Review: The Rules by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Title: The Rules

Author:  Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: June 23rd 2015

Pages: 304
Genre: YA Psychological Horror

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Narrated by an alternating unreliable group of teens, this dark thriller will have readers on the edge of their seats. No one is safe and everyone is a suspect. It’s Saw meets I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Junior Robin Brisset has no idea what she’s in for when she accepts an invitation to one of Callabrese High’s most exclusive parties. And when the trademark scavenger hunt begins, Robin must go against every rule she’s lived by to survive. 

I went into this book basically knowing nothing. I mean the description really doesn't give much away. Which was nice.I normally don't like that but it was a crazy read and it was cool to be a bit lost. So I was pleasantly surprised by this read. I am not sure why I though  I may not like it but wanted to read it anyways, but that is how I felt. I liked it.IT did have some flaws in the reading experience but the story was nuts, adventurous, mysterious, and quite interesting. I was thoroughly entertained. 

So here is the deal with this story. It is about a crazy person and a group of teenagers. One of the teenagers is the crazy person but we don't know who. There is a game. A scavenger hunt that is put together by a very rich and bored kid who has a taste for vengeance. The scavenger hunt is crazy, in the middle of no where and is very creepy. This one in particular is made to make the players feel guilty for their past sins... The only problem is instead of feeling guilty, they end up getting killed. So there a few that make it to the end and have to try to escape said crazy person after finally figuring out who it was the entire time. 

Okay so this book was nuts. It was creepy and it was written well for the most part. I am going to just get my one and only flaw for this book out there first thing. It was a bit confusing at the beginning for me in the beginning. A bit convoluted between character switches, who was who, and what the heck was truly going on. This lasted for about a good 5 chapters or so. I stuck with it though. Because I was truly interested. It was worth it. Soon it smoothed itself out and it was pretty darn close to awesome. Now the story did still have a few confusing parts and this is not a book that is good on audio if you tend to space easily when doing other stuff while listening. I do and I had to rewind, rewind, rewind, and rewind quite a bit. Things happen pretty quickly in this book and paying attention is a must... especially if you are listening. 

Which this brings in the beginning of the good stuff... the pacing, the happenings, the thrills and chills. This was a very fast paced and full of crazy stuff book. It was good because the story was told for each of the kids narrations...well up until they were dead. So we were in the moment of the murders. Yes a bit creepy but done well enough where I was creeped but didn't pee my pants. I listened to it during the day so my sleeping was not really effected, although if I had been reading it at night it may have been. So yes fast paced, lots of happenings, and very creepy. 

This book was really a thrill and creepy vibe centered book. It was about the story and the chase and the who done it but not really about character depth and journey and all that good stuff. Thing slasher movie with a bit more of a plot. It felt like that... so that being said the characters were not all that. They were not bad, they were cutouts though. I felt they had no real dept but they had enough to make me enjoy them and root for them and feel just a tad bit sad when they died.  The guilt didn't go to far because well they weren't nice kids. 

There were a few innocents in the bunch of bad kids and one of them is the I guess the main the character Robin. She was cool. She was nice, a little too trustworthy and naive, but I liked her. I connected well enough for this type of book. Its really not a character center book though, Its all about the blood and the scares. 

The story was interesting but nothing really unique. Just enough to give the read some substance and a reason to hate or not hate the kids. It really had a nice feel of the game Clue, the book, And There Were None, and slasher movies like Scream. So it was a very well done mash up with enough of its own to say well done from me. 

The mystery of who done it. Well this was done pretty dang well. I was lost about it until the very end when it was made pretty obvious and still was surprised. Kudos for keeping me guessing. 

I think I may have not been as lost if  I had read it instead of listened to it. So if you like to read and listen, give that some thought. I think reading would have been easier on the beginning. The narrator was good though. I think she did well on the characters and keeping them true to form according to the authors intent. 

It was really good for what it was meant for. I enjoyed it a bunch for a brainless, creepy, slasher kind of read. 

Nancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.

Debbie Viguié is the New York Times Bestselling author of more than three dozen novels including the Wicked series co-authored with Nancy Holder. In addition to her epic dark fantasy work Debbie also writes thrillers including The Psalm 23 Mysteries, the Kiss trilogy, and the Witch Hunt trilogy. Debbie also plays a recurring character on the audio drama, Doctor Geek’s Laboratory. When Debbie isn’t busy writing or acting she enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, visiting theme parks.