This was a page-turner, I devoured 300 pages in one sitting, I could not put this book down! The Whodunnit is pretty clear from the get-go. What keeps you reading is the psychology of the different characters, and the dramatic irony of will they figure each other out or not. The book plays a lot with the whole "you can't judge a book by its cover" concept.

The book also discusses, heavily, the difference between a fetish and a danger, an impulse versus an addiction, and all the ways that sex can be used to control emotions rather than celebrate them. This is a very sexual, but unsexy, book, and it handles many raw, embarrassing, feelings and situations. I loved it, for the characters it brings to life, their morally grey inner conflicts, and the dialogue it opens up for the readers.

There were just some nitpicky things I thought could have been tighter? There seemed to be an implication that Sheila's father molested her, but that little detail went nowhere. Ethan's claustrophobia doesn't come back in a significant way, like Sheila doesn't try to trap him in a bathroom, or something.Why does Abby make such a big move at the end of the book, when nobody suspected her? Little things.

This was a phenomenal book, to begin with: It's genre-savvy, modern, and respectful/soulful in the way it relates the psychology and struggles of all of the teenage characters. The author has an amazing skill for getting inside the head space and voice of a character, and bringing a moment to life. I related to, and cared about, everyone in this story.

As far as the murder mystery goes, there were a lot of red herrings. I was kept guessing constantly. I want to applaud Perkins for that too... But at the end of it all, looking back, I think /I/ was reading too much into the book, and it was actually more straight-forward than I was willing to admit. The killer is rightfully deduced halfway through the book, there is no surprise twist ending, or conspiracy of multiple killers... Maybe it's a little Column A, Column B: The book puts the reader in the same position was the speculative townsfolk, and you're /meant/ to feel chagrined for looking for something more salacious instead of acknowledging the ugly and the obvious.

I think I would have preferred if the killer's message were a little clearer? The targets, the staging of the bodies, the poltergeist-like behavior taunting the victims for months before their deaths - I don't think it was quite pulled together and explained in a satisfactory way. And I'm not content to handwave and say, "Well, what can be rationalized in the mind of psychopath can't be explained to your average Joe." I wanted a little more clarity before the end. And instead, the book just ENDS. No epilogue, no nothing, just abruptly fade to white...

Final note: I wanted more KATE! It's sad that Kate only gets one PoV chapter, when she is the only intelligent person who gets attacked: She sets alarms/traps, she pays attention to strange noises, she goes for a weapon, she tries to trap the killer in the basement, she calls 911, she doesn't assume she's being pranked by her friends... Katie is SO good at defending herself, that the killer actually stops assaulting her to ask, "Why aren't you screaming?" XD BALLER! This book would make an AMAZING Choose Your Own Adventure, like a Goosebumps type book, where the killer and survivors change depending upon which plot threads you follow. Please, Perkins, release the Katie Cut! <3

I have read this book multiple times, and this particular audiobook was extremely good; the narrator captured each character's tone perfectly.

What I love about this book is how every moment is open to interpretation. The narrator is unreliable, the secondary characters all secretive, and you can never be sure if someone is being sinister or genuine. You could read this book over and over, and come to a hundred different conclusions as to what really happened, like a Choose Your Own Adventure book.

It's not without its problems, though XD. Halfway through the book Maxim Explains It All, and from there on the book takes a sudden sharp turn away from Gothic literature into more murder-mystery, like a Sherlock Holmes novel. Various characters previously shown to be very cunning, suddenly become obtuse, and seem incapable of (or refuse to) draw the simplest of conclusions despite the evidence in front of their faces.

I also don't know why, but I ALWAYS misremember there being MORE to this book. I always remember an entire end third of the book, where the blank slate narrator /becomes/ Mrs. de Winter, and it horrifies Maxim, and history repeats itself. Instead, the book simply...ends, with a mysterious arson.

But despite its flaws, this is a peerless gothic novel. The commentary on high society: the maddening effects of feeling constantly under scrutiny, and the easy way in which someone's character can be entirely misjudged. The way a house can be haunted by the memory of a person. The way our meek narrator blames herself, hides herself, makes herself secondary to everyone around her, and therefore - whether inadvertently or intentionally - becomes a blank canvas onto whom anyone can project their feelings, and /she/ feels as if she is nobody always play-acting at being somebody. There is a lot of meat in this short, succinct story, and I LOVE a story that makes you think and feel.

This was a phenomenally written book, up until the last 50 pages. Naughty? Absolutely. But done with finesse, and with respect for all the stages of young/new/forbidden romance. For a YA vampire romance, I was impressed by the healthy sexual habits modeled: Ask for consent, ask about protection, admit your boundaries... As far as the plot was concerned, I found all the "twists" INSANELY obvious; the fact that Poppy missed the reality in front of her face is ASTOUNDING! But maybe that's the point, maybe it's not supposed to be a big reveal, and maybe the book is merely highlighting Poppy's naivety/cloistered lifestyle.

But in the last 50 pages, the book drops all that good writing. So much so that I almost knocked off a star. Casteel has all the answers, but he taunts Poppy, making her feel foolish for liking him/sympathizing with him, and making her pay the price for the abuses inflicted on him and his people. He knows her better than that by now. What's more, he blames her for /his/ behavior, claiming he can't control himself around her. Big old red flag, and the biggest problem with most YA vampire romances. It is not a girl's fault if she makes you horny, dude, and it's not her job to keep you in check, vampire or not. All of the respect goes right out the window. I get that he is manipulative, and has played many parts, including feigning respect to get people to oblige him. But he has been with Poppy long enough to know she is not his enemy, was naive of the atrocities her government was committing, and might even HELP him if he apologized for mowing down innocent and guilty alike in his quest for vengeance (if not out of genuine remorse than out of respect for HER suffering)! But no, his arrogance ratchets, and he humiliates and terrorizes her no differently than The Duke had. I don't know how we're supposed to invest in an enemies-to-lovers romance between these two when he is so atrocious and controlling.

I hope Casteel turns around in the next book, because his selfishness could sink this series. Poppy is brilliant, and my heart goes out to every teen who has had their dreams crushed by their first "love".

Fans of Fable, and Shadow and Bone, how did you not tell me about this book sooner?! A queer, gender-bent, racially diverse, retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is EVERYTHING I never knew I needed! <3 And it's MASTERFULLY written, the art in the word choices, and metaphors painted, twinkling in the text like brilliant little diamonds; I just want to hold onto every one! Tara Sim doesn't use the original Dumas story as a crutch. If anything, the changes improve the original story, elevating the tale of deception and bloody revenge to one of teen self-discovery, where emotions, inhibitions and flawed perspectives can make or break a whole young-person's world.
I love this book, and this author's voice, and I am dying to get my hands on the sequel. Tell. Your. Friends! Read this book!!

This book was TERRIBLE!

Danny, a minor background character from the first book, is completely mischaracterized in this sequel, just so she can become the "surprise" accomplice to Abby. But it is no surprise, none at all! XD It is laughable how much Danny gets away with. An intern to a retired cop gets LEFT ALONE with an alleged serial killer?!?! And gets assigned detective duties, like connecting an email address on a Paypal receipt to the name of a John who has been murdering prostitutes in Abby's honor! And every time Danny's left alone with a perp, or given an assignment she has no right to handle, she magically, instantly, has an answer to lead the cops somewhere new... Because DUH, Danny is helping Abby, and misdirecting the cops, and every scrap of information she "searched" for was actually premeditated, planted information that Abby schemed up.

And it only works not because Danny and Abby are super-geniuses, which the book wants you to believe. No, it works because everyone in this book has an insane number of friends-with-benefits who break the rules for them. Abby has two prison guards enamored with her, who help her escape. Danny has a friend at the border to Mexico, who helps them escape. Even Jerry, the retired cop, calls in a bunch of favors with other cops, so that they overlook regulations and get him the information he needs to keep following the case. The case he shouldn't be on. Because he's retired. And far too emotionally invested. A SMART turn of events, would have been for Abby and Danny to mislead Jerry long enough for him to get CAUGHT breaking the rules, and then use this technicality to get all his evidence thrown out! Then, Abby could walk free. Instead, she and Danny just make a break for it, there's a huge manhunt, and yet somehow we're supposed to believe that they cross the border and drive off into the sunset?! Too easy. And stupid. And easy.

But dumb plot aside, my second-biggest gripe is that I feel betrayed: The first book had so many GOOD points about addiction, the stigmas around it, the helplessness, the blurry line people draw between what's an "acceptable" addiction and what's not... Creep did what good horror/thriller is supposed to do: It held up a mirror to the reader and asked, "Who's the real monster? What are we capable of?"
Freak. Does. Not! Freak does not have a point. It has no theme, no message, no focus. It's a bunch of campy nonsense about how everyone gets a boner for Abby, and some trite, sad scenes about how difficult marriages can be... Nothing! A book full of nothing. I am angry I wasted my time moving my eyeballs over these words.

I was disappointed in this sequel :/. The reliance on Harry Potter references is still prevalent, and I /again/ wish that V.E. Schwab had invented her own, in-universe, faux-Potter for Cassidy and the rest to obsess (and bond) over. The emotional core of the first book - Cassidy and Jacob's strong but tested friendship - took a backseat until the penultimate chapter of this sequel, and I feel like that was a mistake. Cassidy's concern for Jacob's growing strength, and Jacob's determination to NOT turn into a violent spirit (despite his growing resentment for Cassidy's waning trust) could have been played up more. Instead, Cassidy's concerns mostly manifest in nightmares, and she doesn't have a proper conversation with Jacob until the end of the book.
I feel like the basic plot of this book suffered too, when compared to the first one. The Red Raven, as an antagonist, had clear motives. But Thomas's increasingly violent pranks don't reflect on him being a kid, or how he died, or developing a grudge against Cassidy. They're just random acts of violence. And Cassidy receives very good advice from everyone - including herself - and yet she jumps down that rabbit hole into The Veil, time and time again; which is an unnecessary handicap for her in this book, because Thomas isn't limited by The Veil the way that regular ghosts are. Half the plot wouldn't have happened if Cassidy hadn't jumped into danger at every opportunity, sans plan.
Finally, the ambiance didn't really click this go around, not in the way that cold and misty Scotland did. Sure, Cassidy feels a chill when a ghost is near. But largely, Paris is described as glowing, golden, romantic and beautiful, sweet-scented with gardens and carnivals and chocolatiers... It's not scary, so much as it is a tourism pamphlet for Paris.
Long story short: Too little character development, random and inconsequential plot, felt like I was whizzing through a geography textbook, until the cliffhanger ending which was arguably the best part. Sticking with the series, but man was this installment "meh" :/.

This book had intricate and fascinating world-building like I had never seen before. I loved the concept of a shattered, post-apocalyptic Earth, still continuing to have life, but in a way that's both evolved and archaic. Each fragment is an "ark" and a single (or a few) family trees, so geneology is hyper-important, rather like old Biblical tales; and presiding over each ark is a seemingly immortal being. In the wake of this neo-genesis, humanity has evolved psychic powers, objects have evolved psyches, and the surviving generation seems to have adopted a steampunk symbiosis. Many times, the manipulation of space, time, emotion, or perception is almost Wonderlandian, one scenario leading to the next with little transition, dizzying both hero and reader.

... Fabulous setup...

...BUT a cool world does NOT make up for a lack of PLOT or character growth! If you're waiting for a grand conspiracy as to what broke the Earth, why humans have superpowers, or who these angelic rulers (conquerors?) are, you will sadly be disappointed, as NONE of those topics are addressed in this book!

If you are waiting for our magical, mousy but plucky, heroine to get tangled in a grand adventure of self-discovery...you will ALSO be disappointed, as Ophelia - for all her brains, bravery, and bewitchery - largely just ALLOWS the plot to happen around her, or to her. She accepts abuse and marginalization as a fact of life, instead of fighting for her independence, or at least some dignity.

If you are waiting for a magical supervillain who bends perceptions of reality and psychically makes our hero doubt herself, fulfilling the BEAUTIFUL Gothic horror double punch of giving us the heebie jeebies AND making a commentary on gaslighting and women's rights...you will ALSO BE DISAPPOINTED, as the evil magical shenanigans largely happen to minor characters, happen "off screen", or are used in petty, insignificant ways, and never posed as a conflict our hero has to resolve so much as an inconvenience she needs to avoid. Also, her own perceptions are only lacking the Pride and Prejudice way of misjudging strangers, not in the maddening "I can't trust my own senses" kind of way. Which is a HUGE missed opportunity! Dig into the dark Wonderland!!!

If you are waiting for a friends-to-enemies romance... Keep waiting O_o. I think this hero might be ace? But it's hard to tell, because she is rarely shown basic human kindness. How could anyone flourish under those conditions? How can she possibly know her own feelings or body - there is no opportunity! I wish Ophelia had made some stronger friendships, instead of superficial ones. The fact that she has no clear relationship to any other character, as friend or enemy, is...upsetting... I read 500 pages, and all I know for certain is that the hero belongs OUT of this story. The problems she's in belong to the people around her, she should leave, there is nothing but custom tethering her to this situation. There is no moral or emotional sentiment that binds her to this place, these people, their conflicts... Why, girl?! Why?!

So many wasted opportunities...