Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Are they labels or a warning? The answer could cost Sera everything.
Murder, justice, and revenge were so not a part of the plan when Sera set out on her senior camping trip. After all, hiking through the woods is supposed to be safe and uneventful.
Then one morning the group wakes up groggy, confused, and with words scrawled on their wrists: Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Their supplies? Destroyed. Half their group? Gone. Their chaperone? Unconscious. Worst of all, they find four dolls acting out a murder—dolls dressed just like them.
Suddenly it's clear; they're being hunted. And with the only positive word on her wrist, Sera falls under suspicion…
Goodreads Summary
I rarely find truly good horror or thriller young adult books. Lucky enough to grab this book at ALA, I literally devoured it last night (tip: don't read horror books at 3 in the morning if you intend to sleep). Sera chose to hike in an obscure remote part of the forest for her senior year. When her group becomes separated due to a flash flood, Sera figures she and the four in her group will catch up with the others the next day. Instead, she wakes to the word "darling" scrawled across her arm and one of the other campers vomiting from some sort of sleep medication. The novel follows Sera's literal and mental journey through the forest trying to figure out who is behind the words and the creepy (and potentially murderous) scenes.
Sera initially becomes a suspect herself because her word was the only positive word written down. From the beginning of the book, I (and the reader) know that she has nothing to do with the attack (this is not a spoiler). She is clever, slightly hard-headed, and scared. It's easy to sympathize with her and imagine yourself in her situation. Lucas, the Dangerous one, has a background of being hard to handle and fills the role of Sera's love interest. Emily, the Damaged one, has an intriguing and sad past-one that the reader will be interested to discover. Jude, the Deceptive one, is not your typical rich boy with two gay dads. He is resourceful and sometimes insightful. I enjoyed all of the characters.
The plot was quick and fast-paced. I felt like the events flew by. I literally finished this book in one sitting (not the best idea as it is a bit excessive late at night). It was oddly believable and I liked how the author constructed the mystery. I later noticed that there were subtle clues strewn throughout the novel, but I don't think a reader can possibly catch it without cheating and reading the ending first. I definitely did not guess who the murderer was. The author kept me guessing until the bitter (and it was bitter) end. Overall, I loved the book. Horror is not everyone's cup of tea, but this book could be marketed as a thriller, too.
5 Stars
This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LIVE TO READ
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