Thursday, August 23, 2018

#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil--

#Murdertrending

After being convicted of her step-sister's murder, Dee finds herself on Alactraz 2.0-- and island where serial killers are let loose to kill the inmates at will & it's all filmed for the publics app viewing pleasure.

Dee is not willing to go down for a crime she didn't commit & decides to fight back.  She joins a crew of teens dubbed The Death Row Breakfast Club and they embark on showing the world what is really going on at Alactraz 2.0 & proving their innocence.

















I'm going to go ahead and disclaimer myself: I judge YA Horror books at a lower standard than other YA books.

I apologize for this-- it's just YA Horror is a genre of books that I'm always hoping there will be more of and it just never happens.  Maybe one year it will be the trending book, but until then I will grade on a curve.  Considering it's so hard to find GREAT ones, I think finding GOOD ones make me just as joyful at this point.

Having said all that, this book is GOOD.  It has it's issues, but it was addicting as hell.  I don't think this is a book you can read slowly because the action is INTENSE.  Where is a good place to pause??  There really isn't one.

What I liked:
  • The idea of a serial killer island/prison???  I freaking LOVE it.
  • The serial killers were so well thought out-- I loved how they each had very unique killing preferences, and I think it added to the fear while reading.
  • #CinderellaSurvivor was kind of a fun concept.  When Dee survives her first serial killer, she's dressed as Cinderella-- therefor causing her persona on the island to be Disney-themed.  I loved that she was basically forced to DisneyBound every day (and besides the whole serial killer/stalking/death thing, I kind of wouldn't mind having access to her closet on Alcatraz).
  • The Death Row Breakfast Club (aka Dee and her entourage) was a kick-ass cast.  I especially loved Nyles and Griselda-- the geek and the bad-ass boss bitch).
  • THE KILLS!!  This book was awesomely gory and didn't hold back on kill scenes.  I LOVEDDDDD that it went for it.
Drawbacks:
  • I didn't like that this is set TODAY.  This felt like a future dystopian world and setting it now was obviously just a try at making some sort of current political statement.  I am bored to death with that-- just do what's right for the book.
  • The fact that the serial killers were allowed to leave the island and live normal lives in public just didn't feel right.  It would make much more sense if they were also inmates who were allowed to carry out their sick performances as a perk.
  • I am pretty good at being in a book world and not being overly harsh about believability-- but the last 1/3 was REALLY hard to believe.  
  • The entire book happens over 3 days-- and I just don't think it's humanly possible to be involved in EVERYTHING that happens in 3 days.
  • Also-- Serial Killers are smarter than these ones.  Dee would have SO been dead.
  • The Ending: it wasn't that big of a surprise.  I wanted something SHOCKING and this was something we knew the whole time.  There was one twist that I didn't see coming, but it wasn't anything major or meaningful.

The book ends on a semi-cliffhanger & I was unaware until that point that this was indeed the first book in a series.  I'm kind of bummed about that because I think it has standalone written all over it.  Although I don't think it's perfect, I do think that it's worth reading for the entertainment of it all.

OVERALL: Do you ever just want to read to be entertained??  This is your book!  It's action-action-action & full of gory death and intenseness.  I wasn't 100% in love, but I liked it enough to recommend to horror fans.

Date Published: 8/7/2018
How I got this book: Thanks to Disney and ALA for providing me with an advanced copy to read and honestly review.
Publisher: Freeform


Add it to your To-Read List!!


My Rating: 4.5/5










Character: Dee Guerrera
Book: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

  • Dee needs to read a nice book about siblings who don't die or try to kill each other.





8 comments:

  1. I do really want to read this one! It's a bit of a bummer that a lot of the end felt too unbelievable, but it still seems like a quick, exciting read! I need to find a copy.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can have mine if you want it!! Just email me your address!

      Delete
  2. I might need to read this just for the Death Row Breakfast Club. And #CinderellaSurvivor because how often do we see THAT? The drawbacks do seem like they would be eye rolling moments, but in spite of that I'm glad this was good and fun. Sounds like a thrill ride!

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  3. Ugh I hate when a book is one in a series when you think its a stand alone. Hope it is a standalone!! Sometimes a book that is entertaining is enough. Great review!

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