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wanderonwards's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-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
2.5
I think this would have worked better if we had been able to spend more time with each of the characters and if their deaths had been spaced out a bit more. I also would have appreciated more time building deeper character motivations for all our POV characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Excrement, Suicide, Vomit, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent and Homophobia
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
When I finished this book I was surprised the murder wasn’t who I thought it was! But really I should have seen it coming, I think I just liked the character too much. I think this book had a pretty unique and well-disguised villain.
Based on her other books, which I didn’t really like I didn’t have super high expectations, but this book was good and I’d read more mystery thrillers by her.
The writing was okay, but the style was a bit dry. The constant switching of POVs was confusing at first and I’m glad for the list of characters at the beginning of the book which I referenced frequently at the beginning. There was soo many protagonists to start with it was really confusing. There was a lot of rep which was nice and I’m starting to see a lot more of it in mystery thrillers, especially YA ones.
The character development was more in finding out their backgrounds than the character’s really changing much. My favorite character was Manny for sure, he just seemed to be a genuinely nice guy.
The character development was more in finding out their backgrounds than the character’s really changing much. My favorite character was Manny for sure, he just seemed to be a genuinely nice guy.
The pace was about medium, and I would have preferred fast for this type of book, but I guess in the end it worked out.
I would recommend this book to both those new to mystery thrillers and to those who read a lot of them!
I would recommend this book to both those new to mystery thrillers and to those who read a lot of them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Drug use, Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Vomit, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
luminareads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my god.
This book was so much, I kept reading and reading, I couldn't put it down. It had so many plot twists, and every one of them was a twist. The pace was high, and it was consistent which can be hard sometimes. I'm a big Karen McManus fan but honestly, this was better than any of hers, which is a huge compliment because I love Karen's work. And that ending? While it wasn't super satisfying, it was a surprise and that's what matters for a mystery.
Spoiler section below
I actually gasped at every single death. I was convinced for a while that Graham did it, and then after he died Xander seemed shady too. I never ever would have suspected Celia, the ending was very dramatic. I haven't loved a book like this in a while, and I wish badly that I knew of something this good to pick up next.
My main problem is that the trans character was the first one killed. While I'm mostly sure that this wasn't intentional, this doesn't read great. If any other character was killed first this wouldn't have seemed so off.
This book was so much, I kept reading and reading, I couldn't put it down. It had so many plot twists, and every one of them was a twist. The pace was high, and it was consistent which can be hard sometimes. I'm a big Karen McManus fan but honestly, this was better than any of hers, which is a huge compliment because I love Karen's work. And that ending? While it wasn't super satisfying, it was a surprise and that's what matters for a mystery.
Spoiler section below
I actually gasped at every single death. I was convinced for a while that Graham did it, and then after he died Xander seemed shady too. I never ever would have suspected Celia, the ending was very dramatic. I haven't loved a book like this in a while, and I wish badly that I knew of something this good to pick up next.
My main problem is that the trans character was the first one killed. While I'm mostly sure that this wasn't intentional, this doesn't read great. If any other character was killed first this wouldn't have seemed so off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Gore, Drug use, Death, Murder, and Vomit
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Animal death
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia
marywahlmeierbracciano's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
In Kansas author Kate Williams’ YA thriller, a diverse group of ten influencers is invited to Unknown Island, a remote luxury resort that attracted worldwide attention amidst a viral marketing campaign. But what is supposed to be a free vacation turns into something much more sinister. Not long after their arrival, the ten guests discover that every one of them is a murderer, and every one of them will be murdered. As each reveals the story behind the death that keeps them up at night, that most have tried to cover up, the influencers are taunted by Unknown Island’s cryptic Instagram feed, broadcast to them on a screen that hoards the island’s only internet access. And then they start dropping like flies. Fyre Festival meets murder mystery in this tense story that examines social media, cancel culture, and what it takes to be a murderer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Gore, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, and Drug use
Minor: Excrement, Vomit, Bullying, Stalking, Car accident, Child death, Suicide, Mental illness, Homophobia, Alcohol, Cancer, and Death of parent
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