Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen
McNeil
Publisher: Balzer
+ Bray
Publication Date: September
18, 2012
Genre: YA,
Horror
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
Source: Purchased
My star rating: 3/5
SUMMARY
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?
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?
REVIEW
I have
mixed feelings about this book. I was looking forward to reading Ten as it has a phenomenal cover and
intriguing premise. I love mysteries and thrillers, but I’m sad to say that this
was a disappointing read for me. Apparently it’s based on one of Agatha
Christie’s novels, but I haven’t read any of her books yet, so I can’t compare
the two.
There
were a lot of things that bothered me about the plot, but my biggest complaint is
the silly and unnecessary romance in this story. It would’ve functioned well
without two of the characters trying to rekindle their lost love. Meg’s constant inner-thoughts about T.J., her
fantasizing about him kissing her, and all the what-ifs she was constantly
contemplating, had me glossing over some of the pages. I don’t really mind
romance in books. Honestly, I don’t. But I do expect authors who work romance
into their stories to give me something new. Something so different it makes me
fall in love with their character(s), or at the very least something that would
take my breath away (like in Pushing the
Limits by Katie McGarry). In this story, Meg is a bland, irritatingly sappy
character. I mean, she discovers a body, goes into a panic for about two
paragraphs about there being a murderer on the loose, but then, for the next
ten pages, switches to daydreaming about T.J. Can you blame me for thinking “what the heck?” The romance was
obviously used as story filler since it added nothing to the plot.
Don’t
even get me started on T.J. Heaven knows I’ve never come across a more naïve,
oblivious character than him. The rest of the characters aren’t even worth
mentioning. The author didn’t even bother to establish that connection between
the reader and the rest of the characters, as they get murdered faster than the
speed of light. The plot itself is pretty standard. Nothing new is added to the
story that I haven’t seen in a typical murder mystery movie before. The ending?
Meh. I can assure you it’s nothing you haven’t already seen in countless
low-budget thriller movies. Oh, and the journal found by Meg which is
supposedly from a seventeen-year-old suicide victim, reads like an adolescent’s
diary. No wonder she was shunned by the other high school kids.
So
those were some of the things I didn’t enjoy about the book. There were also a
few things I did enjoy and which motivated me to finish the book. Like I said,
the ending wasn’t anything spectacular, but the suspense and build-up to the
“who-dunnit” was quite nerve-wracking. Halfway into the story I’ve suspected
just about every character who was still alive at that point. I know of many
readers who didn’t like Minnie’s character because of her erratic behavior, but
I think the author did great to throw such a character into the mix. Despite my
complaints about the things I didn’t enjoy, I think that Ten is a good read, just not a great read. Apart from the drawn out
syrupy romance, the plot itself moved quite fast. The gore is kept to a minimum
which makes this a suitable read for younger readers and sensitive readers
alike. I’ll definitely read more of this author’s books.
READ more REVIEWS
Ten by
Gretchen McNeil has 671 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.
PURCHASE LINKS
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, writer and
clown. Her YA horror POSSESS about a teen exorcist debuted with Balzer + Bray
for HarperCollins in 2011. Her follow up TEN - YA horror/suspense about ten
teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer - was released September
18, 2012, and her third novel 3:59 - sci fi doppelganger horror about two girls
who are the same girl in parallel dimensions who decide to switch places - is scheduled
for Fall 2013. Gretchen's new YA contemporary series Don't Get Mad (Revenge
meets The Breakfast Club) about four very different girls who form a secret
society where they get revenge on bullies and mean girls begins Fall 2014 with
GET EVEN, followed by the sequel GET DIRTY in 2015, also with Balzer + Bray.
AUTHOR LINKS
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