Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen McNeil
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Release Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bay
Pages: 294
Format: Hardcover
Acquired: Bought
Age Group: Young Adult

And their doom comes swiftly.

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?

I finished this book in less than seven hours, I know this because I was reading it on a car ride that lasted for seven hours, and I have to tell you that the only reason I did that is because I couldn't stop reading. This book sucked me in and refused to let go.

When Meg and Minnie, best friends who have a serious unhealthy relationship, are invited to a party on Henry Island, they expect it to be one of the best weekends ever. But shortly after arriving they soon realize that something is incredibly wrong. And the messed up DVD that freaks them out does no one any good.

I'll admit that when I was first reading this I kept searching for clues from any of the characters. Even as the story was unfolding, I kept pointing fingers at each character, and some I think were just made to be the obvious choice. Honestly, McNeil took me by complete surprise. And when Meg was putting the pieces together, I just kept waiting for the killer to come out.

This story takes the reader by surprise. At every turn something unexpected happened that had me jumping out of my seat!

And the plot twist at the end? So unexpected! Which is why it's called a plot twist, ha!

The relationship that was forming between TJ and Meg, comparing to the relationship with Meg and Minnie showed so many different sides to Meg. The codependency of her friend and her own wants and needs. I kept feeling sorry for her, except at one point where I didn't because she did a stupid thing. Either way, I enjoyed reading about Meg and the others!

I do wish though that McNeil took a little time to unravel each character. Granted, the story would have been longer but it just felt like each character was dying off before the reader got the chance to see them as a person and not just as a one dimension figure that didn't matter because they were going to die anyways. The story may have been better had it been longer, I think.

This book was great. It's been awhile since I read something that was completely 100% mystery with no paranormal activity going on or some dysfunctional society - though it did have a lot of dysfunctional people! So, this was a well needed break I think, and if someone is looking for something different or at least to go back to the classic mystery stories, I think this book fits the bill!