Synopsis:
The small town of Cryer's Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn’t that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain. When a second student goes missing - someone close to Kendall’s heart - the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendall’s not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she’s losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school - messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there - Kendall decides that crazy or not, she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t act on her suspicions. Something’s not right in Cryer’s Cross - and Kendall’s about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.Review:
First of all, I would like to say that the above description is what made me decide to read this book. It is a bit misleading to say the least, which was quite disappointing. There are only a total of two townspeople that realize what is going on, but that's after the fact and they don't try to cover it up. They actually do what they can to get rid of the "evil" stalking the students. Kendall does not hear voices before she sees the new writing on the desk of the missing persons (which both used before their disappearances). She hears the voices, actually one voice and it belongs to the person that was close to her heart, after she sees the writing and traces her finger along its grooves. Again, disappointing.
With that being said, the premise of this book really drew me in, but it wasn’t executed as well as it could have been. The reason behind the disappearances is original, but lacks depth and there were several holes in the plot. It made it difficult for me to suspend disbelief. The book is too short, I read it in two and a half hours, to have really delved into a meaningful story. However, the characterization of Kendall was solid. Her struggles with OCD was well done. I found myself rooting for her, whether it was to overcome her OCD, her loss of a dear friend or to heal with the aid of two new friends, one of them being Jacian, the angry, but hot, new boy at school and the other his little sister. Watching Kendall fight to keep her sanity and the guilt of falling in love again were the best parts of the story.
I had been really looking forward to the paranormal aspect of this story, but it fell flat. As I said, the idea was so original, but McMann didn't put much into it. I felt as though the plot took a backseat to Kendall. I love a well written character, but not if that is the only thing I get from the story. A character drives the story, but doesn't there need to be a story for the character to exist? Anyway, I finished with a lot of why's and I hate ending a book like that. This book was so close to having major creep factor, but fell short. Literally.
With that being said, the premise of this book really drew me in, but it wasn’t executed as well as it could have been. The reason behind the disappearances is original, but lacks depth and there were several holes in the plot. It made it difficult for me to suspend disbelief. The book is too short, I read it in two and a half hours, to have really delved into a meaningful story. However, the characterization of Kendall was solid. Her struggles with OCD was well done. I found myself rooting for her, whether it was to overcome her OCD, her loss of a dear friend or to heal with the aid of two new friends, one of them being Jacian, the angry, but hot, new boy at school and the other his little sister. Watching Kendall fight to keep her sanity and the guilt of falling in love again were the best parts of the story.
I had been really looking forward to the paranormal aspect of this story, but it fell flat. As I said, the idea was so original, but McMann didn't put much into it. I felt as though the plot took a backseat to Kendall. I love a well written character, but not if that is the only thing I get from the story. A character drives the story, but doesn't there need to be a story for the character to exist? Anyway, I finished with a lot of why's and I hate ending a book like that. This book was so close to having major creep factor, but fell short. Literally.
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