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chrissypops 's review for:

The Party by Natasha Preston
4.0
adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thank you Netgalley, Bonnier Books UK and Natasha Preston,

A group of older teens go and have a party at an abandoned castle, what could go wrong?! 
This was my first book by Natasha Preston and although it took me a while to get into it, by the end, I really felt Id engaged with the characters. The pacing begins fairly slow, concentrating on the dynamics of the friends and a little back story. Even though these friends are close, there are cracks in the veneer and this always makes way for some good twists and a very locked room vibe.

I loved the world building and descriptions of the isolated countryside where the castle is located. We have a lot of small medieval towns here in the UK and I always feel that connected when any author bases their books in these villages. I found it really easy to picture where this castle was and even speculated if Id actually been to said village! 

The general premise was good, we had a lot of cat and mouse tension, twists which leads to some nice speculation in your own mind while you're reading. There is some good foreshadowing which may lead you to the killer but even so, doesn't take away from the reveal. 

4 stars