Review - Ten

by Gretchen McNeil
publisher: Balzer + Bray
date of publication: September 18, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 304
source: from the author

From Goodreads:

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

I don't make a habit of reading many murder mysteries.  They usually just don't manage to grab my attention all that much, as I like my books both fanciful and thrilling.  When I found out that Gretchen McNeil had written Ten, however, I knew I had to give it a go.  She successfully scared the crap out of me with Possess, so I was confident she would write a mean murder mystery.  As it turns out, my assumptions were correct and I was treated to one heck of a thrill ride.  Ten brought on the mystery plot with a whole lot of ominous tone.  From the first page, I knew I was in for it.

When it comes to Meg and her best friend, Minnie, the description above does not do justice to the true nature of the relationship between these two.  To say that Minnie is codependent and Meg is an enabler is an understatement.  From the start, you know that what you're reading isn't a typical friendship.  Instead, it's based on something more akin to baby-sitting and walking on egg shells.  Meg starts out as such a push-over that you have to wonder just how the story is going to play out in regard to her.  However, as she begins to realize more and more the consequences of her enabling behavior, she becomes a bit stronger and a more sympathetic character.  I wanted someone to put a gag in Minnie's mouth half the time, but I can't deny that she added a lot of edge to the story's undercurrents.

I simply loved the setting for Ten.  It doesn't get much spookier than a heavily forested, storm-ravaged island along the Pacific Northwest coast.  It added so much more urgency to the teens' plight and made for a heck of an atmosphere.  Between that and the enigma that is the identity of the killer, you'll be kept on the edge of your seat.  I truly could not deduce the killer's identity until they revealed it themselves.  Consider my mind blown.  When a book comes along that takes me completely by surprise like that, I'm a happy reader, indeed.

It's safe to say that Ten left me very satisfied in the thrills and chills department.  Though I would have liked to see some more depth to Minnie's character (I honestly couldn't define what Meg saw in her), the variety in the cast worked out very well.  With a foreboding setting, character conflict, and a tight lid on the killer's identity, Ten makes for a pretty great mystery.  If you're a fan of the genre or want to try it out for yourself, Ten would definitely be a good place to start.

Buy Ten at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

This advance review copy was provided to me by the author as part of a contest.  No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Cover Alert 2

There were three more awesome cover reveals today.  Hasn't it just been a great week for cover reveals?  This time, the reveals were for Ten by Gretchen McNeil, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and Glass Heart by Amy Garvey.  First up is Ten...

Ten by Gretchen McNeil (coming September 18, 2012 from Balzer+Bray)

Gretchen McNeil has a way with thrillers, as evidenced by her debut, Possess.  Though Ten won't be a paranormal thriller/horror novel, I can't wait to read it.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (coming June 5, 2012 from Henry Holt BYR)

I was surprised to get an ARC of this book in the mail this week from Macmillan and am thrilled to get the chance to read it.  Now that I can see what the final cover looks like, I am even more excited!  You have got to read this plot description. 

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey (coming October 2012 from HarperTeen)

There is just something about this cover that I really like.  I haven't read Cold Kiss as of yet, but I do have it and am really looking forward to it.  I plan to read it as soon as I possibly can.  I just have to whittle down my review list first.

Creature Feature Review: Possess

We have finally reached the end of the first annual Bump in the Night Brawl. What a week! We've heard from some awesome bloggers about all of the things that go bump in the night. But wait! There's still one more! Later today, Christy from The Reader Bee will be here to tell you all why demons are the baddest thing there is that goes bump in the night. For now, however, I have one last Bump in the Night Creature Feature review which, of course, concerns a book about demons. I hope you will consider Possess as one of your spooky reads.
 
Possess
by Gretchen McNeil
publisher: Balzer + Bray
date of publication: August 23, 2011
format: hardcover pages: 384
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

What I Thought  

Possess is a phenomenally spooky story about Bridget, a girl who has developed the capability of hearing and banishing demons after the death of her beloved father. As she learns to harness her newly found talents, it comes to her attention that there is trouble brewing in the world of demons, trouble that threatens her very safety. As she looks for answers in regard to the identity of her father's murderer and just what it is the demons have in store, she has to learn whom to trust and when to embrace her powers.

From start to finish, Possess was an enthralling story that I couldn't get enough of. There are some deliciously creepy parts that made me look at certain things in a different way after I finished reading them. The characters are interesting and, in the cases of some, creepy in their own ways. Bridget is a wounded young girl who has had a heavy burden thrown upon her. Watching her grapple with her abilities and worry about who she should trust was a great aspect to the story that added a bit more realness to her character. The settings are very well done and scary in all the right places. My personal favorite was the doll shop (you'll see why when you read it!). The only thing that I was disappointed in was how easily I figured out the identity of the villain. I had gleaned the information less than half-way through the book and, though I hoped I was wrong, was a bit disappointed to have figured it out so quickly. Nevertheless, the journey to the revelation was dramatic, horrific, and intriguing. I definitely enjoyed the horror elements most of all.

If you're in the mood for a bit of mystery wrapped up in horror and paranormal elements, then Possess is the book for you. While some things about the book are a bit too simple, it makes for an awesome reading experience, nevertheless. This is the perfect book to read on a chill autumn night, so why don't you grab a blanket and a cup of cocoa and give it a spin? It makes for the perfect spine-tingling evening.