Not up to typical Melissa De La Cruz status

I have been enjoying Melissa De La Cruz’s works for the past decade. She does fantasy really well. While I was compelled by this start of this book, it didn’t seem to reach her typical level of detail and intrigue. I would definitely read it to find out what happened, but the development so far is on the weak side for her. I think it should’ve stayed a mystery a bit longer about which student died. The tension about what happened is already a little deflated. I’m curious about the main character and what caused him to be driving so recklessly, but it’s not edge of my seat exciting. Typically, her characters draw me in immediately, and these characters just fell flat. I am likely to read the whole book, hoping that she will up the suspense and tension, but I am also not holding out a ton of hope that it’s going to be a showstopper. This book just seems like a middle of the road read so far.