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A review by laughlinesandliterature
Ten by Gretchen McNeil
4.0
Ten is in a genre that I don’t usually read. I had put this book on hold through the library a few months ago, and by the time it came in I had forgotten the synopsis. I was a little surprised when I picked it up to find that this was a murder/mystery. This is not my normal genre at all, and so I began with some trepidation.
Wow, this book shocked me, it was very reminiscent of a typical horror movie. Except it was better, because you could be inside the head of the main character the entire time. Gretchen McNeill did a fantastic job of setting the mood of the book from the very first line. Going to an unsupervised party that you can’t tell anyone about on an island where there is a crazy storm screams that something bad is going to happen.
Meg was definitely a unique character, because while she was shy, she also had moments where she would just blurt anything out. It was a unique and a change of pace, especially since Meg was so concerned about Minnie all the time. Normally I would be very upset with Minnie’s behavior, but I can understand because she was bipolar. It’s not an excuse to be selfish, but it explains the panic and narcissism. I thought Meg was a great friend for handling Minnie like she did; I know it was very difficult for her, especially when she had to give up everything she wanted to make Minnie happy. I liked the fact that she was trying to take her life back though, because while I felt for Minnie it still wasn’t okay for Meg to be used like that.
The rest of the characters were very well crafted, especially TJ. I like that he tried so hard to win Meg over without ever realizing he had already done so. Poor TJ went through a lot in this book, between Meg, Minnie, and then the people turning up dead. Even though Claire Hicks never actually showed up in the book, I did feel incredibly bad for what she went through. High school really is that terrible, but thankfully it ends for everyone. The pacing in Ten was perfect; I never got bored or tired of any of the characters, none of the scenes dragged on too long.
There was so much manipulation going on that I was absolutely shock by the end of the book. There were little hidden clues everywhere that until it was pointed out I didn’t see. I get scared very easily, and Ten was incredibly frightening. It was a thriller from beginning to end, and I definitely didn’t peg who the killer was. I would’ve liked the book to be a bit longer, just so we could see the characters after it was all over. However, I really enjoyed it and I would give it 4 out 5 stars. I look forward to seeing what else is out by Gretchen McNeill.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf http://moonlightgleam.com/2013/09/ten-by-gretchen-mcneil.html*
Wow, this book shocked me, it was very reminiscent of a typical horror movie. Except it was better, because you could be inside the head of the main character the entire time. Gretchen McNeill did a fantastic job of setting the mood of the book from the very first line. Going to an unsupervised party that you can’t tell anyone about on an island where there is a crazy storm screams that something bad is going to happen.
Meg was definitely a unique character, because while she was shy, she also had moments where she would just blurt anything out. It was a unique and a change of pace, especially since Meg was so concerned about Minnie all the time. Normally I would be very upset with Minnie’s behavior, but I can understand because she was bipolar. It’s not an excuse to be selfish, but it explains the panic and narcissism. I thought Meg was a great friend for handling Minnie like she did; I know it was very difficult for her, especially when she had to give up everything she wanted to make Minnie happy. I liked the fact that she was trying to take her life back though, because while I felt for Minnie it still wasn’t okay for Meg to be used like that.
The rest of the characters were very well crafted, especially TJ. I like that he tried so hard to win Meg over without ever realizing he had already done so. Poor TJ went through a lot in this book, between Meg, Minnie, and then the people turning up dead. Even though Claire Hicks never actually showed up in the book, I did feel incredibly bad for what she went through. High school really is that terrible, but thankfully it ends for everyone. The pacing in Ten was perfect; I never got bored or tired of any of the characters, none of the scenes dragged on too long.
There was so much manipulation going on that I was absolutely shock by the end of the book. There were little hidden clues everywhere that until it was pointed out I didn’t see. I get scared very easily, and Ten was incredibly frightening. It was a thriller from beginning to end, and I definitely didn’t peg who the killer was. I would’ve liked the book to be a bit longer, just so we could see the characters after it was all over. However, I really enjoyed it and I would give it 4 out 5 stars. I look forward to seeing what else is out by Gretchen McNeill.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf http://moonlightgleam.com/2013/09/ten-by-gretchen-mcneil.html*