Ratings4
Average rating3.5
Yasmin, a high school misfit who desperately wants to fit in, notices a strange, sinister-looking man stalking Alice, the most popular girl in the school. Yasmin develops a relationship with him despite her resolution to use him to become a hero.
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This was a quick read, but not as creepy or thought-provoking as I was hoping for. In fact I didn't find it creepy at all until the very last page (I did like that ending!). The novel is very much YA, narrated by Yasmin, a troubled 15 year old, who becomes convinced that a stranger she's seen near her school is about to kidnap her classmate. I found it very difficult to be at all convinced by Yasmin's suspicions. Yasmin is naive, irrational, and irresponsible, all understandably because of the personal issues she is facing, but that made it hard to be invested in the plot when the conclusions she was making seemed so unlikely or the decisions she made so reckless. And this is very much a plot-driven novel, because through Yasmin's words all the characters seem very bland and passive, most likely because Yasmin at this stage in her life is struggling to connect and communicate with anyone around her. It's understandable why she sees the world like this, but it makes for a rather uninteresting read when she becomes so obsessed with certain characters (after the slightest sign of affection, due to her loneliness) who to the reader seem lifeless and dull. It's not very satisfying when clearly there is a lot of potential depth in these characters that would never be uncovered with Yasmin as a narrator. Not for me. I guess as I wanted more depth and mystery, but one I'd recommended others try if they're more into YA and the perspective of an unhappy teenager.
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