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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If I was thirteen I would have loved this book. It wasn't horrible just predictable and trite.
what fun fun fun mystery. It has tie ins from about a thousand other books, movies and shows. You sift through it thinking..."oh, in THIS show it was so and so" "in THAT movie it was this person"
but...each story is their own,right? and each one has it's own plot and characters.... Or is this like Clue?
LOL You won't know until you read it.
such fun!
but...each story is their own,right? and each one has it's own plot and characters.... Or is this like Clue?
LOL You won't know until you read it.
such fun!
I loved this book in high school. I picked it up again to reread it, and its... ahh. Not bad. But they clique when it comes to Meg and her love interest and the little thought she has to herself.
This is a retelling of Ten Little Indians/And There Was None but it is well done. I gave an extra star for mention of my favorite book when I was a little kid.
Wowser. Wow. Holy shit. Wow. Yeah, the book falls into the horror movie clichés – but those clichés work for a reason! They continue to freak folks out – and make them turn the pages & keep reading or keep watching. It is a sick reaction but one that continues!
I got absolutely nothing done today because I simply had to finish this book. I started it last night. The current read was not calming my reeling brain (too much work stuff happening) and I needed a distraction. It worked … I only read 10 or so pages last night but I got my mind calmed enough to pass out. And then I reached for the book first thing … day over!
I thought FOR SURE it was Meg’s friend Minnie – that she had finally gone off the deep end. Ben/Tom came out of nowhere … though it was another cliché, right? The dead guy who wasn’t? The clues were there but I didn’t get them. If I had unlimited time in my life, I’d reread this book right now and pick out the tidbit trail the author left. But I’d rather just leave the story and walk away blown away by the awesomeness!
I got absolutely nothing done today because I simply had to finish this book. I started it last night. The current read was not calming my reeling brain (too much work stuff happening) and I needed a distraction. It worked … I only read 10 or so pages last night but I got my mind calmed enough to pass out. And then I reached for the book first thing … day over!
I thought FOR SURE it was Meg’s friend Minnie – that she had finally gone off the deep end. Ben/Tom came out of nowhere … though it was another cliché, right? The dead guy who wasn’t? The clues were there but I didn’t get them. If I had unlimited time in my life, I’d reread this book right now and pick out the tidbit trail the author left. But I’d rather just leave the story and walk away blown away by the awesomeness!
Started off pretty horribly. I hated the writing and it felt too cliché and whiny. I was going to give up but finally, the murders began and it got better. I don't think any of the characters were that particularly well written either. Overall, it was just okay, I liked it enough by the end but it wasn't great at all.
Full review at Foil the Plot
I’m sorry, but if the most popular girl in school invites you to a super exclusive party at her vacation home on a private island, you don’t say no. This is the position in which Meg and her BFF, Minnie, find themselves. Meg’s mega-crush, TJ, and his hot friend, Ben, are even amongst the guests! A raging party and a potentially steamy weekend without parents—what’s a girl to do? Though their hostess’ arrival is delayed, the party is off to a great start. Minnie and Ben hit it off, leaving Meg to grapple with her hidden feelings for TJ. That is, until the weekend takes a turn for the sinister and a girl mysteriously winds up dead. It appears somebody is on a quest for revenge and all of the guests are targets. Meg makes it her mission to find out if anyone else is lurking on the island or if the killer is one of their own. Can she solve the mystery in time or will she herself become a victim in this deadly game?
I initially picked up Ten because of all its rave reviews. When people compared it to 90’s slasher films and the works of R.L. Stine, c’mon! I can’t resist that! It’s got Nikki-bait written all over it! Because let’s be honest, murder and mayhem make me tingly all over. But excited as I was, I still had some reservations going in. Ten is loosely based off of the classic mystery novel, And Then There Were None, and I absolutely adored both the book and its movie incarnate. See, the problem is that it’s really hard to live up to the high standards set by the queen of mystery and intrigue, Ms. Agatha Christie. Virtually impossible, if you ask me. I guess I just wanted to like the book more than I actually did. Now that’s not to say Ten wasn’t entertaining but it wasn’t as bold or scary as I initially hoped either.
Perhaps I just suffer from the curse of unmet expectations or maybe it’s because the book skewed a little too young for me, I’m not really sure, but by the end I was kind of done with it. For starters, I had issues with mixing up the two main gals, Meg and Minnie. I often had to flip back several pages just to figure out who was who. As for the other teens, they were thinly veiled characterizations of your typical high school cliques—your popular kids, do-gooders, stoners, jocks and techie types. Honestly, I didn’t really connect with any of them so when they were killed off one by one, it didn’t faze me. Ten kind of reminded me of those really bad slasher flicks where you want to scream at the person on screen because they’re doing that REALLY STUPID thing that’ll obviously get them killed. I really do think I yelled “DON’T GO IN THERE, YOU IDIOT!” and “WHY ARE YOU SPLITTING UP!? DON’T YOU HAVE ANY SELF PRESERVATION AT ALL?!” Yeah, come to think of it, I definitely yelled that one pretty frequently.
But though I had my issues with Ten, the story was short and fast-paced enough to keep me engaged. And yeah, the characters were generalized but it made me sort of feel like I was back in high school again. It was easy to get lost in the trivial drama that plagues our teen years, and honestly, I kind of dug that about this book. McNeil also did a decent job at masking the killer’s identity, though I was able to figure it out a few chapters before the intended reveal. Ten did also have its creepier, on-edge moments that made me want to flick on the light and cuddle up to my dog for safety purposes, but overall, for this horror-junkie, it wasn't enough. I do think Ten will be more effective with a less-horror-enthused, younger audience so I will totally be recommending it to my younger siblings and their hormone-driven friends.
I’m sorry, but if the most popular girl in school invites you to a super exclusive party at her vacation home on a private island, you don’t say no. This is the position in which Meg and her BFF, Minnie, find themselves. Meg’s mega-crush, TJ, and his hot friend, Ben, are even amongst the guests! A raging party and a potentially steamy weekend without parents—what’s a girl to do? Though their hostess’ arrival is delayed, the party is off to a great start. Minnie and Ben hit it off, leaving Meg to grapple with her hidden feelings for TJ. That is, until the weekend takes a turn for the sinister and a girl mysteriously winds up dead. It appears somebody is on a quest for revenge and all of the guests are targets. Meg makes it her mission to find out if anyone else is lurking on the island or if the killer is one of their own. Can she solve the mystery in time or will she herself become a victim in this deadly game?
I initially picked up Ten because of all its rave reviews. When people compared it to 90’s slasher films and the works of R.L. Stine, c’mon! I can’t resist that! It’s got Nikki-bait written all over it! Because let’s be honest, murder and mayhem make me tingly all over. But excited as I was, I still had some reservations going in. Ten is loosely based off of the classic mystery novel, And Then There Were None, and I absolutely adored both the book and its movie incarnate. See, the problem is that it’s really hard to live up to the high standards set by the queen of mystery and intrigue, Ms. Agatha Christie. Virtually impossible, if you ask me. I guess I just wanted to like the book more than I actually did. Now that’s not to say Ten wasn’t entertaining but it wasn’t as bold or scary as I initially hoped either.
Perhaps I just suffer from the curse of unmet expectations or maybe it’s because the book skewed a little too young for me, I’m not really sure, but by the end I was kind of done with it. For starters, I had issues with mixing up the two main gals, Meg and Minnie. I often had to flip back several pages just to figure out who was who. As for the other teens, they were thinly veiled characterizations of your typical high school cliques—your popular kids, do-gooders, stoners, jocks and techie types. Honestly, I didn’t really connect with any of them so when they were killed off one by one, it didn’t faze me. Ten kind of reminded me of those really bad slasher flicks where you want to scream at the person on screen because they’re doing that REALLY STUPID thing that’ll obviously get them killed. I really do think I yelled “DON’T GO IN THERE, YOU IDIOT!” and “WHY ARE YOU SPLITTING UP!? DON’T YOU HAVE ANY SELF PRESERVATION AT ALL?!” Yeah, come to think of it, I definitely yelled that one pretty frequently.
But though I had my issues with Ten, the story was short and fast-paced enough to keep me engaged. And yeah, the characters were generalized but it made me sort of feel like I was back in high school again. It was easy to get lost in the trivial drama that plagues our teen years, and honestly, I kind of dug that about this book. McNeil also did a decent job at masking the killer’s identity, though I was able to figure it out a few chapters before the intended reveal. Ten did also have its creepier, on-edge moments that made me want to flick on the light and cuddle up to my dog for safety purposes, but overall, for this horror-junkie, it wasn't enough. I do think Ten will be more effective with a less-horror-enthused, younger audience so I will totally be recommending it to my younger siblings and their hormone-driven friends.
Where do I start?
"And Then There Were None" is my very favorite book. A YA retelling of it? Yes, please!
This was my second reading (in preparation for the Lifetime movie, which was actually pretty good!), and I enjoyed it just as much this time! McNeil incorporates the same intricate details as Christie, which is not an easy feat. Add in high school drama, and you get a fun, fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing.
Even after the 3 years since I last read it, this book remains one of my favorites.
"And Then There Were None" is my very favorite book. A YA retelling of it? Yes, please!
This was my second reading (in preparation for the Lifetime movie, which was actually pretty good!), and I enjoyed it just as much this time! McNeil incorporates the same intricate details as Christie, which is not an easy feat. Add in high school drama, and you get a fun, fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing.
Even after the 3 years since I last read it, this book remains one of my favorites.