Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Pages: 294 pages
Format acquired: Hardcover
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published on: September 18th 2012
Source: Received from publisher for an honest review (Thanks, Christine!)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

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?

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

I just finished reading Ten yesterday and it took me about an hour or two to finish this book and I can honestly say that this book is piss-in-your-pants freaky. The really funny thing is that a few of my blogger friends were already warning me of what was going to happen but I can honestly say that I was not prepared for what I went through.

Ten is pretty much your typical mystery/suspense/thriller novel where you basically suspect everyone as the killer (which I did,) but what really sold me about the book is the was everything was executed. The way Gretchen McNeil put everything together and created such a freak-out-worthy book because trust me, I was definitely freaked out. Especially since I watched the book trailer and realized that it did have a role to play in the book. A BIG role to play. (I've attached the trailer so that you can see it for yourself.)

While I thought that there were parts that were predictable, there were also moments where you will get so shocked that you'll literally just feel your heart stop. And I really appreciated those moments since I haven't read a book that has affected me like that in, well, forever. My mind was literally telling me to. just. stop. reading but I just couldn't bring myself to. It was too good yet I knew that if I continued on, I might actually risk a heart-attack.

Ten is definitely filled with a lot of stereotypes (mostly for the horror movie ones,) we have the jock who the is basically the leader of the pack (and acts as the insanely hot guy we can all crush on, I mean every horror novel has to have a bit of romance, right?), the best friend who always demeans the protagonist (her best friend,) we have the insanely huge d-bag who just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut and many more. I think the characters do play a big part in making this book a success because they're what gives the book flavor. Lots and lots of different tones and tastes. They're the ones you have to watch out for after all.

There were times where I was tempted to just flip to the back part of the book and read who the killer was but I was able to stop myself, barely. It was the anticipation that really wracked my nerves, the fact that you really don't know who the killer is and you're just guessing  and guessing. I honestly did figure it out at a point but then I changed my mind because I literally just suspected everyone and I really wasn't sure who it was going to be.

Other than the insanely gruesome deaths of the characters and the fact that there's a killer on the loose, there was still an underlying plot beside all the other chaotic things. I think that Ten really dealt with the issue of insecurity and not measuring up to people's standards and as well as being left behind by your best friend, really well. I could really sympathize with Meg and I honestly felt bad for her. If there's one person in this world who needs a break, it's her. Yet amongst all these problems, she still held fast and stayed strong and awesomely enough, Meg isn't one of those really cliched witty/snarky heroines. Nope! Meg is a lady of a few words and when she did speak, brilliant things came out and I loved her all the more for it. Meg was the voice of reason in this book and she really was the beacon of light.

All in all, I absolutely loved Ten. I'd definitely recommend you to read it while it's dark out and you're alone (it really adds to the effect.) Ten is the perfect Halloween read and if you want something to satisfy your literally cravings, this is the book for you. I can actually really imagine this book as a movie and I'd still really enjoy it. Awesome plot and wonderful execution, I couldn't really get enough.

Rating:

I normally don't include book trailers in my reviews, but this one really deserved to be added (Warning: Not for the faint of heart.) :