April Henry
Young Adult/Mystery/Thriller
224 pages
Henry Holt and Co.
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review
THE STORY (from Goodreads)
“Take her out back and finish her off.”
She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.
And that she must run.
In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.
MY THOUGHTS
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die takes off at a sprint right out of the gate, a pair of ominously gloved hands reaching through the pages and yanking us roughly down beside our heroine as the manner of her death is calmly and coolly discussed. We’re as confused, disoriented and terrified as she is, minds scrambling to catalog as much about her surroundings and her captors as possible–as though our testimony might be required later on–and we find ourselves in an instant partnership with a young woman who is doing a much better job of not panicking than we are.
Cady, as we later learn her name is, turns out to be someone extraordinarily strong and smart, but neither her strength nor smarts is so overdone that she becomes more unbelievable superhero rather than relatable young woman. She uses common sense at every turn, seeking the help of authorities rather than trying to solve her identity crisis and attempted murder all on her own, but when things don’t work out as she hopes and she finds herself with only a complete stranger to lean on for help, she keeps questioning and searching for answers in a logical and methodical way.
Cady’s inability to remember who she is or why someone would seek to torture and murder her makes for a very tense read, the suggestion early on that she may be mentally ill only adding to the butterflies currently sending our stomachs into nervous spasms as a whole new set of questions gets added to an already lengthy list. Our three days with Cady pass blindingly fast, the short chapters seeming to increase the speed at which we devour her story, and while we can’t help but love the excitement of the ride we’re on, we find ourselves a tiny bit disappointed when the ending wraps up every bit as quickly as the story itself unfolded. Things are fully explained and resolved in just a handful of pages, leaving us a little wobbly and unsure, our minds trying to frantically to catch up with the answers as they're laid down before us.
Overall, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is a very quick, highly intense read easily consumed in a single sitting, and though the ending leaves a little to be desired, as a whole it delivers a thrilling story.
Rating: 3.5/5
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This
book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review.
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.
