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gemmasbookshelf 's review for:
Influencer
by Adam Cesare
Influencer is a really enjoyable and fast paced YA horror thriller that I raced through! The prologue throws the reader straight into the action with a terrifying murder scene and it really sets up the rest of the novel by revealing early on what type of horror I would be reading. The first half of the novel does slow down a little as we are introduced to the characters and the reader learns a lot about each one at the same time as Aaron.
The book has a dual POV narrative with alternating chapters between Aaron, the new kid, and Crystal, who has always been in the friend group but doesn’t really feel like she actually fits in and has a very anxious and self conscious personality. The friend group also consists of Gayle, Trevor, Harmony and Paul who are all very different but seem to work as a friendship and the book focuses heavily on each character and their individual personalities to ensure the reader knows exactly who they are. Crystal has a lot to say about them and shares various secrets and thoughts she has about each one which adds to the intrigue of these characters.
It was also very interesting reading Aaron’s POV as he gets to know the group and the way he is able to ‘influence’ them simply by observing them and finding out where to niggle at them. It was really fascinating being in Aaron’s mind and seeing how he ticks and he definitely felt like some kind of psychopath.
However, I did feel like it was a little bit unrealistic how the friends were able to be so easily manipulated (influenced) by Aaron and I wish the reader would have gotten more information on why Aaron was doing this. It seemed a bit unbelievable but I was able to look past this and still enjoy the overall plot. I was very excited for the build up to the climax of the story and I really loved the intense and dramatic ending!
Influencer is more of a psychological horror than flat out scary horror and the focus on the characters worked really well to enhance the intensity that kept building throughout the novel as Aaron puts his plan into action. There are some gruesome scenes that feel really vivid and animal cruelty that may affect some people, but overall I think this was a very good horror novel, perfect for the spooky season.
This is definitely a unique addition to the horror genre and with the impressive depth to every character and a strong plot, this will surely keep you reading all night!
The book has a dual POV narrative with alternating chapters between Aaron, the new kid, and Crystal, who has always been in the friend group but doesn’t really feel like she actually fits in and has a very anxious and self conscious personality. The friend group also consists of Gayle, Trevor, Harmony and Paul who are all very different but seem to work as a friendship and the book focuses heavily on each character and their individual personalities to ensure the reader knows exactly who they are. Crystal has a lot to say about them and shares various secrets and thoughts she has about each one which adds to the intrigue of these characters.
It was also very interesting reading Aaron’s POV as he gets to know the group and the way he is able to ‘influence’ them simply by observing them and finding out where to niggle at them. It was really fascinating being in Aaron’s mind and seeing how he ticks and he definitely felt like some kind of psychopath.
However, I did feel like it was a little bit unrealistic how the friends were able to be so easily manipulated (influenced) by Aaron and I wish the reader would have gotten more information on why Aaron was doing this. It seemed a bit unbelievable but I was able to look past this and still enjoy the overall plot. I was very excited for the build up to the climax of the story and I really loved the intense and dramatic ending!
Influencer is more of a psychological horror than flat out scary horror and the focus on the characters worked really well to enhance the intensity that kept building throughout the novel as Aaron puts his plan into action. There are some gruesome scenes that feel really vivid and animal cruelty that may affect some people, but overall I think this was a very good horror novel, perfect for the spooky season.
This is definitely a unique addition to the horror genre and with the impressive depth to every character and a strong plot, this will surely keep you reading all night!