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A review by smittenforfiction
The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy
2.0
I picked this book as my Five Star Prediction read for Contemporaryathon. Sadly, I was greatly disappointed.
"For the girls who are sharks, and those who are kittens, and those who are heroes, and those who are villains."
The Telling is about a teen named Lana becoming a different person after she witnesses her stepbrother's murder. Before his murder she was a quiet "kitten", worried about what other's thought of her, spending most of her time with her close friend Willa. After his murder she's becoming a more confident "shark", hanging out with the popular group of friends known as "the core": Josh, Carolyn, Rusty, Duncan, and Becca.
My favourite characters are Lana's stepbrother Ben, a good guy who couldn't stand living on rich Gant Island after volunteering in Guatemala, and Lana's best friend Willa, studious, cool-minded, and not impressed by "the core".
I liked the paranormal aspect of Ben's stories coming to life. It was a page-turner, but only because I guessed who the killer was really early on, and wanted to find out if I was right (hoping that I was wrong so I could be surprised).
I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, and wasn't upset when any of them were in danger. Detective Sweeny and Wood are flat, uninteresting, one-dimensional, typical good cop/bad cop.
It's disappointing that we never get to meet "Skitzy-Fitzy", even though he's mentioned multiple times.
I was really confused when the parents let Detective Sweeny and Wood interview Lana, Willa, and "the core" without a parent or lawyer in the room. The detectives told Lana details about Maggie's death during the interview which I think should have been kept private. It felt extremely unbelievable that a detective would be giving a suspect that much information about a possible homicide.
The Telling felt like a cheesy horror novel with stereotypical characters that lack real emotion. Pardon the pun, but The Telling did just that - too much "telling", not enough "showing".
Even though I didn't like it, a lot of my friends on Goodreads did. So don't take my word for it! I recommend The Telling to readers who are into YA horror/mystery stories.
"For the girls who are sharks, and those who are kittens, and those who are heroes, and those who are villains."
The Telling is about a teen named Lana becoming a different person after she witnesses her stepbrother's murder. Before his murder she was a quiet "kitten", worried about what other's thought of her, spending most of her time with her close friend Willa. After his murder she's becoming a more confident "shark", hanging out with the popular group of friends known as "the core": Josh, Carolyn, Rusty, Duncan, and Becca.
My favourite characters are Lana's stepbrother Ben, a good guy who couldn't stand living on rich Gant Island after volunteering in Guatemala, and Lana's best friend Willa, studious, cool-minded, and not impressed by "the core".
I liked the paranormal aspect of Ben's stories coming to life. It was a page-turner, but only because I guessed who the killer was really early on, and wanted to find out if I was right (hoping that I was wrong so I could be surprised).
I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, and wasn't upset when any of them were in danger. Detective Sweeny and Wood are flat, uninteresting, one-dimensional, typical good cop/bad cop.
It's disappointing that we never get to meet "Skitzy-Fitzy", even though he's mentioned multiple times.
I was really confused when the parents let Detective Sweeny and Wood interview Lana, Willa, and "the core" without a parent or lawyer in the room. The detectives told Lana details about Maggie's death during the interview which I think should have been kept private. It felt extremely unbelievable that a detective would be giving a suspect that much information about a possible homicide.
The Telling felt like a cheesy horror novel with stereotypical characters that lack real emotion. Pardon the pun, but The Telling did just that - too much "telling", not enough "showing".
Even though I didn't like it, a lot of my friends on Goodreads did. So don't take my word for it! I recommend The Telling to readers who are into YA horror/mystery stories.