A trip without parents knowing, to a castle with minimal modern bits and also being protested by angry people who don't want it turned into luxury housing and are willing to commit violence to prove their point and lots of teens with even more booze? Sounds like a perfect recipe for mayhem and possible death. Add in a major storm (with a gross moat that floods bigtime) to stop people going for help or escaping and this is one thrilling killer weekend (literally).

So many twists and turns and red herrings and I did not trust any one of the teens that went to the castle. They all had ulterior motives and ran off to "be alone" at very suspicious times and it was only as the body count rises that I was able to cross suspects off my list. Yes, there were weird bits and the final reveal was oddish but you had lots of thrills along the way, and it was a quick read and hard to put down as things went so very wrong. The last sentence was a very nice touch and made it fun and raised a very good question.

Not a deep thinking book, but if you want thrills, poor teenage choices, a party gone so very wrong, and several bodies by the end, then this is good book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book and review it.

I've read all of Natasha Preston's YA thrillers, and I pretty much love them all, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this. From the beginning of the book, I was completely hooked and couldn't put it down. The main protagonist, Bessie, was an enjoyable character to read, and so were the side characters. The book has the right amount of tension to keep me on the edge of my seat, and it kept me guessing. I enjoyed the twist towards the end but also found it a little far-fetched. Preston is well known for her cliffhanger endings that make me want to throw my book across the room. This book was slightly a letdown in comparison. The ending was not as much of a cliffhanger as usual.

A group of teenagers sneaks out of school with plans for a secret party at a remote location. Needless to say, things do not go according to plan!

Along the way, they find out that there are some tensions between local people in the area over the place where they are staying, which makes them start to feel insecure.

And then, to make matters worse, a storm front sweeps in, marooning them at the location. Then, something happens to one of their number. And inevitably, they start questioning how well they know each other...

This is a fairly familiar trope, but Preston does a good job of delivering a YA style thriller in the process. There are plenty of twists, but be prepared to suspend disbelief!

I received a free copy of this book from net galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Party, 3⭐️

This book was fast paced and action packed, but I found some of the story wildly unrealistic. The characters were teenagers and I found this to be more of a YA book and story.

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book for an honest review. I am a huge fan of Natasha Preston and have read all of her YA thrillers. And just like the rest of them, this had me guessing with each page, and questioning what I would do in that situation. This was a fun gripping addictive read filled with twists and turns. There was a cliff-hanger as there is with every Preston book, which lead to me screaming and through my Kindle down (gently of course). My only gripe is the bouncing between American and British spellings - it should be one or the other, but they were different each time. Another great Preston book and would definitely recommend her as an author.

A party like no other is what Allegra has planned. She and her friends are sneaking away from their boarding school for the weekend in order to spend their time partying in Allegra’s family castle. Full of excitement for their forthcoming party…but it soon turns into an experience they’ll wish they’d not had.
Sneaking out of school is the easy part. There’s some talk of a group of locals who don’t like the plans Allegra’s father has for redeveloping the castle, but this is something of a diversion.
The group arrive at the castle in high spirits. Unfortunately, on their way there the weather turns and a storm sweeps in. This leaves the group of seven alone in the castle, with rising water blocking off their access to the mainland and heavy winds threatening any attempt they make to leave. You’d think they’d be safe to bunker down and wait the storm out.
That’s the plan. And all is going well until they wake to find one of their party dead. Jai had been injured by falling logs, and it’s feasible that caused her death. Increasingly nervy of the risk posed by the locals the group talk themselves into a heightened sense of anxiety, which seems appropriate as more of their party get picked off in increasingly violent ways.
A slow start, and then things progress at break-neck speed as the numbers are whittled down. It’s hard to get behind our key narrator, and the repetitive nature of the hunt became less effective. However, this was an entertaining read and I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review it before publication.