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Rock Paper Killers: The perfect page-turning, chilling thriller as seen on TikTok!
The ROCK she fell from. The PAPER she clutched. The KILLERS she thought were her friends . . .
When five teenagers arrive at rural St Lunas to cram for their final exams, their most pressing concern is the prospect of a month in the only college with zero reputation for partying. When they discover that St Lunas was once an asylum, they’re pretty weirded out, especially when they start to receive strange ‘gifts’ from an unknown stranger.
One night, when a beach party gets out of hand, the five friends suddenly become four. We have the rock, the paper . . . but who is the killer?
When five teenagers arrive at rural St Lunas to cram for their final exams, their most pressing concern is the prospect of a month in the only college with zero reputation for partying. When they discover that St Lunas was once an asylum, they’re pretty weirded out, especially when they start to receive strange ‘gifts’ from an unknown stranger.
One night, when a beach party gets out of hand, the five friends suddenly become four. We have the rock, the paper . . . but who is the killer?
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 30, 2022
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1884 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
February 1, 2022
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
I tried really hard to read it... Couldn't.
Then tried to skim-read it... Couldn't.
So I just read the end and I am glad to save my time😶
The writing style was so childish and the story was filled with unnecessary details. There were so many characters and everyone sounded the same. The world-building was also dull. So, in short, there wasn't anything that gave me hope.
I tried really hard to read it... Couldn't.
Then tried to skim-read it... Couldn't.
So I just read the end and I am glad to save my time😶
The writing style was so childish and the story was filled with unnecessary details. There were so many characters and everyone sounded the same. The world-building was also dull. So, in short, there wasn't anything that gave me hope.
March 26, 2022
DNF 63% (page 203)
You know when the teacher is like "Let's all say something good about our classmates!" But you highkey hate everyone and can't think of anything to say? That's how I feel about this book. It was shit. I'm not going to sugar-coat it.
No one was interesting. I'm more interested in what my neighbour's cat is doing than the characters themselves.
Amber was non-existent for half of the book, LB (I'm still trying not to laugh at the fact her name is Lotus Blossom) was bland, Kelly was a full on pick-me (also a spoilt brat), Rupert's sarcasm wasn't the least bit entertaining and Lockie was shit.
I should have known this book was going to be a waste of time just from the prologue:
The author read We Were Liars and One of Us Is Lying in the same week, had a game of rock paper scissors and came up with this.
There are no words to describe this except from cheap, tacky, tastless, rushed and shit.
You know when the teacher is like "Let's all say something good about our classmates!" But you highkey hate everyone and can't think of anything to say? That's how I feel about this book. It was shit. I'm not going to sugar-coat it.
No one was interesting. I'm more interested in what my neighbour's cat is doing than the characters themselves.
Amber was non-existent for half of the book, LB (I'm still trying not to laugh at the fact her name is Lotus Blossom) was bland, Kelly was a full on pick-me (also a spoilt brat), Rupert's sarcasm wasn't the least bit entertaining and Lockie was shit.
I should have known this book was going to be a waste of time just from the prologue:
We stood
at the top of the
rock watching her fall
then we walked back down
with the truth we would tell if
anyone asked us what happened
up there because friends and we really were
we lied so it was an accident and that night
even though we reached the base of the rock
the truth was our descent had started weeks ago
The author read We Were Liars and One of Us Is Lying in the same week, had a game of rock paper scissors and came up with this.
There are no words to describe this except from cheap, tacky, tastless, rushed and shit.
September 3, 2022
DNF at 152 pages.
1 bloody star.
this book was so bad and i dont say that easily.
i thought it would be alright because it is a YA murder mystery and i have loved those before due to them being easy to read.
i opened the book and saw that the chapters were short and the font was big so i expected to speed through this book. IT TOOK BE AGES. everytime i picked it up i couldn’t be bothered to read more than 5 pages at a time. THERE WAS BARLEY A PLOT. i was halfway and nothing had happened plus the characters were extremely flat.
1 bloody star.
this book was so bad and i dont say that easily.
i thought it would be alright because it is a YA murder mystery and i have loved those before due to them being easy to read.
i opened the book and saw that the chapters were short and the font was big so i expected to speed through this book. IT TOOK BE AGES. everytime i picked it up i couldn’t be bothered to read more than 5 pages at a time. THERE WAS BARLEY A PLOT. i was halfway and nothing had happened plus the characters were extremely flat.
September 24, 2022
am a wee bit disappointed
June 2, 2022
Man wtf was that…no words…losing my will to live
April 12, 2022
CAWPILE Rating: 1.86 (1 Star)
I’ve been calling this book a murder mystery when it’s really a thriller (oops!) but there is absolutely nothing thrilling about this book.
I’m honestly shocked this book was published the way it was. The writing style was extremely juvenile and in no way was it close to the writing you’d except from a YA book. It was filled with random, unnecessary and under-explained concepts and it was 99% petty drama. There is absolutely zero tension in the build up to the murder (which happens in the last 30 minutes of the audiobook) and the setting was completely irrelevant to the entire story, originally it’s a college for the Irish language…and then it’s revealed it used to be an asylum? At least I think so. For what reason, I couldn’t say. I zoned out a few times because the writing was bland and there was nothing keeping my interest. I only finished it because it was 5 hours long.
The characters were flatter than paper too. There were so many POVs and they all would’ve sounded the same had they narrator not put on different voices for each character. Only a few of them had defining traits (which add no substance to the character). Amber had her tarot cards/crystals. Rupert’s was styling himself to look like movie characters. Kelly for being a major bully and whiny person. LB (Lotus Blossom) I have no idea, I think her parents are rock stars and are having an affair in the public eye? To be honest that could happen to any of the characters and it would be the same. Lockie had being funny, I guess, and coincidentally he was the only character I kind of liked. The author also built up irrelevant family drama with many of these characters but it was so poorly developed I couldn’t say anything.
This book was badly plotted, badly written and badly edited, as much as I hate to say it. I feel bad for hating on this book so much since I know how much work is put into them but this is the furthest thing from a thriller and it was just all round terrible and the other reviews for this agree with me.
I’ve been calling this book a murder mystery when it’s really a thriller (oops!) but there is absolutely nothing thrilling about this book.
I’m honestly shocked this book was published the way it was. The writing style was extremely juvenile and in no way was it close to the writing you’d except from a YA book. It was filled with random, unnecessary and under-explained concepts and it was 99% petty drama. There is absolutely zero tension in the build up to the murder (which happens in the last 30 minutes of the audiobook) and the setting was completely irrelevant to the entire story, originally it’s a college for the Irish language…and then it’s revealed it used to be an asylum? At least I think so. For what reason, I couldn’t say. I zoned out a few times because the writing was bland and there was nothing keeping my interest. I only finished it because it was 5 hours long.
The characters were flatter than paper too. There were so many POVs and they all would’ve sounded the same had they narrator not put on different voices for each character. Only a few of them had defining traits (which add no substance to the character). Amber had her tarot cards/crystals. Rupert’s was styling himself to look like movie characters. Kelly for being a major bully and whiny person. LB (Lotus Blossom) I have no idea, I think her parents are rock stars and are having an affair in the public eye? To be honest that could happen to any of the characters and it would be the same. Lockie had being funny, I guess, and coincidentally he was the only character I kind of liked. The author also built up irrelevant family drama with many of these characters but it was so poorly developed I couldn’t say anything.
This book was badly plotted, badly written and badly edited, as much as I hate to say it. I feel bad for hating on this book so much since I know how much work is put into them but this is the furthest thing from a thriller and it was just all round terrible and the other reviews for this agree with me.
August 19, 2022
Nothing in this book made any sense. It wasn’t intriguing at all, there was no real plot. Soooo bad.
January 23, 2022
Am I cast out at sea because this was the choppiest book I have ever read.
I understand that this book was set in an Irish school setting. I understand this book had a million different characters and I also understand the authors intentions of this book. But did it work? No.
I won’t lie, if this book wasn’t something I was reading for review, it would have been chucked down and deleted straight away. I forced myself to get through this book and I can’t take back those few hours of my life.
- the characters all flooded in with each other and nobody was written in a way I could imagine them off the page. they were all the same and I didn’t care for any of them.
- the irish school setting was interesting but super confusing. I’m british so this is hardly something wacky for me but the author did a poor job at explaining some things and I even sent quotes to an irish friend of mine and they were confused.
- the lack of thriller and mystery in this book was obscene considering this is a mystery/thriller YA book. I felt like everything was a mess and the parts that did make sense were predictable.
- which brings me on to this genre. this book is YA but reads like a children’s book. the voices were very young and not like any teenager I have experienced. I’m only twenty three so this isn’t a huge jump for me to say.
Without spoiling it, this book was not for me and is definitely not something I would recommend or purchase.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I understand that this book was set in an Irish school setting. I understand this book had a million different characters and I also understand the authors intentions of this book. But did it work? No.
I won’t lie, if this book wasn’t something I was reading for review, it would have been chucked down and deleted straight away. I forced myself to get through this book and I can’t take back those few hours of my life.
- the characters all flooded in with each other and nobody was written in a way I could imagine them off the page. they were all the same and I didn’t care for any of them.
- the irish school setting was interesting but super confusing. I’m british so this is hardly something wacky for me but the author did a poor job at explaining some things and I even sent quotes to an irish friend of mine and they were confused.
- the lack of thriller and mystery in this book was obscene considering this is a mystery/thriller YA book. I felt like everything was a mess and the parts that did make sense were predictable.
- which brings me on to this genre. this book is YA but reads like a children’s book. the voices were very young and not like any teenager I have experienced. I’m only twenty three so this isn’t a huge jump for me to say.
Without spoiling it, this book was not for me and is definitely not something I would recommend or purchase.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2022
Rock Paper Killers sounded like the kind of thriller that would be right up my street. Unfortunately, it was really difficult to get into and what should have been exciting was often confusing.
The action - and I use this term loosely - centres on a group of teens who are sent to a summer school in an old asylum to cram for their upcoming Irish exam. For the majority of the book they go to lessons and wander round this building, hinting at tension between characters but giving us little.
One of the group ends up dead by the closing stages of the book. We know this in advance, but there’s seemingly little preparation for this stage. We’re given minimal information about the characters that could explain these later events, and some of the potential interest is glossed over.
By the closing stages we had moved into a setting that made it clear we were going to see the death. However, by this stage I could have quite happily seen any of the characters in this position and not been concerned, and the actual description of the death was so choppily done that it felt like a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ moment.
There was a vague attempt to create intrigue around the cast of characters with hints of previous issues. By this stage though it felt like too little too late. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this, but it would need serious revision to make it into the kind of book it’s clearly trying to be.
The action - and I use this term loosely - centres on a group of teens who are sent to a summer school in an old asylum to cram for their upcoming Irish exam. For the majority of the book they go to lessons and wander round this building, hinting at tension between characters but giving us little.
One of the group ends up dead by the closing stages of the book. We know this in advance, but there’s seemingly little preparation for this stage. We’re given minimal information about the characters that could explain these later events, and some of the potential interest is glossed over.
By the closing stages we had moved into a setting that made it clear we were going to see the death. However, by this stage I could have quite happily seen any of the characters in this position and not been concerned, and the actual description of the death was so choppily done that it felt like a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ moment.
There was a vague attempt to create intrigue around the cast of characters with hints of previous issues. By this stage though it felt like too little too late. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this, but it would need serious revision to make it into the kind of book it’s clearly trying to be.
February 22, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Simon & Schuster for allowing me early access in exchange if an honest review.
You may be able to see why I requested this one: I love Karen. M. McManus and Holly Jackson and this sounded like a great read!
Overall, this was a fantastic read. I love the fact that I had no idea who would die, no idea when they would die and no idea how until the end. It was only at 85% (I was reading on kindle!) through that I started piecing together what could happen. I got parts right but the rest I was well off!
The start was quite slow and I am still deciding if I like that or not! I felt the introduction to the characters was a bit fast though because it took a while to understand who the characters were and what their family situations were. Once the main characters LB, Lockie, Kelly, Amber and Rupert arrived at their destination, it kicked off and became very chilling and suspenseful!
All the ideas in this book are flawless. There are so many small things that are mentioned, you half forget about and then they come back round towards the end. It is a very clever book! The epilogue was so effective and left me with so many more questions!
I liked the Irish setting and as a British reader that was very interesting. I thought that the way the characters are bought together by staying at a summer camp to learn Irish was very skillful and again, as a British reader, that is something I haven't had the experience of.
The character of Amber was probably my favourite. She likes reading tarot cards, in fact it becomes a little obsessive, she is anxious and as a whole just very believable. I would have liked to have seen Rupert's character developed more but LB had a great story line.
I love that this book made me question each of the characters and that it didn't give you all the answers, which just added to how chilling it was. I still don't know exactly what happened and who to blame. Or if there should be someone to blame!
It is interesting how this book is not written from multiple perspectives but does still change the viewpoint. It got slightly confusing in places but once I was used to it switching it was fine!
I definitely recommend this for fans of Karen. M. McManus, although it is a thriller and not a murder mystery so you don't actually see the how the crime was committed, only the build up to it. It definitely has a very similar vibe to One Of Us Is Lying though!
You may be able to see why I requested this one: I love Karen. M. McManus and Holly Jackson and this sounded like a great read!
Overall, this was a fantastic read. I love the fact that I had no idea who would die, no idea when they would die and no idea how until the end. It was only at 85% (I was reading on kindle!) through that I started piecing together what could happen. I got parts right but the rest I was well off!
The start was quite slow and I am still deciding if I like that or not! I felt the introduction to the characters was a bit fast though because it took a while to understand who the characters were and what their family situations were. Once the main characters LB, Lockie, Kelly, Amber and Rupert arrived at their destination, it kicked off and became very chilling and suspenseful!
All the ideas in this book are flawless. There are so many small things that are mentioned, you half forget about and then they come back round towards the end. It is a very clever book! The epilogue was so effective and left me with so many more questions!
I liked the Irish setting and as a British reader that was very interesting. I thought that the way the characters are bought together by staying at a summer camp to learn Irish was very skillful and again, as a British reader, that is something I haven't had the experience of.
The character of Amber was probably my favourite. She likes reading tarot cards, in fact it becomes a little obsessive, she is anxious and as a whole just very believable. I would have liked to have seen Rupert's character developed more but LB had a great story line.
I love that this book made me question each of the characters and that it didn't give you all the answers, which just added to how chilling it was. I still don't know exactly what happened and who to blame. Or if there should be someone to blame!
It is interesting how this book is not written from multiple perspectives but does still change the viewpoint. It got slightly confusing in places but once I was used to it switching it was fine!
I definitely recommend this for fans of Karen. M. McManus, although it is a thriller and not a murder mystery so you don't actually see the how the crime was committed, only the build up to it. It definitely has a very similar vibe to One Of Us Is Lying though!
April 21, 2022
Rock Paper Killers by Alexia Mason follows a group of high schoolers who are sent to spend an intensive tuition for their upcoming Irish exam. At first glance, the synopsis sounds really interesting and right up my alley but as I actually read the story, it's just lacking a lot of things I usually look for in a mystery book.
The first two parts are really whack and I really thought the last part would somehow save the book but of course, it didn't. There was no buildup and the story only picked up in the last 20 pages. The rest of the story is about unnecessary dramas between the teenagers and getting spooked for having to spend in an old asylum that has been turned to accommodate them and the rest of the students enrolled there.
I really don't have a character I'm rooting for and everyone is annoying. The story is so slow and nothing really happened, I'm extremely glad that I have this book done and over with.
This book is really a waste of time and the fact that I was quite excited to pick it up makes it two times worse. I can't recommend this book as it really is just so dull and not exciting at all. I can't recommend it at all, go read another mystery book that will be worth your time.
The first two parts are really whack and I really thought the last part would somehow save the book but of course, it didn't. There was no buildup and the story only picked up in the last 20 pages. The rest of the story is about unnecessary dramas between the teenagers and getting spooked for having to spend in an old asylum that has been turned to accommodate them and the rest of the students enrolled there.
I really don't have a character I'm rooting for and everyone is annoying. The story is so slow and nothing really happened, I'm extremely glad that I have this book done and over with.
This book is really a waste of time and the fact that I was quite excited to pick it up makes it two times worse. I can't recommend this book as it really is just so dull and not exciting at all. I can't recommend it at all, go read another mystery book that will be worth your time.
January 25, 2022
I was lost the entire way through this book, and struggled a lot with the character's and the overall plot line. For a YA thriller, I wasn't really thrilled, it lacked a lot of mystery, which is disappointing because the blurb and the cover had potential.
There were a lot of character's mentioned in the book, and none of them had distinct voices, so it was difficult to keep up with who everyone was, and in turn, I didn't have a particular attachment to any of them. Additionally, the writing was very childish and I felt a lot of necessary information was left out of the book, and overall was not written for a young adult audience.
I personally, did not enjoy the book, but there may be a lot of younger readers that this book would be perfect for.
There were a lot of character's mentioned in the book, and none of them had distinct voices, so it was difficult to keep up with who everyone was, and in turn, I didn't have a particular attachment to any of them. Additionally, the writing was very childish and I felt a lot of necessary information was left out of the book, and overall was not written for a young adult audience.
I personally, did not enjoy the book, but there may be a lot of younger readers that this book would be perfect for.
July 1, 2022
Rock paper wow. I was on my toes each time I opened this book, kept at the edge of my seat. WARNING it is scary so if you get nightmares don't read. This is why I give it one star, as I am now suffering from severe frightening nightmares each and every night. This is now something I will struggle with for the rest of my life. My GP warned me not to read such novels again which is such a pity as YA mystery is my favourite genre of books. If you would like please sign my change.org in order to introduce a WARNING page before any scary moments in novels, to prevent others receiving these continuous nightmares. Thank you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!
I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews for this book so I was hesitant to start it, but I‘m so glad that I did because I really enjoyed this! I read it all in one sitting because I was so addicted to the plot and I needed to find out what happened! I particularly liked that I had no idea what was going on throughout the story, and I didn’t know who to trust and who not to trust. I thought it was such a great YA mystery and I would definitely read more from this author!
4/5 ⭐️ - definitely recommend!
I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews for this book so I was hesitant to start it, but I‘m so glad that I did because I really enjoyed this! I read it all in one sitting because I was so addicted to the plot and I needed to find out what happened! I particularly liked that I had no idea what was going on throughout the story, and I didn’t know who to trust and who not to trust. I thought it was such a great YA mystery and I would definitely read more from this author!
4/5 ⭐️ - definitely recommend!
August 17, 2022
It’s a great idea for a book but the delivery was so muddled I found it hard to get into. Very unlikeable characters but I think that was on purpose so we couldn’t guess the killer? Even though the victim wasn’t revealed until the end either, I couldn’t sense any motive for one person wanting to kill another in the book. Not for me.
February 11, 2022
I found this book to be very messily written in places. It was quite confusing at time, and I think Alexia Mason was trying to do too many things in the one book and so it just blurred the lines a little too much.
It was OK but not one that will stay with me.
It was OK but not one that will stay with me.
January 30, 2022
ooh twisty and turn-y. Lots of secrets, lots of reveals, lots of gasps.
September 11, 2022
stopped at pg 156. WHAT IS THIS BOOK. the characters are SO boring i can't even tell them apart. literally NOTHING has happened like guys be serious
May 8, 2024
One star for an Irish narrator. I can't lie this was bad. I don't know how a spooky mystery mixed with taking an Irish exam abroad lead to the murder of their friend. I don't know why the character development was presented like that, even though I do see what the author tried to do I don't even know why the wife was in this story at all and I really don't know what the asylum vibes were all about. Would not recommend but they'll probably make a netflix show out of this
April 3, 2023
A whole lotta nothing went on in this book.
I gotta say, I LOVED Rupert - he’s the only thing that brought this book up to 3 stars. Not that Rupe is a “thing”, but you know what I mean.
The characters weren’t bland, so to speak, (what the hell does so to speak mean - yk when you just know when to put a phrase into your sentence but the actual phrase just doesn’t make sense? No just me?)
Actually. Not just me. Because the author - I forget their name, sorry! - kept writing random things leaving me incredibly confused as to what was going on. If that makes sense, which it probably doesn’t tbh (TBH OLIVIA!!) but like… yeah.
I just feel like this book had so much lost potential. It had a good storyline in all other aspects - 5 Dublin teens headed to Gaeltacht, only 4 make it back… yada yada yada- but where was the mystery involved? The whole plot happened in the last 10 pages, it wasn’t a “keeps you guessing” kinda book, because there was nothing TO guess about. And I won’t say I didn’t enjoy it at all, it was fast-paced, had funny enough characters - especially Rupe, he’s hilarious - but literally nothing went on. Like, they find out they are in a lunatic asylum - cool! What’s gonna happen now? Oh, wait, nothing.
I will say, however, if you’re in a reading slump - give this book a go. It’s easy enough to follow along to apart from when it isn’t (like that epilogue???) and it’s a relatively short book with big writing print so you can fly through it. (Not literally, unless you are Leia in Star Wars- like what was that about?)
It’s just meh.
Anywayyyy. I think the author is called Casey McQuinston, I’ll double check that spelling though.
I mean you may as well give it a go, to the nobody that’s reading this that hasn’t already read it (Olivia has) soooo…. I guess that’s me.
Adios 👋
Gonna go back to cuddling Mina now.
WHERE THE FREAK DID I GET CASEY FROM? ITS WRITTEN BY ALEXIA MASON? DID CASEY WRITE ONE OF US IS LYING?
Brb.
Okay so apparently Casey McQuiston wrote “Red, White and Royal Blue” (another great book) but where the freakety frack did I get that from. Anyways. Apologies Alexia.
NOW I am going to cuddle Mina.
Also I told myself I’d be productive today as it’s the first day off for Easter (WE GET TWO WEEKS 🥳) but literally all I’ve done is shower (which is basic hygiene, come on Alice) and start Caraval which is class so far. Not that you asked (Whoever “you” are).
Mina.
Okay.
Adios 👋
P.S patiently waiting for my ASOS package to arriveeee… I’d say I’ll show you but like… this is Goodreads.
I gotta say, I LOVED Rupert - he’s the only thing that brought this book up to 3 stars. Not that Rupe is a “thing”, but you know what I mean.
The characters weren’t bland, so to speak, (what the hell does so to speak mean - yk when you just know when to put a phrase into your sentence but the actual phrase just doesn’t make sense? No just me?)
Actually. Not just me. Because the author - I forget their name, sorry! - kept writing random things leaving me incredibly confused as to what was going on. If that makes sense, which it probably doesn’t tbh (TBH OLIVIA!!) but like… yeah.
I just feel like this book had so much lost potential. It had a good storyline in all other aspects - 5 Dublin teens headed to Gaeltacht, only 4 make it back… yada yada yada- but where was the mystery involved? The whole plot happened in the last 10 pages, it wasn’t a “keeps you guessing” kinda book, because there was nothing TO guess about. And I won’t say I didn’t enjoy it at all, it was fast-paced, had funny enough characters - especially Rupe, he’s hilarious - but literally nothing went on. Like, they find out they are in a lunatic asylum - cool! What’s gonna happen now? Oh, wait, nothing.
I will say, however, if you’re in a reading slump - give this book a go. It’s easy enough to follow along to apart from when it isn’t (like that epilogue???) and it’s a relatively short book with big writing print so you can fly through it. (Not literally, unless you are Leia in Star Wars- like what was that about?)
It’s just meh.
Anywayyyy. I think the author is called Casey McQuinston, I’ll double check that spelling though.
I mean you may as well give it a go, to the nobody that’s reading this that hasn’t already read it (Olivia has) soooo…. I guess that’s me.
Adios 👋
Gonna go back to cuddling Mina now.
WHERE THE FREAK DID I GET CASEY FROM? ITS WRITTEN BY ALEXIA MASON? DID CASEY WRITE ONE OF US IS LYING?
Brb.
Okay so apparently Casey McQuiston wrote “Red, White and Royal Blue” (another great book) but where the freakety frack did I get that from. Anyways. Apologies Alexia.
NOW I am going to cuddle Mina.
Also I told myself I’d be productive today as it’s the first day off for Easter (WE GET TWO WEEKS 🥳) but literally all I’ve done is shower (which is basic hygiene, come on Alice) and start Caraval which is class so far. Not that you asked (Whoever “you” are).
Mina.
Okay.
Adios 👋
P.S patiently waiting for my ASOS package to arriveeee… I’d say I’ll show you but like… this is Goodreads.
April 18, 2022
This book was really mediocre for me.
I'll start of with the things I liked about the book:
1. Even though the characters don't have a personality I did get attached to them eventually, but not really to Kelly tho.
2. I liked the romance between Rupert and Tadhg
3. I found it interesting that Amber liked crystals and tarot cards. Although the messages on the rock,paper,scissor deck were really forward and normally that isn't in a deck.
Why I didn't like it:
1. Mention of DuoLingo (this might be nitpicking but idc).I think if you would read this book in 10 years that would be weird or annoying.
2. The characters weren't likeable and didn't have a personality
3. For me it wasn't always clear when you changed povs or it was sudden. It also didn't help that the writing style for every character was the exact same.
4. The murder happened really late in the book and leading up to it, it didn't have that much suspense.
5. I found the end to be confusing, did they plan it?
6. Why do the whole thing that it was an asylum and "haunted" when it wasn't relevant to the plot at all.
At the end of the day I did enjoy reading this book and it made time pass without me really suffering. I don't know if I would recommend it.
I'll start of with the things I liked about the book:
1. Even though the characters don't have a personality I did get attached to them eventually, but not really to Kelly tho.
2. I liked the romance between Rupert and Tadhg
3. I found it interesting that Amber liked crystals and tarot cards. Although the messages on the rock,paper,scissor deck were really forward and normally that isn't in a deck.
Why I didn't like it:
1. Mention of DuoLingo (this might be nitpicking but idc).I think if you would read this book in 10 years that would be weird or annoying.
2. The characters weren't likeable and didn't have a personality
3. For me it wasn't always clear when you changed povs or it was sudden. It also didn't help that the writing style for every character was the exact same.
4. The murder happened really late in the book and leading up to it, it didn't have that much suspense.
5. I found the end to be confusing, did they plan it?
6. Why do the whole thing that it was an asylum and "haunted" when it wasn't relevant to the plot at all.
At the end of the day I did enjoy reading this book and it made time pass without me really suffering. I don't know if I would recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2022
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it was so slow paced any everything was so rushed at the end. I didn’t understand the plot and I have no idea where the part that they were sneaking around to steal alcohol came from.
ALSOOO: I can’t lie I wasn’t to fond of Kelly’s character especially towards the end but I HATED réiltín for killing her. Like no.
ALSOOO: I can’t lie I wasn’t to fond of Kelly’s character especially towards the end but I HATED réiltín for killing her. Like no.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2022
Decent really hard to get into and lots of confusing characters and plots would recommend but like kinda wouldn’t
April 6, 2024
It was an amazing plot I'm just kind of confused about what I actually read like if you asked me what happened I couldn't tell you.
April 29, 2024
[2,75 stars]
Loved the premise, loved the setting, but very confused with the epilogue and the rushed ending.
Loved the premise, loved the setting, but very confused with the epilogue and the rushed ending.
August 19, 2022
This good was bad. However, I like to think there were a few redeeming qualities about it...
Here are the good and bad aspects of this book, in no particular order.
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GOOD:
1. The relationships.
Not all of the relationships were that good. I did enjoy Tadhg and Rupert's relationship and I found it quite adorable! I screamed when I figured out that they were dating. I love to see more and more LGBT representation and they were just the cutest. I also really enjoyed Amber's friendship with Rupert and Réiltín and Lockie or LB with Réiltín. Lockie had some his character development with Réiltín and they were so cute together! I would have loved to see more of them. I loved the development Réiltín had with most of the group. Those relationships really helped to improve most of the characters and it was the reason why I continued reading this.
2. Rupert.
Rupert was honestly the best part of this book. Every time he appeared, I knew I was in for a good time. He always stole the show and I happened to laugh at some of his jokes. What worked best for Rupert was his LGBT experience, however. Sometimes, he would say that he hated being gay and, as a member of the LGBT community, I could relate. I could feel the fear he felt in coming out to his dad. I really couldn't like Kelly after what she said about his dad and his heart, or whatever. She made me really mad and I genuinely would have done the same thing as Amber. Rupert was a fantastic character and pretty okay for LGBT representation.
3. The characters.
I personally didn't like the characters that much, but they became slightly more enjoyable as time went on. I went from not caring at all about Amber to LOVING her. She was great. The best thing about the characters is that I could relate to some of their experiences. It made them more realistic. Kelly being bullied by Réiltín threw me back to my high school experience and that wasn't too...amazing. It made me hate Kelly even more, while also relating so hard to Réiltín. I saw myself in her so much that I defended her every action. It felt great that each character had weaknesses; it definitely helped in making them feel more human.
4. The twists.
I liked the fact that Suze was in the "laundry room" this whole time. I liked Suze as a character, but I wish she was explored more; I found her very interesting. Another twist that I liked is in the epilogue. Can't believe I liked something from the epilogue! I enjoyed the use of the repetition to explain how everyone was involved in Kelly's murder. It worked okay. I really liked the fact that they were all guilty, in some way. Other than those two twists, I didn't quite enjoy the rest. Especially the asylum thing, since it wasn't a huge deal in the end.
5. The symbolism.
I thought the "rock, paper, scissors" was going to be left at finding a room, but they actually used it more than once. I loved that! The deck wasn't the best thing and I personally wouldn't have believed it, but it was great for Amber's character -- as it made her addiction show and her fear grow. I also liked that the "rock, paper, scissors" always led to someone's death (Kelly's). Although, the best symbolism used is when Kelly does die; she falls to her death after some scissors stabbed her hand and while a piece of paper is flying down with her. Beautiful. As silly as that is, I could appreciate it.
BAD:
1. Johnny.
I thought he was going to have a bigger part in this. Based on the flashforward and the "dirty work", I thought that Johnny would have some involvement in Kelly's death. It seemed like he was kinda thrown to one side and forgotten about. I would definitely have made Johnny do something bigger. Maybe he could have tried to kill the others because Kelly's death ruined his reputation? I don't know. Anything else would have worked.
2. So confusing!!
I couldn't understand so many things! By the end, I was in such chaos that I didn't even bother to get what the ending meant. Actually, let's talk about that ending.
3. The ending.
I didn't understand one bit. I liked the involvement everyone had in Kelly's murder, but what the hell was that last line? I am so confused that I'm not sure what to say.
4. The pacing.
It took ages the murder to occur! Then, right after it happened, the epilogue came. It was so annoying. It took ages for Kelly to fall, too. At that point, I just wished she'd die already, so I couldn't really care less about her possible survival, if Lockie had managed to save her. Also, I couldn't understand those flashforwards, either. They made me even more confused and not that excited. The pacing made the story feel so incredibly boring.
5. Kelly.
I couldn't stand Kelly. I wanted her gone so bad!! I couldn't even feel a bit sorry once she died. She was so selfish and literally made everything about herself. I couldn't feel bad because, every time I did, it would soon be over when something awful would be revealed right after. What?! I would have liked to feel more sympathy towards her, but I just couldn't. When LB discovered about her parents, Kelly immediately took a chance to talk about her dead parent. She was a shitty friend. She hated Réiltín so much that it made me DESPISE her. She was so self-centered that it was crazy!! I was rooting so bad for her to die and was gleeful when she did. Oh my god. She was the worst character! She kept shit talking about everyone and even said those things to Rupert like...what the fuck?! Her death was DESERVED. If I were Lockie, I would have let go immediately. It was also really shitty how Réiltín had to say that thing about Clare when she was about to die. I get it, the author wanted us to hate her, but that could have been handled in a better way. She was just...ughh!
6. Three parts.
I wasn't aware there were three parts once I started reading. Having three parts was just so useless in the end 'cause most of it was part one! It took me ages to read part one, but only two days to read part two and three. Why was that? I feel like two parts would have worked better, as I felt part three was being stretched out. It felt like three parts were needed only to be clever about the "rock, paper, killers". Knowing the type of story I read, it probably was.
7. The prologue.
Loved the grammar in that one (sarcastic). The prologue is just one big giant mess that I decided to ignore. It was so childish and it wasn't needed at all because...guess what?! We don't read about them walking down once Kelly dies! The prologue could have worked better. The shape it created was a mess, as well.
8. The grammar.
I know my grammar isn't the best, but this was just awful! I couldn't read it for ages because of it. The writing was so incredibly childish and the use of "said" was repeated every 2 seconds. I counted about 1320 "said"s in the book. I wish I were joking. The use of "said" is fine, but not when it's used more than 1000 times!! You don't have to say "said" every time a character has spoken, you know? If it's a dialogue, you don't have to write anything at all. We get who's talking!!
9. Failed symbolism.
Some of the death flags made me so terrified for the characters, but that was useless. Kelly was the one to die. Her death was so satisfying, but the failed symbolism made me upset. Also, what was up with the asylum stuff? Did it mean anything in the end? Everything just felt a bit pointless.
10. The names.
Those names were some of the most unoriginal names that I have ever heard. I really liked Réiltín, Suze, and Tadhg...but what were the rest of those names? LB's real name sounded like the name of the protagonist of a bad Wattpad fanfic. The whole story felt like a badly written gacha story, if I must be honest. It was so anticlimactic and the names made the whole ordeal even worse. They were either so incredibly basic or so funny that it was bad.
11. The characters.
Even though I got a bit attached at the end, I mostly didn't care about any of the characters. The first few chapters made me so mad and I wanted everybody to die. Amber was so irrelevant for the most part and I really wish she wasn't! I liked her contribution at the end, but that's about IT. I despised Kelly to death and LB just felt kinda basic to me. Lockie got some development, but it wasn't anything too major. I liked Réiltín and was so confused on that ending. They all could have had much bigger development, as they all had so MUCH more potential.
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Overall, my experience was awful -- but I liked some parts. I think the characters should have been developed further and that the murder should have happened way sooner. It was horrible that they did a timeskip right after that. In some way, however, it did work slightly. The book could be easily improved.
I am glad to have finished the book, since I didn't quite enjoy it. It's good if you're a begginer but this was classified as a YOUNG ADULT. It sucked.
Here are the good and bad aspects of this book, in no particular order.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOOD:
1. The relationships.
Not all of the relationships were that good. I did enjoy Tadhg and Rupert's relationship and I found it quite adorable! I screamed when I figured out that they were dating. I love to see more and more LGBT representation and they were just the cutest. I also really enjoyed Amber's friendship with Rupert and Réiltín and Lockie or LB with Réiltín. Lockie had some his character development with Réiltín and they were so cute together! I would have loved to see more of them. I loved the development Réiltín had with most of the group. Those relationships really helped to improve most of the characters and it was the reason why I continued reading this.
2. Rupert.
Rupert was honestly the best part of this book. Every time he appeared, I knew I was in for a good time. He always stole the show and I happened to laugh at some of his jokes. What worked best for Rupert was his LGBT experience, however. Sometimes, he would say that he hated being gay and, as a member of the LGBT community, I could relate. I could feel the fear he felt in coming out to his dad. I really couldn't like Kelly after what she said about his dad and his heart, or whatever. She made me really mad and I genuinely would have done the same thing as Amber. Rupert was a fantastic character and pretty okay for LGBT representation.
3. The characters.
I personally didn't like the characters that much, but they became slightly more enjoyable as time went on. I went from not caring at all about Amber to LOVING her. She was great. The best thing about the characters is that I could relate to some of their experiences. It made them more realistic. Kelly being bullied by Réiltín threw me back to my high school experience and that wasn't too...amazing. It made me hate Kelly even more, while also relating so hard to Réiltín. I saw myself in her so much that I defended her every action. It felt great that each character had weaknesses; it definitely helped in making them feel more human.
4. The twists.
I liked the fact that Suze was in the "laundry room" this whole time. I liked Suze as a character, but I wish she was explored more; I found her very interesting. Another twist that I liked is in the epilogue. Can't believe I liked something from the epilogue! I enjoyed the use of the repetition to explain how everyone was involved in Kelly's murder. It worked okay. I really liked the fact that they were all guilty, in some way. Other than those two twists, I didn't quite enjoy the rest. Especially the asylum thing, since it wasn't a huge deal in the end.
5. The symbolism.
I thought the "rock, paper, scissors" was going to be left at finding a room, but they actually used it more than once. I loved that! The deck wasn't the best thing and I personally wouldn't have believed it, but it was great for Amber's character -- as it made her addiction show and her fear grow. I also liked that the "rock, paper, scissors" always led to someone's death (Kelly's). Although, the best symbolism used is when Kelly does die; she falls to her death after some scissors stabbed her hand and while a piece of paper is flying down with her. Beautiful. As silly as that is, I could appreciate it.
BAD:
1. Johnny.
I thought he was going to have a bigger part in this. Based on the flashforward and the "dirty work", I thought that Johnny would have some involvement in Kelly's death. It seemed like he was kinda thrown to one side and forgotten about. I would definitely have made Johnny do something bigger. Maybe he could have tried to kill the others because Kelly's death ruined his reputation? I don't know. Anything else would have worked.
2. So confusing!!
I couldn't understand so many things! By the end, I was in such chaos that I didn't even bother to get what the ending meant. Actually, let's talk about that ending.
3. The ending.
I didn't understand one bit. I liked the involvement everyone had in Kelly's murder, but what the hell was that last line? I am so confused that I'm not sure what to say.
4. The pacing.
It took ages the murder to occur! Then, right after it happened, the epilogue came. It was so annoying. It took ages for Kelly to fall, too. At that point, I just wished she'd die already, so I couldn't really care less about her possible survival, if Lockie had managed to save her. Also, I couldn't understand those flashforwards, either. They made me even more confused and not that excited. The pacing made the story feel so incredibly boring.
5. Kelly.
I couldn't stand Kelly. I wanted her gone so bad!! I couldn't even feel a bit sorry once she died. She was so selfish and literally made everything about herself. I couldn't feel bad because, every time I did, it would soon be over when something awful would be revealed right after. What?! I would have liked to feel more sympathy towards her, but I just couldn't. When LB discovered about her parents, Kelly immediately took a chance to talk about her dead parent. She was a shitty friend. She hated Réiltín so much that it made me DESPISE her. She was so self-centered that it was crazy!! I was rooting so bad for her to die and was gleeful when she did. Oh my god. She was the worst character! She kept shit talking about everyone and even said those things to Rupert like...what the fuck?! Her death was DESERVED. If I were Lockie, I would have let go immediately. It was also really shitty how Réiltín had to say that thing about Clare when she was about to die. I get it, the author wanted us to hate her, but that could have been handled in a better way. She was just...ughh!
6. Three parts.
I wasn't aware there were three parts once I started reading. Having three parts was just so useless in the end 'cause most of it was part one! It took me ages to read part one, but only two days to read part two and three. Why was that? I feel like two parts would have worked better, as I felt part three was being stretched out. It felt like three parts were needed only to be clever about the "rock, paper, killers". Knowing the type of story I read, it probably was.
7. The prologue.
Loved the grammar in that one (sarcastic). The prologue is just one big giant mess that I decided to ignore. It was so childish and it wasn't needed at all because...guess what?! We don't read about them walking down once Kelly dies! The prologue could have worked better. The shape it created was a mess, as well.
8. The grammar.
I know my grammar isn't the best, but this was just awful! I couldn't read it for ages because of it. The writing was so incredibly childish and the use of "said" was repeated every 2 seconds. I counted about 1320 "said"s in the book. I wish I were joking. The use of "said" is fine, but not when it's used more than 1000 times!! You don't have to say "said" every time a character has spoken, you know? If it's a dialogue, you don't have to write anything at all. We get who's talking!!
9. Failed symbolism.
Some of the death flags made me so terrified for the characters, but that was useless. Kelly was the one to die. Her death was so satisfying, but the failed symbolism made me upset. Also, what was up with the asylum stuff? Did it mean anything in the end? Everything just felt a bit pointless.
10. The names.
Those names were some of the most unoriginal names that I have ever heard. I really liked Réiltín, Suze, and Tadhg...but what were the rest of those names? LB's real name sounded like the name of the protagonist of a bad Wattpad fanfic. The whole story felt like a badly written gacha story, if I must be honest. It was so anticlimactic and the names made the whole ordeal even worse. They were either so incredibly basic or so funny that it was bad.
11. The characters.
Even though I got a bit attached at the end, I mostly didn't care about any of the characters. The first few chapters made me so mad and I wanted everybody to die. Amber was so irrelevant for the most part and I really wish she wasn't! I liked her contribution at the end, but that's about IT. I despised Kelly to death and LB just felt kinda basic to me. Lockie got some development, but it wasn't anything too major. I liked Réiltín and was so confused on that ending. They all could have had much bigger development, as they all had so MUCH more potential.
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Overall, my experience was awful -- but I liked some parts. I think the characters should have been developed further and that the murder should have happened way sooner. It was horrible that they did a timeskip right after that. In some way, however, it did work slightly. The book could be easily improved.
I am glad to have finished the book, since I didn't quite enjoy it. It's good if you're a begginer but this was classified as a YOUNG ADULT. It sucked.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2023
1 star
Well this wasn't the worst book I've ever read but it certainly put in a valiant effort for that title. I was originally surprised by the ridiculously low average rating on this but I'm sorry to say that I get it now. I would like to be nice, but I would also like to be honest - this was a dumpster fire. Like what the hell did I just read. I spent last night trying to justify giving it a higher rating and every time I failed. The characters had potential but were super one dimensional, cookie-cutter, and just generally not developed upon enough. And the structure. Oh. My. God. I'm not a plot-heavy girlie, and firmly believe that good characters can make up for a bad plot but honestly I think even if you'd put all my comfort characters into this plot it wouldn't have made it any better. This is supposedly a YA mystery-thriller, right? And there is a *formula* to these things. And you don't have to do a Karen M. McManus and stick to the formula religiously but the reason it's a genre is that it has certain things which make it different from other genres and one of them is the whodunnit aspect. This was not a YA mystery-thriller. Half the plot threads weren't resolved by the end - I don't care if there's a sequel, I'm not reading it, and we're talking very basic things which should definitely have been resolved by the end. The person who was advertised as dying *on the blurb* died in the last chapter and while I did sort of like the ending in that you were forced to sympathise with the murderer the epilogue ruined all that and with it this book's hope for more than 1 star. Which does beg the question - what was the point of the rest of the book? To watch Kelly be annoying and no-one do anything or care at all until literally 80% of the way through when miraculously everyone has an opinion that she might not actually be that great of a person???? To watch the intricate friendship dynamic play out and uncover the life-changing secrets each of them are carrying? Funny joke. Would literally recommend this to no-one and kind of wish I'd never read it although I did get a lot of pent up frustration out in the review so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
Well this wasn't the worst book I've ever read but it certainly put in a valiant effort for that title. I was originally surprised by the ridiculously low average rating on this but I'm sorry to say that I get it now. I would like to be nice, but I would also like to be honest - this was a dumpster fire. Like what the hell did I just read. I spent last night trying to justify giving it a higher rating and every time I failed. The characters had potential but were super one dimensional, cookie-cutter, and just generally not developed upon enough. And the structure. Oh. My. God. I'm not a plot-heavy girlie, and firmly believe that good characters can make up for a bad plot but honestly I think even if you'd put all my comfort characters into this plot it wouldn't have made it any better. This is supposedly a YA mystery-thriller, right? And there is a *formula* to these things. And you don't have to do a Karen M. McManus and stick to the formula religiously but the reason it's a genre is that it has certain things which make it different from other genres and one of them is the whodunnit aspect. This was not a YA mystery-thriller. Half the plot threads weren't resolved by the end - I don't care if there's a sequel, I'm not reading it, and we're talking very basic things which should definitely have been resolved by the end. The person who was advertised as dying *on the blurb* died in the last chapter and while I did sort of like the ending in that you were forced to sympathise with the murderer the epilogue ruined all that and with it this book's hope for more than 1 star. Which does beg the question - what was the point of the rest of the book? To watch Kelly be annoying and no-one do anything or care at all until literally 80% of the way through when miraculously everyone has an opinion that she might not actually be that great of a person???? To watch the intricate friendship dynamic play out and uncover the life-changing secrets each of them are carrying? Funny joke. Would literally recommend this to no-one and kind of wish I'd never read it although I did get a lot of pent up frustration out in the review so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
October 19, 2024
What was the.. point?
September 27, 2023
1 star
As I said on bereal, a thriller should be a page turning book where the murder or missing person happens at the beginning and then by the end you find out what happens, this book was not like that
The murder happened on the last chapter before the epilogue like wtf
It’s like the whole 280 pages before that was a waste of my time and a waste of trying to build up tension for the one chapter murder at the end
The characters were bland asf, the only character that wasn’t was Kelly, but Kelly was such an annoying bitchy character that I could’ve strangled her myself if I was in the story; LIKE SHE WAS SO ANNOYING AND RUDE TO ALL HER FRIENDS
The characters’ appearances weren’t even described at the beginning so I had no clue what they looked like, throughout the whole book I was just making stuff up in my head
This was the same with the freaking setting, they’re supposed to be in a old Irish building that was meant to be an asylum, yet the author described it in such little detail that I was doing most of the imagining that it got tiring thinking what everything and everyone looked like
I would’ve rated this zero stars if I could, but the only thing that didn’t was that I liked how out of the 5 friends we don’t know who’s going to die, and that’s genuinely the only thing I enjoyed in this book
As I said on bereal, a thriller should be a page turning book where the murder or missing person happens at the beginning and then by the end you find out what happens, this book was not like that
The murder happened on the last chapter before the epilogue like wtf
It’s like the whole 280 pages before that was a waste of my time and a waste of trying to build up tension for the one chapter murder at the end
The characters were bland asf, the only character that wasn’t was Kelly, but Kelly was such an annoying bitchy character that I could’ve strangled her myself if I was in the story; LIKE SHE WAS SO ANNOYING AND RUDE TO ALL HER FRIENDS
The characters’ appearances weren’t even described at the beginning so I had no clue what they looked like, throughout the whole book I was just making stuff up in my head
This was the same with the freaking setting, they’re supposed to be in a old Irish building that was meant to be an asylum, yet the author described it in such little detail that I was doing most of the imagining that it got tiring thinking what everything and everyone looked like
I would’ve rated this zero stars if I could, but the only thing that didn’t was that I liked how out of the 5 friends we don’t know who’s going to die, and that’s genuinely the only thing I enjoyed in this book
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