A review by kaitquinn
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I really love the concept of this book and enjoyed the use of artwork to help tell the story. I liked the book for the most part. It was engaging, suspenseful, spooky, and ended with some twists I didn't see coming. 

Some things did feel a bit out of nowhere, though.

Like Ted's interest in Mallory. I kind of saw it coming from the scene where they're in the pool together. Her sponsor asking Mallory if Ted is handsy was a bit too on-the-nose, so that was when I saw it coming. But there was no build up or other signs. While I'm not opposed to this trope, there are already so many plot points in this book that can't give the Ted/Mallory situation room to breathe. I don't think it's even necessary to the story. Ted can still try to keep Mallory from taking the job or try to help her escape without being romantically interested in her.

Another thing that bothered me early on was the sudden shift in Ted's and Caroline's respective attitudes toward Mallory.

While it makes sense in the end why Ted was so cold and harsh during the interview and Caroline was above-and-beyond nice, the shift to him being overly nice toward Mallory and Caroline being more sharp with her is almost instant.

Despite the book trying to do too much at times, I did like the story and the characters. I especially appreciated an ending I didn't see coming. And again, the artwork is fantastic. The version I read had interviews with the two artists who created the artwork and it was really fascinating to read, especially the process of the artist who did the child drawings.