Thoughts on : Little Monsters by Kara Thomas
Little Monsters by Kara Thomas
Genre : Mystery, YA
Stand alone
About the Book :
Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.
Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.
Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.
But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers…
My Thoughts :
A few weeks ago I started reading The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas, and then realized I had yet to review Little Monsters, which I read earlier this year. And since Kara Thomas is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me, sharing my thoughts about her second novel was something I was looking forward to.
What I like about Kara Thomas is that she writes thrillers featuring teenagers, rather than YA novels where the dumbed-down mystery storylines are only a pretext for the romance. I’ve read a lot of YA mystery novels that feel weak for this very reason, and that’s a shame, since it’s a genre that’s so rich in possibilities.
You guys know I’m rarely super surprised by thrillers (I read too many of them!), and Little Monsters is no exception. I saw most of the ending coming, though the how was in parts escaping me. But you also know that I’m very forgiving if I enjoy the ride, and I did.
This book had some of my favorite elements: a small town, strangers, gossip and, nice touch, a creepy ghost story. Urban legends always fascinate me and this one didn’t fail. It added atmosphere to the story and enveloped it in an additional shroud of mystery. Plus, I loved the pace. Like The Darkest Corners, the author’s previous book, it was slow moving but not boring, I liked that it was character driven.
Talking of characters, let’s quickly mention Kacey. Once again, the author created a character that was flawed yet still likable. She felt real to me, in how she thought and how she reacted. I’ve read some people thought she was bland or boring, but personally I didn’t.
All in all, I really enjoyed Little Monsters. I feel that good YA mysteries are rarer for me than their adult counterparts, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the age category (I do judge them accordingly), or just because I haven’t been looking in the right place? If you have good recommendations for YA thrillers, please let me know!
It sounds like I need to read one of her books.