Thank you to Hyperion and BookishFirst for this ARC that I won and received in the mail (LOVE getting books in the mail unexpectedly)!
Summary: Colin, Grahame, Ceo, and Ellie embark on a hiking adventure in Yosemite National Park and it seems like a "bad call" from the get-go. Regardless of all the signs that they PROBABLY shouldn't go through with their plan, the four find themselves hiking the trails. And that is when things start going wrong (but that's pretty obvious from the beginning)...
My opinion: Eh? I read a preview of this book on BookishFirst.com and was really intrigued and couldn't wait to read more. But, I was disappointed. I felt baited-and-hooked because the preview I read was PROBABLY the most interesting part of the entire story, and that is saying a lot considering that it's a little over 300 pages long.
I've always been wary of "psychological thrillers" because, quite frankly, I've never enjoyed books within this category. They're usually either too creepy or just so far out there that I cannot even comprehend the craziness. I'd have to say that this one falls on the latter end.
I was about 215 pages in when I felt like SOMETHING started ACTUALLY happening. And it was super surprising when I suddenly realized that I was more than halfway through the story and really felt like nothing. had. happened.
As far as Wallenfels' writing is concerned, I didn't necessarily like the alternating point of view chapters in the way that he did this. I'm so used to this style in so many other books but, generally, each chapter takes on the first person point-of-view of that given character whereas Wallenfels still utilizes the third person so it made it confusing at times.
**SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER**
I don't like how two of the characters handled the "murderer." I think it felt unbelievable though I kept trying to tell myself: "How would you react if one of your friends murdered another friend? Calm? Irrational?" Not even sure.
**END OF SOMEWHAT SPOILER**
I do appreciate the ending because it was quite the surprise. Just when you'd think you'd expect something from one character, the complete opposite happens. So that was a perk.
I wish I could have liked this one better but I just didn't. It wasn't interesting and fell flat when it had the potential for so much more. Maybe focusing a little less on the build-up and more on the "bad call" in the woods... that'd help.
Summary: Colin, Grahame, Ceo, and Ellie embark on a hiking adventure in Yosemite National Park and it seems like a "bad call" from the get-go. Regardless of all the signs that they PROBABLY shouldn't go through with their plan, the four find themselves hiking the trails. And that is when things start going wrong (but that's pretty obvious from the beginning)...
My opinion: Eh? I read a preview of this book on BookishFirst.com and was really intrigued and couldn't wait to read more. But, I was disappointed. I felt baited-and-hooked because the preview I read was PROBABLY the most interesting part of the entire story, and that is saying a lot considering that it's a little over 300 pages long.
I've always been wary of "psychological thrillers" because, quite frankly, I've never enjoyed books within this category. They're usually either too creepy or just so far out there that I cannot even comprehend the craziness. I'd have to say that this one falls on the latter end.
I was about 215 pages in when I felt like SOMETHING started ACTUALLY happening. And it was super surprising when I suddenly realized that I was more than halfway through the story and really felt like nothing. had. happened.
As far as Wallenfels' writing is concerned, I didn't necessarily like the alternating point of view chapters in the way that he did this. I'm so used to this style in so many other books but, generally, each chapter takes on the first person point-of-view of that given character whereas Wallenfels still utilizes the third person so it made it confusing at times.
**SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER**
I don't like how two of the characters handled the "murderer." I think it felt unbelievable though I kept trying to tell myself: "How would you react if one of your friends murdered another friend? Calm? Irrational?" Not even sure.
**END OF SOMEWHAT SPOILER**
I do appreciate the ending because it was quite the surprise. Just when you'd think you'd expect something from one character, the complete opposite happens. So that was a perk.
I wish I could have liked this one better but I just didn't. It wasn't interesting and fell flat when it had the potential for so much more. Maybe focusing a little less on the build-up and more on the "bad call" in the woods... that'd help.