Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 294pgs

The Story

SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. House party. 
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?

The Review 

Gretchen McNeil's debut novel Possess was one of my favourite YA horror books from 2011 and having heard she was writing yet another book in the same genre . . . I was pretty giddy in excitement because I absolutely love her writing style and her storytelling so, so much. In her second book, TEN, while it was mostly predictable and cliche at times, but I didn't care at all because it was entertaining in every single aspect and was just so much fun to read. Running very much like a teenage horror movie - both fast-paced, terrifying and shocking at every turn you take - there was something just so enjoyable about this book and while some of the characters may appear to be stupid before their death comes knowing but . . . they certainly can die in many different ways and that was a lot of fun!

Honestly the best thing about TEN is how quickly you can read it. While it was short in page length and didn't necessarily contain lot of character development (in fact there is none really since everyone was being killed off before you got to say 'Hey there!'), but there was this strange way where this book had still managed to fit all of the story and its characters nicely together . . . becoming the kind of book I like to read and in the end McNeil wrote and dealt with everyone's lives (and death) very, very well. She has a knack for it I tell you! But there's another thing too that I loved about this book: I always knew who the killer was (thanks to my childhood Nancy Drew books which had made me into such a clever girl detective if I do say so myself) and yet I still always found myself second-guessing on who the killer is and his or her motives which was the fun part for me and boy did I love it!

While I can't say a terrible lot about this book without spoiling it (like a lot since a lot of people die) but I absolutely loved the main character, Meg. Honestly she was the only one I could really rely on in the book. She was smart, witty, kind, and was completely aware of what was going on in her surroundings and never did she fail to keep up her strength until the killer was found . . . she was really brilliant even if I didn't get a chance to know her very well enough as a character. But as for her best friend, Minnie, well . . . let's just say she most certainly drove me up the wall that one. I wanted her to DIE already and even though no one - no matter their moody and selfish, bitter ways - deserves to die but gee whiz she was god awful to Meg and I don't know why these two where friends! And as for Meg's love interest well . . . just you wait! He was one awesome dude and one - I hope - you will come to appreciate.

Overall, while I thought the story shared a lot of similarities to one of my favourite mini TV shows, Harper's Island, but TEN was still a perfect read and will be perfect for any horror fan out there such as myself! If you don't mind a quick-paced read containing characters who die all over the place (c'mon you know you will love the whole dying thing or maybe that's just me haha!), then I would highly recommend this book within as second and now I'm really eager to see what else Gretchen McNeil comes up with next!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars

Possess by Gretchen McNeil

Release Date: 23rd August, 2011

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 384pgs

The Story

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her overprotective mom, by Matt Quin, the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, the voices are demons - and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.

Terrified to tell her friends or family about this new power, Bridget confides in San Francisco's senior exorcist, Monsignor Renault. The monsignor enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession, but just as she is starting to come to terms with her freakish new role, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. And when one of her oldest friends is killed, Bridget realizes she's in deeper than she thought possible. Now she must unlock the secret to the demon's plan before someone else close to her winds up dead - or worse, the human vessel for a demon king.

The Review

How would I describe this book to you? Creepy and suspenseful - and bloody brilliant of course! I followed Gretchen McNeil for a while since the YouTube channel group called YA Rebels started up and she's pretty hilarious and when I found out her book POSSESS - originally titled Banish - was coming out this year, I knew straight away that it was my type of book and a must read for all paranormal lovers. I mean, look at its cover! It's absolutely beautiful and not to mention haunting compared to most YA covers. Within this tale you have a sassy, intelligent, and very witty heroine, along with some wicked scenes of demon possession, and a lot of unexpected things lurking within the dark shadows. It was needless to say . . . a thrilling debut novel from Gretchen McNeil!

Now let's talk about Bridget Liu, the main protagonist. I've come across a lot of female heroines in my time with a smart-mouth, but I really, really loved - no, adored - Bridget as a character and if Nancy Drew and Buffy had a baby together - not like it's possible or anything but you get the idea - then Bridget would be it! Still struggling in grief over her father's murder, trying to deal with her mother dating again, and watching over her little brother Sammy, she was a character with the right amount of snark, wit and vulnerability, and I loved every moment of her on each and every page.

Personally for me, her interaction with her friend Hector was a real delight throughout the book and not to mention her interaction with gorgeous Matt - the person Bridget least expected to fall for. Ah, how I loved Matt and his greatness. Their relationship alone never sidetracked the overall storyline (thank God because a lot of romances distract me from the inital plot) but you still felt attached to these two teens and what was going on with them. Same goes with Bridget's relationship with her brother, Sammy, who was such a wicked kid by the way! I loved the way Bridget wanted to protect him and her family and friends . . . it felt real and honest. And of course, we must not forget Bridget's new powers like . . . whoa. The demon kick-butting scenes were the best part of the book and I felt Bridget was really growing as a character, one you can't help but love.

From what I understand, POSSESS has a sequel in the works and I'm definitely looking forward to more Bridget adventures and more Matt-loving! But what I love most about this book is that it could quite easily be a standalone and not many young adult books can be written like that - having a clearly explained novel from start, middle and end. So to those wondering whether they should read it or not, I recommend this book to anyone who loves some good evilness with not-so-trusting priests, demonic exorcisms and some really damn scary possessions. But this tale could not have been successful without a refreshing female heroine and some beautiful friendships all round. If you love any of those elements that I've mentioned above, then POSSESS is your book for sure! It has a little something for everyone who likes a good scare! Trust me here . . . you too will be possessed by this book! By the way - don't trust the priest!

The Rating

5/5 stars