Thursday, January 11, 2018

Bookish Suspense...

Title & Author:  One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards
First Line:  "No one said anything about rain in the brochures."

Summary:  Every senior at Sera's high school must sign up for a Senior Life Experience Mission. So Sera and five others sign up for a backpacking trip in the Appalachian mountains. The first thing that goes wrong is when Lucas--the boy Sera has a history with she'd rather forget--joins their group at the last minute. Then, on day two, it begins to rain; it rains so much that the river they have to cross floods, washing out the bridge and dividing their group, stranding them on opposite banks. But the worst thing comes the next morning when Sera, Lucas, Jude and Emily discover their teacher drugged and comatose, their supplies destroyed and stolen, and accusatory words written on each of their wrists:  deceptive, damaged, dangerous, and darling. Someone is watching them; hunting them. And they don't know who or why. Or if they'll survive.

My thoughts:  This YA novel brims with mystery, suspense and a whole lot of teen angst. I liked Sera at the beginning, but by the end of the novel I mostly found her frustrating. Especially when it came to Lucas. I spent half the novel wishing she and Lucas would get over their little romantic drama already. But it took the entire book for Sera to resolve her issues. Sigh....teenagers! Still, there are some good things about this book:  it's pretty suspenseful, the mystery part kept me guessing, and it has quite an unexpected twist. And I liked how the author wrapped things up at the end. But what really made this book fun was reading it with Melody. Because books are always better when shared with a friend.

Happy Reading!

P.S. Every time we do a buddy read, Melody and I always exchange questions at the end. Here are hers to me, and my answers. (And be sure to go check out her review of this book on her blog!)

Q.  Mr Walker, the teacher-in-charge, had chosen a remote place for their field trip. Do you think this is a good or a bad choice?

A.  I thought it was an odd choice for a "Senior Life Experience"--hiking to a famous landmark would've made more sense. And I thought taking so many inexperienced hikers into such a remote area, especially one that had no cell service and no nearby help, was a very bad decision.

Q. The four characters were each branded with a word which defines their characteristics. Based on your opinion, who do you think best fit with the description?

A. This is a hard one. When threatened, or when defending Sera, Lucas could definitely be a dangerous adversary, but I wouldn't classify him as a violent or dangerous person. So I guess I would have to go with Jude who got branded with the word deceptive--not that he was a liar per se, but because he wasn't very open or forthcoming with anyone. About anythingl. 

20 comments:

  1. Great review, Lark! I thought the first part of the story was dragging, what with their angst and doubts but fortunately the momentum picked up towards the end. I think the dragging got to me but I'm glad you enjoyed this book more than me. :)

    Thanks again for this buddy read, Lark. And yes, it's always great to read it with a friend. :D

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  2. You have a lot more patience with teen angst. I get so frustrated with it. This story intrigues me but I don’t know if I can handle the angst.

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    1. It did get a little annoying, especially with Sera. But the suspense and survival aspects of this novel helped me read past it.

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  3. I'm not sure about this one. You and Melody agree about the suspense, but have some issues with it. Congrats on another fun buddy read for both of you. :)

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    1. Yeah, it's not a perfect read. And if teen angst is not your thing...skip it.

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  4. I love your Melody buddy read posts! They are so interesting to read because of the added layer of your Q&A section.

    So funny finding Sera frustrating. When I look back, I find my own teenage self to be frustrating! What was I thinking? Ha ha. But it is all part of growing up, right?

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    1. You are so right! Sera is a very much a typical teenager in this book. :)

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  5. It's been a while since I've read a YA book and this sounds fun. Love the Q&A you and Melody share!

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  6. I think I like the sound of this, I have never done a Q&A like this, fun idea xxx

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

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    1. I have to give the credit for the Q&A to Melody...it was her idea. :)

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  7. I stopped reading teen angst books a good few years ago as it was getting on my nerves every time I read YA! I don't have patience for it! Had this book been about adults, I might've given it a try as the plot is interesting.

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    1. Right? I really wished the author had focused more on the survival aspect of things and less on the teen drama because it was a good idea. But oh well. :)

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  8. Yeah, I get tired of melodramatic teen angst. I have three teens and while they definitely go through their different moods, they're generally cheerful, positive, drama-free kids. Novel teens never seem entirely realistic to me. I get that their lives have to be more interesting than those of their real-life counterparts to keep the reader's interest, but still ...

    I think this one sounds interesting, though, so I'll probably give it a go at some point.

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    1. I'll be interested to hear what you think of this read...and if all the teen drama got on your nerves like it did mine. :)

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  9. I have almost zero patience for melodrama so I don't think Sera and I would get on well. Thanks for the honest review!

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    1. Yeah, Sera really started bugging me towards the end, so you should probably avoid this one. :)

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  10. I am on the fence about reading this one. It does sound good, but I can see how some of the characters might be on the annoying side after awhile. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lark! I enjoyed reading both yours and Melody's views on this one.

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    1. It's nice to get two different takes on the same book sometimes, isn't it? :)

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