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ratz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
brooklyn_bear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
selarue617's review against another edition
2.0
Lacks quality character development and description. Weird, overall.
marvelouspyt's review against another edition
4.0
Grant Tavish is the privileged son of a US senator who, due to a fatal car accident, is dealing with a heavy conscience. While Grant is a fault for the accident, due to his father's connections and money, he will only get a slap on the wrist. Grant believes he deserves much worse, even death, so when a chance comes for Grant to disappear, he takes it. But what he doesn't expect for his plan to go horribly wrong and to take four other teens with him.
With the book cover and the description, I was expecting something a little more "Pretty Little Liar"-ish, not so much "Lost"-ish, but the book was a good read nonetheless. It was a quick read (less than 250 pages) and the story was fast paced. The plot lagged a bit here and there, but not enough to slow down the story. The ending wasn't too predictable but as I got to the last few chapters, I was able guess how it was going to end. Good book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick read with a bit of mystery.
With the book cover and the description, I was expecting something a little more "Pretty Little Liar"-ish, not so much "Lost"-ish, but the book was a good read nonetheless. It was a quick read (less than 250 pages) and the story was fast paced. The plot lagged a bit here and there, but not enough to slow down the story. The ending wasn't too predictable but as I got to the last few chapters, I was able guess how it was going to end. Good book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick read with a bit of mystery.
jolietjane's review against another edition
The grace year was one of the best books I’ve read this year. This book is proof that authors can really grow into their craft. Skip it
sorman0110's review against another edition
5.0
Extremely well-written YA novel about the son of a state senator who makes a life-changing mistake in the blink of an eye. Grant is involved in a deadly accident, but since his father is a senator, it can be swept under the rug like it never happen. However, this eats away at Grant's subconscious causing him to feel more guilt and shame.
When the men in Grant's family become a certain age (high school senior), they are expected to participate in an extreme 3-day cave hike, where they take little to no food, having to forage within those days if they want to eat. Grant enters the cave expedition, which gets off to a rocky start, and soon has the feeling that he is being hunted within the depths of the cave. Along the way, he bonds with four other students who have become lost. Soon, they all become lost in the cave with the ever-present feeling that they are being followed.
The common desire to escape the cave safely, plus the dark secrets they share with each other along the way, create a deep friendship that Grant has never before experienced. Plus, the ending is AMAZING! Five stars!!
When the men in Grant's family become a certain age (high school senior), they are expected to participate in an extreme 3-day cave hike, where they take little to no food, having to forage within those days if they want to eat. Grant enters the cave expedition, which gets off to a rocky start, and soon has the feeling that he is being hunted within the depths of the cave. Along the way, he bonds with four other students who have become lost. Soon, they all become lost in the cave with the ever-present feeling that they are being followed.
The common desire to escape the cave safely, plus the dark secrets they share with each other along the way, create a deep friendship that Grant has never before experienced. Plus, the ending is AMAZING! Five stars!!
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
The Unfortunates is the new YA horror story by Kim Liggett and if you haven’t read any of her books yet, you should definitely fix that! I loved Blood and Salt by her so when I heard about this book, and then saw it at ALA, I grabbed it.
Grant Tavish is the son of a senator and after being involved in a fatal accident, he really just wants to face the consequences he believes he deserves. Unfortunately for him, because of who his father is, he won’t have to face anything, and he is going to get away with no repercussions.
It is clear that Grant is struggling with what happened and how his friends and family just gloss over what he did, and he makes a decision to take care of his punishment himself. Following a family tradition, Grant decides to tell his parents he is going to follow in his father’s footsteps and complete a cave excursion on the Appalachian trail. What he doesn’t tell them is that he is never coming back.
The second Grant starts going down, the cave system collapses, and he is trapped with a group of other teens who found him dangling on his rope. As Grant and the others do what they need to do to get out, they face challenge after challenge and have to work to find the surface. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned.
There isn’t a lot I can tell you about the actual story as I don’t want to give anything away. What I can say is that I enjoyed this story. It had an unexpected ending (well until I got closer to the end) and Liggett brought this story together in a way that kept me guessing on who was really going to make it. Also, can we talk about that cover for a second - It is pretty fantastic!
I also thought Liggett did a great job of sharing Grant’s feelings about the accident and his role in it. His distaste for the way his friends just avoid the topic and the fact that his father is just glossing over what happened was clear. Grant really just wanted someone to hold him accountable and no one in his life was really doing that which in turn, made him feel even worse about what happened and the situation he is in.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read and had a great story. If you are looking for something that will keep you guessing around what is really going on, definitely check this one out. I will be looking forward to whatever is next from Liggett, that’s for sure!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Grant Tavish is the son of a senator and after being involved in a fatal accident, he really just wants to face the consequences he believes he deserves. Unfortunately for him, because of who his father is, he won’t have to face anything, and he is going to get away with no repercussions.
It is clear that Grant is struggling with what happened and how his friends and family just gloss over what he did, and he makes a decision to take care of his punishment himself. Following a family tradition, Grant decides to tell his parents he is going to follow in his father’s footsteps and complete a cave excursion on the Appalachian trail. What he doesn’t tell them is that he is never coming back.
The second Grant starts going down, the cave system collapses, and he is trapped with a group of other teens who found him dangling on his rope. As Grant and the others do what they need to do to get out, they face challenge after challenge and have to work to find the surface. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned.
There isn’t a lot I can tell you about the actual story as I don’t want to give anything away. What I can say is that I enjoyed this story. It had an unexpected ending (well until I got closer to the end) and Liggett brought this story together in a way that kept me guessing on who was really going to make it. Also, can we talk about that cover for a second - It is pretty fantastic!
I also thought Liggett did a great job of sharing Grant’s feelings about the accident and his role in it. His distaste for the way his friends just avoid the topic and the fact that his father is just glossing over what happened was clear. Grant really just wanted someone to hold him accountable and no one in his life was really doing that which in turn, made him feel even worse about what happened and the situation he is in.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read and had a great story. If you are looking for something that will keep you guessing around what is really going on, definitely check this one out. I will be looking forward to whatever is next from Liggett, that’s for sure!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
pailuk's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
misterintensity's review against another edition
2.0
Grant Franklin Tavish V got a slap on the wrist for causing a fatal car accident. He goes spelunking intending to die but when he is trapped with four teens from a nearby public school he tries to help them get out but something is after them. It takes awhile for this title to get going. The first several chapters reads more like a realistic fiction title where Grant ruminates about his guilt for the accident he caused. Based on these first few chapters readers would expect a fairly grounded story about guilt and how class affects the type of punishment could receive from the justice system. Even after Grant gets trapped in the cave and meets the other four teens, the book still feels very realistic. It is only a few chapters after they get trapped in the cave does this book starts to feel like something scary is going on. Once the "something is after them" storyline kicks in things get tense. The problem is there are way too few chapters devoted to the horror aspect on the book and that's the strongest aspect of the book. Everything else does not work as well. The characters are stock types and while exploring the aftermath of a fatal car accident from the point of view of the perpetrator is an intriguing premise, it quickly becomes clear that's not what this book is about. Liggett would have been more effective if she got Grant to the cave more quickly. The beginning of the book gives readers the expectation that this would be realistic fiction thus those readers may be disappointed when it takes a turn towards horror. However because of this readers who prefer horror may be disappointed that it takes awhile before getting to the scares. For such a short book it should not take so long for it to get started.
litwrite's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun YA read hovering somewhere around 3 and 4 stars for me. First 25% of the book really felt like a Catcher in the Rye wannabe and all the bougie whining about how hard life can be for a rich white boy got kind of annoying, not gonna lie. Once we get into the caving system, the action picks up but the ending felt really telegraphed for me. This wasn't helped by the fact that I just read [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829] like a month ago which has pretty much the exact same plot but I felt was more deftly handled and written.
Still, if I look at this novel as a bit of fun horror brain candy, it succeeded in keeping me hooked. The caving sequences were exciting so I still would recommend to those that want a fast, engaging read.
Still, if I look at this novel as a bit of fun horror brain candy, it succeeded in keeping me hooked. The caving sequences were exciting so I still would recommend to those that want a fast, engaging read.