Review: Ten by: Gretchen McNeil

Ten by: Gretchen McNeil (2012)

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

304 pages

Genre: YA/Horror/Thriller/Mystery

Source: I Purchased This One

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Goodreads Summary: SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at 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?

My Review

This book was gooood, but don’t read this book late at night right before going to sleep. I’m serious, you really shouldn't.  I got some major chills while reading Ten. I may have gotten just a little freaked out. (Okay, more like a lot freaked out, especially toward the end of the book.) Ten did exactly what it was set out to do, scare me.  I was on the edge of my seat cautiously looking over my shoulder the entire time I was reading. At one point I wanted to be like Joey from FRIENDS and put the book in the freezer, but I toughed it up and made it through to the end.

Setting: I was hooked from page one. McNeil did a great job at setting up the perfect horror setting from the very beginning to the last page. The descriptions of the island, weather, the house, and pretty much every spooky element in this book were excellent and gave some great visuals. I felt like I was really there in the teenage drama house of horrors.

Plot: Although the plot was nothing overly new, it was the same kind of teenage horror plot line that reminded me of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream, it still had a "new" feel to it. Plus, when it was overly like every other horror story It didn't bother me, I just found it funny and campy. Ten still had a few unique mysteries, I was so glued to this story that I just couldn't stop until I found out who the killer was and who would die next! Not to mention that it had a twist or two that I didn't see coming. The death scenes were gross and yet brought about the perfect feeling. I don't know if this is weird, but I like a good unique death in my horror books/movies and Ten did a pretty good job at providing some.

Characters: I liked the main character, Meg, she was interesting and seemed like a real teenager. She was frustrating at times, but since most teenagers are it didn't bother me. There were still a few of those moments where you just wanted to yell at the people that they are dumb, but what good horror movie wouldn't have those moments? I think all ten of the kids fit just right into this story. Sadly, I didn't overly love any of them, but that didn't really make me not enjoy the novel. I did however pick and choose which character I did and didn't want to die. Wow, I hope that doesn't make me even more weird. It's not that I wanted any of them to die... but if I had to pick one...well I did. Reading this novel was almost like playing a game of clue.

Read this book if you haven't already! If you are looking for a great horror/mystery novel that will give you a scare then this book is for you. It was a fun, scary, and enjoyable read that I finished in one day. Who doesn't want to read a book that will pull you in from page one and keep you on your toes until you finish? 

RATING 4.5/5