Here’s another read from October 2019. According to my Goodreads records, I read this in one day. It’s a fast read. I was also out of work and not doing anything all day, so I may not be the must judge of character when it comes to reading books during this time period, haha.
What an interesting, dystopian novel. In case you’ve never heard of a dystopian novel, let me explain. It typically takes a social or political issue/stance and takes it to a deep, dark, twisted world, kind of like a nightmare. This book deals with people (and young people, this is a young adult novel) being found guilty of crimes in court and then going to an island (not just any island, Alcatraz 2.0) where it is every man for himself.
What I mean is, they get murdered. Not by each other, but by “villans” that appear on the island in masks and costumes and no one knows who they really are. The inmates have the opportunity to fight them back and essentially kill them to save themselves…are you asking why on earth this is happening yet? Because this is all ON LIVE FEEDS and America is watching. Yes. Why? Because whoever is behind the show (no one knows) is making money off the live feeds and merchandise. Crazy? Yes.
So the story is told through Dee (who is only 17) who ends up on the island. She makes friends and they try to come up with a plan to live. Between chapters we read the live chat feeds where people are commenting as they watch. It was interesting. I won’t lie, this part tripped me up a little bit and I found it hard to follow. Maybe I’m just old (haha), but sometimes I was not sure what the live chat transcripts were even talking about. Aside from that, it’s a short, easy read. It kept me rooting for Dee.
3 stars. I could take it or leave it. It did not have me running out to read the second book. It reminded me a little of the movie Death Race because they’re along the same lines. It just did not do much for me. If you came across this book go ahead and read it, it is action packed of stuff, I just wouldn’t seek it out.
Title: #Murdertrending
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Genre(s): Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Dystopia
Publisher: Freeform
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Find it here on Goodreads
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