Then There Was One was an unputdownable YA murder mystery mixed with a touch of dystopian and social commentary.

This was like a dystopian sci-fi murder mystery that was such an exhilarating read. It reminded me of aspects of The Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies. Cross kept me hooked with twist after twist, as well as pacing that was spot on. The stakes always felt like they were escalating and it was interesting to see each character’s secret revealed. It had that classic Christie feel for me (very much the style of And Then There Were None) but with a distinctly dystopian twist. From the reality television set up, I was hooked. Recently I seem to have been devouring reality TV goes wrong esque books and Then There Was One, as well as the return of The Traitors, kicked it off for me so well. It adds an edge of paranoia to proceedings, as the awareness of surveillance is heightened further once bodies start to pile up.

The concept at the core of the book is also deeply fascinating for me. There’s explorations of retribution, vengeance, justice and the punishment fitting the crime - but also contrasting an examination of the lengths to which people are pushed in order to survive. They crack the surface of humanity to reveal the dark and ugly truths hidden within. Each character is placed under immense pressure and it is no surprise when infighting starts to get out of hand. Of course, there are some exquisite twists in store. Cross has pulled off a brilliant stunt that is cleverly foreshadowed but really shocked me. It builds and builds relentlessly and I really enjoyed the ending. It was just enough to feel satisfied but also have a hook to potentially return to in the future.

Then There Was One joins a growing subgenre of reality TV mixed with murder that I am thoroughly enjoying losing myself in. It was pacy, twisty and dark - all of which I adore in a YA murder mystery.

Then There Was One focuses on what we’re told is a well-known reality TV show, a competition called The Pinnacle. Contestants are in it to win a life-changing amount of money, and each of this year’s contestants has their own reasons for wanting to win.
From the outset we can see things are not what they seem. The body count is high, and a mysterious robotic voice suggesting that the prospective candidates all need to be punished for something they have done indicates that there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Indeed there is, but it is linked to the game. The way this is actually brought about doesn’t make a lot of sense, and I’m struggling to see how it could have transpired.
While the group are in the game and we’re seeing contestants get killed off our focus is on who might be behind it. As the game continues, those remaining work out some aspects and at this point we’re told a little more of what is actually happening. Unfortunately, for me it didn’t gel. Nice idea, and some interesting scenes, but it all seemed to rush out of nowhere and the explanation, when it came, simply muddied the waters.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this before publication.

A group of teens travel to a distant island planet (this takes place in future and space) to compete on a reality tv show to win a cash prize. However, when they get there, it becomes clear that there is no competition - instead, someone is murdering them one by one.

Overall, I enjoyed this. At first, it gave me And Then There Were None vibes, especially with the recorded voice listing crimes. I expected it to continue on that vein but it becomes more high-paced/less mystery than that. I do think it would have been interesting to see the actual competition show happen more before the reveal. I do think the whodunit was a little obvious, but then there is a twist that makes it surprising still. The last thing is it ends on kind of a weird point. It doesn’t seem like it fully ended. Still good overall though!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Penguin Random House for giving me this book to review. This is really a fantastic book for kids as well as adults. Fantastically written dystopian thriller. But for more, read my full review.

3.5 stars

This book has a “The Hunger Games meets Lost” kind of vibe which is what initially piqued my interest.

Told from the POV of 3 characters: Bex, Raya and Zane who have all been chosen to compete in the once in a lifetime opportunity to win £500,00 in famous reality show The Pinnacle. However all is not as it seems and it isn’t long before the 10 contestants realise there is more than money at stake as the competition takes a very swift and sinister turn. As the body count piles up, the tension increases as you wonder who is next and who could possibly be orchestrating such an event. All unfolds over a fast-paced read and although the ending wasn’t entirely surprising to me, it was still good.

I liked the characters - Raya in particular was my favourite - but I can’t say I fully cared for them which definitely brings my rating down a little. Although we learn more about them as the book progresses, I just found it hard to really root for the others. It was definitely interesting to learn about their backstories and why it was they ended up in this situation in the first place.

The world itself is well-created and the descriptions of the landscape were vivid enough that I was able to easily envisage the scenery as I read. The book is definitely fast-paced and a lot does happen. The ending has also left itself open for a second instalment which I would definitely check out from pure curiosity of what will happen next!

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK, Wendy Cross and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.

What a BANGER!!

This was absolutely amazing and if you loved The Hunger Games and that you are a fan of Survivor, then you must pick up this book!

This novel is a dystopia, people are living on the different planets of the solar system where there seems to be a kind of class divide. We follow a group of teenages who received an invitation to compete in "The Pinnacle", a TV show in which they will have to the best in logic, but also physically. Except when they arrive, during their last "real" meal, one of them dies. But how? And of what? Soon, more of them dies and they understand that this is not the real TV Show and they aren't sure they will survive this at all...

There are alternate point of views in this novel and we follow Bex (a rich girl from planet Rikas), Zayne (who may or may not have killed his father) and Raya (a poor miner girl from The Moons) as they are trying to figure what is happening and how to survive.
Every character is well described and we have access to their past, which may be a reason why they are in this mess. The development of the characters is well done and I cared so much about their friendship at the end.

The writing is easy to understand, the chapters are quite short which kept me turning the pages. I wanted to know more and more!

But this ending though? I need more!!! I hope there is going to be a next book because it can't end like that, it can't!!

From the start, this book had me intrigued. As we meet the characters, we are also introduced to the world they are living in. The characters all come from different planets and one of our characters, Raya, even comes from "The Moons", which is where the miners live in poverty. They are the poor in society. We also meet Bex, who cannot live up to her dad's impossible standards for her. She also comes from one of the richest societies. Lastly, Zane, who is hoping to win the prize money to help support his mom.

The thing is, 10 people are chosen to enter The Pinnacle, where they could win a grand prize pot of money. They are dropped off on this island where they need to fend for themselves and the person who outlasts all the others wins the prize.

That all sounds awesome until one of the characters dies, and then another and then another. This is when they realise that this is no game and someone is killing off the contestants one by one. What they can't seem to figure out, though, is who? Who is killing them?!

The story takes a turn from here on and it becomes really suspenseful. It kept me on the edge of my seat. As we journey with the remaining characters to try and figure out what is going on and how they can get out of it, a lot of suspicious stuff takes place. Right at the end, we finally learn what's really going on and who is behind The Pinnacle and what their true motives are.

I was so shocked by the ending. I did not expect that. It made the story that much more interesting. Also, the last line of the book made me gasp and literally say "WHAT?!" out loud. There is a huge cliffhanger, so I assume we can expect another book after this one?

What an amazing read! I loved every minute of it!

10 people receive an invitation to participate in the 250th season of The Pinnacle, a reality TV show akin to Survivor where the winner receives a huge cash prize. Stranded on an island and in desperate need for the money, how far will they go to win?

There are clear similarities with Agatha Christie's classic, And Then There Were None, but the futuristic setting is enough to make it stand on its own. I thought the characters were all awful (not unexpected of murderers) but it did mean that I didn't really care who died.

Overall, it was a nice dystopian twist on a classic story, but the book just didn't appeal to me. It would definitely appeal to people who enjoy light mystery and YA books.

For fans of the Hunger Games, I give you Then There Was One by Wendy Cross!
I LOVED this, the characters, the concept, the ENDING! Following the point of view of Zane, Raya, and Bex, the struggles of their respective lives fuel all decisions, especially when receiving the opportunity to star in show The Pinnacle. 10 children are given the chance to earn masses of wealth, which all seemingly need to save their families or loved ones, but it’s this love for someone/something that landed them here in the first place, almost too much of a coincidence and as if they were hand selected for other motives.
I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone as it is definitely worth the read if you have the chance, but all I’m going to say is you will read this quickly and not be able to put it down, it’s thrilling and tense, with some mystery thrown in, and of course a plot twist (which I didn’t see coming from a mile off despite looking back actively noting certain things when I read through this).
If you get the chance to read it then please do, highly recommend for anyone you is a dystopian or even a sci-if fan as it’s set in space!

The first YA book I've read in a while that I simply couldn't put down - once it got going, which didn't take very long at all thanks to the amazing world building and character creation, it was one of those books where you just have to keep reading.

A fast-paced sci-fi YA who done it where the plot twists really work and it keeps you guessing until the end. Really enjoyed this one and I'm intrigued by the ending and possibility of a sequel also!

A must read for fans of the Hunger Games, The 100 and similar - although this novel is uniquely its own thing and does it really well too! Excited to read more from Wendy Cross.

I love any take on Agata Christie’s classic and this one had some futuristic improvements I did not se e happening. Set in the future when Earth is just an afterthought as life in space has blossomed 10 contestants have been chosen to compete in The Pinnacle for a life changing prize. All 10 of them have secrets they have hidden and things in their lives that make them not what they seem. This was a page turner and I wasn’t constantly who was behind the mayhem. A great read!

This book has other really good on but I thought the premise was interesting and the execution was weak.

In a distant future where humans live across multiple planets in another galaxy, there’s a game show everyone knows. You can’t apply, contestants are chosen to compete on the Pinnacle and the prize is life changing. Three strangers: Zane, Bex and Raya; need their life changing. But something is wrong. In this show you’re voted off by the public, but in their season contestants are dropping one by one. They’re on an abandoned island, on an unknown planet and they’re picked off one by one, who is the killer and who will be the last one standing?

This book was easy to fly through which I appreciated after a few heavier reads. My biggest problem is the way it’s written. The story is told from three points of view in first person and I couldn’t distinguish their voices. I kept forgetting whose POV I was reading. It’s hard to care about the characters when you can’t identify them.

My second biggest problem was that there was too much dialogue and not enough actually happening. Dialogue is fine in a character driven story but this isn’t, it’s an action/thriller/sci-fi and it just didn’t move. The premise about the game show actually would have been a lot more fun to read, like the hunger games but without the child on child murders.

The world the author created is really really interesting but the bit we explore in this story is thin and half explained. I guessed the what of the mystery but not the who and the grand reveal felt flat and convoluted.

Really not for me but this is just one booklover’s opinion. Thank you netgalley for my copy.

Then There Was One is a dystopian Hunger-Games-esque story of ten teenagers who travel to a remote island to compete in a famous reality TV completion, but find themselves without a TV crew and being picked off one by one instead. Unsure who they can trust, if anyone, the three protagonists form a tenuous alliance in an attempt to figure out what’s going on and, more importantly, stay alive.

This book had a really interesting premise but, unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the story or characters as much as I hoped. I quite liked Zane and found his chapters more enjoyable, but I found Bex and Raya’s voices to be irritating at times and struggled to empathise, despite the extreme nature of their situation. I also found their friendship to be quite unbelievable, and didn’t really connect with the side characters either.

On a positive note, I did enjoy how fast-paced the story was, the split POV helped to keep up the suspense as players were picked off one by one, and it was a very easy read to get through in one sitting.

If you love YA thrillers and Hunger Games this book would be perfect for you! It was tense and full of twists and turns. Greatly enjoyed and I can imagine this will be BIG when it comes out early next year.

A young adult hunger games with a sci fi twist.
A fun, keep you guessing mystery featuring some unique characters and concepts. Perfect for fans of hunger games style battle royale stories. I'll keep an eye out for other books by this author.

This took me back to the time where I read The Hunger Games, became obsessed with it and then devoured every single dystopian YA that came out off the back of its success.

I hope enough time has passed that we get a resurgence of the genre because this was so much fun. 10 teens each with a secret pitted against each other in a televised contest sounds very familiar and yet there were many twists and turns.

How many books have been hyped as the “next” Hunger Games? I’ve lost count and do not believe hyping debut or unknown authors against iconic all-time smashes does them much good. Wendy Cross’s Then There Was One was an enjoyable science fiction thriller with echoes of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which I hope does well, but I doubt it has enough standout features to rise above a very crowded dystopian marketplace. The premise of the novel was eye-catching; ten teenagers, from different planets and wildly varying social conditions, find themselves participating in The Pinnacle, the Galaxy’s number one reality TV show, consisting of physical and mental challenges, located in a remote and unknown location that changes every year and with a huge cash prize for the winner. If you read this expecting something as brutal and visceral as Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale you are probably going to be disappointed, as some of the contestants were pretty wet, but there was still plenty of fun to be had.

Although there are ten characters only three have point of view narratives, Bex, Zane, and Raya. Bex comes from a position of great privilege, who wishes to escape from her dysfunctional family. Zane is the son of a dead politician, who needs the money to aid his mother. And finally there is Raya, a miner who lives on The Moons in miserable conditions and wants to win to escape her life of hard labour. The book is built around the fact that the ten have been conned and although a battle for survival awaits it is not what they think and there are plenty of solid twists along the way. The story is built around the teen dynamics, and very different characters who team up to survive, and it was enjoyable even if none of them genuinely grabbed them. I saw the end coming, but it was still a decent twist. AGE RANGE 12/13+

This was enjoyable. This made me laugh occasionally. Could definitely be read in one go! There’s better YA around, but this will definitely find its crowd! One for the Hunger Games crew!

Then there was one is one of those books you can't help but finish is one felt swoop, because it is just that great. From the first paragraph any reader will be completely hooked, with multiple twists to keep the reader guessing. Wendy Cross's smooth writing is mesmerising, and gives a unique spin on the classic Agatha Christie - esque mystery style.

Then There Was One was a fast-paced dystopian mystery, perfect for fans of the Hunger Games.

I was excited to read this because And Then There Were None is one of my favorite books, I love the premise of trying to figure out the murderer in an isolated setting. The world building was creative, the characters were fleshed out and the author had plenty of twists to keep the momentum going. However, the competition elements that were promised were quickly thrown away once the group was on the island and the main twist was (in my opinion) too similar to Agatha Christie's famous twist.
Still a brilliant debut from this author, I would love to read another from her in the future.