Title: The Haunting
Author: Natasha Preston
Genre: YA, mystery thriller
Publication date: September 2023
Published by: Delacorte Press
Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley
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Synopsis: Haunted by the past...
Penny's trying to forget about her ex, Nash. His father was arrested for the brutal murder of four teenagers on Devil's Night last year. Penny's parents have forbidden her to have anything to do with Nash or his family. It's hard not to think of what happened as spooky season gets underway--but she's trying.
That stops when she goes to the Halloween store with her friends to find a costume. What she finds instead is ripped from a horror movie: a girl from school bleeding out on the floor of a dressing room. Stabbed.
Is a copycat killer on the loose? The adults are saying no. But Penny knows better.
This book was not as great as I was hoping it would be. I really liked the premise of a copycat killer hunting these kids. A copycat killer that was imitating the kills done by the dad of the main character's boyfriend, no less! Well, ex-boyfriend at this point. But still! That was so interesting and exciting to me! And I actually started off really enjoying the book.
One thing I really liked about the book was the small-town vibes, especially because this took place on Halloween and the town went all out with decor and activities. That was really fun!
I was also really liking the characters in the beginning. I enjoyed Penny rebelling against her parents and finally trying to reconnect with Nash a year after the tragedy happened. And I really felt for Nash and his sister and the way the town ostracized them, basically making them guilty by association despite them having nothing to do with what their dad did. It was just so sad to see how these friends drifted apart after that, and how little support Nash had. Okay, let me rephrase, I liked Nash. I did not care for any of Penny's other friends. They were all suspicious to me. Lol. And Penny wasn’t the smartest protagonist at times.
The story was pretty fast-paced and tense though, which I enjoyed, but that ending was not it. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, despite the fact that I was enjoying this book up until that point. It was this weird combination of the bad guy overexplaining the hell out of their motives, followed immediately by an abrupt ending. I didn't hate the twist, but the fact that the story ended at the climax without a resolution was not it.
Aside from that, while I enjoyed many aspects of this story (excluding that ending of course), there was something about the writing that was just weird to me and I can't quite place my finger on it. The dialogue did feel kind of stilted at times. Idk. Idk what it was. Lol.
But yeah, I enjoyed this book... until I didn't. It had potential and that's what makes me sad. There were aspects I was eating up right at the start, and while I enjoyed the mystery for the most part, the way the book ended was terrible. I feel like that abrupt ending was only there for the sake of being shocking 🙄 But I only found it to be frustrating. And I have since learned that this type of ending is a favorite of this author and I just can't do it. So guess who's not reading any books more books by this author, unfortunately? 🙃
I was also really liking the characters in the beginning. I enjoyed Penny rebelling against her parents and finally trying to reconnect with Nash a year after the tragedy happened. And I really felt for Nash and his sister and the way the town ostracized them, basically making them guilty by association despite them having nothing to do with what their dad did. It was just so sad to see how these friends drifted apart after that, and how little support Nash had. Okay, let me rephrase, I liked Nash. I did not care for any of Penny's other friends. They were all suspicious to me. Lol. And Penny wasn’t the smartest protagonist at times.
The story was pretty fast-paced and tense though, which I enjoyed, but that ending was not it. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, despite the fact that I was enjoying this book up until that point. It was this weird combination of the bad guy overexplaining the hell out of their motives, followed immediately by an abrupt ending. I didn't hate the twist, but the fact that the story ended at the climax without a resolution was not it.
Aside from that, while I enjoyed many aspects of this story (excluding that ending of course), there was something about the writing that was just weird to me and I can't quite place my finger on it. The dialogue did feel kind of stilted at times. Idk. Idk what it was. Lol.
But yeah, I enjoyed this book... until I didn't. It had potential and that's what makes me sad. There were aspects I was eating up right at the start, and while I enjoyed the mystery for the most part, the way the book ended was terrible. I feel like that abrupt ending was only there for the sake of being shocking 🙄 But I only found it to be frustrating. And I have since learned that this type of ending is a favorite of this author and I just can't do it. So guess who's not reading any books more books by this author, unfortunately? 🙃
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