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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
For a YA book, this was pretty entertaining. I enjoyed it.
Entertaining & suspenseful take on Agatha Christie. Thought I had it figured out but I did not. Quick read!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
boo-boo on the bipolar representation, 100% unnecessary lmao. good twist but slow going getting there. still a fun read though!
Warning for all of you guys who haven’t read this one, there will be SLIGHT spoilers.
Ohhh, boy. I have to say that when I started Ten I had pretty low expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by this novel a few times. However, a lot of my worries came true at the same time. This wasn’t a perfect book by a long stretch, but I can tell you that it was quick and fun, if not a bit problematic in execution.
The best part about Ten was the atmosphere. The isolation and seclusion of the island was palpable. The characters were trapped on an island for the entire weekend, with no escape, and that lead to a very claustrophobic feeling pervading every page. Of course, it probably helped that I read this while home alone with a huge storm blowing outside. I also really liked that I didn’t have the mystery figured out, though WHY I didn’t have the mystery figured out totally pissed me off.
The killer was around for the entire book so there was no random person popping up at the end saying, “HA HA I HAD YOU FOOLED” except… there was. One person lied about who they were and so that muddied up everything else. When we the reader aren’t given a clear picture of the characters, it’s too easy to get one over on us, especially for people like me who search for motive as one of the key factors in murder mysteries. The person the killer pretended to be had no motive at all. Maybe that’s cool and leads for a big surprise at the end, but I felt cheated. I haven’t read And Then There Were None so I’m not sure if that’s how things went down in the source material, but I was not a fan of how it happened in Ten.
As with most things in this genre, the characters were quite bland. And there were SO MANY of them. Their only real differences were in their appearance and in their names. So when they all came together in one conversation is was really, really hard to follow. I never felt very connected to any of them, not even Meg, and I suspect that’s because of the very detached, dry writing style. The sentences, imagery, all of it, were simplistic and bland. So when people started dying, I never cared about it. None of the deaths upset me, not even the ones at the end where we were finally starting to get to know the characters.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy reading Ten. I had a lot of fun following the clues and trying to piece together the mystery, find the culprit. I appreciated the red herrings McNeil set up for us, and I can totally admit to guessing incorrectly throughout the entire read. There were some other problematic elements (like the way mental illness is handled) but it you are able to suspend your disbelief for a little while, Ten is the perfect read for a rainy afternoon.
Ohhh, boy. I have to say that when I started Ten I had pretty low expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised by this novel a few times. However, a lot of my worries came true at the same time. This wasn’t a perfect book by a long stretch, but I can tell you that it was quick and fun, if not a bit problematic in execution.
The best part about Ten was the atmosphere. The isolation and seclusion of the island was palpable. The characters were trapped on an island for the entire weekend, with no escape, and that lead to a very claustrophobic feeling pervading every page. Of course, it probably helped that I read this while home alone with a huge storm blowing outside. I also really liked that I didn’t have the mystery figured out, though WHY I didn’t have the mystery figured out totally pissed me off.
The killer was around for the entire book so there was no random person popping up at the end saying, “HA HA I HAD YOU FOOLED” except… there was. One person lied about who they were and so that muddied up everything else. When we the reader aren’t given a clear picture of the characters, it’s too easy to get one over on us, especially for people like me who search for motive as one of the key factors in murder mysteries. The person the killer pretended to be had no motive at all. Maybe that’s cool and leads for a big surprise at the end, but I felt cheated. I haven’t read And Then There Were None so I’m not sure if that’s how things went down in the source material, but I was not a fan of how it happened in Ten.
As with most things in this genre, the characters were quite bland. And there were SO MANY of them. Their only real differences were in their appearance and in their names. So when they all came together in one conversation is was really, really hard to follow. I never felt very connected to any of them, not even Meg, and I suspect that’s because of the very detached, dry writing style. The sentences, imagery, all of it, were simplistic and bland. So when people started dying, I never cared about it. None of the deaths upset me, not even the ones at the end where we were finally starting to get to know the characters.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy reading Ten. I had a lot of fun following the clues and trying to piece together the mystery, find the culprit. I appreciated the red herrings McNeil set up for us, and I can totally admit to guessing incorrectly throughout the entire read. There were some other problematic elements (like the way mental illness is handled) but it you are able to suspend your disbelief for a little while, Ten is the perfect read for a rainy afternoon.
Fun, addictive YA horror/murder mystery that riffs on Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians.
For fans of One of Us Is Lying, Ten is a great and overlooked next read. When Meg and Minnie are invited to a weekend-long party at a house on an island, they can hardly say no. But soon, strange things start happening and their fellow party-goers are dying. Before long, it's clear someone is taking them down one by one, and it's up to the survivors to determine who is guilty before the murderer kills them all.
Ten excels at pacing, relying on short bursts of chapters to keep the tension and anticipation up throughout this short book. Covering just the span of a couple of days, the story manages to pack in quite a bit. Despite the amount of action (after all, there are at least nine people with the potential to die), it's rare that the events feel overwhelming for the short period in terms of narrative pacing.
Character management is slightly more difficult, with so many to track in such a short span. While character definition isn't done without fault, it's done well enough that the average reader can keep track of who is who -- at least for the most important characters. It's easy enough to discard remembered details about characters as they fall victim to the murderer in the house. The psychological effects of the weekend on the characters plays out nicely, particularly for the main character and her best friend. The impacts of the events are clear and make sense from a real life perspective as the characters reason out who is safe and who is trouble and, ultimately, what they need to do to survive -- even if that means turning on long-trusted allies.
Ten pays clear homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, putting in the context of teen drama and boundaries. Readers who don't catch on to the references won't miss out on anything, but those who do notice will enjoy the nods and extra layer of meaning to the story as it plays out.
I did have a few issues with the book that I think are worth noting, particularly as we look more closely at novels for issues relating especially to representation. I'm not among those represented in the novel (at least for this particular discussion), so I'll refrain from judging any of these issues on a scale of how bad the offenses are and, rather, will simply point out that they existed. There may be other issues I didn't catch due to genuine ignorance. First, one of the characters takes on the trope of the Asian hair streak. Another character, who is Black, is fetishized for his skin color. There is use of the word "spaz." And
I can see this book being a popular one for reluctant readers and would definitely point readers to it with the caveat of the issues above. It's a fun, fast read that I finished within a day and not one that I hear about too often, which is surprising, given the popularity of similar novels. If you enjoy mysteries, thrillers, and stories of teen murder, this one is for you.
Ten excels at pacing, relying on short bursts of chapters to keep the tension and anticipation up throughout this short book. Covering just the span of a couple of days, the story manages to pack in quite a bit. Despite the amount of action (after all, there are at least nine people with the potential to die), it's rare that the events feel overwhelming for the short period in terms of narrative pacing.
Character management is slightly more difficult, with so many to track in such a short span. While character definition isn't done without fault, it's done well enough that the average reader can keep track of who is who -- at least for the most important characters. It's easy enough to discard remembered details about characters as they fall victim to the murderer in the house. The psychological effects of the weekend on the characters plays out nicely, particularly for the main character and her best friend. The impacts of the events are clear and make sense from a real life perspective as the characters reason out who is safe and who is trouble and, ultimately, what they need to do to survive -- even if that means turning on long-trusted allies.
Ten pays clear homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, putting in the context of teen drama and boundaries. Readers who don't catch on to the references won't miss out on anything, but those who do notice will enjoy the nods and extra layer of meaning to the story as it plays out.
I did have a few issues with the book that I think are worth noting, particularly as we look more closely at novels for issues relating especially to representation. I'm not among those represented in the novel (at least for this particular discussion), so I'll refrain from judging any of these issues on a scale of how bad the offenses are and, rather, will simply point out that they existed. There may be other issues I didn't catch due to genuine ignorance. First, one of the characters takes on the trope of the Asian hair streak. Another character, who is Black, is fetishized for his skin color. There is use of the word "spaz." And
Spoiler
a Black character is named Thomas Jefferson. Which kind of blew my mind -- sure, I said I wouldn't go on about any of these, but...I don't know. This one seems especially obviously as a no-no to me.I can see this book being a popular one for reluctant readers and would definitely point readers to it with the caveat of the issues above. It's a fun, fast read that I finished within a day and not one that I hear about too often, which is surprising, given the popularity of similar novels. If you enjoy mysteries, thrillers, and stories of teen murder, this one is for you.
Was this groundbreaking? No. Did I have fun reading it? Why yes I did
It is revamp of [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391120695s/16299.jpg|3038872] but high school version. See to some people that would be nails on a chalk board, but for me I love teenage angst, tension, the drama !!
Oh the Drama!
I mean is there anything better then teenage girl shit..
well there is but I love those bitches!
Way harsh Tai
But seriously no one takes a teen girl down worse then another teen girl, viscous stuff.
Now add dead bodies everywhere, well that my friends is entertainment. Also T.J. sounded pretty hot so that works too.
It is revamp of [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391120695s/16299.jpg|3038872] but high school version. See to some people that would be nails on a chalk board, but for me I love teenage angst, tension, the drama !!
Oh the Drama!
I mean is there anything better then teenage girl shit..
well there is but I love those bitches!
Way harsh Tai
But seriously no one takes a teen girl down worse then another teen girl, viscous stuff.
Now add dead bodies everywhere, well that my friends is entertainment. Also T.J. sounded pretty hot so that works too.
This book is an isolated closed circle mystery revolving around a secluded island in the Pacific Northwest (and my home state!). There are 10 seniors getting picked off by a murder over the course of less than two days. The reader finds out much later in the story that the murders are kind of a [b:Thirteen Reasons Why|29844228|Thirteen Reasons Why|Jay Asher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555345043l/29844228._SY75_.jpg|2588213] gone the way of revenge.
Unlike a closed house mystery such as [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872], there wasn't enough tension to sustain my attention. Most of the characters got knocked off within 24 hours and the pacing of the deaths was so quick that it seemed as though the author was using plot pacing to make up for the fact that many of the characters were undeveloped, one dimensional cliches. Although the relationship between the main character, Meg, and her best friend, Minnie, rehashed the angsty, female best friend drama trope, it could have been better explored to make Minnie's choices more believable.
One thing that bothered me was the way mental health was represented in this book, both on Minnie's behalf and on Claire's behalf. Minnie, suffering from bipolar disorder, was self involved, delusional, and paranoid. This could have been the result of but it was unclear to me if McNeil was stereotyping those with bipolar disorder or not. Also, it seemed that Claire was suffering from an undisclosed mental disorder that somehow made her delusional. I'm not sure if this was handled with the tact it needed.
Overall, this mystery wasn't bad but it won't be memorable.
Unlike a closed house mystery such as [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872], there wasn't enough tension to sustain my attention. Most of the characters got knocked off within 24 hours and the pacing of the deaths was so quick that it seemed as though the author was using plot pacing to make up for the fact that many of the characters were undeveloped, one dimensional cliches. Although the relationship between the main character, Meg, and her best friend, Minnie, rehashed the angsty, female best friend drama trope, it could have been better explored to make Minnie's choices more believable.
One thing that bothered me was the way mental health was represented in this book, both on Minnie's behalf and on Claire's behalf. Minnie, suffering from bipolar disorder, was self involved, delusional, and paranoid. This could have been the result of
Spoiler
withdrawal from her medicationOverall, this mystery wasn't bad but it won't be memorable.