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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
In the mood for a creepy thriller with teenage protagonists? This novel gives And Then There Were None vibes with the cast trapped in an old castle during a terrible storm when someone starts picking them off one by one. You get a lot of rich people behaving badly as you learn how daddy's money has made things go away, and there are plenty of red herrings.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a thriller revolving around a group of teens who secretly steal away for a party to a remote castle (owned by the parents of one of them) during part of their school break. A freak violent storm ensues, flooding the moat surrounding the castle, and as they are cut off from civilization, bodies start piling up. Is the killer one of their own or a member of the group opposing the development of the castle into modern apartments?
I wanted to like this more, but I found it too full of trite teen horror movie stereotypical behavior. The storm is too ferocious, the teens either too over-the-top with drama or too blase about the things that matter and concerned about those that don't, and the disclosure about the mystery surrounding the killer's actions too trivial to warrant the deaths of so-called friends.
Unfortunately, I just found the characters and their relationships too shallow and the story too familiar.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for providing the free early arc of The Party for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
I wanted to like this more, but I found it too full of trite teen horror movie stereotypical behavior. The storm is too ferocious, the teens either too over-the-top with drama or too blase about the things that matter and concerned about those that don't, and the disclosure about the mystery surrounding the killer's actions too trivial to warrant the deaths of so-called friends.
Unfortunately, I just found the characters and their relationships too shallow and the story too familiar.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Press for providing the free early arc of The Party for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4⭐️
Bessie and her closest friends are going on summer break. Sneaking off from their private school, without their parents knowing, they plan on throwing a massive party. Rich and privileged, these teens actually have acsess to a castle to throw their party. Everyone will be coming. What could go wrong?
With the body count rising and a storm trapping them inside, this party goes down hill fast.
My Thoughts
The best thing about Natasha Preston's book are how they absolutely engross you and drag you into the story. The world around fades away as the characters and setting become more real, taking on a life of their own.
The worst thing about Natasha Preston's books is finishing and knowing you will have to wait and wait for another one to be published. Oh, to be able to hit a delete button and reread all her books for the first time....
There are A LOT of characters. Beyond the seven friends Bessie(f), Kash(f), Allegra(f), Fergus(m), Zeke(m), Shen(m), and Jia(f), there are Hugo(m), Odette(f), Abbas (m), and Raif(m)( Whew, that's a lot of characters to keep track of) Yet somehow Preston has managed to give each of them a personality of their own. With this many people, you would assume it would be easy to forget one or not be able to relate to one, but even the most minimal side characters have been fleshed out enough to give them some semblance life.
The tale is told through the POV of Bessie as she tries to come to terms with her friends dying and the very real possibility it is one of them. As the reader follows along, this becomes a real "whodunnit" with Bessie playing amateur detective while trying to peice it together myself.
Bessie is naive and trusting enough to make her youth believable while also being strong, friends, determined, and loyal. She is the FMC to root for.
If while reading you think the plot sounds familiar, you're not alone. Not only does this book give the same vibe as Preston's own The Cabin, but it also strikes a startling comparison it And Then There Were None ( by: Agatha Christie.) Up until the 4th death I actually thought this was a modernized retelling of And Then There Were None. The atmosphere, the number of people, and the way the first 3 died all led me to this conclusion.
Fear not, after the 3rd death, the book takes a hard left turn and no longer directly resembles any plot line I'm overly familiar with. In a more general sense, it does follow a slasher like formula while still maintaining its uniqueness and originality.
Bessie and her closest friends are going on summer break. Sneaking off from their private school, without their parents knowing, they plan on throwing a massive party. Rich and privileged, these teens actually have acsess to a castle to throw their party. Everyone will be coming. What could go wrong?
With the body count rising and a storm trapping them inside, this party goes down hill fast.
My Thoughts
The best thing about Natasha Preston's book are how they absolutely engross you and drag you into the story. The world around fades away as the characters and setting become more real, taking on a life of their own.
The worst thing about Natasha Preston's books is finishing and knowing you will have to wait and wait for another one to be published. Oh, to be able to hit a delete button and reread all her books for the first time....
There are A LOT of characters. Beyond the seven friends Bessie(f), Kash(f), Allegra(f), Fergus(m), Zeke(m), Shen(m), and Jia(f), there are Hugo(m), Odette(f), Abbas (m), and Raif(m)( Whew, that's a lot of characters to keep track of) Yet somehow Preston has managed to give each of them a personality of their own. With this many people, you would assume it would be easy to forget one or not be able to relate to one, but even the most minimal side characters have been fleshed out enough to give them some semblance life.
The tale is told through the POV of Bessie as she tries to come to terms with her friends dying and the very real possibility it is one of them. As the reader follows along, this becomes a real "whodunnit" with Bessie playing amateur detective while trying to peice it together myself.
Bessie is naive and trusting enough to make her youth believable while also being strong, friends, determined, and loyal. She is the FMC to root for.
If while reading you think the plot sounds familiar, you're not alone. Not only does this book give the same vibe as Preston's own The Cabin, but it also strikes a startling comparison it And Then There Were None ( by: Agatha Christie.) Up until the 4th death I actually thought this was a modernized retelling of And Then There Were None. The atmosphere, the number of people, and the way the first 3 died all led me to this conclusion.
Fear not, after the 3rd death, the book takes a hard left turn and no longer directly resembles any plot line I'm overly familiar with. In a more general sense, it does follow a slasher like formula while still maintaining its uniqueness and originality.