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A review by sirensaria
Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick
2.0
This was a pretty quick and easy read. This seemed to by a psychological thriller that just... Fell flat. It was almost like it was trying too hard. I really didn't entirely find it scary or thrilling. Of course, I'm beginning to think that maybe I've read too many and they just don't have the same scare factor anymore.
The main character, Martha, was rather annoying through most of the book. Seriously, she was the dumb blonde who died at the beginning of the movie… Except for the dying part. Part of me wished she had in a way, simply because she was so annoying. She freaked out over EVERYTHING. Literally. Instead of going from some weird things are happening, to this might be more than just coincidence, to someone is out to get me, the main character skipped the first two steps and went straight for someone is out to get her. Martha was hysterical through most of the book, and when she wasn’t hysterical, she was moaning about how bad her life was. Trust me, she deserved some of the things that happened.
I felt bad for the rest of Martha’s family, like her stepmother who was really trying to reach out to Martha. Martha was just being a bit selfish (sugarcoating here) and kept thinking that no one understood how bad she had it. Frankly, in my opinion, Connor is a frickin’ saint! I have no clue how anyone could have put up with Martha.
The twist was kind of a twist? It was always hinted at, but never really focused on. I mean, the person who did it didn’t honestly surprise me THAT much, but there were a few twists and turns at least. There were also some what-ifs that kept you from really considering who the person was.
I do have to say, some of the stuff that happened was sort of unbelievable. I mean, leaving two teenagers in a house alone for several weeks? Absolutely not. What parent in their right mind would do something like that?! Even if one of them was almost an adult, it still was plain stupid. Personally, I think the book would have benefited from having the parents around. It would have added to the whole "Is this really happening or am I going crazy" bit that the book kept trying to bring up. The fact that Martha kept saying her father would have thought she was overreacting really would have played along nicely with what seemed to be a failed psychological part of the book.
The whole small fire that started on the stove. That was a BIG deal, and it was just brushed off?! Martha, who freaked out just about every five seconds, wrote it off pretty quickly as Connor. That just didn't seem very much in Martha's character. It was like, oh there's a fire, let's go back to bed, then! I'm not kidding, the whole thing was ridiculously downplayed. Ugh… It’s the little things that drive me nuts, I tell you.
All in all, it wasn’t bad, it just could have been a lot better. I’m also probably nitpicking, so these issues are pretty much me. If you can ignore those issues, then the book would be a lot better for you than it was for me.
The main character, Martha, was rather annoying through most of the book. Seriously, she was the dumb blonde who died at the beginning of the movie… Except for the dying part. Part of me wished she had in a way, simply because she was so annoying. She freaked out over EVERYTHING. Literally. Instead of going from some weird things are happening, to this might be more than just coincidence, to someone is out to get me, the main character skipped the first two steps and went straight for someone is out to get her. Martha was hysterical through most of the book, and when she wasn’t hysterical, she was moaning about how bad her life was. Trust me, she deserved some of the things that happened.
I felt bad for the rest of Martha’s family, like her stepmother who was really trying to reach out to Martha. Martha was just being a bit selfish (sugarcoating here) and kept thinking that no one understood how bad she had it. Frankly, in my opinion, Connor is a frickin’ saint! I have no clue how anyone could have put up with Martha.
The twist was kind of a twist? It was always hinted at, but never really focused on. I mean, the person who did it didn’t honestly surprise me THAT much, but there were a few twists and turns at least. There were also some what-ifs that kept you from really considering who the person was.
I do have to say, some of the stuff that happened was sort of unbelievable. I mean, leaving two teenagers in a house alone for several weeks? Absolutely not. What parent in their right mind would do something like that?! Even if one of them was almost an adult, it still was plain stupid. Personally, I think the book would have benefited from having the parents around. It would have added to the whole "Is this really happening or am I going crazy" bit that the book kept trying to bring up. The fact that Martha kept saying her father would have thought she was overreacting really would have played along nicely with what seemed to be a failed psychological part of the book.
The whole small fire that started on the stove. That was a BIG deal, and it was just brushed off?! Martha, who freaked out just about every five seconds, wrote it off pretty quickly as Connor. That just didn't seem very much in Martha's character. It was like, oh there's a fire, let's go back to bed, then! I'm not kidding, the whole thing was ridiculously downplayed. Ugh… It’s the little things that drive me nuts, I tell you.
All in all, it wasn’t bad, it just could have been a lot better. I’m also probably nitpicking, so these issues are pretty much me. If you can ignore those issues, then the book would be a lot better for you than it was for me.