quippe | Entries tagged with sarah mussi

The Blurb On The Back:

Lexi has been in an accident.

But she can’t remember it – or any of the events leading up to it.

The only thing she knows for sure is that she’s still in danger.

As fragments of her past start to return, Lexi thinks she knows what happened.

But can Lexi trust her own memories? Because if she’s wrong … she’s in more danger now than ever before.

Exactly what happened on that spring evening down by the railway tracks?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sarah Mussi’s YA psychological thriller convinces on the emotional effects of domestic abuse on victims but is hamstrung by a deeply silly plot that sees Lexi make ridiculous decisions for unconvincing reasons, plot twists that are too easy to guess and two-dimensional antagonists. This is a shame because Mussi tries to deal with the serious themes of abusive relationships, bullying and sexting but the plotting lets the themes down.

YOU CAN’T HIDE was released in the United Kingdom on 7th February 2019. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

He raises his gun.

He points it at Aliesha. He swings it towards Kady. They’re both screaming.

He likes the screaming.

He says, ‘Eeny meeny miney mo. We are the Eternal Knights.’

And then he shoots.

In the time before the shooting I was Leah Jackson. Sixteen years old. I used to wish my life was different. But nothing is ever that simple is it?

Now it is our turn.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sarah Mussi’s stand-alone YA novel mixes near-future dystopia with school shootings to mixed effect. Mussi does well at capturing the dead-eyed disaffection of rampage killers and her Eternal Knights are convincing in their callous disregard for everything outside themselves. Equally good is Leah’s determination to stay alive, even as she quails at what that might entail – one of the best scenes in the book comes early on when she and Anton must decide whether to sacrifice a younger girl in their bid to get to safety. Unfortunately the book’s let down by the world-building (specifically, Mussi has to do the difficult job of first explaining how Britain’s come to be as it is and then weave the story into it, which for me didn’t quite come off, especially given the near-future timeline) while Mussi’s desire to make political points about education policy (while laudable) threaten to slow the pace and the ending is a punch to the gut. Ultimately, it’s a brave book that didn’t really come good for me, although I would definitely check out Mussi’s other books.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.