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Solstice
"Part teen drama, part horror story... Readers will want to finish in one sitting." —Kirkus Reviews
A music fest goes wrong in Lorence Alison's comic YA thriller Solstice as selfie-mad concert-goers wake up to realize their tropical island fantasy is a deadly nightmare.
When Adri is offered an all-expenses-paid trip to the exclusive Solstice Festival, she throws caution, her prestigious summer internship, and her parents goodwill to the wind. She just wants to live a little before the first day of the rest of her life, planned and scheduled in accordance with her parents’ law school dreams.
But when she and a horde of affluent, entitled teen partiers arrive at the island paradise, it looks nothing like the luxury vacation they were promised. There’s barely any food, nowhere to stay, and not nearly enough porta-potties. Pretty soon, the festival is trending on social media for all the wrong reasons, and the music acts are cancelling left and right.
And then the first dead body washes up on the beach.
Adri has a front-row seat as everything devolves into chaos—and she's in a prime position to put together the clues to who—or what—is killing off the helpless attendees. But even if she finds the killer, how can she hope to stop them?
Check your privilege at the door—before it gets you killed. This is one vacation you can’t escape.
An Imprint Book
"Topical, tropical—and terrifying! A fast-paced read that will have you on the edge of your seat."
—Caleb Roehrig, author of Death Prefers Blondes
A music fest goes wrong in Lorence Alison's comic YA thriller Solstice as selfie-mad concert-goers wake up to realize their tropical island fantasy is a deadly nightmare.
When Adri is offered an all-expenses-paid trip to the exclusive Solstice Festival, she throws caution, her prestigious summer internship, and her parents goodwill to the wind. She just wants to live a little before the first day of the rest of her life, planned and scheduled in accordance with her parents’ law school dreams.
But when she and a horde of affluent, entitled teen partiers arrive at the island paradise, it looks nothing like the luxury vacation they were promised. There’s barely any food, nowhere to stay, and not nearly enough porta-potties. Pretty soon, the festival is trending on social media for all the wrong reasons, and the music acts are cancelling left and right.
And then the first dead body washes up on the beach.
Adri has a front-row seat as everything devolves into chaos—and she's in a prime position to put together the clues to who—or what—is killing off the helpless attendees. But even if she finds the killer, how can she hope to stop them?
Check your privilege at the door—before it gets you killed. This is one vacation you can’t escape.
An Imprint Book
"Topical, tropical—and terrifying! A fast-paced read that will have you on the edge of your seat."
—Caleb Roehrig, author of Death Prefers Blondes
Unknown Binding
First published February 18, 2020
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About the author
Lorence Alison
1 book11 followersLorence Alison is a lover of writing, traveling, music, dogs, video games, and music festivals. She has attended many Lollapalooza and Coachella festivals, but luckily none of them were on disastrous islands. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
March 23, 2021
[When will I ever edit this-]
For full review visit: www.booktasticallymazing.com
My feelings were conflicted. Yeah, that's it.
RATING: 🌟🌟🌟⭐⭐ 3.8
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! ABORT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET!
I have no idea where to start. None at all. Okay, let's just start by saying, I was confused. I didn't know whether I liked this book or I merely appreciated it. The story was interesting, to say the least. A monster on an island from which nobody can escape from? Sleep deprivation masterpiece. But the friendship that was mentioned in this book? Yeah, you can count me out! Our story starts with a montage of how the super, mega, musically infused Solstice Festival is supposed to look like, which lo and behold was just clickbait. Clickbait, that hundreds of teens with a 15 IQ bought without a single thought. They bought a 1,000 dollar ticket. To go to an island from which nobody has EVER heard before(Cue me almost ripping their heads off) God, some people just love trying my patience including that tick of a human aka the protagonists' best friend. ( more like BEST BLOODSUCKING PARASITE ) Seriously, that convo pissed the white hairs off of my scalp and I don't even have white hairs. My dudes, for real, how in the h-e double bookmarks are you supposed to trust someone who is a compulsive lying witch?! Okay, give me a sec to take a breather... Alright, I'm back, as I was saying, the beginning (the introduction) felt a bit silly to me, in the sense that there was no verification about the festival and regardless of that a LOT of teenagers were enticed to make that insane amount of payment. After all that first part was done we later get acquainted with the BFF. I already ranted a bit about her, so I'm not going to bore the rest of ya'll with the details. She's stupid with legs, that's it. Adris' parents. *DEEP BREATH* I felt so sad for her. She didn't even have a choice about her life career, dang it! They were so controlling even I felt suffocated, but they loved her, at least I really think they did. Cue meeting the love interest. I can admit it was cute, he was cute, the way they met was cute so yeah that's my opinion about that. Fast-forward to where the juiciness comes in, Adri sneaks out, which is easier than I thought, they aboard the plane and head to an Island Paradise for musical heaven. Or so they thought. *cue evil laugh* ...
For full review visit: www.booktasticallymazing.com
My feelings were conflicted. Yeah, that's it.
RATING: 🌟🌟🌟⭐⭐ 3.8
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! ABORT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET!
I have no idea where to start. None at all. Okay, let's just start by saying, I was confused. I didn't know whether I liked this book or I merely appreciated it. The story was interesting, to say the least. A monster on an island from which nobody can escape from? Sleep deprivation masterpiece. But the friendship that was mentioned in this book? Yeah, you can count me out! Our story starts with a montage of how the super, mega, musically infused Solstice Festival is supposed to look like, which lo and behold was just clickbait. Clickbait, that hundreds of teens with a 15 IQ bought without a single thought. They bought a 1,000 dollar ticket. To go to an island from which nobody has EVER heard before(Cue me almost ripping their heads off) God, some people just love trying my patience including that tick of a human aka the protagonists' best friend. ( more like BEST BLOODSUCKING PARASITE ) Seriously, that convo pissed the white hairs off of my scalp and I don't even have white hairs. My dudes, for real, how in the h-e double bookmarks are you supposed to trust someone who is a compulsive lying witch?! Okay, give me a sec to take a breather... Alright, I'm back, as I was saying, the beginning (the introduction) felt a bit silly to me, in the sense that there was no verification about the festival and regardless of that a LOT of teenagers were enticed to make that insane amount of payment. After all that first part was done we later get acquainted with the BFF. I already ranted a bit about her, so I'm not going to bore the rest of ya'll with the details. She's stupid with legs, that's it. Adris' parents. *DEEP BREATH* I felt so sad for her. She didn't even have a choice about her life career, dang it! They were so controlling even I felt suffocated, but they loved her, at least I really think they did. Cue meeting the love interest. I can admit it was cute, he was cute, the way they met was cute so yeah that's my opinion about that. Fast-forward to where the juiciness comes in, Adri sneaks out, which is easier than I thought, they aboard the plane and head to an Island Paradise for musical heaven. Or so they thought. *cue evil laugh* ...
March 5, 2020
Probably more like 3.5, but whatever. It's a fun horror story that wraps up a little too quickly. I would have liked more time once the deaths start. If you liked watching Fyre Festival documentaries and are interested, you'll probably like it.
March 9, 2020
[Laughs nervously] what the fuck
Want to read
November 11, 2019I mean on Edelweiss the title says it's a "Tropical Horror Comedy" and I'm sold.
April 22, 2020
"My heart lurching in my chest.... Something lay next to him. Something big. Something limp. Something I was used to by now, considering I’d seen it two other times already today. A body."
Well, jinkies! Grab your glow sticks and some acid because you’re about to travel through a scooby-doo/ Lovecraft mystery time warp. And it’ll definitely be a bumpy ride.
The Solstice Festival held on Myla Island was supposed to be the music festival of all festivals. This is one that people are dying to go to. Costing thousands of dollars; people were promised gourmet food, five-star hotel accommodations, fun in the sun, and the best musical acts in the world all in one place.
Adri gets the offer of the lifetime when her best friend, Elana gives her a ticket to attend the three day concert with her. Breaking all the rules, Adri agrees and they set off to the tropical island with the highest hopes in mind.
But things go from bad to worse as day one progresses into the nightmare of their lives. They have zero cell reception, limited food and water, nowhere to sleep except the wet soggy ground, and all the bands are dropping out at the last minute.
And then the unthinkable happens. A body shows up on the beach and it’s not a happy one. A dead body of one of the concertgoers turns up and rumors start spreading like fire.
Will things get better for these hungry concertgoers? Or will this nightmare take everyone down?
How can a book with a dope-ass cover and an even more beautiful spine underneath the jacket be so bland? I wasn’t shocked or surprised but it was okay. This is something that I’m glad that I tried and would read more by this author. I believe better things are going to come from her. I’m overjoyed that the hero of the book was a diverse female character!!
Solstice was an okay read with a very predictable outcome. Think a small tropical scooby-doo gang with a mix of Lovecraft for a non-terrifying journey of the unthinkable. It was fast paced and easy to follow. You’ll even love the strong willed hero.
"Life’s a beach- And then you die!"
Well, jinkies! Grab your glow sticks and some acid because you’re about to travel through a scooby-doo/ Lovecraft mystery time warp. And it’ll definitely be a bumpy ride.
The Solstice Festival held on Myla Island was supposed to be the music festival of all festivals. This is one that people are dying to go to. Costing thousands of dollars; people were promised gourmet food, five-star hotel accommodations, fun in the sun, and the best musical acts in the world all in one place.
Adri gets the offer of the lifetime when her best friend, Elana gives her a ticket to attend the three day concert with her. Breaking all the rules, Adri agrees and they set off to the tropical island with the highest hopes in mind.
But things go from bad to worse as day one progresses into the nightmare of their lives. They have zero cell reception, limited food and water, nowhere to sleep except the wet soggy ground, and all the bands are dropping out at the last minute.
And then the unthinkable happens. A body shows up on the beach and it’s not a happy one. A dead body of one of the concertgoers turns up and rumors start spreading like fire.
Will things get better for these hungry concertgoers? Or will this nightmare take everyone down?
How can a book with a dope-ass cover and an even more beautiful spine underneath the jacket be so bland? I wasn’t shocked or surprised but it was okay. This is something that I’m glad that I tried and would read more by this author. I believe better things are going to come from her. I’m overjoyed that the hero of the book was a diverse female character!!
Solstice was an okay read with a very predictable outcome. Think a small tropical scooby-doo gang with a mix of Lovecraft for a non-terrifying journey of the unthinkable. It was fast paced and easy to follow. You’ll even love the strong willed hero.
"Life’s a beach- And then you die!"
Read
March 9, 2021Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Spooky
Drinking Buddy: Bottled Water
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (cartoonish violence, intense action sequences, alcohol use)
Talky Talk: Genre Shift
Bonus Factors: Schadenfreude, Fyre Fest
Bromance Status: Seatmate
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Spooky
Drinking Buddy: Bottled Water
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (cartoonish violence, intense action sequences, alcohol use)
Talky Talk: Genre Shift
Bonus Factors: Schadenfreude, Fyre Fest
Bromance Status: Seatmate
Read the full book report here.
June 4, 2020
Review originally published at Fantasy Literature. Probably some spoilers below, but I tried to keep them vagueish.
Solstice (2020), by Lorence Alison, is subtitled “A Tropical Horror Comedy” and is a thinly fictionalized take on the disastrous Fyre Festival, with the addition of an eldritch sea monster lurking beneath the waves. I wasn’t expecting high literature from it, just the proverbial “beach read” to distract myself from the fact that there is no beach anywhere near me (and if there were, it would probably be closed anyway). But the more I think about it, the more it just doesn’t work for me.
Adri Sanchez is a smart, inquisitive teen who’s working as a waitress in her parents’ diner. They have lofty aspirations for her and have lined up a summer internship for her at a law office, but what Adri really wants to be is a journalist. Her wealthy best friend, Elena, is given two tickets to the much-hyped Solstice Festival on Myla Island, and invites Adri to go as her guest. Adri’s favorite artist is scheduled to play, so she really wants to go, but her parents forbid it. But Adri, technically eighteen, sneaks out and goes anyway, defying her parents for probably the first time in her life.
But the festival turns out to be a trainwreck. The initial ways it goes wrong are kind of funny, but won’t be new to anyone who followed the Fyre coverage in the real world; the FEMA tents and soggy cheese sandwiches appear on cue. But then Adri sees something she wasn’t supposed to see, and realizes there’s something worse going on at Solstice.
I liked Adri at first; her goals and curiosity are relatable, as is her less-privileged perspective on the #FirstWorldProblems all around her. As Solstice progresses, though, she’s sometimes less sympathetic. For example, at one point she’s thinking of leaving the island without Elena, who’s currently on a sketchy person’s yacht. She then realizes that she can’t do that — not because she’s worried about her best friend’s safety, but just because Elena has the plane tickets.
The monster doesn’t make sense to me. This monster is huge, and it hunts because it’s hungry, not for sport. At one point it eats AN ENTIRE YACHT. So why are the first few bodies found mostly intact, just a little bloodied? I kept expecting to learn that they’d been killed by a human murderer rather than by the monster, but no.
Finally, this book caused me to reflect on one of the pitfalls of writing fiction that’s so closely based on real-life events. In order to have plot twists, you have to make some changes to who the real baddies are. This can sit uneasily with the reader, though, when the analog of a real-world scoundrel turns out to be a decent dude, or when one of the villains is drawn from a group that was massively taken advantage of in reality.
Solstice didn’t turn out to be what I wanted, but I’m still in the market for a really good SFF music festival book. I think I’m going to check out Sarah Pinsker’s A Song for a New Day
Solstice (2020), by Lorence Alison, is subtitled “A Tropical Horror Comedy” and is a thinly fictionalized take on the disastrous Fyre Festival, with the addition of an eldritch sea monster lurking beneath the waves. I wasn’t expecting high literature from it, just the proverbial “beach read” to distract myself from the fact that there is no beach anywhere near me (and if there were, it would probably be closed anyway). But the more I think about it, the more it just doesn’t work for me.
Adri Sanchez is a smart, inquisitive teen who’s working as a waitress in her parents’ diner. They have lofty aspirations for her and have lined up a summer internship for her at a law office, but what Adri really wants to be is a journalist. Her wealthy best friend, Elena, is given two tickets to the much-hyped Solstice Festival on Myla Island, and invites Adri to go as her guest. Adri’s favorite artist is scheduled to play, so she really wants to go, but her parents forbid it. But Adri, technically eighteen, sneaks out and goes anyway, defying her parents for probably the first time in her life.
But the festival turns out to be a trainwreck. The initial ways it goes wrong are kind of funny, but won’t be new to anyone who followed the Fyre coverage in the real world; the FEMA tents and soggy cheese sandwiches appear on cue. But then Adri sees something she wasn’t supposed to see, and realizes there’s something worse going on at Solstice.
I liked Adri at first; her goals and curiosity are relatable, as is her less-privileged perspective on the #FirstWorldProblems all around her. As Solstice progresses, though, she’s sometimes less sympathetic. For example, at one point she’s thinking of leaving the island without Elena, who’s currently on a sketchy person’s yacht. She then realizes that she can’t do that — not because she’s worried about her best friend’s safety, but just because Elena has the plane tickets.
The monster doesn’t make sense to me. This monster is huge, and it hunts because it’s hungry, not for sport. At one point it eats AN ENTIRE YACHT. So why are the first few bodies found mostly intact, just a little bloodied? I kept expecting to learn that they’d been killed by a human murderer rather than by the monster, but no.
Finally, this book caused me to reflect on one of the pitfalls of writing fiction that’s so closely based on real-life events. In order to have plot twists, you have to make some changes to who the real baddies are. This can sit uneasily with the reader, though, when the analog of a real-world scoundrel turns out to be a decent dude, or when one of the villains is drawn from a group that was massively taken advantage of in reality.
Solstice didn’t turn out to be what I wanted, but I’m still in the market for a really good SFF music festival book. I think I’m going to check out Sarah Pinsker’s A Song for a New Day
September 1, 2020
Tropical? Yes. Horror? It tries. Comedy? I missed that, I guess.
This book has a few things going for it so far as YA readers are concerned: the allusions to Fyre fest, the quick moving story line, and the gorgeous cover being the three biggies. Beyond that, this book fell flat.
Adri was a likable enough protagonist -- high school senior, first generation American, working in her parents' diner and wanting a future different than the one her parents have planned for her. Her best friend, Elena, is from an entirely different end of the socioeconomic spectrum, and while their friendship feels forced throughout, it serves as a constant touch point to drive home Adri's relative lack of privilege and discomfort with wealthy people and their spending habits. It becomes clear early on that any conflict Adri will face resolves too quickly to leave any impact on the reader, including what has to be the shortest ever "does he really like me?!" tension with Adri's entirely irrelevant-to-the-plot love interest, Hayden.
The weaving of real-life and fictional pop culture icons was a choice. (Did Jay-Z's media team okay the use of his name?) This book had promise as a fluff read, but it really seems like the editors just stopped reading. In chapter 14, Adri thinks about the repercussions "after fighting with Adri"? Details are conflicting -- murder victims are face down but then Adri remarks on seeing blood on their faces -- and descriptions that are meant to stoke fear in the reader just read like a classroom workshop in sensory details.
I may book talk this one only because the hype around Fyre Festival may interest teens, but I don't expect it to circulate much once Fyre Festival's fifteen minutes are up.
This book has a few things going for it so far as YA readers are concerned: the allusions to Fyre fest, the quick moving story line, and the gorgeous cover being the three biggies. Beyond that, this book fell flat.
Adri was a likable enough protagonist -- high school senior, first generation American, working in her parents' diner and wanting a future different than the one her parents have planned for her. Her best friend, Elena, is from an entirely different end of the socioeconomic spectrum, and while their friendship feels forced throughout, it serves as a constant touch point to drive home Adri's relative lack of privilege and discomfort with wealthy people and their spending habits. It becomes clear early on that any conflict Adri will face resolves too quickly to leave any impact on the reader, including what has to be the shortest ever "does he really like me?!" tension with Adri's entirely irrelevant-to-the-plot love interest, Hayden.
The weaving of real-life and fictional pop culture icons was a choice. (Did Jay-Z's media team okay the use of his name?) This book had promise as a fluff read, but it really seems like the editors just stopped reading. In chapter 14, Adri thinks about the repercussions "after fighting with Adri"? Details are conflicting -- murder victims are face down but then Adri remarks on seeing blood on their faces -- and descriptions that are meant to stoke fear in the reader just read like a classroom workshop in sensory details.
I may book talk this one only because the hype around Fyre Festival may interest teens, but I don't expect it to circulate much once Fyre Festival's fifteen minutes are up.
May 11, 2020
My instinct was to give this three stars for about half the book. The author got hired for a project and did a competent job at presenting a lifeless, unfunny, but at least competent book. Until the content editor quit halfway through, and we got to hear about the van/car/truck vehicle, or about how she could see the blood on the face of the victim, on the face down body, or suddenly she had a brother. Wrap it all up with a telegraphed Scooby Doo ending, and here you have a lame attempt to capitalize on the Fyre mess that is labeled "horror-comedy" but never achieves either. I didn't chuckle once, I've already laughed out loud by page 12 of Dean Koontz's "Tick Tock" which I started after I finished this.
August 22, 2023
I needed something more from this. Maybe if it had REALLY committed to one of the ideas presented in it, it would have felt more interesting.
May 29, 2020
Perfect! I could not stop reading it! I always needed to know what was going to happen next. It sounds like a movie. Didn't take me very long to finish...several days. Lorence has a way with words. I loved this story. For some reason I thought it would be about zombies (because of the awesome cover), but it wasn't. I also liked the character Elena, even though she seemed shallow. I'd like to read more about her in a continuation of the story. I hated her bf Steve.
March 19, 2020
As advertised, this book was Fyre Festival meets Terror from the Deep. I really enjoyed the first half, in which regular old working-class girl Adri is invited by her rich friend to join her for the music festival of a lifetime and sneaks out on her protective parents to go. Adri's life--waiting tables at the family's diner and going to fancy private school--is loving but claustrophobic, her friend Elena is sweet, and the other attendees are rich snobs. It's kind of perfect.
Once the Solstice Festival really starts to fall apart, though, things get kind of murky. There's too much time between "wait, no tents? and where's the food?" and "aah we're all gonna die!" There's a lag where people are just hanging around looking at each other, uncomfortable.
What I really loved about the book, though, was how it absolutely refused to get away with stereotyping most people. The rich snobs are full of stereotypes--about Islanders, about the staff at the concert--but Adri has a lot of stereotypes, too--negative ones about rich kids and positive ones about the working class. It's not that they're all wrong, but they get pointed out and called out--people come under suspicion not because of who they are but in spite of it, and then your information reverses.
I love how the book deliberately examined a lot of those stereotypes, while still giving us a few spoiled villains to hate and sweet working-class boys to crush on. This was a great idea with just a little further to go in the execution of the plot. I definitely want to see what this author does next.
Once the Solstice Festival really starts to fall apart, though, things get kind of murky. There's too much time between "wait, no tents? and where's the food?" and "aah we're all gonna die!" There's a lag where people are just hanging around looking at each other, uncomfortable.
What I really loved about the book, though, was how it absolutely refused to get away with stereotyping most people. The rich snobs are full of stereotypes--about Islanders, about the staff at the concert--but Adri has a lot of stereotypes, too--negative ones about rich kids and positive ones about the working class. It's not that they're all wrong, but they get pointed out and called out--people come under suspicion not because of who they are but in spite of it, and then your information reverses.
I love how the book deliberately examined a lot of those stereotypes, while still giving us a few spoiled villains to hate and sweet working-class boys to crush on. This was a great idea with just a little further to go in the execution of the plot. I definitely want to see what this author does next.
July 3, 2020
Wow... This book really sucked.... I was intrigued by the premise and the statement that it was a tropical horror story. While it was tropical, the horror in this book was nonexistent in my opinion. It felt like I was watching a B film play before my eyes. The plot was minimal, the characters were flat, the dialogue sounded INCREDIBLY stilted, and the ending was outlandishly unbelievable. I couldn't really get into it as I didn't like any one character. They also were all supposed to be in high school, but they didn't act like that. It was all around just a major let down. I would NOT recommend.
February 13, 2020
The music event of the year descends into tragedy in this fast paced read.
Adri works hard in her family's diner, studies for college and is about to start a prestigious internship - in the career her parents have chosen for her. When she gets the chance to take a weekend off with her best friend, at the music festival of the year, she takes it. But things very quickly start to go wrong...
For some reason, when I started this, I thought it was a comedy. I was completely wrong. This book wouldn't be out of place in Stripe's Red Eye Series. It's fast paced, action packed, and it doesn't matter that we never really learn what the monster is; it's not important to the story.
The only problem I had with it is that apart from one moment, Adri isn't important to the story. Things happen around her, she oversees things, she overhears things, but she could be lifted out and only that one moment would have to change.
Apart from that little thing, and one moment where Adri thinks that she has to find Adri because Lorence clearly got the names mixed up, this is a fantastic read that I really enjoyed, and I'll be looking out for more from this author. It distracted me nicely during a morning I was feeling very sick, and you can't hope for much more than that.
Adri works hard in her family's diner, studies for college and is about to start a prestigious internship - in the career her parents have chosen for her. When she gets the chance to take a weekend off with her best friend, at the music festival of the year, she takes it. But things very quickly start to go wrong...
For some reason, when I started this, I thought it was a comedy. I was completely wrong. This book wouldn't be out of place in Stripe's Red Eye Series. It's fast paced, action packed, and it doesn't matter that we never really learn what the monster is; it's not important to the story.
The only problem I had with it is that apart from one moment, Adri isn't important to the story. Things happen around her, she oversees things, she overhears things, but she could be lifted out and only that one moment would have to change.
Apart from that little thing, and one moment where Adri thinks that she has to find Adri because Lorence clearly got the names mixed up, this is a fantastic read that I really enjoyed, and I'll be looking out for more from this author. It distracted me nicely during a morning I was feeling very sick, and you can't hope for much more than that.
July 3, 2021
I enjoyed this book for the first half, but towards the end, it just didn't feel right to me. The story ended weird, for one. And the characters were one dimensional and apathetic. There were issues that didn't really need resolving and issues that never got resolved for me. Otherwise, it was an alright read. One thing I really enjoyed was the Fyre Festival retelling--that was funny to me.
September 9, 2020
A mix of mystery,horror,thriller but YA.
It was a fun and quick read which I quite enjoyed despite being in a slump.
It was a fun and quick read which I quite enjoyed despite being in a slump.
August 3, 2021
This YA horror story was a quick read. I liked the characters and the ending.
October 20, 2020
Did these people learn nothing from the Fyre Festival of 2017?
December 17, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.
I was enticed by this because it was said to be comedic horror/mystery/thriller. And while this was not the sort of comedy that made me laugh out loud, it definitely was the sort that was ridiculous. Though at the same time, it was hard for me to tell if it was purposefully being this ridiculous sometimes. I honestly can't imagine a lot of this being taken seriously, but who knows. I had fun with it and was entertained.
It's a pretty easy read. I sped through it quickly. If I had to nitpick, I would say that it stinks the narrator is away from some things I would've liked to see play out. For example, you know from the premise that the festival isn't all people hoped it would be. I was interested in seeing their reactions and how things spiraled as the days wore on. But sadly the narrator doesn't really get to see any of that and we only catch up with everyone else after a lot of time has passed for them. It's a little disappointing.
I don't know if this really does the mystery part very well. There is a mystery but I don't know if the clues really pointed in the right direction. I would have to re-read to see. When all is revealed, I rolled my eyes and was like "Really?" But by then it had also devolved into something pretty ridiculous, and it was so dumb it was really entertaining. It kind of feels like the novel's version of a B movie, if that makes any sense.
There is kind of a romance but it was actually sweet, and more focus was actually on the friendship between Adri and her best friend. I like that they actually talked through things and though they fought or had different world views, they got along well and it felt like a real, solid female friendship. It's a shame those feel so rare in YA literature.
Does this book have cliches? Absolutely, but I'm sure that's the point. Either you're going to enjoy how ridiculous and weird this book is, or it will be too much for you. I don't want to give too much away, but if you're the type of person who enjoys B movies or something like Scream and Until Dawn where they also purposefully use cliches in their storytelling, you'll probably like this fine.
I was enticed by this because it was said to be comedic horror/mystery/thriller. And while this was not the sort of comedy that made me laugh out loud, it definitely was the sort that was ridiculous. Though at the same time, it was hard for me to tell if it was purposefully being this ridiculous sometimes. I honestly can't imagine a lot of this being taken seriously, but who knows. I had fun with it and was entertained.
It's a pretty easy read. I sped through it quickly. If I had to nitpick, I would say that it stinks the narrator is away from some things I would've liked to see play out. For example, you know from the premise that the festival isn't all people hoped it would be. I was interested in seeing their reactions and how things spiraled as the days wore on. But sadly the narrator doesn't really get to see any of that and we only catch up with everyone else after a lot of time has passed for them. It's a little disappointing.
I don't know if this really does the mystery part very well. There is a mystery but I don't know if the clues really pointed in the right direction. I would have to re-read to see. When all is revealed, I rolled my eyes and was like "Really?" But by then it had also devolved into something pretty ridiculous, and it was so dumb it was really entertaining. It kind of feels like the novel's version of a B movie, if that makes any sense.
There is kind of a romance but it was actually sweet, and more focus was actually on the friendship between Adri and her best friend. I like that they actually talked through things and though they fought or had different world views, they got along well and it felt like a real, solid female friendship. It's a shame those feel so rare in YA literature.
Does this book have cliches? Absolutely, but I'm sure that's the point. Either you're going to enjoy how ridiculous and weird this book is, or it will be too much for you. I don't want to give too much away, but if you're the type of person who enjoys B movies or something like Scream and Until Dawn where they also purposefully use cliches in their storytelling, you'll probably like this fine.
April 7, 2020
Fast read and cool cover, but I really didn’t care for it. In descriptions I saw that it is a comic YA thriller, I’m still wondering what comedic element?
April 21, 2020
very light-hearted take on horror. seems like fyre festival crossed with ... Jaws and the loch ness monster? I'm not sure really, quite a weird and silly read. It felt like a piss take of a book. Very readable, but quite flat.
May 10, 2022
3.5 stars ⭐️
This book was very enjoyable, but I felt like it tried to be too many things at much, or rather, it didn’t know what it wanted to be. I thought at first it was going to be a mystery but it brought in this element that made it seemed sort of…. Mythological? I don’t know if that’s the right word. I cant say much without spoiling. It’s not that I didn’t find it interesting, because I did, and I’m not saying that you can’t bring both mystery elements with mythological elements, I just feel like it wasn’t done up to par. I didn’t get a feel of both vibes all throughout the book, it was really just one vibe more here and another there, and whatever. Also, I didn’t love all the pop culture references and jokes. Even though I know this book needed to have some, considering it took place at a modern day festival, it just felt like way too much. All in all, not a terrible book, I liked the characters, just felt it could’ve been more cohesive.
This book was very enjoyable, but I felt like it tried to be too many things at much, or rather, it didn’t know what it wanted to be. I thought at first it was going to be a mystery but it brought in this element that made it seemed sort of…. Mythological? I don’t know if that’s the right word. I cant say much without spoiling. It’s not that I didn’t find it interesting, because I did, and I’m not saying that you can’t bring both mystery elements with mythological elements, I just feel like it wasn’t done up to par. I didn’t get a feel of both vibes all throughout the book, it was really just one vibe more here and another there, and whatever. Also, I didn’t love all the pop culture references and jokes. Even though I know this book needed to have some, considering it took place at a modern day festival, it just felt like way too much. All in all, not a terrible book, I liked the characters, just felt it could’ve been more cohesive.
January 2, 2021
This book had a great premise, but I think it trying to do too many things at once for the way it was written. A lot of events and information was glossed over, had some very beginner/younger storytelling moments and many things were too convienent.
The writing was fine overall. It was engaging at some moments and the intense scenes were well done. I guess my biggest problem was the structure of the story and how some information was given too soon, making it not worth reading and made me not care because I felt like it spoiled the rest of the book.
Also, this was marketed as a horror comedy but it was not a comedy. Maybe satire would be a better tagline. With that said, it would be a fun movie I think.
The writing was fine overall. It was engaging at some moments and the intense scenes were well done. I guess my biggest problem was the structure of the story and how some information was given too soon, making it not worth reading and made me not care because I felt like it spoiled the rest of the book.
Also, this was marketed as a horror comedy but it was not a comedy. Maybe satire would be a better tagline. With that said, it would be a fun movie I think.
January 7, 2020
I received this ARC of the book through the Goodreads giveaways. I could not put this book down. I'm obviously a little old to relate to the liberal thoughts of the main character but I loved this none the less. I didn't rate higher than three stars because the characters seemed a bit forced and some of the internal dialogue was cheesy.
All that said, I'd happily recommend this to a friend. I'm happy I read this!
All that said, I'd happily recommend this to a friend. I'm happy I read this!
Read
September 23, 2020This book is no good and felt like it was just written to capitalize on the interest in Fyre Festival. Even though it's short, it drags on. There's several typos - at one point the main character refers to her friend in the narration using her own name. The monster is poorly developed. Sometimes it leaves bodies on the beach, sometimes it swallows an entire yacht whole. I hoped it would be campy and fun, but the book tries to make the characters sympathetic and instead makes them dull.
March 1, 2020
What could have happen at FYRE Fest ..... maybe
Quick read. Was fascinated by FYRE Fest and wanted to see what the author would do with the background story line. Glad I did. Would read this author again.
Quick read. Was fascinated by FYRE Fest and wanted to see what the author would do with the background story line. Glad I did. Would read this author again.
September 15, 2021
"Solstice" by Lorence Alison is a brand new debut novel from 2020. This 288 "teenage horror comedy" wasn't much horror or comedy. It only took me two days to read "Solstice" (9/13/21-9/14/21), but not because it was good, because I needed it to pick up. The biggest problem "Solstice" has, is it's pacing. It took 119 pages for the body to show up, and even then it felt like forever until anything happened next. When a book is only 288 pages long, the body needs to be in the first chapter, in order to hook the audience and drive the novel all the way through to the end. If I wasn't so dedicated to finishing every book I start, I likely wouldn't have made it through to the end.
"Solstice" is the party of a lifetime, a music festival on a private island, and tickets are worth $10,000. Adri, our main character is a middle class girl trying to make her way into an upper class life by way of law-school. She was never given much of a choice on this career path, as her Hispanic-American parents are pushing her to make their immigration worthwhile. Her best friend Elena has been spoon fed everything she wants lately as her crazy rich parents are going through a divorce, so when she offers Adri her section ticket to "Solstice" Adri has no choice but run away from home to be there. "Solstice" doesn't go as planned though, and never soon enough, bodies start turning up. Somehow it became up to Adri to find out what strange things are happening on the Island.
I'm not sure about you, but from the synopses, and the overall plot, this book sounded not even half bad. It really could have gone over better if the writing style, and pacing problems had been resolved during editing. I'm not sure what other people though about this book, so maybe I'm just picky when I read as a writer. So If this book sounds good to you, don't be afraid to still give it a shot, it never hurts to try.
I should add that I also picked up on some problems with the character development in this book, particularity around the best friend Elena. In the beginning we see her as a kind and supportive friend, with a little bit of an obnoxious rich kid vibes, but the moment they embark on their journey, she turns into an awfully anyone burden, that hurts to read about. It was zero to sixty on this dramatic change and I was not a fan. So if you're one of those people like me, that can't stand over dramatic annoying side characters in books, maybe this one isn't for you.
I give "Solstice" by Lorence Alison 3/5 stars, for it's pacing and character development issues.
"Solstice" is the party of a lifetime, a music festival on a private island, and tickets are worth $10,000. Adri, our main character is a middle class girl trying to make her way into an upper class life by way of law-school. She was never given much of a choice on this career path, as her Hispanic-American parents are pushing her to make their immigration worthwhile. Her best friend Elena has been spoon fed everything she wants lately as her crazy rich parents are going through a divorce, so when she offers Adri her section ticket to "Solstice" Adri has no choice but run away from home to be there. "Solstice" doesn't go as planned though, and never soon enough, bodies start turning up. Somehow it became up to Adri to find out what strange things are happening on the Island.
I'm not sure about you, but from the synopses, and the overall plot, this book sounded not even half bad. It really could have gone over better if the writing style, and pacing problems had been resolved during editing. I'm not sure what other people though about this book, so maybe I'm just picky when I read as a writer. So If this book sounds good to you, don't be afraid to still give it a shot, it never hurts to try.
I should add that I also picked up on some problems with the character development in this book, particularity around the best friend Elena. In the beginning we see her as a kind and supportive friend, with a little bit of an obnoxious rich kid vibes, but the moment they embark on their journey, she turns into an awfully anyone burden, that hurts to read about. It was zero to sixty on this dramatic change and I was not a fan. So if you're one of those people like me, that can't stand over dramatic annoying side characters in books, maybe this one isn't for you.
I give "Solstice" by Lorence Alison 3/5 stars, for it's pacing and character development issues.
November 18, 2024
In Solstice by Lorence Alison, a teenage girl named Adri searching for some real fun to relieve some stress on a summer island music festival turns into a cheesy horror story with twists and turns with suspense leading you on the whole time. I found this book in the mystery section of my school library and read the back and found it to be very interesting and wanted this to be my book.
The story starts with a young girl named Adri works at her parents diner, being a hostess she finds life to be extremely boring and wants to become a journalist, but her parents are forcing her to be a lawyer. After her rich friend calls her and tells her she has tickets to a big music festival from her dad. After much consideration she decides to go and ends up having a fun time at the beginning but then it all eventually comes falling down, as bodies start to pop up being mutilated. Adri has no idea what to do but ends up finding the root of the problem, it's not WHO has been doing this, it's what.
After much time searching and panicking, Adri finds out what has been happening. The reason the island is so remote and nobody has heard of it, is because it is a feeding ground for a giant sea monster who eats people. I know, cheesy but still interesting. The monster is absolutely huge and terrifying, the monster is called Diab and is big enough to eat an entire yacht as we can see from the book. I thought having a giant sea monster was an interesting idea, using that out of all the things I was expecting was not it. It’s pretty cool but I think it could have been better, previously the book hinted at a shapeshifting supernatural being and that would have been scary but right now knowing it is just a giant sea monster doesn’t scare me as much as my imagination did. My favorite part of the book was when the bodies first started popping up and that was when it got real scary just seeing dead people show up.
My personal opinion on this book is that it was enjoyable and you can learn to like it a lot if you can get over the cheesiness and the little bit of stupidity. I did indeed enjoy this book and would recommend it to anybody who likes mystery and the use of your imagination, you will love this book.
The story starts with a young girl named Adri works at her parents diner, being a hostess she finds life to be extremely boring and wants to become a journalist, but her parents are forcing her to be a lawyer. After her rich friend calls her and tells her she has tickets to a big music festival from her dad. After much consideration she decides to go and ends up having a fun time at the beginning but then it all eventually comes falling down, as bodies start to pop up being mutilated. Adri has no idea what to do but ends up finding the root of the problem, it's not WHO has been doing this, it's what.
After much time searching and panicking, Adri finds out what has been happening. The reason the island is so remote and nobody has heard of it, is because it is a feeding ground for a giant sea monster who eats people. I know, cheesy but still interesting. The monster is absolutely huge and terrifying, the monster is called Diab and is big enough to eat an entire yacht as we can see from the book. I thought having a giant sea monster was an interesting idea, using that out of all the things I was expecting was not it. It’s pretty cool but I think it could have been better, previously the book hinted at a shapeshifting supernatural being and that would have been scary but right now knowing it is just a giant sea monster doesn’t scare me as much as my imagination did. My favorite part of the book was when the bodies first started popping up and that was when it got real scary just seeing dead people show up.
My personal opinion on this book is that it was enjoyable and you can learn to like it a lot if you can get over the cheesiness and the little bit of stupidity. I did indeed enjoy this book and would recommend it to anybody who likes mystery and the use of your imagination, you will love this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2020
Quick take:
Solstice by Lorence Allison is a young adult standalone horror novel. It is basically the Fyre Festival fiasco put into a novel with mass murder and monsters added for a little razzle dazzle.
Synopsis:
The smart, responsible, lower-income Adri is offered an all-expense paid trip to Solstice Festival, a VIP, star-studded, once-in-a-lifetime trip by her pretty and super-rich friend Elena and Elena's dad. The festival is being hyped on social media for having five-star accommodations, gourmet food, spa treatments, personal performances from A-list celebrities. It will be the place to be for the 1%. But when the guest get to the festival, there are no hotels, just barely standing tents. There's one food truck with barely any food, very little supplies, security or medical services. The guests are basically on their own. Things get even more chaotic when dead bodies start showing up.
My Critique:
I actually liked this story more than I thought I would. Having watched the Fyre Festival chaos in real time and then the documentaries, I thought the book was going to be equally cheesy but it was actually pretty good. Other than Steve and Marx and the background characters, the main characters were well developed and more than one-dimensional. The Steve character was hella annoying and there was no growth whatsoever despite the trauma he went through but such is life. He really could have been left out of the story but I guess he did play a small part. It was . I like how in the beginning I made fun of the spoiled rich kids and was totally ok knowing that one of them was going to die but then in the end they kind of become the good guys and they're starting nonprofits and charities and generally being better people.
Recommended for:
Fans of horror and/or monster movies, fans of Danielle Vega
Solstice by Lorence Allison is a young adult standalone horror novel. It is basically the Fyre Festival fiasco put into a novel with mass murder and monsters added for a little razzle dazzle.
Synopsis:
The smart, responsible, lower-income Adri is offered an all-expense paid trip to Solstice Festival, a VIP, star-studded, once-in-a-lifetime trip by her pretty and super-rich friend Elena and Elena's dad. The festival is being hyped on social media for having five-star accommodations, gourmet food, spa treatments, personal performances from A-list celebrities. It will be the place to be for the 1%. But when the guest get to the festival, there are no hotels, just barely standing tents. There's one food truck with barely any food, very little supplies, security or medical services. The guests are basically on their own. Things get even more chaotic when dead bodies start showing up.
My Critique:
I actually liked this story more than I thought I would. Having watched the Fyre Festival chaos in real time and then the documentaries, I thought the book was going to be equally cheesy but it was actually pretty good. Other than Steve and Marx and the background characters, the main characters were well developed and more than one-dimensional. The Steve character was hella annoying and there was no growth whatsoever despite the trauma he went through but such is life. He really could have been left out of the story but I guess he did play a small part. It was . I like how in the beginning I made fun of the spoiled rich kids and was totally ok knowing that one of them was going to die but then in the end they kind of become the good guys and they're starting nonprofits and charities and generally being better people.
Recommended for:
Fans of horror and/or monster movies, fans of Danielle Vega
April 18, 2020
Adrianna (Adri) Sanchez has always played by the rules, fully aware of what her parents have sacrificed so that she could have a good life and attend a private high school in Atlanta. But lately she's felt suffocated by their expectations that she become a lawyer when she really wants to write and become a reporter. When her best friend, Elena, invites her along to an exclusive music festival with a pricey admission fee, her parents, who own a diner, refuse to give her permission to go. Goaded by her romantic interest, Hayden, and her annoyance at how they have treated her, Adri sneaks away with plans to make her friendship with Elena even stronger during their trip. But Solstice, the name of the festival, is nothing like the girls and other guests expect. Things go wrong from the moment of their arrival with transportation to the festival site being nothing like what they expect, and nothing arranged when it comes to accommodations. Adri is also annoyed that Elena's boyfriend Steve is on the Caribbean island too, and while she's preoccupied with him, Adri becomes involved in investigating all the things that are going wrong. Her detective work becomes even more important when one of the festival goers dies. There were parts of the book that made me chortle as some of the entitled teens and young adults expressed their annoyance at all the inconveniences and seemed unable to cope without cell phone access or the luxuries to which they were accustomed, and other parts that made me groan and shake my head in disbelief once I found out what was causing all the problems, miscommunications, and deaths. Still, reading this one was entertaining and distracted me from my other concerns. I had to wonder at the gullibility of those beguiled by the ads and promises for the festival, and try to imagine paying that much for a music festival, no matter how amazing the lineup. The romance with Hayden seemed a bit tacked on and didn't really add too much to the story for me.
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