Feral

Last weekend I picked up a tale that I have been wanting to read for quite some time. I dove into my been-wanting-to-read-pile and pulled out something, well since its been awhile, something a bit Feral.Holly Schindler spins a tale from Peculiar, Missouri of two girls meeting under some very strange and horrible occurrences. Some by happenstance? and maybe some by foggy paranormal appearances that happens to the best of us.Claire Cain is the main character and her journey through this tale takes you on a trek, with Holly's writing making you almost a part of her as she gets to the bottom-line of this mystery. Ms. Schindler will absorb you into the main character, a bit hypnotically, don't know how, no need to to question it. Just silent thanks to her as you read.Pace is comfortable and engaging, things are moved along with an outstanding air of mystery through each event. A few of the scenes were depicted quite vividly, so the pace she has set might want to be picked up bit for a few of you readers. Maybe not. Holly has a flair describing gore. Read my full review at Buttonholed Book Reviews

Young adult/mystery/thriller (My age recommendation 16 and up)I started this book looking forward to a good creepy read. I hoped that the feral cats would make for some intense scenes, but they didn't play quite as big of a part in the book as I was hoping for. The book started with a bang and I was instantly drawn into the story. Sadly, things slowed down a bit and didn't really pick back up until closer to the end of the book.Claire suffers two traumatic events in a years time span. Though she does see a therapist after the first event, she is reluctant to talk to anyone after the second one. I felt that her dad should have been more forceful in getting her help after the second event, instead he handles her with kid gloves and Claire spins out of control as she tries to deal with things on her own. She suffers multiple events where she sees things that aren't there and the descriptions of those scenes got to be a bit repetitive. I will say that the author did a good job of explaining those events near the end of the book and it did make sense why there were so many similar scenes, I just wish the descriptions had been more diverse.While it wasn't quite as creepy as I had hoped for, I did enjoy this book and I would be willing to read another book by this author.

'Feral' is a gripping young adult thriller that tells the story of two girls who are linked by horrible circumstances. Claire Cain is the main character of the book. She begins the book by living in Chicago with a good life - a super close best friend, awards for her journalism articles, and even a small piece of fame after exposing and busting a drug ring that infiltrated her private school. Claire's life is going according to her plan - which all leads to becoming an important journalist one day. One day during an ice storm, her entire world is turned upside down when she gets attacked and almost beaten to death by the drug gang she got arrested. After her physical injuries finally heal, life doesn't feel the same for Claire, so she agrees to go to the small town of Peculiar, Missouri with her father. On the day that Claire arrives in Peculiar, an ice storm is hitting the town - and the fate of another teen girl who wants to be a journalist is being decided. Only this girl, Serena, isn't as lucky as Claire - she is killed and her body stashed in the woods outside the school. Things go from bad to worse when Claire discovers Serena's body and begins to "see" the truth behind Peculiar. But what exactly is truth and what is in Claire's mind? She needs to find out what really happened to Serena before she becomes the next victim.I absolutely love thrillers, so after reading the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. The concept of the book was a great one - part mystery, part thriller, and part paranormal/ghost story - with the main character having to determine what's real and what's in her head before it's too late. The characters were all well written, especially the lead character - Claire. She's strong and smart, but she's also suffering from some PTSD after her brutal attack. She has some trouble recovering emotionally from the incident and the terrible situation in Peculiar only makes things worse. I really liked getting to know all the sides of Claire's character - to watch her piece together the mystery of Peculiar, of the horrible things that happened to her in Chicago, and just how much damage it has caused her. The other characters were well written - the author did a great job of making some characters red herrings before throwing huge twists and turns into the plot. I always love trying to figure out what's really going on or what happened before the main character does, but I kept come up short with this book. I would think I had things figured out, but then a bit twist in the plot pops up and I'm stuck again. I was definitely reading as fast as I could to finally see the truth and what actually happened. The plot was very intriguing and blended several genres together to create an original story that will appeal to a lot of readers. Along with the plot twists and the unique story line, the author uses fantastic descriptions and vivid imagery to make the reader feel like they are right beside Claire in Peculiar, trying to figure out what's going on. I found this to be a wonderful thriller that fans of the genre will definitely want to get their hands on. I also recommend it to those who enjoy lots of other genres as well - there's a bit of something for everyone. I'm definitely going to keep my eye on the author to see what she comes out with next!Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

this book was absolutely amazing. it was a really good and i would recommend it to all thriller, mystery readers. there were some amazing twists and turns in the plot which kept the book fresh and exciting.

I loved this it kept me guessing at every turn and i loved the character so much she blends the line between madness and supernatural so well shes such a talented and author and if you love psychological thrillers you'll love this i cant wait for her next book