#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil had a very interesting premise - killers get sentenced to death on a prison island where other killers hunt them. It is a modern day Running Man, without the technology and futuristic homicidal tools. The main character, Dee, was convicted of her sister's murder. She claims she is innocent, but isn't everyone on Alcatraz 2.0 innocent? Dee knows she is going to die, that is what happens to people who land on Alcatraz 2.0. In fact the longest survivor was a martial artist who lasted five months before she was killed. And the worst part of all of this, people can watch the deaths on an app and the more likes a suspected murderer gets the more horrific their death will become. In fact, there are fan clubs for the paid killers, and bets on how long the new criminals will last.
SPOILERS -
I had high hopes for this book, and thought it was very interesting. When Dee wakes up on the island she has been dressed as if she were Cinderella and she feels she will be forced to die at the hands of a hired killer who will torture, hunt, and kill her. Dee knows she is going to die, but she looks around for a weapon to use to save herself anyway. Once the Prince arrives she accidentally kills him, saving herself. She is then greeted by the island's welcoming agent, Nyles, a young Brit who has immunity as his case goes to appeals.
Throughout her four days on the island, the people she has met are all killed except her and three others, one who is the real killer. What keeps coming back to haunt her is the time she was kidnapped when she was younger. She was held captive by a sadistic young girl, Kimmie, who was the same age as her, and Kimmie's father. In the end, it is her past that is trying to kill her, and her past is the only thing that can save her.
I found this book to be interesting until I was 3/4 through it. At this point I wasn't happy with how it ended. It seemed a little far-fetched to have an island created for one reason, and that reason really being Dee. The ending was also a little convoluted and I was a little disappointed that it left things a little open. For example, as all of the paid killers are being executed, a group of new paid killers are headed to the island to revamp the audience. This is where the book ends, with Dee and the survivors waiting to be rescued, while a new set of killers are on their way.
This ending felt like a cop out to me, as what I really wanted was a bloody gorefest of criminals, or suspected criminals, fighting hunters paid to kill them to the death. Instead I got a book that seemed to two different parts of two books. The first 3/4ths was one part, and the last 1/4 was another.
Now, I didn't hate this book, in fact until the end I did really enjoy it. I only wish that it had stuck to what I was reading in the beginning, with both the people watching on the app and people on the island coming together in a purge like focus, killing the hunters, the Postman (the guy who created the island), and the government who sanctioned the use of the island. Especially since it becomes obvious that the island is cheating people and sending innocent people to die.
SPOILERS -
I had high hopes for this book, and thought it was very interesting. When Dee wakes up on the island she has been dressed as if she were Cinderella and she feels she will be forced to die at the hands of a hired killer who will torture, hunt, and kill her. Dee knows she is going to die, but she looks around for a weapon to use to save herself anyway. Once the Prince arrives she accidentally kills him, saving herself. She is then greeted by the island's welcoming agent, Nyles, a young Brit who has immunity as his case goes to appeals.
Throughout her four days on the island, the people she has met are all killed except her and three others, one who is the real killer. What keeps coming back to haunt her is the time she was kidnapped when she was younger. She was held captive by a sadistic young girl, Kimmie, who was the same age as her, and Kimmie's father. In the end, it is her past that is trying to kill her, and her past is the only thing that can save her.
I found this book to be interesting until I was 3/4 through it. At this point I wasn't happy with how it ended. It seemed a little far-fetched to have an island created for one reason, and that reason really being Dee. The ending was also a little convoluted and I was a little disappointed that it left things a little open. For example, as all of the paid killers are being executed, a group of new paid killers are headed to the island to revamp the audience. This is where the book ends, with Dee and the survivors waiting to be rescued, while a new set of killers are on their way.
This ending felt like a cop out to me, as what I really wanted was a bloody gorefest of criminals, or suspected criminals, fighting hunters paid to kill them to the death. Instead I got a book that seemed to two different parts of two books. The first 3/4ths was one part, and the last 1/4 was another.
Now, I didn't hate this book, in fact until the end I did really enjoy it. I only wish that it had stuck to what I was reading in the beginning, with both the people watching on the app and people on the island coming together in a purge like focus, killing the hunters, the Postman (the guy who created the island), and the government who sanctioned the use of the island. Especially since it becomes obvious that the island is cheating people and sending innocent people to die.
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