Ivy and her Mom. It’s complicated for a number of different reasons and watching Dana come to accept her daughter’s strength and power was beautiful to me.

Even though I didn’t agree with quite a few of Dana’s choices as a mother, I could definitely sympathize with her. I feel like Albert built her character out enough that it was easy to understand her motivations.

This was a highly anticipated release for me and it did not disappoint. I definitely recommend it to all who enjoy a dark, magical story with a bit of a mystery.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is fantastically done!

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Review: Never Coming Home by Kate Williams

~ megs14malloy

Never Coming HomeNever Coming Home by Kate Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Unknown Island made its presence known via social media, it hit hard. An isolated, luxurious island vacation destination where young people, of a certain caliber and follower count, will get to stay free for a week at a time.

The claim is that an angel investor is funding the exclusive destination as a way for the best young minds to come together and share ideas. It’s invite only and no one over 21-years old will be included.

The initial marketing push is strong and everyone wants to be involved. If they can’t go in person, they’ll be watching it unfold via social media.

Who wouldn’t want a free vacation that the whole world is watching? The potential for publicity is off the charts. For some young influencers, this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s so good, they can taste it.

After the First Ten are selected, the chosen ones slowly and complicatedly make their way to the remote island location.

Once they arrive, they quickly discover something is off. The scene they find is not what the promotional materials advertised. What the heck is going on?!

It’s soon exposed that these fresh-faced travelers weren’t invited to Unknown Island because of their individual follower counts. They were invited for the terrible secrets they hold. Someone knows and is looking to expose them.

Worse than that, it seems whoever is behind Unknown Island is hellbent on revenge. Will any of them be able to make it home alive?

I really like what Williams did with Never Coming Home. She gave me a classic-feeling mysterious slasher set on an abandoned island with a plucky group of diverse and unlikable characters.

That’s exactly the vibe I wanted going in and it’s exactly what I got. There were a few places when it dragged a little for me, but overall it’s a super fun Summer Chiller!

In addition to the fabulous horror elements, I enjoyed the underlining modern themes running through this one. It’s social media taken to the extreme, but it was interesting to think about.

Of course I couldn’t help but think of Fyre Festival with the set-up of this one. It definitely gives off that same sort of skeevy feeling. These poor kids was what I was initially thinking, but once the bodies started dropping, I stopped caring as much.

Williams kills were creative and a few definitely left me picking my chin up off the ground. She held nothing back!

This is the perfect quick read for a Summer Scare. I would definitely recommend it to people who love a good old fashion slasher. It checked all those boxes for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this one and hope that Williams continues in this lane with her future work!

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Review: Summer’s Edge by Dana Mele

~ megs14malloy

Summer's EdgeSummer’s Edge by Dana Mele
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summer days spent at the lake with friends; the stuff hazy, sun-soaked dreams are made of.

Everyone is young, good-looking, scantily clad, there’s a ton of food, drink and drama. Making memories, that’s what it’s all about. Both good and bad.

For Kennedy, Emily, Chelsea, Chase and Ryan, summers at Kennedy’s family lake house were their thing. They’ve been friends for so long and their summer days together serve as an anchor for their relationships.

As the friend group ages circumstances do become more complicated, however. Like the year that Chase, Emily’s long-time crush, brings a new girlfriend, Mila, into the group. That summer doesn’t end well.

In fact, in ends in Emily’s tragic death and the lake house burning to the ground.

A year later, the house has been painstakingly rebuilt; an exact replica. With the house ready for occupants once again, the friends have been invited to reunite at the property on the anniversary of Emily’s death.

From the very start you could cut the tension with a knife. It runs thick amongst this group. Everyone is second guessing if they should even be there.

Additionally, Chelsea begins having haunting visions. She’s seemingly the one who has suffered the most mentally since last summer and it is extremely challenging to be back at the lake. The guilt is overwhelming for her.

Making matters worse is the fact that the boys are at each other’s throats and Kennedy’s constant need to play the consummate hostess is pushing her to the edge.

Eerie events begin to plague the group almost immediately, leading to an accusation that Emily’s death was no accident. It seems someone else is on the property with them and that person is seeking revenge.

Will the friends be able to work together long enough to solve the mystery of what happened last summer before it’s too late?

Pitched as The Haunting of Hill House meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, this YA Supernatural Thriller was uncomfortably addicting from beginning to end.

I have read from Dana Mele before and while I enjoyed People Like Us quite a bit, I would classify it as a fairly standard YA Mystery/Thriller. Summer’s Edge is many things, but standard is not one of them.

This story took me completely by surprise. It’s like I went in expecting a burger and fries, but what I actually received was a perfectly prepped Wagyu steak with truffled fingerling potatoes.

I was going along, all was well and then it took a sudden right turn. I was surprised, but pleasantly so, thinking okay, I didn’t know this was going there.

Then we took turn after turn until I was questioning everyone and everything I had read previously.

It was reality-warping. I can’t believe how hard I was questioning myself.

I love that Mele was able to surprise me. It was cleverly-plotted and the writing was truly next level. I loved how it made me think. The narrative really plays off the assumptions we make as Readers.

My final thought was, wow.

In addition to the clever plot, disturbingly accurate toxic friendships and spooky scenes, the atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping for.

The perfect creepy summer read to keep you up late at night and possibly fearful of swimming in the lake or going out on the boat. Take from that what you will.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it didn’t disappoint for a moment! Highly recommend!!

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Review: Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

~ megs14malloy

Cherish FarrahCherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Farrah and Cherish are best friends. They’re also the only two Black girls in their country club community. The girls bonded quite deeply around the 4th-grade. Now at 17, they’re closer than ever.

Due to her parent’s recent financial woes, Farrah’s family is in a bit of an upheaval. Thus, she spends the majority of her time at Cherish’s house. They have everything they could possibly want there and Cherish’s adoptive White parents treat Farrah like a second daughter.

Farrah deserves this luxurious life just as much as Cherish and if her parents can’t provide it for her, she’s not afraid to get it elsewhere.

Regardless of all that static though, Farrah really loves Cherish. Doesn’t she?

Told in a stream of consciousness narrative style from Farrah’s perspective, the Reader gets to be a fly on the wall observing this unique and possibly codependent friendship.

Disturbing and tense, I really enjoyed my time reading Cherish Farrah. I’m not quite sure why the rating is so low for this one, but I am happy to be an outlier.

I won’t claim to have understood all the nuance included within these pages, but I don’t think I need too in order to appreciate the care and commitment Morrow poured into this story.

I have previously read A Song Below Water and A Chorus Rises by Morrow and enjoyed both of those as well. I feel like the writing style is quite similar over the three novels, but obviously with this one being Social Horror, the tone is quite different.

This one is definitely more in my lane than the previous two.

I would certainly classify this as a slow burn, but to me, it pays off. I was uneasy the whole way through, which frankly is a vibe I tend to enjoy. I wasn’t sure who to trust. I kept flipping between the girls.

You can tell something is off, but who is causing that feeling? Is it Farrah, or is it Cherish? It was impossible for me to tell. It actually got a little stressful if I’m being honest. That just shows how invested I was. I felt it.

I also enjoyed the way Morrow explored race and privilege in this one. The dynamics of the characters families and relationships provided plenty of room for her to roam in that regard. I don’t think I have ever read anything quite like it.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy Social Horror, or uneasy feeling narratives in general. Stick it out and I think you’ll enjoy it. I certainly did!

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it so much.

I’m such a fan of Bethany C. Morrow and will continue to pick up anything she writes!

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Review: What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

~ megs14malloy

What Big TeethWhat Big Teeth by Rose Szabo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Here’s the thing, normally when I finish a book, I like to let it stew for a while before I write my review.

Generally, I will rate a book, write a couple of quick thoughts and return at a later time to compose a full review; giving myself permission to alter that initial rating.

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes I will raise or lower the rating depending on how the story has impacted me more long-term.

Unfortunately, What Big Teeth is the type of story that I feel like if I wait any length of time at all, I will remember nothing about this.

Here I am minutes post-turning that final page and I already feel the details of this book flying out of my brain like dust in the wind.

This story follows Eleanor Zarrin, who was sent away from her family home many years ago. She was shipped off to a private school and never even returned to visit.

Now as a teenager, after being the perpetrator of a violent act at her school, Eleanor is forced to flee and return to the unopen arms of her estranged family. The Zarrin Estate is set on the coast of Maine in a little town called Winterport.

Over the course of the story, Eleanor becomes reintroduced to the monstrous relatives she had left behind. She begins to come into her own in this strange place; learning more about herself and her family history than she ever knew before.

And that’s really all I’ve got by way of a summary for this book. I didn’t recognize much of a compelling plot for me to sink my teeth into other than learning about the family.

It was just sort of an odd family drama following a Lovecraftian-Addams family. While I understand that the author probably had more in mind when writing this, whatever it was went 100% over my head.

The reason I am rounding this up to three stars, silver linings, is because of the quality of Szabo’s writing. It really was beautiful. It felt so fluid and I really enjoyed the tone. The point though, yeah, that was completely lost on me.

For this one, these are my full and final thoughts. I am obsessed with this cover. I will keep this on my shelves and I will definitely pick-up Szabo’s future works!

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Review: Killing Time by Brenna Ehrlich

~ megs14malloy

Killing TimeKilling Time by Brenna Ehrlich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Natalie Temple is on the cusp of adulthood. It is summer and she should be out partying and enjoying time with her friends while she can before heading off to college.

Unfortunately, that is not in the cards for Natalie after she discovers her favorite teacher/mentor has been murdered.

Natalie’s greatest interest is true crime, much to the chagrin over her over-protective mother, Helen. In fact, her teacher, Mrs. Halsey, is the only adult who ever seemed to understand, and even nurture, Natalie’s curiosity regarding true crime.

Even though the pair had a bit of a falling out, Natalie still cherishes Mrs. Halsey as a person and feels determined to discover what happened to her. It seems only natural to Natalie to begin her own investigation into the crime.

Over the course of the book, you get both Natalie’s present-day perspective, as well as her Mom, Helen’s, past-perspective, which occurs while Helen was in her first-year of college.

Through these two perspectives, the Reader gains insight into the complexity of Helen and Natalie’s relationship, as well as the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mrs. Halsey.

I usually enjoy alternating timelines and perspectives and this was no exception. I liked getting to see Helen’s background. It definitely helped to understand some of her overbearing behaviors; at least her motivations behind them.

I certainly wouldn’t say I agree with her parenting style. You trying to push her away, Helen?!

Natalie, for me, was the weak spot of this story. I did not enjoy her. I could relate to her on being obsessed with true crime at a young age and not having people understand you because of that, but dang, I found her so abrasive.

The way her perspective was written rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed overly aggressive, or brash. I’m not quite sure how to explain it. It turned me off from the story.

Pushing that aside, however, the mystery itself, I was into. I did want to know what happened to Mrs. Halsey. I was absolutely taken along on that journey of discovery.

I also found it interesting to see the connections between the past and present; to see how much Helen’s own backstory shaped the present. That was very interesting.

Overall, this was a good reading experience for me. I wasn’t blown away by it and there were a few aspects of the story I felt could have been handled better, but yeah, I liked it. The audiobook kept me engaged and I would definitely pick up future work from Brenna Ehrlich.

Thank you so much to the publisher, RB Media, for providing me a copy to read and review. I really appreciate it!!

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Review: As Good As Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3) by Holly Jackson

~ megs14malloy

As Good As Dead (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #3)As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

As Good As Dead is the third, and they claim, the final book in Holly Jackson’s popular A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series.

Personally, I feel like Jackson may not be done with Pip. There’s so much more story that could be told. I’m hoping she pulls a Maureen Johnson, a la The Box in the Woods.

By this point in the series, y’all know, Pip has been through it. This isn’t a cozy YA Mystery series. Pip has faced very real dangers and she hasn’t come out unscathed.

Particularly after solving her last case, she’s left with PTSD surrounding those events. Her emotional state of mind is fairly dark. She’s struggling for real.

Adding to her stress, because like all she’s been through isn’t enough, someone is harassing her.

While Pip is used to trolls, any person with a public presence on the net is, she begins to take special notice when one particular troll asks her the same question over and over: who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?

The harassment quickly escalates and Pip begins noticing things popping up around her house that indicate this person may be close by, watching her. Before long, there’s no question, she has a stalker.

As Pip starts to look into who this person might be, she discovers connections that may link her stalker to a local serial killer case purportedly solved six years ago. Is the wrong man in jail? Is the killer still on the loose? Will Pip be his next victim?

When the police refuse to act on her behalf, Pip does the thing she is best at, she investigates herself. Is she finally in over her head?

It’s no secret that I absolutely love this series. Pip is one of my favorite characters in the literary world, but this novel finds her in a totally different headspace.

Gone is our sparkling baby girl with all the optimism of a newborn pup. The world has beaten it out of her. She’s seen the dark side of humanity in a way many people never do.

I actually really appreciated that aspect of Pip’s mental health being showcased. So many times in books, the protagonists go through incredibly horrific things and just seem to get over it. They bounce back in a way us regular peeps could never even dream of.

The fact that Pip really struggles with recovering from her experiences made her feel that much more real to me. You can really empathize with her character.

The tone of this entire story is much darker than the previous two and I feel like some people may not like it as much because of that. For me, it felt like the natural progression of Pip’s story.

As always, Pip is completely focused on the task at hand, even to the detriment of some of her relationships. I was concerned for a while about her relationship with Ravi; he’s just such a gem.

This one didn’t turn out quite like I was expecting it to. There’s one point where you think the story could be over, but then a huge twists sends it spinning off in a whole new direction.

After this, I wouldn’t say I was crazy about a lot of Pip’s choices, but who am I to judge.

As mentioned above, I would be super stoked if this weren’t really the end. If it is though, I respect Jackson’s decision and think she did an incredible job with this series.

I would definitely reread all of these book again someday. I think it would be really fun to binge them back-to-back. If you haven’t read this series yet, you better get cracking. You don’t want to miss out!!

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