Review + Giveaway | Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult - Horror/Thriller
Publication: 09.18.2012 by Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: 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?

Ten Reasons I Loved Ten:

10. This was one of those books that I was super excited about and I could not wait to read it. I'm a huge fan of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and knew I had to read this one once I found out it was inspired by it. Ten did not disappoint, I really enjoyed it from the start.

9. Meg is the protagonist and I liked her from the start. She says what's on her mind and from the beginning begins to question what's happening on the island and discovers clues as the time goes on. While her best friend Minnie is a little...erm, crazy, she defends her and watches over her. Sometimes it could be irritable but it was nonetheless understandable and I would have done the same.

8. While it wasn't exactly scary, it was definitely creepy. So creepy in fact, I couldn't stop thinking about it after putting it down for the night.

7. Being a fan of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, I kind of knew what to expect. The author made it her own, adding a different delivery, surprising me with her writing and definitely creeping me out with the twists in the story.

6. I knew who the killer was. Really, I did. Not because I read a spoiler or something, but because I figured it out. But the awesome part was that as the story developed, I second guessed myself. By the time the book was winding down and there were only four or so characters left, I didn't know who it was anymore and I enjoyed trying to figure it out. (I was right though, and had an "Aha!" moment when the killer is finally revealed.)

5. The way each character dies is pretty awesome. Not as bloody and gory as I had hoped...but still gruesome and detailed. I loved the descriptions and was really looking forward to reading how the next person would die (I'm a sicko, I know.)

4. Things got so intense, I had to put the book down and take a few breaths. Actually, I ended up taking a break for a few minutes before I could continue.

3. I was freaking out by how it would all end.

2. The ending wasn't at all what I expected. It was probably the only part I didn't totally love (the reason why there is a half star instead of full star.) I don't know, it was resolved too nicely for me to be happy with it.

1. Fast paced, action packed, mysterious and creepy: my kind of book!

Overall: I am glad I pushed all other books out of the way and finally gave into reading Ten. It is easily one of my favorites of the year and I definitely recommend it to fans of suspense and mystery. This is a quick, creepy read that I am sure many will enjoy.