Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Number of Pgs. 294
Publication date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA
How I got the copy: Library
From Goodreads:
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. House party.
White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.
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've been using a new way of reviewing that I saw over at Making the Grade. It breaks the book down and makes it easier to rate. The way it works is each category gets a score out of ten points. Then you add them all up + 50 (50% automatically for each book) and that's your score out of 100.
Plot 7/10: Usually in mysteries I figure out who the killer is before it's revealed. This one I was completely surprised although I probably shouldn't have been. I loved the realistic-ness of it (besides the part about teens being on an island alone). It was thoroughly creepy for a YA book. It reminds me of Lord of the Flies and that poem Ten Little Indians.
Characters 6/10: The main character was so protective of her best friend that she put her own needs aside which really bothered me after awhile. It's one thing to be loyal and another to be a complete pushover. Eventually she grows a backbone, but it takes like the whole book for that to happen. Her friend was annoying and needy. TJ kept me guessing. I didn't know what to think of his character. The other kids were kind of stereotypical. I kind of wished they had more depth.
Setting 8/10: It was very creepy in this mansion on a deserted island. The descriptions gave me chills. However, I just can't see this happening in the real world. I mean are there even islands out there with two mansions on them and nothing else? Other than that it was a great setting that made the whole atmosphere of the book work.
Pacing 8/10: Once the murders started the pacing was so fast and the ending was crazy fast. So much happened in the last few chapters!
Style 7/10: I want to read this author's other book now. She keeps you on the edge of your seat. Her book was creepy, but not "leave the light on" scary. I think I finished it in a day.
Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a book to read before halloween this is definitely a good one to try. See if you can figure out the mystery first!
Total: 86/100
