Welcome to my tour stop! Read my review of this new YA thriller below...
Win Lose Kill Die
By Cynthia Murphy
YA Contemporary Suspense, Thriller
Paperback & eBook, 272 Pages
November 28, 2023 by Delacorte Press
Summary
A high-school slasher with a lethal twist, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson! The students at Morton Academy are high-achievers, selected based on academic excellence. So when a series of murders target the school's best and brightest, the pressure is on.
Failure is fatal...
At the historic Morton Academy, a school for high-achievers, everyone wants to be Head Girl and gain all the prestige and success that comes with the title. But when bodies start piling up, the students begin to worry that someone is too determined to take that crown.
Liz, Taylor, Kat, Marcus and Cole all set out to discover what exactly is going on. Is it the secret society that they have sworn allegiance too? The history of a cult that plagues Morton Academy? Or even a greedy teacher? They need to find the truth...and quickly.
(Affiliate links included.)
My Review
WIN LOSE KILL DIE is a suspenseful thriller set at a private high school where the student leaders of a secret society get murdered one by one. There is suspicion from the start, with twists and turns as the main character and her friends try to figure out who the murderer is before it's too late. Definitely recommended to fans of One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.
This story has lots of red herrings with all its twists and turns. One culprit was too obvious so I knew it wasn't her, but I wasn't completely sure which of the others it was until the end. I had an original guess but then wavered since I couldn't figure out if it was who I thought it was for sure. It's fairly rare for a story to keep me guessing until almost the end, so that was well done.
I liked the group of characters as they each had their own unique personalities. This affected how they interacted with each other and how they began figuring things out. There were some one-dimensional side characters, but the main ones were well developed. I liked the friendships and the sweet romance that were weaved through the story, but that didn't overtake it. The suspense takes center stage as it should, while there were also other things going on.
The story is somewhat violent and bloody as the murders continue. If you're a bit squeamish, this won't be for you. As more people died, characters that I had started to know better, it made me sad, so definitely some feels in this one. There's a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, which I very much appreciated. It meant this book didn't tie up in a perfectly, pretty bow, which I felt fit the story quite well.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was a suspenseful thriller with some feels, likable characters, and enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing. Definitely a book to grab and an author to follow if this is your kind of read.
Content: Some mild swearing, underage drinking, innuendo and suggestive content, bloody violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy NetGalley through TBR and Beyond Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Mood Board
About the Author
She has a long-standing love affair with all things scary, reading Point Horrors at primary school before graduating to Stephen King in her misguided teens. Classic 90s and 00s horror movies are definitely her pub quiz strong point and her first love may well have been Buffy the Vampire Slayer.Studying for a degree in Art History and Archaeology meant that she developed a thirst for anything old, beautiful and very often dead. She tries to combine this with contemporary settings in her writing to make unique and chilling modern stories.
No comments
Post a Comment
I love comments! I try to read and reply to them all. Feel free to agree or disagree and generally share your thoughts with me.