"Cemetery Girl"

“Cemetery Girl”

Written by David Bell

Review written by Diana Iozzia

“Cemetery Girl” is one of the many books that David Bell has written about young female teens returning home after a tragic event. In this circumstance, father and mother, Tom and Abby, have become ships passing in the night, after their young daughter disappeared four years ago. Tom and Abby still hold out hope that she will return, but they are taking actions to move on. They hold a memorial service and adopt out her childhood pet, in hopes that moving on will be swift.

Tom keeps in contact with a lawyer, who gives him advice on how to hold out hope that Caitlin will return. She calls him, saying that she knows someone who believes she has seen Caitlin. Hot on this trail, Tom stops at nothing to find Caitlin. After she is found, all those around Caitlin notice a change. Abby becomes suspicious that Tom’s brother, a strange bird, who was one suspected of hurting Caitlin, could still be the perpetrator. We eventually learn all about who took Caitlin, why, and how she reacts to returning home.

I was not impressed with this thriller. It seemed very cut and dry, very stereotypical of this type of thriller. The overprotecting father who is unhinged, who will make unethical choices to protect his daughter. David Bell has written these characters time and time again, but they do not feel refreshing. I felt that this book was not very exciting, and I felt I had to push myself to read it.

Furthermore, I did enjoy the ending. We have a very unsettling, yet interesting choice for the characters. I felt that this ending was not satisfying, in the sense that the characters are at peace. It’s dark and foreboding, and I enjoyed that unexpected ‘resolution’. Other than that, I really would not recommend this. I would just advise to skip it and read his other book, “Bring Her Home” instead. It has a very similar plot, and I enjoyed that one more.

"Final Girls"

"Final Girls"

Written by Riley Sager

Review written by Diana Iozzia

"Final Girls" is a unique thriller, telling the perspective of a ‘final girl’, the teen / young adult who survives the end of a massacre. In cheesier horror movies like “Scream”, “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, “Halloween”, the female survivor who defeats the mass murdering male villain is praised for enduring and making it to the end of the film. Often, films like this are parts of franchises, in which the ‘final girl’ continues to survive, throughout at least two or three films. Riley Sager offers us our main character, Quincy, who has survived a group murder at a cabin in the woods.

The story takes place in two separate time periods. As each chapter alternates, the first perspective shows Quincy and her friends at the cabin, as we bite our nails waiting for the killing to start. The second perspective is about ten years later. Quincy was the sole survivor, so she is a neurotic and morally ambiguous woman. She works as a dessert blogger, which was pretty interesting. I enjoy when characters in psychological thrillers have hobbies, so we can relax and read a little about that, instead of chasing back and forth through action sequences.

However, Quincy’s life in the present isn’t just peachy. In the media coverage after the Pine Cottage murders that she survived, the newscasters named her a ‘Final Girl’, also covered with two other girls who have lived through similar events. In the present, Quincy is met by one of the girls, Samantha Boyd, who now goes by Sam. In addition, it has also been released that the other girl of the three has committed suicide, but the police are possibly investigating it further.

Under the influence of Sam, Quincy morphs into a “Mr. Hyde”-like personality. She is reckless and dangerous, injuring herself and others. She makes crazy decisions and becomes unhinged. Sam is clearly unhinged as well, leading us to question her morals and why she decided to seek out Quincy. As the plot progresses, we start to doubt everyone and everything, finding it difficult to trust any word or thought of each character. We also wonder, is Quincy still in danger?

Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed is the links between each chapter. They are often small and subtle but great to notice if you can. Each “past” perspective has a parallel in the “present” in a clever way. For example, Quincy’s ‘blood-drenched arms’ during the killings links to “her hands covered in frosting” in the present.

To be honest, I was not the biggest fan of the two twists. One I saw coming from the first meeting of one character. The second twist was niggling in the back of my mind, but I hoped that I was not right. However, I still think that I truly loved this book, and the read is certainly worth it. Although I was not hoping for the second twist, I think it was done especially well. It makes complete sense, offering no plot holes, and was really jaw-dropping. I said to myself, “I can’t believe that just happened”. The climax is also incredible, giving a new meaning to ‘final girl’.

In conclusion, READ THIS BOOK. This was my first experience reading Riley Sager, and I cannot wait to read his next books. This became a new favorite.