Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Cryer's Cross ~ Lisa McMann ARC review

Cryer's Cross
Simon Pulse
February 8, 2011
240 Pages
Amazon

Dear Amazon Synopsis for Cryer's Cross,
It is my opinion that you give far, far too much of the book away and I am very glad I read you after reading the book. I am going to suggest, though, that people not read you because I find you mega-spoilery!
Sincerely,
Book Sp(l)ot Reviews


Now that's out of the way . . . Cryer's Cross is Lisa McMann's fourth book and the first not in the Wake series. Main character, Kendall lives in teeny, tiny (pop. 212) Cryer's Cross, Montana. The entire town--including Kendall and her best friend--are still dealing with the disappearance the previous spring of Tiffany Quinn, a teen in the town.

Everyone searched for days for Tiffany but nothing was found and life had to get back to normal. Now, with everyone back in school, things are different, Tiffany's absence, her empty desk, are more noticeable.

No one notices the empty spot more than Kendall. Her OCD leaves her wanting things orderly and consistent and the possibility of an empty desk has her worried.

The new year gives Kendall something new and different to worry about, however, when two new students show up. Not only does the girl, Marlena fill Tiffany's empty desk, her brother proves to be a great annoyance to Kendall.

Unable to even find solace in soccer, the place she's able to forget her OCD and let go, as Jacian proves to be quite the player. The only thing keeping Kendall's life sane is her friendship with Nico and the promise of college coming son.

Until Nico, too, soon disappears.

In such a small town, the disappearance of two teens is unheard of and soon raises not only the anxiety of the residents, but the interest of the national media.

While dealing with the disappearance of her best--and usually, only--friend, Kendall will try to find who--or what--has taken both Tiffany and now Nico.


As a horror story, Cryer's Cross never quite made it for me--it just wasn't creepy or scary. I still really enjoyed the book. Kendall's OCD was built into the story and used as a part of the plot and not just something for one of the characters to have to make things more interesting. Jacian and Marlena were also a great addition to the story and I loved that they were much more than one dimensional side characters.

The characters were really what made this book. Each had something (or some somethings) that made them different from the typical YA book characters but it never seemed like they were being made different just for the sake of difference.

I would have liked a little more creepiness in Cryer's Cross or even suspense, but not if it meant taking anything away from any of the characters.

Despite the lack of horror/scary, the plot unfolded fairly well and kept me reading to see how things would end. I enjoyed the ending and the fact that it wasn't obvious but also didn't spring up out of nowhere, either.

For the great characters, but lack (for me!) of suspense/tension/scariness:

7/10


(read thanks to GalleyGrab)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Book Trailer Friday [@RandomHouse @TransworldBooks]

Beth Dorey-Stein's From the Corner of the Oval  - a tale of being the White House stenographer during the Obama administration will be ...