Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzar & Bray
Date of publication: September 2012
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie are looking forward to two days of boys, booze, and fun-filled luxury. But what starts out as fun turns twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. And things only get worse from there.
With a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the outside world . . . so when a mysterious killer begins picking them off one by one, there’s no escape. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on one another, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
If you are a fan of And Then There were None by Agatha Christie or the 80s movie April Fool's Day, then you'll probably enjoy Ten. It definitely pays homage to the Christie novel. Meg and Minnie are best friends who get invited to a secret weekend party on a private island. Their host is not there, but they decide to make the best of it and party with the other guests who have shown up. It's fun until people start dying.
I actually thought this book was a lot of fun. Yes, it's super cheesy and is dripping with cliches and red herrings, but I found I didn't mind. That was due to actually liking the main character, Meg. She was someone I could root for and thankfully didn't have any "too stupid to live" moments. Some of the other characters were annoying and I wasn't sad to see them meet their demise. The story kept me engaged and guessing to the conclusion. I had no idea who the killer was so that was an added bonus. I definitely recommend this one. It's a fairly mild YA horror and a quick read.
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Date of publication: September 2014
Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.
When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.
I thought Get Even was a fairly good YA story. It was a little bit of a crazy premise, but who wouldn't want to make a club to get back at the bullies in school? The story got a little convoluted at times. I also felt like it got way too long. I think if it would have been a little more direct instead of trying to take so many twisty turns more readers would probably like it. All that said, I found myself interested in the story and the characters throughout the book. I couldn't wait to find out whodunit. This book is the first in a series. The second book Get Dirty comes out next year.
I know that Autumn liked this book, but it ended up being a DNF for me. I kept having to restart the book because I felt like I kept getting lost. There were too many characters to keep straight. The story also wasn't too believable. Once I got to the part where the girls find the date rape video and decide not to turn it over to the police, I gave up. Try it for yourself. Maybe you'll like it more than me.
