Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Release Date: 8th February, 2011

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 233pgs

The Story

The community of Cryer's Cross, Montana (population of 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, sixteen-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany's empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on . . . until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear . . . and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating . . . and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon something ugly - and deadly - local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

The Review

Okay, I'm not going to lie. I've read Lisa McMann's FADE series and I wasn't a fan. When it came to this book however and seeing so many people give it 4 stars on the likes of goodreads, I thought maybe I misjudged the author and I should give this one a go. So here I am . . . I gave it a go . . . I really tried to give it a go . . . but *sigh*. Maybe it was just boring old me, but I couldn't - at all - connect with the story. Which ultimately sucks since I'm big fan of thriller and supernatural stories. My overall thought for CRYER'S CROSS: It was probably even more disappointing than McMann's other series. I found the plot itself lacking in so many ways as well as the characters who I didn't really care about in the end. It's an easy read and I get that part, but there were so many different directions the author could've explored in the book, directions that could've possibly hold more interest to its readers.

I loved the idea of McMann's character suffering from OCD (like me because I'm a neat freak all the way hehe) and that alone was the reason why I picked up this book. Oh and the "possessed" desk. But it didn't work the way I hoped it would. Same goes for the romance. I had a small issue with the romance . . . it was too forced and sudden. So, the book just didn't work. For me at least. I still have no idea what the book was really about because the main character was a mess. Sometimes we have a story about the OCD girl Kendall, sometimes we have a story about the aspiring dancer girl Kendall, and sometimes we have a story about the worried girl who's looking for an answer about the missing teens Kendall. It was a series of choppy mini-stories and I didn't feel anything was pulled off the way it should've been. That's the problem with short, easy-read books . . . it's very hard to pull off a great story with so little pages. I admit, the premise of CRYER'S CROSS was a great idea and I suppose a lot of other readers really loved this one but, I, however am not loving this one. It wasn't what I was hoping for.

The one thing I applaud about Lisa is her unique style of writing - it's fast-paced and straight to-point. Some may love this book because they're a fan of McMann's other books and some may love this book because it's a short read . . . so if you're one of those two things then you'll love this book. I may not be a fan but everyone has different tastes in young adult fiction. So give it a go if you're looking for something to read in your spare time.

The Rating

2/5 stars