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The Missing
Seventeen-year-old Kendall, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, lives with her parents on a potato farm in a tiny community in Montana, where two teenagers go missing within months of each other, with no explanation. A paranormal mystery.
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2011
130 people are currently reading
8945 people want to read
About the author
Lisa McMann
60 books6,974 followersLisa McMann lives and writes in the Phoenix area. Her newest middle grade fantasy series is called The Forgotten Five. Book one, Map of Flames, was an instant NYT bestseller. It's about five supernatural kids, raised in a deserted hideout, who enter civilization for the first time to search for a hidden stash left behind by their missing, criminal parents.
Book two, The Invisible Spy, is on sale now! Book three, Rebel Undercover, is coming summer 2023, and book 4 will be out in spring of 2024.
Also out now: CLARICE THE BRAVE. It's a story of hope against all odds, about sibling mice who get separated in a mutiny and vow to find one another again.
Lisa's other books include the NYT bestselling THE UNWANTEDS and UNWANTEDS QUESTS series, the GOING WILD trilogy, the YA paranormal WAKE trilogy, the VISIONS trilogy, CRYER'S CROSS, DEAD TO YOU, and INFINITY RING: The Trap Door.
See what's new and where Lisa will be at her
LinkTree.
You can find more info at Lisa'a website, lisamcmann.com, interact with her on Facebook or Twitter, or ask questions on her Instagram.
Book two, The Invisible Spy, is on sale now! Book three, Rebel Undercover, is coming summer 2023, and book 4 will be out in spring of 2024.
Also out now: CLARICE THE BRAVE. It's a story of hope against all odds, about sibling mice who get separated in a mutiny and vow to find one another again.
Lisa's other books include the NYT bestselling THE UNWANTEDS and UNWANTEDS QUESTS series, the GOING WILD trilogy, the YA paranormal WAKE trilogy, the VISIONS trilogy, CRYER'S CROSS, DEAD TO YOU, and INFINITY RING: The Trap Door.
See what's new and where Lisa will be at her
LinkTree.
You can find more info at Lisa'a website, lisamcmann.com, interact with her on Facebook or Twitter, or ask questions on her Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,739 reviews
November 25, 2010
2.5 stars rounded up.
I am fairly certain this is the last Lisa McMann's book I will ever read. Both Gone and Cryer's Cross just don't have the emotional pull of her first 2 novels.
If you read the author's books before, you are familiar with her writing style - 3rd person present tense narration. In theory, it should work wonders for this story, because: 1) this is, supposedly, a mystery and 2) the main character, Kendall, has OCD.
Too bad the mystery is introduced in the beginning, when Kendall's friend and boyfriend disappear, and then abandoned until the last 40 pages or so, to give room for romance. And when the puzzle is solved, oh my, it is quite a laugh.
As for OCD, it is rather superficially portrayed IMO. Instead of getting us into the mind of an obsessed person, whose every minute is taken by following routines and rituals, McMann offers only generalizations:
Immediately Kendall's OCD kicks in. Fear grips her and she can't seem to get out of the desk enough.
So how exactly does it kick in I wonder? I say, show me some obsessive hand washing, door touching, cleaning, organizing, repeating mantras. But no.
Interestingly enough, OCD saves Kendall's life too at some point. Unfortunately, we never find out how exactly.
The best part of the novel is romance, because make no mistake, this is what this is, and not a mystery. There are some cute and sweet scenes, although these new characters are never as endearing and well defined as Janie and Cabe.
All in all, Cryer's Cross is just an OK read. If it were my first book by the author, I wouldn't bother to pick up any more of hers. What sucks is that I know McMann's earlier works and how great they were, and thus this book is doubly disappointing.
I am fairly certain this is the last Lisa McMann's book I will ever read. Both Gone and Cryer's Cross just don't have the emotional pull of her first 2 novels.
If you read the author's books before, you are familiar with her writing style - 3rd person present tense narration. In theory, it should work wonders for this story, because: 1) this is, supposedly, a mystery and 2) the main character, Kendall, has OCD.
Too bad the mystery is introduced in the beginning, when Kendall's friend and boyfriend disappear, and then abandoned until the last 40 pages or so, to give room for romance. And when the puzzle is solved, oh my, it is quite a laugh.
As for OCD, it is rather superficially portrayed IMO. Instead of getting us into the mind of an obsessed person, whose every minute is taken by following routines and rituals, McMann offers only generalizations:
Immediately Kendall's OCD kicks in. Fear grips her and she can't seem to get out of the desk enough.
So how exactly does it kick in I wonder? I say, show me some obsessive hand washing, door touching, cleaning, organizing, repeating mantras. But no.
Interestingly enough, OCD saves Kendall's life too at some point. Unfortunately, we never find out how exactly.
The best part of the novel is romance, because make no mistake, this is what this is, and not a mystery. There are some cute and sweet scenes, although these new characters are never as endearing and well defined as Janie and Cabe.
All in all, Cryer's Cross is just an OK read. If it were my first book by the author, I wouldn't bother to pick up any more of hers. What sucks is that I know McMann's earlier works and how great they were, and thus this book is doubly disappointing.
March 19, 2020
For me to give a proper review of this book I have to tell a quick short story from when I was in 10th grade.
I was in a class with 9 other students and none of us wanted to be in this class. Well one day we walked in and sat down and noticed the teacher was reading this book, one of the students asked what it was about and she told us then thought for a moment and asked "would you guys like me to read it to you?" We all said yes and for the next couple days we spent most of class being read Cryers Cross. This class turned from one we hated to one we loved and we were all really engrossed in this book and couldn't get enough of it. That was when I was 15, and I loved this book!
Now since I'm 23, I decided I wanted to pick this book up and read it myself, sadly though the magic wasn't there like it was when I was 15. I did enjoy it but not as much, and since I'm more into adult novels the easy writing style of this book just wasn't interesting to me. I do still believe though this book is a good little scary story. But adult me rates this book at a 3 stars while 15 year old me rated it at 5.
I was in a class with 9 other students and none of us wanted to be in this class. Well one day we walked in and sat down and noticed the teacher was reading this book, one of the students asked what it was about and she told us then thought for a moment and asked "would you guys like me to read it to you?" We all said yes and for the next couple days we spent most of class being read Cryers Cross. This class turned from one we hated to one we loved and we were all really engrossed in this book and couldn't get enough of it. That was when I was 15, and I loved this book!
Now since I'm 23, I decided I wanted to pick this book up and read it myself, sadly though the magic wasn't there like it was when I was 15. I did enjoy it but not as much, and since I'm more into adult novels the easy writing style of this book just wasn't interesting to me. I do still believe though this book is a good little scary story. But adult me rates this book at a 3 stars while 15 year old me rated it at 5.
February 3, 2011
I'm pretty sure there will be spoilers in this review. I'm not so sure yet. Hey!!! I can use the new spoiler button feature! I'm excited now.
This was my first Lisa McMann novel. I want to read her Wake series, but someone stole them from the library. *shakes fist at sky* So I received a copy of this from SImon & Schuster's Galley Grab and I let out a big ole Napoleon Dynamite "Yehsssss". Unfortunately, from what I read of other reviews, this wasn't McMann's best.
This is about Kendall Fletcher, an OCD teen who lives in the small town of Cryer's Cross, Montana, a place where everyone knows everyone else, which makes it doubly disturbing when a 15 year old girl goes missing without a trace. Kendall tries to keep it together, by playing soccer with her long time best friend (or boyfriend, depending on who you ask), Nico, and practicing her dance moves after a long day of working on the family farm. That is, until Nico also disappears. Conspiracy theories aplenty, Kendall doesn't know what to think, her whirling thoughts fueled by the mysterious Jacian, the new (and incredibly sexy) guy in town. Because of her OCD hyperawareness, Kendall realizes that both the missing girl and Nico sat at the same desk in their small, one-room school house. Coincidence? I THINK NOT. Kendall must dive into the darkest history of the town and it's people to uncover the dangerous truth.
Yeah....I can't wrap my head around the "evil desk" concept either. I tried to find a picture of a desk eating someone through Google, but the Internet has failed me. Yet today Kim managed to find multiple images of Stormtroopers gyrating. Priorities, Google.
All right, this book was okay. I'm not the biggest fan of third person narration anyway. I usually have a hard time connecting with the characters, which was the case here. None of the characters were bad necessarily, they just didn't stand out or make lasting impressions. Although, Jacian was pretty sexy *waggles eyebrow*. I was really hoping for a nekked scene, but I guess shirtless will do.
This book was short, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Its a good thing because it didn't take me four days to read it, but a bad thing in nearly every other regard. It took too long to get to the point. The first half was pretty aimless, wandering around like it had all the time in the world, but halfway through the book it was like McMann went "Shit! I have a hundred pages to finish this thing!". And more time was spent with Jacian offering to give Kendall a ridein his pants home, than any supernatural aspects. Then it all kind of happened at once.
I also wish the supernatural was creepier. Not that desks aren't terrifying and all, but I was expecting a litttttle more. No biggie.
And Kendall's OCD.....I'm not sure if I believed it or not. I mean, there were moments when it was great, going into detail about how it affected Kendall's life, like her having to go into her classroom early to fix things the way she likes it, but then at moments it was vague like "Kendall's OCD kicked in". As someone who does not have OCD, what does that mean? I would like an explanation.
Overall, it was okay. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I understand it wasn't McMann's best, so I am still eager to read Wake (return it, you thief! I shall hunt you down!) Oh and will this be a series? I'm getting mixed feedback on that. Some reviewers are adamant that it is a stand-alone, but the ending had a sense of ambiguity about it that made me wonder. Although I haven't seen any definite proof of a sequel, I would not be surprised.
This was my first Lisa McMann novel. I want to read her Wake series, but someone stole them from the library. *shakes fist at sky* So I received a copy of this from SImon & Schuster's Galley Grab and I let out a big ole Napoleon Dynamite "Yehsssss". Unfortunately, from what I read of other reviews, this wasn't McMann's best.
This is about Kendall Fletcher, an OCD teen who lives in the small town of Cryer's Cross, Montana, a place where everyone knows everyone else, which makes it doubly disturbing when a 15 year old girl goes missing without a trace. Kendall tries to keep it together, by playing soccer with her long time best friend (or boyfriend, depending on who you ask), Nico, and practicing her dance moves after a long day of working on the family farm. That is, until Nico also disappears. Conspiracy theories aplenty, Kendall doesn't know what to think, her whirling thoughts fueled by the mysterious Jacian, the new (and incredibly sexy) guy in town. Because of her OCD hyperawareness, Kendall realizes that both the missing girl and Nico sat at the same desk in their small, one-room school house. Coincidence? I THINK NOT. Kendall must dive into the darkest history of the town and it's people to uncover the dangerous truth.
Yeah....I can't wrap my head around the "evil desk" concept either. I tried to find a picture of a desk eating someone through Google, but the Internet has failed me. Yet today Kim managed to find multiple images of Stormtroopers gyrating. Priorities, Google.
All right, this book was okay. I'm not the biggest fan of third person narration anyway. I usually have a hard time connecting with the characters, which was the case here. None of the characters were bad necessarily, they just didn't stand out or make lasting impressions. Although, Jacian was pretty sexy *waggles eyebrow*. I was really hoping for a nekked scene, but I guess shirtless will do.
This book was short, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Its a good thing because it didn't take me four days to read it, but a bad thing in nearly every other regard. It took too long to get to the point. The first half was pretty aimless, wandering around like it had all the time in the world, but halfway through the book it was like McMann went "Shit! I have a hundred pages to finish this thing!". And more time was spent with Jacian offering to give Kendall a ride
I also wish the supernatural was creepier. Not that desks aren't terrifying and all, but I was expecting a litttttle more. No biggie.
And Kendall's OCD.....I'm not sure if I believed it or not. I mean, there were moments when it was great, going into detail about how it affected Kendall's life, like her having to go into her classroom early to fix things the way she likes it, but then at moments it was vague like "Kendall's OCD kicked in". As someone who does not have OCD, what does that mean? I would like an explanation.
Overall, it was okay. An enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I understand it wasn't McMann's best, so I am still eager to read Wake (return it, you thief! I shall hunt you down!) Oh and will this be a series? I'm getting mixed feedback on that. Some reviewers are adamant that it is a stand-alone, but the ending had a sense of ambiguity about it that made me wonder. Although I haven't seen any definite proof of a sequel, I would not be surprised.
September 20, 2015
YA NEEDS MORE GOOD HORROR LIKE THIS!!!
I'm just saying. Young adult novels as a whole today have a deep void, a precipice if you will, where horror should be. And not the glittering, pussy, it-has-fangs-lets-call-it-horror type of horror either. The good horror. The horror that has you looking over your shoulder, sleeping with a nightlight or just not sleeping at all. I saw this in Cryer's Cross.
Now I have to say, my expectations for a horror novel is pretty high and while Cryer's Cross didn't hit the top, it was still up there.
Here's a story not bogged down with romance (point 1). Yeah, it's kind of there but it's not front and center and the point of the story. It proves for a good distraction but that's about it.
It relies on the creep factor (point 2). It's not about gore. It's about scaring the everloving crap out of the main character. She's not supposed to have a good time. She's supposed to be worried. She's supposed to be hearing voices. She's supposed to be pushed to the edge.
It's filled with fearless author (point 3). I haven't read McMann's other works but let me tell you, she's wearing her ovaries on the outside for this one. She is fearless with her characters. No one is safe. No one's sacred and everyone can be a victim. Love it. She's taken that security blanket you were holding on to and damn near strangled you with it. You should feel uncomfortable. You should be worrying about whether Kendall makes it out alive. You should feel insecure. Nothing is clear and everything's fair game.
It has evil history (point 4). It's the basis of so many good horror novels. The little hick town hiding a deep, dark secret and now that secret is salivating for the children of those secret keepers. It's kind of like Freddie but without the unadulterated access. History alone can be the monster in the closet. No need to have actual monsters in the story. And McMann utilizes that. Buried secrets were all she needed.
It doesn't end happily. Not really (point 5). There's always that lingering thing. The problem's solved. For now. Until the secret finds a new home and a new way to manifest. And from the looks of things, it could very well do that. This should loop you back around nicely to point 3 and feeling ill at ease.
Now, what I wish the story had was more of the dark history. I felt it was such a fleeting element in the story, brought in to serve a purpose and then brushed away. I would have been wholly happy with another 50 pages fleshing the history out a little more. As I read I kept wanting to pull it out, will it further away from the pages and into life. I felt it was always just out of reach. It was there; I could see it. But I could barely touch it. It kept slipping out of my fingers. I wanted more.
I wasn't all that convinced with Kendall's OCD though. I felt it made things a little too easy. I get the hindrance becomes a help factor with it all but I felt it played too seamlessly into the story. I like my horror a little more rugged, a little harder to earn. While I like that Kendall did suffer (as demented as that sounds), the stepping stones were placed a little too neatly for my liking. That's not to say it wasn't good. It was fantastically written but like I said, I like my horror a little rougher around the edges. A little less neat.
Please, please, PLEASE! I'm begging the authors of YA to write more horror like this. Ms. McMann, please tell me you have more creepy stories up your sleeves. I honestly can't get enough of these stories and I think there's such an excellent gap waiting to be filled with a proper creepfest. Cryer's Cross is an excellent throwback to the YA horror of yore where it was more about keeping you up at night than keeping you swooning the rest of the time. You want horror? Read Cryer's Cross. Preferably with the light on. And if you happen to have an antique school house writing desk in your home, you'll probably want to get rid of it after you finish this. You don't want it to start talking to you or anything.
I'm just saying. Young adult novels as a whole today have a deep void, a precipice if you will, where horror should be. And not the glittering, pussy, it-has-fangs-lets-call-it-horror type of horror either. The good horror. The horror that has you looking over your shoulder, sleeping with a nightlight or just not sleeping at all. I saw this in Cryer's Cross.
Now I have to say, my expectations for a horror novel is pretty high and while Cryer's Cross didn't hit the top, it was still up there.
Here's a story not bogged down with romance (point 1). Yeah, it's kind of there but it's not front and center and the point of the story. It proves for a good distraction but that's about it.
It relies on the creep factor (point 2). It's not about gore. It's about scaring the everloving crap out of the main character. She's not supposed to have a good time. She's supposed to be worried. She's supposed to be hearing voices. She's supposed to be pushed to the edge.
It's filled with fearless author (point 3). I haven't read McMann's other works but let me tell you, she's wearing her ovaries on the outside for this one. She is fearless with her characters. No one is safe. No one's sacred and everyone can be a victim. Love it. She's taken that security blanket you were holding on to and damn near strangled you with it. You should feel uncomfortable. You should be worrying about whether Kendall makes it out alive. You should feel insecure. Nothing is clear and everything's fair game.
It has evil history (point 4). It's the basis of so many good horror novels. The little hick town hiding a deep, dark secret and now that secret is salivating for the children of those secret keepers. It's kind of like Freddie but without the unadulterated access. History alone can be the monster in the closet. No need to have actual monsters in the story. And McMann utilizes that. Buried secrets were all she needed.
It doesn't end happily. Not really (point 5). There's always that lingering thing. The problem's solved. For now. Until the secret finds a new home and a new way to manifest. And from the looks of things, it could very well do that. This should loop you back around nicely to point 3 and feeling ill at ease.
Now, what I wish the story had was more of the dark history. I felt it was such a fleeting element in the story, brought in to serve a purpose and then brushed away. I would have been wholly happy with another 50 pages fleshing the history out a little more. As I read I kept wanting to pull it out, will it further away from the pages and into life. I felt it was always just out of reach. It was there; I could see it. But I could barely touch it. It kept slipping out of my fingers. I wanted more.
I wasn't all that convinced with Kendall's OCD though. I felt it made things a little too easy. I get the hindrance becomes a help factor with it all but I felt it played too seamlessly into the story. I like my horror a little more rugged, a little harder to earn. While I like that Kendall did suffer (as demented as that sounds), the stepping stones were placed a little too neatly for my liking. That's not to say it wasn't good. It was fantastically written but like I said, I like my horror a little rougher around the edges. A little less neat.
Please, please, PLEASE! I'm begging the authors of YA to write more horror like this. Ms. McMann, please tell me you have more creepy stories up your sleeves. I honestly can't get enough of these stories and I think there's such an excellent gap waiting to be filled with a proper creepfest. Cryer's Cross is an excellent throwback to the YA horror of yore where it was more about keeping you up at night than keeping you swooning the rest of the time. You want horror? Read Cryer's Cross. Preferably with the light on. And if you happen to have an antique school house writing desk in your home, you'll probably want to get rid of it after you finish this. You don't want it to start talking to you or anything.
August 9, 2011
[The UK title is The Missing. Personally, I much prefer the US title. The UK one is unbelievably generic. Neither of them are exactly unique, though.]
My feelings about The Missing/Cryer's Cross fluctuated hugely. Here are my thoughts in chronological order:
THE BEGINNING: Whoooo, I love minimalism. Like Lauren Strasnick in Her and Me and You or [Nothing Like You]! This could be awesome! Okay, I know it's going to go paranormal at some point, because this is Lisa McMann, and I hate paranormal, but, hey, maybe if it's not overwritten floweriness I might enjoy it. The setting is menaicng and I love the whodunnit aspect with missing girls. Chilling and creepy and compelling. GO MCMANN! (Original rating: 4/5).
A LITTLE LATER: I love the tenderness with which McMann writes Kendall, her MC with OCD: she's sympathetic and realistic and gripping. It was obvious that Nico was going to go missing, and their relationship had very little chemistry, but I still have hope. 3rd person present tense gets a lot of hate, but it's working really well so far. It gives us the distance from Kendall to make the situation super creepy and chilling, but allows her 'madness' as her OCD intensifies after Nico's disappearance to seem incredibly realistic. Also, I love that she got . I know that sounds mean and petty, but I hate Mary-Sues, especially in paranormal romance, a genre particularly associated with them, so seeing that McMann was willing to take something away from her protaganist was great and realistic. But please please oh please don't make Jacian Obligatory True Love, please please please. Also, it's hard to feel Kendall's passion for theatre/dance when she's doing so much running and football (soccer). (3.75 stars)
THE MID-SECTION: Creepy messages on desks. Creeeepy. I love that Kendall's OCD is a plot point. But, oh dear, she's going there with Jacian! Which seems like even more of a pathetic cop-out after how well McMann wrote Kendall grieving for and missing Nico! Oh, dear SWEET GOD, if she goes all the way there with a mysterious creep who has anger management issues but is also sweet enough TO DRIVE HER PLACES (*sarcasm mode*) I am going to throw the book against the wall. Or, at least, it appears as though she is. Jacian is softening and making goo goo eyes at Kendall. Oh, dear. Not looking forward to this. Optimism is beginning to slip slightly. (3 stars)
(Note: this is when it starts to get slightly spoilery. I won't reveal anything vital that you guys probably haven't guessed already without spoiler tags, but anyone who is still pumped about reading this should probably look away.)
3/4 OF THE WAY THROUGH: SHE WENT THERE WITH JACIAN!!!!! GRRRRR! Pathetic, McMann, pathetic. You've barely developed him and now they're kissing and rolling around in wet fields together? And of course he's totally ripped and most of the attraction between them started mostly because Kendall saw him sans shirt. I would love it if there was a love interest that wasn't Hollywood gorgeous for once. And there's a lot of sick-making cliches about "the side of his mouth twitching", which is supposed, I think, to show that true!love! can overcome what seems like deep-seated anger issues! But, worst of all, she's ripped out the emotional heart of the book: Kendall's grief and desperation to find Nico! I mean, I know it doesn't have to be true love for her to still want to find him, and I know she's making a lot of points about how he was a lifelong best friend to her, but still. Does she have to diminish their relationship like this? When I read the sentence, "no-one had ever made her feel like this before" I wanted to tear the pages from the book. Hint, McMann: most of the book was fuelled by Kendall wanting to find Nico. I don't care so much now, because I think that you're trying to piss on his character because HEAVEN FORBID there should be a paranormal romance leading lady without a live (or at least semi-live, in the case of Twilight etc. etc.) Hollywood Love Interest to kiss her and tell her how wonderful she is. When she started off thinking he was a rapist, murderer, kidnapper, I thought we'd escaped the horrible cliche of Hot New Mystery Dude Falls Over His Dick For MC. We haven't. Puke. (1 star.)
NEAR ENDING: I know McMann can't really change POVs halfway through a relatively short book, but this is when the third person present tense starts to fall down. Kendall is losing her mind and becoming ruled by "voices" that tell her to find and join Nico. It seems a bit blase and just written down stuff like "the voice sounded like it was coming from inside her" (not the exact words, but close, I can't find it) weren't half as terrifying as they would have been if they were in first person. Also, this shows what a horrible subplot the God-awful Jacian thing is. Even this element of the book depends on the 'voices' playing on Kendall's desperation to find Nico. When she's out fucking around with and throwing herself at the new guy, that whole thing is kind of diminished more than slightly. It shouldn't work like that but, to me, it does. (2 stars)
EVEN NEARER THE ENDING: HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT. *catch breath* HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT. *and breathe* Please be brave enough to end on a downer ending, McMann. (4 stars)
WE'RE ALMOST AT THE ENDING: Well, what the f--k was that? I smell an ass pull, because McMann is nowhere near brave enough to pull off something sick and imaginative, clearly. The writing style goes from creepy and minimalistic to matter of fact, like she's just writing a summary of what happens then. Also, what was that last part? Kendall vows never to complain about OCD? Look, OCD is a mental illness. It's not like a physical illness, something you can't change. It's hard and it hurts and it must be unbelievable, but people can and do beat it because it can be extremely harmful. It's not some kind of superpower, McMann. That is even more confusing as McMann's daughter apparently suffers from it. I'm all for the "don't always show the bad side of things", e.g. I'm willing to concede that there are good things about having cerebral palsy (which I do have). But I can't really see the massive upshot of OCD. (2.5 stars)
THE ENDING: Mother of crappiness, that was crappy. I knew when Hector mentioned the that we hadn't heard the last of it, but even so. McMann utilised one of the worst cliches in the horror/paranormal cliche book: There are ways to pull that off amazingly - look at The Shining - but because we had no sense of the horror of it, it was all just spewed out in one last exposition-crammed paragraph by Hector. It was random and illogical and didn't give me the "holy crap!" reaction because I found Hector's speech such obvious foreshadowing, it was full of cliches and there was no tension or build-up. Also, the ending isn't chilling. It's obvious. That's how just about every other horror story ends -- It ruins the chill of it when it's so obvious.
Although I read this in about an hour and a half, it just fizzles out towards the end. Shocks are dampened by McMann's totally amateurish plotting the rest of the time, and Jacian isn't a character, he's a horrifying collection of cliches that undermine the emotional heart of the book untl it just feels like a pathetic, cynical cash-in on every paranormal romance cliche you've ever seen. Even the minimalistic writing fails as Kendall is pulled deeper into horror, because McMann's writing turns more "cardboard" later on. A generous overview of two stars.
My feelings about The Missing/Cryer's Cross fluctuated hugely. Here are my thoughts in chronological order:
THE BEGINNING: Whoooo, I love minimalism. Like Lauren Strasnick in Her and Me and You or [Nothing Like You]! This could be awesome! Okay, I know it's going to go paranormal at some point, because this is Lisa McMann, and I hate paranormal, but, hey, maybe if it's not overwritten floweriness I might enjoy it. The setting is menaicng and I love the whodunnit aspect with missing girls. Chilling and creepy and compelling. GO MCMANN! (Original rating: 4/5).
A LITTLE LATER: I love the tenderness with which McMann writes Kendall, her MC with OCD: she's sympathetic and realistic and gripping. It was obvious that Nico was going to go missing, and their relationship had very little chemistry, but I still have hope. 3rd person present tense gets a lot of hate, but it's working really well so far. It gives us the distance from Kendall to make the situation super creepy and chilling, but allows her 'madness' as her OCD intensifies after Nico's disappearance to seem incredibly realistic. Also, I love that she got . I know that sounds mean and petty, but I hate Mary-Sues, especially in paranormal romance, a genre particularly associated with them, so seeing that McMann was willing to take something away from her protaganist was great and realistic. But please please oh please don't make Jacian Obligatory True Love, please please please. Also, it's hard to feel Kendall's passion for theatre/dance when she's doing so much running and football (soccer). (3.75 stars)
THE MID-SECTION: Creepy messages on desks. Creeeepy. I love that Kendall's OCD is a plot point. But, oh dear, she's going there with Jacian! Which seems like even more of a pathetic cop-out after how well McMann wrote Kendall grieving for and missing Nico! Oh, dear SWEET GOD, if she goes all the way there with a mysterious creep who has anger management issues but is also sweet enough TO DRIVE HER PLACES (*sarcasm mode*) I am going to throw the book against the wall. Or, at least, it appears as though she is. Jacian is softening and making goo goo eyes at Kendall. Oh, dear. Not looking forward to this. Optimism is beginning to slip slightly. (3 stars)
(Note: this is when it starts to get slightly spoilery. I won't reveal anything vital that you guys probably haven't guessed already without spoiler tags, but anyone who is still pumped about reading this should probably look away.)
3/4 OF THE WAY THROUGH: SHE WENT THERE WITH JACIAN!!!!! GRRRRR! Pathetic, McMann, pathetic. You've barely developed him and now they're kissing and rolling around in wet fields together? And of course he's totally ripped and most of the attraction between them started mostly because Kendall saw him sans shirt. I would love it if there was a love interest that wasn't Hollywood gorgeous for once. And there's a lot of sick-making cliches about "the side of his mouth twitching", which is supposed, I think, to show that true!love! can overcome what seems like deep-seated anger issues! But, worst of all, she's ripped out the emotional heart of the book: Kendall's grief and desperation to find Nico! I mean, I know it doesn't have to be true love for her to still want to find him, and I know she's making a lot of points about how he was a lifelong best friend to her, but still. Does she have to diminish their relationship like this? When I read the sentence, "no-one had ever made her feel like this before" I wanted to tear the pages from the book. Hint, McMann: most of the book was fuelled by Kendall wanting to find Nico. I don't care so much now, because I think that you're trying to piss on his character because HEAVEN FORBID there should be a paranormal romance leading lady without a live (or at least semi-live, in the case of Twilight etc. etc.) Hollywood Love Interest to kiss her and tell her how wonderful she is. When she started off thinking he was a rapist, murderer, kidnapper, I thought we'd escaped the horrible cliche of Hot New Mystery Dude Falls Over His Dick For MC. We haven't. Puke. (1 star.)
NEAR ENDING: I know McMann can't really change POVs halfway through a relatively short book, but this is when the third person present tense starts to fall down. Kendall is losing her mind and becoming ruled by "voices" that tell her to find and join Nico. It seems a bit blase and just written down stuff like "the voice sounded like it was coming from inside her" (not the exact words, but close, I can't find it) weren't half as terrifying as they would have been if they were in first person. Also, this shows what a horrible subplot the God-awful Jacian thing is. Even this element of the book depends on the 'voices' playing on Kendall's desperation to find Nico. When she's out fucking around with and throwing herself at the new guy, that whole thing is kind of diminished more than slightly. It shouldn't work like that but, to me, it does. (2 stars)
EVEN NEARER THE ENDING: HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT. *catch breath* HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT. *and breathe* Please be brave enough to end on a downer ending, McMann. (4 stars)
WE'RE ALMOST AT THE ENDING: Well, what the f--k was that? I smell an ass pull, because McMann is nowhere near brave enough to pull off something sick and imaginative, clearly. The writing style goes from creepy and minimalistic to matter of fact, like she's just writing a summary of what happens then. Also, what was that last part? Kendall vows never to complain about OCD? Look, OCD is a mental illness. It's not like a physical illness, something you can't change. It's hard and it hurts and it must be unbelievable, but people can and do beat it because it can be extremely harmful. It's not some kind of superpower, McMann. That is even more confusing as McMann's daughter apparently suffers from it. I'm all for the "don't always show the bad side of things", e.g. I'm willing to concede that there are good things about having cerebral palsy (which I do have). But I can't really see the massive upshot of OCD. (2.5 stars)
THE ENDING: Mother of crappiness, that was crappy. I knew when Hector mentioned the that we hadn't heard the last of it, but even so. McMann utilised one of the worst cliches in the horror/paranormal cliche book: There are ways to pull that off amazingly - look at The Shining - but because we had no sense of the horror of it, it was all just spewed out in one last exposition-crammed paragraph by Hector. It was random and illogical and didn't give me the "holy crap!" reaction because I found Hector's speech such obvious foreshadowing, it was full of cliches and there was no tension or build-up. Also, the ending isn't chilling. It's obvious. That's how just about every other horror story ends -- It ruins the chill of it when it's so obvious.
Although I read this in about an hour and a half, it just fizzles out towards the end. Shocks are dampened by McMann's totally amateurish plotting the rest of the time, and Jacian isn't a character, he's a horrifying collection of cliches that undermine the emotional heart of the book untl it just feels like a pathetic, cynical cash-in on every paranormal romance cliche you've ever seen. Even the minimalistic writing fails as Kendall is pulled deeper into horror, because McMann's writing turns more "cardboard" later on. A generous overview of two stars.
November 28, 2011
I've only read one other book by McMann before, but it seems like for me her books are always lacking one very important thing. In Wake, I felt that she had an interesting story and concept, but I didn't care about her characters. In this one, however, I liked the characters but thought the overall plot was dumb. Hopefully the next book she writes she can create characters I care about AND a compelling story.
Even though I found the plot of this one to be somewhat ridiculous, I couldn't help but quickly flip the pages to see how everything would turn out. Kendall lives in the small rural town of Cryer's Cross. The summer before, one of the teen girls in the community disappeared without a trace. They searched for her but eventually they all gave up and went back to their lives. The new school year starts up and Kendall is excited for soccer, dance, and hanging out with her boyfriend, Nico. Two new teens move to Cryer's Cross and for once Kendall has something different to focus on besides school and her parent's potato farm. Unfortunately though, another teen goes missing soon after the school year starts, this time it's Nico, and Kendall's world is turned upside down as she desperately tries to figure out what has happened to him.
Kendall is a very different character from most teen protagonists; she has a semi-severe case of OCD. I don't think her condition was elaborated on enough to really make sense of things, and I also felt that her OCD was glorified a bit, but it didn't get to the point where I was disgusted by the portrayal. It was almost like McMann turned her disorder into a special power of sorts, which was odd. I don't have any personal connection with OCD, but I could see others potentially being bothered by this.
I enjoyed the introduction of a Mexican character, Jacian ... but that could be because of my bias toward Latin men. I connected with the characters in this book more than I did in her other series, but that's not saying all that much.
In the end, I thought the main story-line was weak. Take a look at the cover. You see that desk? Well, just keep in mind that it's an EVIL desk. Yeah, that's the story, pretty much. The ending and "big reveal" is pretty lame, and not all that original or special. I wanted to like this book more because I liked the characters, but in the end it just wasn't all that great. Maybe one day McMann will write something fantastic, and I'll just have to keep an eye out for that.
Even though I found the plot of this one to be somewhat ridiculous, I couldn't help but quickly flip the pages to see how everything would turn out. Kendall lives in the small rural town of Cryer's Cross. The summer before, one of the teen girls in the community disappeared without a trace. They searched for her but eventually they all gave up and went back to their lives. The new school year starts up and Kendall is excited for soccer, dance, and hanging out with her boyfriend, Nico. Two new teens move to Cryer's Cross and for once Kendall has something different to focus on besides school and her parent's potato farm. Unfortunately though, another teen goes missing soon after the school year starts, this time it's Nico, and Kendall's world is turned upside down as she desperately tries to figure out what has happened to him.
Kendall is a very different character from most teen protagonists; she has a semi-severe case of OCD. I don't think her condition was elaborated on enough to really make sense of things, and I also felt that her OCD was glorified a bit, but it didn't get to the point where I was disgusted by the portrayal. It was almost like McMann turned her disorder into a special power of sorts, which was odd. I don't have any personal connection with OCD, but I could see others potentially being bothered by this.
I enjoyed the introduction of a Mexican character, Jacian ... but that could be because of my bias toward Latin men. I connected with the characters in this book more than I did in her other series, but that's not saying all that much.
In the end, I thought the main story-line was weak. Take a look at the cover. You see that desk? Well, just keep in mind that it's an EVIL desk. Yeah, that's the story, pretty much. The ending and "big reveal" is pretty lame, and not all that original or special. I wanted to like this book more because I liked the characters, but in the end it just wasn't all that great. Maybe one day McMann will write something fantastic, and I'll just have to keep an eye out for that.
April 11, 2011
I rate this book a half star; I would honestly give it NO stars if I could. This is one of the worst books I have ever read in my entire life. First of all, it was supposed to be "scary," a la Stephen King, I suppose, but it's hard to be scared when the antagonist of the book is a SCHOOL DESK. Yes, you got that right. An evil school desk. An evil school desk that is possessed by the souls of boys who were murdered at the school years before. An evil school desk that compels the persons sitting at the desk, via "voices", to go to the field where the dead boys are buried and...wait for it...BURY THEMSELVES. Seriously? How does one bury oneself?! I think that was supposed to be the most intense part of the book, and I was literally laughing out loud. Ridiculous! Even more ridiculous? The book has actual chapters written by the possessed desk. I wish I still had the book because I would quote some. It's the greatest comedic material I've read in awhile.
Not only was this plot probably the worst I've ever read, but there were multiple other problems as well. First of all, Lisa McMann writes her books in third person present tense--which creates possibly the most annoying voice in all of YA literature. Second, McMann seems confused about what she's really writing about. There's a romance (of course), which is really where any character development (and there's not much) comes from. This romance is the majority of the book, not the mystery. The romantic interest is probably the only slightly redeeming subplot. Also, the main character is living with OCD and McMann tries to make that a part of the not-so-scary-and-more-ridiculous plot, but it doesn't make sense.
She really needed to choose what type of book she wanted to write, and not try to do all three. (Or learn how to connect story lines better.)
This book kind of depresses me (and not just because it was has an average rating of nearly 4 stars--yuck) because it makes me feel like I should have gone after my dream of writing young adult novels. I mean, honestly, it appears that any type of crap can be published, as long as it has some element of supernatural. I could have done that. And maybe I'd be rich now. ;-)
Not only was this plot probably the worst I've ever read, but there were multiple other problems as well. First of all, Lisa McMann writes her books in third person present tense--which creates possibly the most annoying voice in all of YA literature. Second, McMann seems confused about what she's really writing about. There's a romance (of course), which is really where any character development (and there's not much) comes from. This romance is the majority of the book, not the mystery. The romantic interest is probably the only slightly redeeming subplot. Also, the main character is living with OCD and McMann tries to make that a part of the not-so-scary-and-more-ridiculous plot, but it doesn't make sense.
She really needed to choose what type of book she wanted to write, and not try to do all three. (Or learn how to connect story lines better.)
This book kind of depresses me (and not just because it was has an average rating of nearly 4 stars--yuck) because it makes me feel like I should have gone after my dream of writing young adult novels. I mean, honestly, it appears that any type of crap can be published, as long as it has some element of supernatural. I could have done that. And maybe I'd be rich now. ;-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2023
Overall Rating : C-
A girl with OCD is on a mission to find out what happened after her best friend went missing. Oh, and there's also a new hottie coming to town, because why not? And maybe ghosts. But, again, why not? XD
Saw this at the library and remembered I had read this in school MANY years ago and decided to give it another go. And I can report that I didn't miss much.
At most I will describe this as "meh". This is more about a budding romance than a supernatural mystery. I would have almost liked it better if it was. And I felt like her OCD was more of an accessory to make her different, than an actual condition (There was a line that actually said Thank God my OCD kicked in" Does that actually happen???).
Oh well, I was able to read it in one sitting, so at least it was quick.
A girl with OCD is on a mission to find out what happened after her best friend went missing. Oh, and there's also a new hottie coming to town, because why not? And maybe ghosts. But, again, why not? XD
Saw this at the library and remembered I had read this in school MANY years ago and decided to give it another go. And I can report that I didn't miss much.
At most I will describe this as "meh". This is more about a budding romance than a supernatural mystery. I would have almost liked it better if it was. And I felt like her OCD was more of an accessory to make her different, than an actual condition (There was a line that actually said Thank God my OCD kicked in" Does that actually happen???).
Oh well, I was able to read it in one sitting, so at least it was quick.
November 17, 2010
Wow, am I in the minority here, or what? I know there haven't been that many reviews of this yet, and most of them are going to be from reading enthusiasts who blog, work at bookstores, or in some other way get Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs). Are they less critical than I am; or is it simply a case of "opinions are like a-holes: everybody's got one"?
I usually write my School Library Journal review first and then post something about the book on GoodReads as an afterthought, but I was so surprised at what I thought was a fairly poor effort on the part of an author that teen readers really like that I was curious to see what other early reviewers were saying. Did anyone else think Lisa McMann "jumped the shark"? (For all of you too young to have watched Happy Days with Fonzie and the gang back in the day, that was when the writers of the very popular show had officially run out of ideas and had Henry Winkler's cool character do a waterskii jump, wearing his leather jacket, of course, over a shark.)
I must preface my little pre-review review by saying that I quite liked WAKE but was much less fond of FADE, so maybe I'm not her biggest fan, but I have been appreciative of her efforts in the past.
SPOILER ALERT: Come on here--I'm supposed to be scared of a desk with the trapped souls of boys who had been whipped on it and somehow died fifty years prior? A desk that moves itself around the classroom and speaks intermittently in the capitalized first person plural--"We carve on Our face"--between narrative chapters, trying to be creepy, but for me, just being silly? Voices within the desk lure unsuspecting kids in a one-room Montana schoolhouse to the graveyard of a bad boys reform school, where they were compelled to bury themselves alive. So, we're supposed to believe that dozens of teen boys died without investigation of whippings in 1960. Those trapped souls in the desk get freed if enough kids can be lured to their burial place--or something like that. I don't buy it. Luckily, teens are not quite as critical or logical, but I didn't expect so many positive reviews from adults.
Now, just so you know that I am fully capable of some MAJOR suspension of disbelief for an involving narrative, I must admit to X-Files, Buffy, Angel, & Supernatural in terms of TV habits, so I can certainly go along for a suspension of disbelief ride. I read and enjoy horror, science fiction, and fantasy when they are well done, but this just . . . wasn't. That said, the main character with OCD was well written and so was her love interest, but the core of the story, not so much.
I usually write my School Library Journal review first and then post something about the book on GoodReads as an afterthought, but I was so surprised at what I thought was a fairly poor effort on the part of an author that teen readers really like that I was curious to see what other early reviewers were saying. Did anyone else think Lisa McMann "jumped the shark"? (For all of you too young to have watched Happy Days with Fonzie and the gang back in the day, that was when the writers of the very popular show had officially run out of ideas and had Henry Winkler's cool character do a waterskii jump, wearing his leather jacket, of course, over a shark.)
I must preface my little pre-review review by saying that I quite liked WAKE but was much less fond of FADE, so maybe I'm not her biggest fan, but I have been appreciative of her efforts in the past.
SPOILER ALERT: Come on here--I'm supposed to be scared of a desk with the trapped souls of boys who had been whipped on it and somehow died fifty years prior? A desk that moves itself around the classroom and speaks intermittently in the capitalized first person plural--"We carve on Our face"--between narrative chapters, trying to be creepy, but for me, just being silly? Voices within the desk lure unsuspecting kids in a one-room Montana schoolhouse to the graveyard of a bad boys reform school, where they were compelled to bury themselves alive. So, we're supposed to believe that dozens of teen boys died without investigation of whippings in 1960. Those trapped souls in the desk get freed if enough kids can be lured to their burial place--or something like that. I don't buy it. Luckily, teens are not quite as critical or logical, but I didn't expect so many positive reviews from adults.
Now, just so you know that I am fully capable of some MAJOR suspension of disbelief for an involving narrative, I must admit to X-Files, Buffy, Angel, & Supernatural in terms of TV habits, so I can certainly go along for a suspension of disbelief ride. I read and enjoy horror, science fiction, and fantasy when they are well done, but this just . . . wasn't. That said, the main character with OCD was well written and so was her love interest, but the core of the story, not so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2011
The summary from the front flap of Cryer’s Cross and its eerie excerpt from the back of the book instantly captivated me. I had no choice but to buy the book.
Seventeen-year-old Kendall Fletcher lived all her life on a farm in the tiny town of Cryer’s Cross, MT (population: 212 residents). Nothing ever happens in this quiet, rural town until one day, Tiffany Quinn (a sophomore at the one-room high school) goes missing. After weeks of searching, the Sheriff, along with the majority of the townsfolk, were never able to locate her body.
Not long after Tiffany’s disappearance does Kendall’s best friend/boyfriend, Nico Cruz, goes missing as well. Nico’s last remaining clue was his abandoned car. And once again, the town goes on a mad search to try and find Nico, only to return empty handed – just like with Tiffany Quinn.
The rest of this chilling novel unravels from there…
I loved Cryer’s Cross. I devoured the book in only three hours, and still wanted more.
Lisa McMann’s writing was clear and easy to follow, reminding me of Gayle Forman’s. McMann’s description of the two main characters (Kendall Fletcher and Jacian Obregon) was simple yet concise, easily allowing us to relate to their volatile emotions. I especially liked the scene when Kendall fell on the gravel road while trying to escape the fear and pain of Nico’s disappearance. Also, the overall dialogue among the characters was smart and realistic; their voices were truly indicative of their character.
The tone of the story and the creepiness that ensues while reading the novel is why I really enjoyed Cryer’s Cross. There was at least three times where my heart started to beat faster and I got goosebumps. Plus, the ending to the book was disturbing and extremely unique. I love books that dare to push the envelope – if even a little. It shows the author’s willingness to take chances and that’s always kudos in my book. One last thing I have to mention was that I was reading the novel around the midnight hour so that didn’t help at all. I jumped a few times from the slightest noise. Nonetheless, getting scared was like an early Halloween gift – and I loved it! (Side note: I wish it was Halloween already)
On the Acknowledgments page, McMann gave credit to her daughter, Kennedy, for enduring OCD and letting her share some of her experiences through the main character of Kendal Fletcher. The OCD knowledge McMann gained from her daughter was quite apparent in the novel. It was actually the element of the book that I appreciated the most because she was able to turn something that is viewed as a negative into something positive.
In our society, the idea of being OCD has negative connotations and McMann made this condition something useful in her novel. It was a great and unexpected revelation. I also think the introduction of OCD in Kendall Fletcher reinforced that we all have different layers and characteristics as human beings; and that sometimes the things that people perceive as flaws are still beautiful; and that the unique qualities that each of us possess can teach us something that we might not know about ourselves. This was actually a very nice lesson to relearn...and also the reason Cryer’s Cross is both creepy and beautiful – a great juxtaposition.
Seventeen-year-old Kendall Fletcher lived all her life on a farm in the tiny town of Cryer’s Cross, MT (population: 212 residents). Nothing ever happens in this quiet, rural town until one day, Tiffany Quinn (a sophomore at the one-room high school) goes missing. After weeks of searching, the Sheriff, along with the majority of the townsfolk, were never able to locate her body.
Not long after Tiffany’s disappearance does Kendall’s best friend/boyfriend, Nico Cruz, goes missing as well. Nico’s last remaining clue was his abandoned car. And once again, the town goes on a mad search to try and find Nico, only to return empty handed – just like with Tiffany Quinn.
The rest of this chilling novel unravels from there…
I loved Cryer’s Cross. I devoured the book in only three hours, and still wanted more.
Lisa McMann’s writing was clear and easy to follow, reminding me of Gayle Forman’s. McMann’s description of the two main characters (Kendall Fletcher and Jacian Obregon) was simple yet concise, easily allowing us to relate to their volatile emotions. I especially liked the scene when Kendall fell on the gravel road while trying to escape the fear and pain of Nico’s disappearance. Also, the overall dialogue among the characters was smart and realistic; their voices were truly indicative of their character.
The tone of the story and the creepiness that ensues while reading the novel is why I really enjoyed Cryer’s Cross. There was at least three times where my heart started to beat faster and I got goosebumps. Plus, the ending to the book was disturbing and extremely unique. I love books that dare to push the envelope – if even a little. It shows the author’s willingness to take chances and that’s always kudos in my book. One last thing I have to mention was that I was reading the novel around the midnight hour so that didn’t help at all. I jumped a few times from the slightest noise. Nonetheless, getting scared was like an early Halloween gift – and I loved it! (Side note: I wish it was Halloween already)
On the Acknowledgments page, McMann gave credit to her daughter, Kennedy, for enduring OCD and letting her share some of her experiences through the main character of Kendal Fletcher. The OCD knowledge McMann gained from her daughter was quite apparent in the novel. It was actually the element of the book that I appreciated the most because she was able to turn something that is viewed as a negative into something positive.
In our society, the idea of being OCD has negative connotations and McMann made this condition something useful in her novel. It was a great and unexpected revelation. I also think the introduction of OCD in Kendall Fletcher reinforced that we all have different layers and characteristics as human beings; and that sometimes the things that people perceive as flaws are still beautiful; and that the unique qualities that each of us possess can teach us something that we might not know about ourselves. This was actually a very nice lesson to relearn...and also the reason Cryer’s Cross is both creepy and beautiful – a great juxtaposition.
March 9, 2011
“Haunting, and just plain scary, McMann gives you chills as her story unfolds.”
I am a fan of Lisa McMann’s previous series and I was wondering how Cryer’s Cross would compare. Holy Ass-kicking Batman! Lisa’s story of Cryer’s Cross is creepy, it’s haunting, and most of all it is superbly addicting. The tension builds with every page and only in the last quarter of the book does McMann begin to even give you a hint of what is going down in this sleepy little town. It’s a race to the finish, a disturbing race haunting you to continue, to find out what is going on, what is going to happen next. The book haunts you to be read the way the desk haunts Kendell to do unthinkable, and unspeakable things.
Kendall has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). She counts, she checks things six times, she makes deals with herself, I will count to 100 and then I will stop if I see a red bird kind of deals, she gets to school early every morning to make sure the curtains are right, the desks are arranged and the dent in the trashcan is just so. I could relate to Kendall so much, having to hide her OCD from the others in the small town because I had to go through the same thing growing up. No one could ever know I touched my pencil to the page four times before I could begin to write, or I unfolded and then refolded my lunch bag six times before I could eat. If I started a book I had to finish it even if I disliked it. Kendall hides these same compulsions and it is these compulsions that makes her the one to see that the grafitti on the desk is changing. That something sinister is going on, that Nico and Tiffany are missing and she can only hear numbers in her heard. 35, 100, 35, 100…
I had Lisa sign an ARC for me at ALA and now I understand the “Help Me” she wrote inside. Another cool thing is :drumroll: cue Angelic voices singing Hallelujah: this book is a stand alone!
Why Teens Will Love It:
A different kind of hero. It was so super refreshing to see a girl who wasn’t accomplished in everything, who didn’t care about Prada or play the Violin at competition level. Someone with real life problems and disorders and it is those flaws guiding her through the novel. Plus it is down right creepy!
Why Adults Will Love It:
This is a mystery for any age. Small clues are dropped through-out the novel and adults will love the subtlety that McMann uses to weave her story web. The plot is tight, the social issues are relate-able and this is one you will enjoy talking with others about.
I am a fan of Lisa McMann’s previous series and I was wondering how Cryer’s Cross would compare. Holy Ass-kicking Batman! Lisa’s story of Cryer’s Cross is creepy, it’s haunting, and most of all it is superbly addicting. The tension builds with every page and only in the last quarter of the book does McMann begin to even give you a hint of what is going down in this sleepy little town. It’s a race to the finish, a disturbing race haunting you to continue, to find out what is going on, what is going to happen next. The book haunts you to be read the way the desk haunts Kendell to do unthinkable, and unspeakable things.
Kendall has OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). She counts, she checks things six times, she makes deals with herself, I will count to 100 and then I will stop if I see a red bird kind of deals, she gets to school early every morning to make sure the curtains are right, the desks are arranged and the dent in the trashcan is just so. I could relate to Kendall so much, having to hide her OCD from the others in the small town because I had to go through the same thing growing up. No one could ever know I touched my pencil to the page four times before I could begin to write, or I unfolded and then refolded my lunch bag six times before I could eat. If I started a book I had to finish it even if I disliked it. Kendall hides these same compulsions and it is these compulsions that makes her the one to see that the grafitti on the desk is changing. That something sinister is going on, that Nico and Tiffany are missing and she can only hear numbers in her heard. 35, 100, 35, 100…
I had Lisa sign an ARC for me at ALA and now I understand the “Help Me” she wrote inside. Another cool thing is :drumroll: cue Angelic voices singing Hallelujah: this book is a stand alone!
Why Teens Will Love It:
A different kind of hero. It was so super refreshing to see a girl who wasn’t accomplished in everything, who didn’t care about Prada or play the Violin at competition level. Someone with real life problems and disorders and it is those flaws guiding her through the novel. Plus it is down right creepy!
Why Adults Will Love It:
This is a mystery for any age. Small clues are dropped through-out the novel and adults will love the subtlety that McMann uses to weave her story web. The plot is tight, the social issues are relate-able and this is one you will enjoy talking with others about.
January 27, 2011
Holy wow. Folks, I don’t say this a lot. But WOW! By nature, I am a very fast reader and this is one book I BLEW through. I mean I sat down and read this puppy in like five hours. Or less. I took some breaks.
What started out as a pretty light-hearted story, took a turn for the dark and creepy and I was intrigued every step of the way. Even with the main character, OCD-suffering Kendall and how she copes with her best friend, Nico suddenly vanishing. Then enter stoically quiet Jacián into the mix and you have a tasty recipe. McMann gets an applause for creating some of the best relationships ever. Janie and Cabel from her WAKE trilogy are one of my favorite couples ever.
Now, this book is CREEPY! Another thing McMann is excels at. WAKE is a tad creepy, no? I’ll go ahead and say this much, it’s about a desk. An evil desk. I really don’t want to give any more away, but do know that much. Though the cover tells you that much really. And it’s a good kind of creepy. Almost an alien invasion kind of creepy.
This book made me smile, freaked me out, made me sad and even tear up. Guys, I never tear up. Heart of stone over here. It has to be powerful to get me. I would recommend this book to absolutely any YA lover and especially to those who love a sweet romance and a creepy desk.
What started out as a pretty light-hearted story, took a turn for the dark and creepy and I was intrigued every step of the way. Even with the main character, OCD-suffering Kendall and how she copes with her best friend, Nico suddenly vanishing. Then enter stoically quiet Jacián into the mix and you have a tasty recipe. McMann gets an applause for creating some of the best relationships ever. Janie and Cabel from her WAKE trilogy are one of my favorite couples ever.
Now, this book is CREEPY! Another thing McMann is excels at. WAKE is a tad creepy, no? I’ll go ahead and say this much, it’s about a desk. An evil desk. I really don’t want to give any more away, but do know that much. Though the cover tells you that much really. And it’s a good kind of creepy. Almost an alien invasion kind of creepy.
This book made me smile, freaked me out, made me sad and even tear up. Guys, I never tear up. Heart of stone over here. It has to be powerful to get me. I would recommend this book to absolutely any YA lover and especially to those who love a sweet romance and a creepy desk.
October 19, 2016
This was a nice quick read! Honestly my favourite thing about this book is it didn't try to do too much. It had a little quick spooky mystery, a pretty simple but interesting plot, and interesting fleshed out characters. I liked the little town this takes place in and I didn't hate a single character in this book. Honestly the biggest praise I'll give Lisa Mcmann is that she gave me a well fleshed out plot of characters and I liked every single one of them. She didn't make any horrible characters to add drama.
I think this is a perfect spooky little fall/October read!
I think this is a perfect spooky little fall/October read!
November 28, 2010
Enthralling, creepy and sooo good !! Truth to be told, when I started reading Wake I was a bit taken aback by Lisa McManns writing style. But once I read on I fell totally in love with this face paced, punctuated style! So when I heard about her new book I had to read it.
Cryer's Cross is a Standalone and it's worth every page!
Already the setting of Cryer's Cross is phenomenal and fascinating. Kendall lives in a town with only 212 citizens and of course everyone knows each other. It also happens that once in a while kids come to school with a horse. Kendall lives together with her parents on a farm, but also she has OCD. She does everything together with her best friend Nico, with whom she's grown up. He's also the one that understands her OCD and helps her to get along with it.
All the kids from town go to school and have class in the same room together. Nothing big ever happens...
Until Tiffany suddenly disappears and nobody has a clue where she is and why she disappeared. Things are getting even weirder when Nico starts behaving totally weird and then.. he's gone to.
For Kendall the world changes, Nico was with her since ever and she's suffering from his disappearance.
At the same time two new kids move to town, Jacian, his sister and their parents are moving to their grandfathers farm to help him and of course also attend to the same school. Jacian is angry since he had to leave his normal live behind to life in the middle of nowhere. But, his sister and in the end also him are the only one that keep Kendal upright although she's so shaken from Nico's disappearance.
I absolutely adored the fact pacing of the book, it's a page turner and the sharp writing style never gets boring. Kendall as a character is wonderful and I wanted to hug her several times! She's so lonely after Nico is gone and all her world is turned upside down. At the same time Jacian also has to deal with the new living situation and I can just imagine how hard it is to leave a normal high school to to live in such a town. He's angry, oh so angry and I get his anger!
But those two manage to comfort each other where other's are no help.
The characterization is wonderful and the writing phenomenal. The story gets so creepy towards the end that I was gasping for air! If I wasn't a fan from Lisa McMann already, I would be now! She's exceptionell!
Cryer's Cross is a Standalone and it's worth every page!
Already the setting of Cryer's Cross is phenomenal and fascinating. Kendall lives in a town with only 212 citizens and of course everyone knows each other. It also happens that once in a while kids come to school with a horse. Kendall lives together with her parents on a farm, but also she has OCD. She does everything together with her best friend Nico, with whom she's grown up. He's also the one that understands her OCD and helps her to get along with it.
All the kids from town go to school and have class in the same room together. Nothing big ever happens...
Until Tiffany suddenly disappears and nobody has a clue where she is and why she disappeared. Things are getting even weirder when Nico starts behaving totally weird and then.. he's gone to.
For Kendall the world changes, Nico was with her since ever and she's suffering from his disappearance.
At the same time two new kids move to town, Jacian, his sister and their parents are moving to their grandfathers farm to help him and of course also attend to the same school. Jacian is angry since he had to leave his normal live behind to life in the middle of nowhere. But, his sister and in the end also him are the only one that keep Kendal upright although she's so shaken from Nico's disappearance.
I absolutely adored the fact pacing of the book, it's a page turner and the sharp writing style never gets boring. Kendall as a character is wonderful and I wanted to hug her several times! She's so lonely after Nico is gone and all her world is turned upside down. At the same time Jacian also has to deal with the new living situation and I can just imagine how hard it is to leave a normal high school to to live in such a town. He's angry, oh so angry and I get his anger!
But those two manage to comfort each other where other's are no help.
The characterization is wonderful and the writing phenomenal. The story gets so creepy towards the end that I was gasping for air! If I wasn't a fan from Lisa McMann already, I would be now! She's exceptionell!
December 21, 2010
Spoilers
Already a fan of Lisa McMann Wake Series, I was curious what her next book would bring.
Cryer's Cross is indeed a creepy thrilling paranormal story that has a great combination of mystery, suspense and even a little romance thrown in for good measure, but in the end, this was just okay.
I consider myself a pretty easy reader and can usually go along with any plot line while welcoming new twists concepts, all in the name of good paranormal fun, but this one was a little too out there for my taste.
The story begins with a missing girl, and in a small town of only 212 people a disappearance is big news so it's even stranger when Kendall's best friend and the "guy" in her life disappears as well.
My heart really went out to Kendall in those moments when Nico disappeared, it was tragic and sad. Her fears mixed with guilt about liking the new boy in town and her loneliness and confusion was both heart warming and heart breaking.
But it was the actual 'villain' I just didn't buy into.
Meet our villain. A desk. That's right, our bad guy is in the shape of an old wooden desk that possesses the trapped souls of delinquent boys who have been whipped to there death by an insane head master.
There haunting voices seek out souls to sacrifice themselves by burying themselves alive and trading there souls for the release of the other.
In all fairness, the concept actually sounds pretty wicked and it was
actually pretty horrid in a psychological distrubing way, but for me, I just couldn't wrap my head around it and what was suppose to be freaky, was well, not.
I did however like the characters, and while the romance wasn't over the top, Kendall and Jacián relationship was very sweet and refreshing. I liked that he was an angry guy with issues and the MC didn't just swoon on the spot. It made it feel more realistic in a very non-realistic storyline.
Overall, I thought this was a decent read, it's a bit out there but it had it's moments of pure creepiness that will surly get under some skin.
This may not have been a book I loved, but I give McMann props here for originality, imagination and creativity. Other readers should enjoy this bizarre and intriguing plot, I just wish I liked it more then I did. Never the less, I look forward to seeing what Lisa McMann comes up with next.
Thank-you to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an early copy.
Already a fan of Lisa McMann Wake Series, I was curious what her next book would bring.
Cryer's Cross is indeed a creepy thrilling paranormal story that has a great combination of mystery, suspense and even a little romance thrown in for good measure, but in the end, this was just okay.
I consider myself a pretty easy reader and can usually go along with any plot line while welcoming new twists concepts, all in the name of good paranormal fun, but this one was a little too out there for my taste.
The story begins with a missing girl, and in a small town of only 212 people a disappearance is big news so it's even stranger when Kendall's best friend and the "guy" in her life disappears as well.
My heart really went out to Kendall in those moments when Nico disappeared, it was tragic and sad. Her fears mixed with guilt about liking the new boy in town and her loneliness and confusion was both heart warming and heart breaking.
But it was the actual 'villain' I just didn't buy into.
Meet our villain. A desk. That's right, our bad guy is in the shape of an old wooden desk that possesses the trapped souls of delinquent boys who have been whipped to there death by an insane head master.
There haunting voices seek out souls to sacrifice themselves by burying themselves alive and trading there souls for the release of the other.
In all fairness, the concept actually sounds pretty wicked and it was
actually pretty horrid in a psychological distrubing way, but for me, I just couldn't wrap my head around it and what was suppose to be freaky, was well, not.
I did however like the characters, and while the romance wasn't over the top, Kendall and Jacián relationship was very sweet and refreshing. I liked that he was an angry guy with issues and the MC didn't just swoon on the spot. It made it feel more realistic in a very non-realistic storyline.
Overall, I thought this was a decent read, it's a bit out there but it had it's moments of pure creepiness that will surly get under some skin.
This may not have been a book I loved, but I give McMann props here for originality, imagination and creativity. Other readers should enjoy this bizarre and intriguing plot, I just wish I liked it more then I did. Never the less, I look forward to seeing what Lisa McMann comes up with next.
Thank-you to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an early copy.
November 27, 2010
Rating 2.5 stars
First I have to thank one of my GR pallies for lending this to me! She is the greatest =)
Okay so I was really excited to read this and now that I have I am completely disappointed. After Gone I was hoping Lisa McMann would make a strong come back, but unfortunately this one falls really flat. The mystery feels like a cross between Stephen Kings Christine and Wes Cravens The Village. The paranormal aspect that was thrown at the end is very laugh worthy, it is a desk filled with the souls of poor boys who were beaten a long time ago. The desk is called the whipping desk and the only way for the souls to be released is if they coerce a living body into a grave in the school cemetery and that person dies. Yep that is right a desk can do this. Now the voices coming from the desk were creepy but other than that I didn't buy most of the mystery. Like most Wes Craven movie the end comes and you are left with a huh that was anticlimactic, at least to me anyway. The only saving spot for me was the romance. I have to give McMann credit as she didn't have her heroine jumping into bed with the first that boy that came along after the disappearance of her "boyfriend". There is of course a new boy in town that captures her attention but she keeps him at arms length while still showing that interest. She lets Kendal grieve and stay true to Nico even though the feelings that they shared were more platonic than what either of them ever realized. After Kendal finds Nico dead does she allow herself to fully move on and that felt right to me. The OCD thing was a part of the story that should have been explored more or just left out. Throughout Kendal repeatedly makes references to her OCD behavior and we get to see a little bit of it, but imo if Kendal had to see a psychiatrist to help her it should have been explained more. All we know is that she struggles with it in her head, she counts, and she has a morning ritual. That hardly screams HELP, so a little more detail with that would have been good especially since Kendal credits her life being saved to her OCD behaviors.
All in all I guess it was an okay read, sort of childish compared to her other novels. I haven't written McMann off as a writer yet but I am hoping that her next book will deliver.
First I have to thank one of my GR pallies for lending this to me! She is the greatest =)
Okay so I was really excited to read this and now that I have I am completely disappointed. After Gone I was hoping Lisa McMann would make a strong come back, but unfortunately this one falls really flat. The mystery feels like a cross between Stephen Kings Christine and Wes Cravens The Village. The paranormal aspect that was thrown at the end is very laugh worthy, it is a desk filled with the souls of poor boys who were beaten a long time ago. The desk is called the whipping desk and the only way for the souls to be released is if they coerce a living body into a grave in the school cemetery and that person dies. Yep that is right a desk can do this. Now the voices coming from the desk were creepy but other than that I didn't buy most of the mystery. Like most Wes Craven movie the end comes and you are left with a huh that was anticlimactic, at least to me anyway. The only saving spot for me was the romance. I have to give McMann credit as she didn't have her heroine jumping into bed with the first that boy that came along after the disappearance of her "boyfriend". There is of course a new boy in town that captures her attention but she keeps him at arms length while still showing that interest. She lets Kendal grieve and stay true to Nico even though the feelings that they shared were more platonic than what either of them ever realized. After Kendal finds Nico dead does she allow herself to fully move on and that felt right to me. The OCD thing was a part of the story that should have been explored more or just left out. Throughout Kendal repeatedly makes references to her OCD behavior and we get to see a little bit of it, but imo if Kendal had to see a psychiatrist to help her it should have been explained more. All we know is that she struggles with it in her head, she counts, and she has a morning ritual. That hardly screams HELP, so a little more detail with that would have been good especially since Kendal credits her life being saved to her OCD behaviors.
All in all I guess it was an okay read, sort of childish compared to her other novels. I haven't written McMann off as a writer yet but I am hoping that her next book will deliver.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2018
What a peculiar little book... First of all, the blurb doesn't do it justice at all. It makes it sound like another silly romance-centered YA with nothing else to give than brooding love interests and never-ending eye descriptions, and that's so not what's happening here.
It was almost a 4 stars read until the last 20% or so, where everything felt rushed and not developed enough to be credible. A real pity because I enjoyed the writing a lot - be warned though, the 3rd person present tense will not appeal to all - and the ambiance was a success.
It reminded me, in a way less horrific way, of Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, a beloved book of mine that I still adore even if it terrified me enough to fuck up my nights for a decade.
Rural america, small town setting, a very different way to live than the urban life we mostly know.
But where Dan Simmons wrote a very adult book, Lisa McMann stays in the YA realm. It's not a bad thing, except that the book could have been a killer with more development, more time to scatter details here and there and to wrap up the whole discovery/conclusion nicely. It's so rushed that it discredits the plot.
One thing I really, really liked was that McMann chose to give her main character OCD and I think it's very well depicted here. It's not just mentioned like when authors try to but fail, it's entirely part of the story, part of who Kendall is and as it plays such a big part in her life, it plays a big part in how she's gonna handle the happening events.
Many other topics are broached : being a non-white new guy in an almost all-white town, being a teenager in a small town when it's all you've ever known, being a teenager in a small town when you had to live the big city and another life behind, being a girl in a masculine environment, having your life shattered because suddenly the world is a bad place, and dealing with grief and guilt.
A quick and interesting read that will have trouble to gain readers outside the YA audience because of its lack of development. Still very pleasant to read.
It was almost a 4 stars read until the last 20% or so, where everything felt rushed and not developed enough to be credible. A real pity because I enjoyed the writing a lot - be warned though, the 3rd person present tense will not appeal to all - and the ambiance was a success.
It reminded me, in a way less horrific way, of Summer of Night by Dan Simmons, a beloved book of mine that I still adore even if it terrified me enough to fuck up my nights for a decade.
Rural america, small town setting, a very different way to live than the urban life we mostly know.
But where Dan Simmons wrote a very adult book, Lisa McMann stays in the YA realm. It's not a bad thing, except that the book could have been a killer with more development, more time to scatter details here and there and to wrap up the whole discovery/conclusion nicely. It's so rushed that it discredits the plot.
One thing I really, really liked was that McMann chose to give her main character OCD and I think it's very well depicted here. It's not just mentioned like when authors try to but fail, it's entirely part of the story, part of who Kendall is and as it plays such a big part in her life, it plays a big part in how she's gonna handle the happening events.
Many other topics are broached : being a non-white new guy in an almost all-white town, being a teenager in a small town when it's all you've ever known, being a teenager in a small town when you had to live the big city and another life behind, being a girl in a masculine environment, having your life shattered because suddenly the world is a bad place, and dealing with grief and guilt.
A quick and interesting read that will have trouble to gain readers outside the YA audience because of its lack of development. Still very pleasant to read.
November 26, 2011
McMann strikes again.
I don't know how she does it. She makes me read her books in one sitting. She draws me in. It's pretty intense people.
Cryers cross is a small town full of good people, so it's pretty upsetting and unusual when a girl goes missing. Then it gets extreme when a boy goes missing a few days later. Nico is Kendall's best friend and happens to be that boy who is missing. Kendall can't see her friend running away. She starts to see clues and wonders if it's Nico commmunicating with her. She is determined to find her friend. She winds up making an unlikely friend in the process, one who might just save her life.
spoiler:
My ONLY complaint is who the actual "killer" is. It's a little too out there for me. I wish we could have a physical person to pin it on.
It's freaky.
4 stars
If you like the "wake" books, i would definitely suggest picking this one up.
Oh Jacian, I <3 you!
I don't know how she does it. She makes me read her books in one sitting. She draws me in. It's pretty intense people.
Cryers cross is a small town full of good people, so it's pretty upsetting and unusual when a girl goes missing. Then it gets extreme when a boy goes missing a few days later. Nico is Kendall's best friend and happens to be that boy who is missing. Kendall can't see her friend running away. She starts to see clues and wonders if it's Nico commmunicating with her. She is determined to find her friend. She winds up making an unlikely friend in the process, one who might just save her life.
spoiler:
My ONLY complaint is who the actual "killer" is. It's a little too out there for me. I wish we could have a physical person to pin it on.
It's freaky.
4 stars
If you like the "wake" books, i would definitely suggest picking this one up.
Oh Jacian, I <3 you!
July 11, 2011
If I could only use one word to describe this book (whether it be short, long, medium, descriptive, simple, or in-between), it'd simply be terrifying. Don't tell me you haven't gotten the horror vibes from this book! How creepy would it be to walk into school and find etchings like TOUCH ME , ONLY YOU CAN SAVE ME , and SAVE MY SOUL inscribed into your desk? I don't know about you, but I'd be absolutely, mind-blowingly horrified.
That's the feeling this book gives off. The horror aspect of the novel is illustrated gorgeously in your head. You feel like you can't turn pages fast enough to just get to the frickin' end and SEE WHAT HAPPENS ALREADY. The challenges OCD presents to Kendall and her friends is valid (other reviews have said it's completely falsified and shallow), but I know otherwise, because, for one, McMann's daughter has it, and I don't know an easier way to figure out how OCD works than to go to your daughter; and, for two, I have a mild, self-prescribed case of it as well. I mean, I don't have to face all of the difficult challenges Kendall does (uh, hence the "mild" part), nor do I feel trapped by it, but by all means I know what it's like to struggle with it.
One thing about CRYER'S CROSS that makes me really happy (especially considering this is a horror novel, and I can point to specific horror novels that don't do this, or don't do it well) is how resolved the story is. I know exactly where the horrific aspect of the novel comes from, and I know what happens to the cause, which deeply satisfies me, more than an open-ended version would. I like knowing what/who/where did this, and I like how it's not left for me to try and make an informed decision about, left with a million branches, and I have to find the right one. I don't like when authors do this because the story feels horribly gypped and like the author didn't know enough about his/her own story to create a coherent ending. That being said, McMann didn't totally overcrowd our heads with information about the conclusion, just gave us enough info to where we're satisfied but there's still a little bit of an open ending as to what happened to the characters and the horror aspect.
McMann is an extremely versatile author, being able to go from YA fantasy (THE UNWANTEDS, coming Sept '11) to this. I just now put her on the non-existent list of i-will-buy-anything-this-author-writes (which, you know, I really should make a shelf for).
CRYER'S CROSS is a gripping tale with a perfect resolution that I couldn't get out of my head for days . . . fantastic and horrifying!
That's the feeling this book gives off. The horror aspect of the novel is illustrated gorgeously in your head. You feel like you can't turn pages fast enough to just get to the frickin' end and SEE WHAT HAPPENS ALREADY. The challenges OCD presents to Kendall and her friends is valid (other reviews have said it's completely falsified and shallow), but I know otherwise, because, for one, McMann's daughter has it, and I don't know an easier way to figure out how OCD works than to go to your daughter; and, for two, I have a mild, self-prescribed case of it as well. I mean, I don't have to face all of the difficult challenges Kendall does (uh, hence the "mild" part), nor do I feel trapped by it, but by all means I know what it's like to struggle with it.
One thing about CRYER'S CROSS that makes me really happy (especially considering this is a horror novel, and I can point to specific horror novels that don't do this, or don't do it well) is how resolved the story is. I know exactly where the horrific aspect of the novel comes from, and I know what happens to the cause, which deeply satisfies me, more than an open-ended version would. I like knowing what/who/where did this, and I like how it's not left for me to try and make an informed decision about, left with a million branches, and I have to find the right one. I don't like when authors do this because the story feels horribly gypped and like the author didn't know enough about his/her own story to create a coherent ending. That being said, McMann didn't totally overcrowd our heads with information about the conclusion, just gave us enough info to where we're satisfied but there's still a little bit of an open ending as to what happened to the characters and the horror aspect.
McMann is an extremely versatile author, being able to go from YA fantasy (THE UNWANTEDS, coming Sept '11) to this. I just now put her on the non-existent list of i-will-buy-anything-this-author-writes (which, you know, I really should make a shelf for).
CRYER'S CROSS is a gripping tale with a perfect resolution that I couldn't get out of my head for days . . . fantastic and horrifying!
December 24, 2015
La verdad es que este libro lleva tanto tiempo en mis estanterías que ahora pienso porque no lo deje aún mas tiempo alli. La parte de atras me vendió un libro con el que me iba a morir de miedo y ha sido un poco tirar el dinero. Me ha parecido mas una historia en la que intentan mostrarnos una enfermedad, intento de mostrarnos un trío amoroso diferente y contarnos una historia normal , mas que una historia de miedo. Los personajes no han conseguido que me encariñe con ellos , de hecho, el que mas lo ha conseguido fue Único el que menos sale... Le iba a poner dos estrellas por ser buena ya que es una historia amena,sencilla de leer y que no me ha aburrido exageradamente y al final le puse tres estrellas porque el final me hizo soltar alguna lagrimita. Aunque el desenlace ha sido muy típico y poco sorprendente pero al menos las últimas 50 páginas le dieron algo de emoción.
January 2, 2020
An interesting story. I wasn't aware that it would become supernatural towards the end, but I still found it enjoyable.
OCD Kendall thinks her life is falling apart - first her classmate has disappeared and now her best friend/boyfriend Noah. Her town seems to spend all its time sending out search parties and making wanted posters.
When a mysterious boy named Jacian and his sister arrive in town, Kendall finds herself drawn to him despite his arrogance and bad attitude - and when she starts noticing messages scratched on the desk that belonged to Noah, she wonders if this is it? Is he still alive? And can she save him?
OCD Kendall thinks her life is falling apart - first her classmate has disappeared and now her best friend/boyfriend Noah. Her town seems to spend all its time sending out search parties and making wanted posters.
When a mysterious boy named Jacian and his sister arrive in town, Kendall finds herself drawn to him despite his arrogance and bad attitude - and when she starts noticing messages scratched on the desk that belonged to Noah, she wonders if this is it? Is he still alive? And can she save him?
February 29, 2016
I enjoyed this even though it was a little predictable and unremarkable from other books I've read. There was nothing really special about any of the characters or the plot but it was a good quick, slightly creepy read.
April 27, 2013
Cryer’s Cross. It’s a book I picked up at the book story because it was in the bargain section and someone said it was “eerie, gripping” yadda yadda yadda. I’m not too sure why but I trusted this person, probably because I hadn’t read a good mystery/thriller in a while.
I should have known better. I should have seen through Cryer’s Cross’s (tee hee, that looks funny) guise. Somehow, absorbed in false hope, a book called Cryer’s Cross with a stupid looking desk on the cover got me to buy it. It took advantage of my sorry state and I had to pay the price.
Now, on with the actual review.
I think there a five main subject/plotpoints/whatever you want to call them in this book. I’m going to touch upon each of them. In order because I’m just totally fly that way.
1 – A Girl with OCD
First, we have Kendall. She lives in a small town with her mum. And, said mum, is always asking Kendall, “How’s your OCD?” Sometimes, throughout the book Kendall’s OCD suddenly grips her and overpowers her. Towards the end of the novel it’s her OCD that saves her… somehow.
McMann has a daughter diagnosed with OCD and the character, Kendall, is based off of her. I think that the topic of and Kendall’s dealings with OCD could have been portrayed so much better. It’s such a large part of the story but I find that the way McMann introduced it and continued to represent it was not only slightly annoying but unrealistic. She persistently ‘told’ and didn’t show.
And honestly, do you ask you daughter how their OCD is “doing”? Yes? No? Maybe? I dunno? I don’t think so. If you think I’m wrong feel free to call me a stupid impudent child, tell me I have no idea what I talking about. But think about first. Really think about it.
2 – Missing People
Two people go missing from the town Kendall lives in, one of them being Kendall’s boyfriend, Nico. The townspeople are mad and sad and it’s all very mysterious.
3 – An Evil Desk
The desk that is shown on the cover of the book is an evil one. That is unless you bought or read or have only seen an edition of the cover that doesn’t have a desk on it. As in, the desk isn’t shown on the cover, it’s still evil.
Why is it evil you ask? Because it talks to you and makes you possessed and gets you ‘high’. I’m not kidding. McMann used the word ‘high’ to explain the feeling of ‘euphoria’ that Kendall felt when she touched some words on the desk and listened to a voice. That’s what happened.
Lots of people said it was creepy and spooky and eerie and mysterious. You know what I say?
4 – A ‘Sizzling’ Romance
A boy moves to town, Kendall questions her feeling for Nico, blah blah blah. It’s basically what the book is about but it’s just filler so there’s not all that much to it. Hence the short paragraph.
5 – Dirt and mud and rain
They play soccer in dirt and mud and rain. They walk in dirt and mud and rain. They get covered in dirt and mud and rain. And they get buried in dirt and mud and rain.
A couple more things:
McMann tells the story in third person present tense. It’s awful. First person would have, in my opinion, much better suited this novel We’d have gotten a clearer image of Kendall’s OCD and maybe I would have been able to feel some sort of emotion other than ‘annoyance at the author’.
Through some of the book there were these little pieces of text between paragraphs that were kind of cool.
If you haven’t gathered, I wasn’t impressed with this book.
The End.
I should have known better. I should have seen through Cryer’s Cross’s (tee hee, that looks funny) guise. Somehow, absorbed in false hope, a book called Cryer’s Cross with a stupid looking desk on the cover got me to buy it. It took advantage of my sorry state and I had to pay the price.
Now, on with the actual review.
I think there a five main subject/plotpoints/whatever you want to call them in this book. I’m going to touch upon each of them. In order because I’m just totally fly that way.
1 – A Girl with OCD
First, we have Kendall. She lives in a small town with her mum. And, said mum, is always asking Kendall, “How’s your OCD?” Sometimes, throughout the book Kendall’s OCD suddenly grips her and overpowers her. Towards the end of the novel it’s her OCD that saves her… somehow.
McMann has a daughter diagnosed with OCD and the character, Kendall, is based off of her. I think that the topic of and Kendall’s dealings with OCD could have been portrayed so much better. It’s such a large part of the story but I find that the way McMann introduced it and continued to represent it was not only slightly annoying but unrealistic. She persistently ‘told’ and didn’t show.
And honestly, do you ask you daughter how their OCD is “doing”? Yes? No? Maybe? I dunno? I don’t think so. If you think I’m wrong feel free to call me a stupid impudent child, tell me I have no idea what I talking about. But think about first. Really think about it.
2 – Missing People
Two people go missing from the town Kendall lives in, one of them being Kendall’s boyfriend, Nico. The townspeople are mad and sad and it’s all very mysterious.
3 – An Evil Desk
The desk that is shown on the cover of the book is an evil one. That is unless you bought or read or have only seen an edition of the cover that doesn’t have a desk on it. As in, the desk isn’t shown on the cover, it’s still evil.
Why is it evil you ask? Because it talks to you and makes you possessed and gets you ‘high’. I’m not kidding. McMann used the word ‘high’ to explain the feeling of ‘euphoria’ that Kendall felt when she touched some words on the desk and listened to a voice. That’s what happened.
Lots of people said it was creepy and spooky and eerie and mysterious. You know what I say?
4 – A ‘Sizzling’ Romance
A boy moves to town, Kendall questions her feeling for Nico, blah blah blah. It’s basically what the book is about but it’s just filler so there’s not all that much to it. Hence the short paragraph.
5 – Dirt and mud and rain
They play soccer in dirt and mud and rain. They walk in dirt and mud and rain. They get covered in dirt and mud and rain. And they get buried in dirt and mud and rain.
A couple more things:
McMann tells the story in third person present tense. It’s awful. First person would have, in my opinion, much better suited this novel We’d have gotten a clearer image of Kendall’s OCD and maybe I would have been able to feel some sort of emotion other than ‘annoyance at the author’.
Through some of the book there were these little pieces of text between paragraphs that were kind of cool.
If you haven’t gathered, I wasn’t impressed with this book.
The End.
April 2, 2011
Cryer's Cross is the very first horror book I finished in a day! Usually, I get too scared to keep reading that I have to stop and put down the book, come back to it days later, and hopefully read a few chapters at a time. What can I say, I have a low tolerance for horror! I can't even pick up any books from Dean Koontz anymore since the last one I read of his gave me nightmares for days on. So, it was a relief to come across Cryer's Cross, which had just the right amount of horror for my taste.
I almost did not pick up this book because of the so-so reviews from my peers but now I'm thankful that I took a chance and read another of Lisa McMann's. I really enjoyed her Wake series and definitely enjoyed Cryer's Cross. I was sucked into the story from the very beginning and I could not separate from the book thereafter, so curious to find out who the killer is! I know to some it was a disappointment in the end when the killer is revealed. To me, it was definitely creepy and reminiscent of all the horrific stories I was told growing up. They may sound out of this world to most people but to me, they are horrific and still nightmare-worthy. I have had one or two paranormal experiences growing up so having a villain as such in the story is actually not that overreaching, believe it or not.
The other thing I liked about Cryer's Cross is that the plot is refreshing and unique, at least to me. I have not read a book with a similar plot and I appreciate that very much. Also, I loved the setting chosen for this book. The culture of Bozeman is quite interesting and intriguing especially as a result of its small community. I couldn't imagine sharing a classroom with the entire high school and know each and everyone there. It reminds me of the olden days when life was much simpler and people pretty much live off their land, just like in the book. Everyone knew each other and people actually rode horses to school and to town. I wouldn't mind living like that. Just reading about the beauty of Montana and the simplicity of it all was mesmerizing. It makes me want to visit the place and visualize the characters, the homes they live in, the school they go to, and the farms they tended.
Kendall, the female protagonist of the book was definitely a unique character. This is the first time I've read about a character with OCD. She is quite interesting and realistic enough. I've worked with enough kids with OCD and I have seen first hand how the compulsion and the obsession could be so debilitating to these kids that they have to be medicated to manage them. It is nice to read about someone who's able to manage the disorder without medicating herself as in the case of Kendall. Intense gross motor activity definitely helps to curb some of the obsession and compulsion even for a short period of time just like we see with Kendall when she plays soccer. It was fascinating for sure to read about her different quirks and rituals. We all find ways to cope with stress and to find things we could control in our environment. Kendall was no different. She's no different from a hoarder, just perhaps more interesting and cleaner. It's ironic that her disorder becomes her saving grace in the end.
As for the men in this book, I really didn't have a preference for either one. I liked Nico because he was a nice guy. He did everything right and was Kendall's rock for a long time. Jacian on the other hand was unpredictable, rough around the edges, and intriguing. Definitely not my preferred literary male character but either one was good enough to make Kendall swoon.
I really enjoyed my time spent reading Cryer's Cross. Lisa McMann did not disappoint. It was gripping, refreshing, interesting, and entertaining. Overall, a solid 4 read!
I almost did not pick up this book because of the so-so reviews from my peers but now I'm thankful that I took a chance and read another of Lisa McMann's. I really enjoyed her Wake series and definitely enjoyed Cryer's Cross. I was sucked into the story from the very beginning and I could not separate from the book thereafter, so curious to find out who the killer is! I know to some it was a disappointment in the end when the killer is revealed. To me, it was definitely creepy and reminiscent of all the horrific stories I was told growing up. They may sound out of this world to most people but to me, they are horrific and still nightmare-worthy. I have had one or two paranormal experiences growing up so having a villain as such in the story is actually not that overreaching, believe it or not.
The other thing I liked about Cryer's Cross is that the plot is refreshing and unique, at least to me. I have not read a book with a similar plot and I appreciate that very much. Also, I loved the setting chosen for this book. The culture of Bozeman is quite interesting and intriguing especially as a result of its small community. I couldn't imagine sharing a classroom with the entire high school and know each and everyone there. It reminds me of the olden days when life was much simpler and people pretty much live off their land, just like in the book. Everyone knew each other and people actually rode horses to school and to town. I wouldn't mind living like that. Just reading about the beauty of Montana and the simplicity of it all was mesmerizing. It makes me want to visit the place and visualize the characters, the homes they live in, the school they go to, and the farms they tended.
Kendall, the female protagonist of the book was definitely a unique character. This is the first time I've read about a character with OCD. She is quite interesting and realistic enough. I've worked with enough kids with OCD and I have seen first hand how the compulsion and the obsession could be so debilitating to these kids that they have to be medicated to manage them. It is nice to read about someone who's able to manage the disorder without medicating herself as in the case of Kendall. Intense gross motor activity definitely helps to curb some of the obsession and compulsion even for a short period of time just like we see with Kendall when she plays soccer. It was fascinating for sure to read about her different quirks and rituals. We all find ways to cope with stress and to find things we could control in our environment. Kendall was no different. She's no different from a hoarder, just perhaps more interesting and cleaner. It's ironic that her disorder becomes her saving grace in the end.
As for the men in this book, I really didn't have a preference for either one. I liked Nico because he was a nice guy. He did everything right and was Kendall's rock for a long time. Jacian on the other hand was unpredictable, rough around the edges, and intriguing. Definitely not my preferred literary male character but either one was good enough to make Kendall swoon.
I really enjoyed my time spent reading Cryer's Cross. Lisa McMann did not disappoint. It was gripping, refreshing, interesting, and entertaining. Overall, a solid 4 read!
December 7, 2010
Original post at One More Page
Cryer's Cross tells the story of Kendall Fletcher, a girl with OCD who lives in the small town of Cryer's Cross in Montana. It starts with the entire town searching for Tiffany Quinn, who disappeared without a trace shortly before Kendall's junior year ended. When the town eventually gives up on looking for her, everything sort of goes back to normal until Kendall's best friend and sort of boyfriend, Nico, also disappears. Kendall is distraught, until she finds something very peculiar: Nico and Tiffany sat in the same desk in school, and Nico seemed to be sending Kendall graffiti messages through this desk.
Lisa McMann delivers again in this deliciously creepy novel about a small town with secrets through the eyes of a girl with OCD. It's almost similar with the Dreamcatcher series in terms of its sparse prose, and yet Cryer's Cross has a more poetic feel about it with how the town was described and the people who live there. It had a somewhat initial similar feel to Sara Zarr's Once Was Lost, but it got creepier and creepier especially after reading some of the messages from "WE" in between some chapters such as this one:
It came to a point that I was too scared to read this book when I was traveling alone or when I'm the only one left awake at home, which was why it took me a while to read this book (I'm a big chicken, too bad). The book's pacing was slow at first, but the author takes this time to set it all up, building up to a very creepy climax.
Perhaps my only gripe in this book is the reason why the things were happening felt a little...I don't know, abrupt? It was a perfectly creepy and horrifying reason, but it felt like it totally came from nowhere. Of course, this may be done on purpose to hike up the creepiness factor, although I kind of wish for a bit more foreshadowing on that piece of Cryer's Cross history.
Nevertheless, this is another solid book for Lisa McMann. I can't wait to read what she comes up with next.
Cryer's Cross tells the story of Kendall Fletcher, a girl with OCD who lives in the small town of Cryer's Cross in Montana. It starts with the entire town searching for Tiffany Quinn, who disappeared without a trace shortly before Kendall's junior year ended. When the town eventually gives up on looking for her, everything sort of goes back to normal until Kendall's best friend and sort of boyfriend, Nico, also disappears. Kendall is distraught, until she finds something very peculiar: Nico and Tiffany sat in the same desk in school, and Nico seemed to be sending Kendall graffiti messages through this desk.
Lisa McMann delivers again in this deliciously creepy novel about a small town with secrets through the eyes of a girl with OCD. It's almost similar with the Dreamcatcher series in terms of its sparse prose, and yet Cryer's Cross has a more poetic feel about it with how the town was described and the people who live there. It had a somewhat initial similar feel to Sara Zarr's Once Was Lost, but it got creepier and creepier especially after reading some of the messages from "WE" in between some chapters such as this one:
WE
When it is over, We breathe and ache like old oak, like peeling birch. One of Our lost souls set free. We move, a chess piece in the dark room, cast-iron legs a centimeter at a time, crying out in silent carved graffiti. Calling to Our next victim, Our next savior. We carve on Our face:
TOUCH ME.
It came to a point that I was too scared to read this book when I was traveling alone or when I'm the only one left awake at home, which was why it took me a while to read this book (I'm a big chicken, too bad). The book's pacing was slow at first, but the author takes this time to set it all up, building up to a very creepy climax.
Perhaps my only gripe in this book is the reason why the things were happening felt a little...I don't know, abrupt? It was a perfectly creepy and horrifying reason, but it felt like it totally came from nowhere. Of course, this may be done on purpose to hike up the creepiness factor, although I kind of wish for a bit more foreshadowing on that piece of Cryer's Cross history.
Nevertheless, this is another solid book for Lisa McMann. I can't wait to read what she comes up with next.
January 27, 2011
See Review on Blog
Compelling and creepy, Cryer's Cross was one book I just couldn't put down, yet at the same time, I wanted to. It was haunting, and I made the mistake of reading it only hours before bed. And I have an old wooden desk, with scrapes and marks all over it, which only made things worse.
From the very first page, there's trouble. Tiffany Quinn is missing, and in the small town of only 212, one missing teen is a really big deal. After months of searching, they give up, and soon, life goes on as normal in the small farming city of Cryer's Cross. Then the new guy and his sister move in. Jacian is full of rage and Kendall can't help but imagine Jacian kidnapping Tiffany and cutting her up into uncountable pieces.
The tension builds, and between chapters, eerie messages of 'We' and 'Us' only add to the suspense. Though we don't learn much about the characters, I found myself needing to turn the next page, just to see what would happen. When Nico, Kendall's best friend, goes missing, Kendall's life breaks. She's drawn to his desk, the same desk Tiffany Quinn used last year, and she can't help think maybe she'll disappear if she uses it. Maybe disappearing won't be so bad.
But then come the voices, the whispers, the begging. Then everything changes. What Kendall first dismisses as impossible is actually possible and can't be ignored. In the small town of Cryer's Cross, Montana, something is happening.
I had mixed feelings at times. I didn't get to learn much about Kendall, though I like the fact that she's a normal teen, with an OCD problem. But the plot was enough to steer my review to five stars. Cryer's Cross was a quick read, and you'll find yourself sucked in before you know it. And by then, it'll be too late to pull yourself back out. Lisa McMann's latest novel is a thriller you just can't miss out on.
I love the cover. It's as haunting as the story itself. If I didn't know what the story was about, the cover would be enough for me to pick up the book. The desk in the dark room and the etched-on title hold a lot of significance to the story.
Compelling and creepy, Cryer's Cross was one book I just couldn't put down, yet at the same time, I wanted to. It was haunting, and I made the mistake of reading it only hours before bed. And I have an old wooden desk, with scrapes and marks all over it, which only made things worse.
From the very first page, there's trouble. Tiffany Quinn is missing, and in the small town of only 212, one missing teen is a really big deal. After months of searching, they give up, and soon, life goes on as normal in the small farming city of Cryer's Cross. Then the new guy and his sister move in. Jacian is full of rage and Kendall can't help but imagine Jacian kidnapping Tiffany and cutting her up into uncountable pieces.
The tension builds, and between chapters, eerie messages of 'We' and 'Us' only add to the suspense. Though we don't learn much about the characters, I found myself needing to turn the next page, just to see what would happen. When Nico, Kendall's best friend, goes missing, Kendall's life breaks. She's drawn to his desk, the same desk Tiffany Quinn used last year, and she can't help think maybe she'll disappear if she uses it. Maybe disappearing won't be so bad.
But then come the voices, the whispers, the begging. Then everything changes. What Kendall first dismisses as impossible is actually possible and can't be ignored. In the small town of Cryer's Cross, Montana, something is happening.
I had mixed feelings at times. I didn't get to learn much about Kendall, though I like the fact that she's a normal teen, with an OCD problem. But the plot was enough to steer my review to five stars. Cryer's Cross was a quick read, and you'll find yourself sucked in before you know it. And by then, it'll be too late to pull yourself back out. Lisa McMann's latest novel is a thriller you just can't miss out on.
I love the cover. It's as haunting as the story itself. If I didn't know what the story was about, the cover would be enough for me to pick up the book. The desk in the dark room and the etched-on title hold a lot of significance to the story.
June 12, 2015
Lisa McMann isn’t a new author for me. I’ve read and loved her Dream Catcher trilogy so when I got Cryer’s Cross, aka The Missing, I was very excited to jump into it.
In the small town of Cryer’s Cross nobody is safe anymore. After two teens are gone missing, the people of the town are shaken and especially Kendall Fletcher. When Kendall’s best friend/ boyfriend, Nico goes missing, she isn’t sure she can cope. Kendall has known Nico all of her life and she can’t remember even a moment when Nico wasn’t there to help her when she needed him. Now she’s alone, struggling to control her OCD and determined to find out what happened to her best friend. Everything gets complicated when a new family moves into the small town and the oldest son, Jasian is a suspect.
I really loved this book. When I first started reading it I was very confused with the flow. The story is told in third person but there were times that we hear a mystery voice. I had no idea what was going on until the end. That was really creepy by the way.
Kendall was so different from the average heroine. She had to struggle with her OCD in her everyday life and Nico had always been there to help her when things got tough. Now everything is changing. Her best friend is missing never to be found, her dreams of dancing are falling apart and as if that wasn’t enough she has to face Jasian, who isn’t the bad guy everyone though after all. She was so compassionate yet curious for the world around her. She never gave up on her search for Nico which was a sign for her inner strength while the guilt about accusing Jasian, consumed her.
I also loved Jasian and his sister. Their start with Kendall wasn’t good but they were both there for her when she thought she had no one to rely on. Jasian was so mature for his age. He was supposed to be the bad guy in town but all he wanted was to fit in. His relationship with Kendall was complicated in the beginning but he never gave up on her.
Cryer’s Cross, aka the missing, was a great YA horror/ romance with a lot of suspense and a long forgotten secret of a small town. I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner.
I highly recommended!
Posted on: http://sofialovesreading.blogspot.gr/...
In the small town of Cryer’s Cross nobody is safe anymore. After two teens are gone missing, the people of the town are shaken and especially Kendall Fletcher. When Kendall’s best friend/ boyfriend, Nico goes missing, she isn’t sure she can cope. Kendall has known Nico all of her life and she can’t remember even a moment when Nico wasn’t there to help her when she needed him. Now she’s alone, struggling to control her OCD and determined to find out what happened to her best friend. Everything gets complicated when a new family moves into the small town and the oldest son, Jasian is a suspect.
I really loved this book. When I first started reading it I was very confused with the flow. The story is told in third person but there were times that we hear a mystery voice. I had no idea what was going on until the end. That was really creepy by the way.
Kendall was so different from the average heroine. She had to struggle with her OCD in her everyday life and Nico had always been there to help her when things got tough. Now everything is changing. Her best friend is missing never to be found, her dreams of dancing are falling apart and as if that wasn’t enough she has to face Jasian, who isn’t the bad guy everyone though after all. She was so compassionate yet curious for the world around her. She never gave up on her search for Nico which was a sign for her inner strength while the guilt about accusing Jasian, consumed her.
I also loved Jasian and his sister. Their start with Kendall wasn’t good but they were both there for her when she thought she had no one to rely on. Jasian was so mature for his age. He was supposed to be the bad guy in town but all he wanted was to fit in. His relationship with Kendall was complicated in the beginning but he never gave up on her.
Cryer’s Cross, aka the missing, was a great YA horror/ romance with a lot of suspense and a long forgotten secret of a small town. I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner.
I highly recommended!
Posted on: http://sofialovesreading.blogspot.gr/...
October 17, 2013
First of all, I need to point out that this is NOT a dystopia. The reason I picked the book up was because I had seen it described thus somewhere, but it isn't. Cryer's Cross is actually more of a psychological thriller/fantasy/horror story. I wish it had been a dystopia.
Last year, I read Lisa McMann's Wake Trilogy, which I sort of liked at first, but later came to almost abhor. Her writing drove me crazy. It's so incredibly fragmented. Everyone told me that the writing was matched to Janie's thoughts and not a sign of McMann's inability to compose a complex sentence. Well, that excuse really does not fly here. The story is told in third person and yet, oddly enough, the syntax remains choppy and composed largely of sentence fragments. This will, hopefully, be my last foray into McMann.
All that so grumpily said, Cryer's Cross was not a terrible read. I think I liked it more than I disliked it. The ending was a bit too mystical for my taste, but there was a major redeeming factor. The one thing McMann does really well: she writes really attractive, atypical male leads. And some pretty hot scenes with them, even if they remain PG, as is the case here.
I recommend this for reluctant readers, although I doubt boys would be too interested. For a book with a lot of menace lingering about, there is very little action.
Last year, I read Lisa McMann's Wake Trilogy, which I sort of liked at first, but later came to almost abhor. Her writing drove me crazy. It's so incredibly fragmented. Everyone told me that the writing was matched to Janie's thoughts and not a sign of McMann's inability to compose a complex sentence. Well, that excuse really does not fly here. The story is told in third person and yet, oddly enough, the syntax remains choppy and composed largely of sentence fragments. This will, hopefully, be my last foray into McMann.
All that so grumpily said, Cryer's Cross was not a terrible read. I think I liked it more than I disliked it. The ending was a bit too mystical for my taste, but there was a major redeeming factor. The one thing McMann does really well: she writes really attractive, atypical male leads. And some pretty hot scenes with them, even if they remain PG, as is the case here.
I recommend this for reluctant readers, although I doubt boys would be too interested. For a book with a lot of menace lingering about, there is very little action.
April 23, 2011
I love Lisa McMann. I can't wait to read this :)
And now I have a copy!! Finally!! Yay! :))))))
I'm so happy I can barely keep my fingers on the keyboard.
4/23/11 UPDATE:
I'm done. I can't believe how amazing McMann is. I don't know for others but my expectations were pretty down after reading the last installment in the Gone series. And wasn't that a sweet thing?
Excerpt:
"I held my hand to it for longer than I want to admit. I couldn't stop. It almost had me too, Kendall."
Kendall bites her lip. "Whose voice did you hear?"
He swallows hard. Touches her face. "Yours."
Kinda reminded me of R.L. Stine. He was my childhood hero, ya know. Even though he messed my brains with his story-telling most of the time. *grins*
Cryer's Cross is creepy-wickedly awesome. And I will surely never look at desk graffitis the same way ever again.
And now I have a copy!! Finally!! Yay! :))))))
I'm so happy I can barely keep my fingers on the keyboard.
4/23/11 UPDATE:
I'm done. I can't believe how amazing McMann is. I don't know for others but my expectations were pretty down after reading the last installment in the Gone series. And wasn't that a sweet thing?
Excerpt:
"I held my hand to it for longer than I want to admit. I couldn't stop. It almost had me too, Kendall."
Kendall bites her lip. "Whose voice did you hear?"
He swallows hard. Touches her face. "Yours."
Kinda reminded me of R.L. Stine. He was my childhood hero, ya know. Even though he messed my brains with his story-telling most of the time. *grins*
Cryer's Cross is creepy-wickedly awesome. And I will surely never look at desk graffitis the same way ever again.
April 26, 2013
Páni. Kniha se četla jedním dechem. Děj utíkal rychle a já obracela stránku za stránkou. Když jsem začínala, chtěla jsem knihu přečíst do půlky, ale skončila jsem na konci. Bylo to úžasný! Kniha nezklamala a mile mě překvapila.
Do knihy bych to na první pohled vůbec neřekla :D Doporučuji, za mě 5/5 :D
Do knihy bych to na první pohled vůbec neřekla :D Doporučuji, za mě 5/5 :D
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