Book Review:: The Assassin Game – Kirsty McKay

Date started: July 3, 2017

Date ended: July 11, 2017 

Stars: ★★★★

kids playing a version of the mafia game +

boarding school +

all goes awry +

psychopath on the loose = EPICNESS ENSUES!!

I’m honestly so impressed with this Target impulse buy. I have been let down in the past by judging a book by its cover but SWEET BABY JESUS not this one! This didn’t quite go the way I had pictured it in my head, but that was fine because it was so much better.

Every fall semester, a chosen few are selected and initiated into the Guild, an elite secret society on campus, that participate in a game called Killer. It is similar to the card game Mafia, but they play in real life. Simple little pranks like putting dye in the shower head so it looks like the water is bleeding on you. Completely innocent, right?

WRONG.

Soon after the game begins things turn lethal. Someone and starts killing for real. And no one knows if it’s someone within the guild or someone punishing the guild for not choosing them.

It’s hard to review a murder mystery type novel, but here’s some of the things I enjoyed.

I really liked the main character, Cate, she’s not a really strong, noticeable individual. She’s a scholarship student with mediocre looks. Smart and only has two close friends. She really wants to be chosen for the guild like everyone else on campus but she hopes to make a name for herself by doing so. Cate really starts to come out of her shell when the game becomes all to real. She’s determined to find the real killer and stop these murders before she’s next.

The pacing of the novel is well done. Starts off a little slow but then builds to the metaphorical top of the hill and then takes off. I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know who was the killer. Was it the best friend? Was it the love interest? Was it a teacher? McKay keeps you wondering and guessing until the very last page.

This was a great beach read, and it made me wish it was fall so I could curl up under a blanket and drink hot cocoa. I’d highly recommend this to people who love murder mysteries and fall scares.

Book Review:: The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins

Date started: September 22, 2016

Date ended: September 26, 2016 

Stars: ★★★★

“Something bad happened.”

Wow, that was a thrill ride. It kept me guessing right up until the last page.

I have to admit, I held off reading this book because of Gone Girl. I love Gone Girl and was recommended The Girl on the Train immediately after the book came out but I just couldn’t believe that it would live up to this high expectation. Well, I wasn’t half wrong.

The Girl on the Train is of the same mindset that Gone Girl is, but the two are apples and oranges. This is not to say that I didn’t like The Girl on the Train, I did immensely, but not as much as I loved Gone Girl.

The story is told from 3-POVs: Rachel Watson, Anna Watson, and Megan Hipwell. I’m not a huge fan of multiple POVs but with mysteries and thrillers, it just works. Especially, when your three main characters are a drunk, a cheat, and a liar. Who can you trust? No one! I liked that part about this story is because when something was uncovered, it never became more clear at who-done-it. Another clue would push you to believe it was Rachel, another one would make you believe the doctor did it, and another would point out a jealous housewife bored with life. I thought this was simply brilliant because even at the end, you’re sitting there reading, needing to know who did it, and yet, you’re still shocked at how it unfolds.

I did like that The Girl on the Train was a bit faster paced than Gone Girl, I liked that whenever I picked up where I left off, I never wanted to stop. I also liked that right from the beginning, there are secrets everywhere. The untold truths that everyone hides just beneath the surface. As you continue to read, you start to peel back the layers of those secrets and what you find isn’t always pleasant.

Also, this book is a great advocate for not blacking out when drinking. Oh my, while I was reading this I was like, “Damn, I’ve done that” but the whole while you’re screaming at Rachel, “Why are you doing that! Stop while you’re ahead!” After reading The Girl on the Train, I hope to never black out again, because you might just go to bed that night and wake to find blood on your hands …

#currentlyreading