“An abandoned prison. A deadly game. How far would you go for a dare? Nia would do anything to win the approval of her boyfriend Scott and his friends, especially mean girl Olivia. When Olivia dares Nia to explore an abandoned prison, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to prove herself. Facing dark tunnels, distant noises and creepy mementoes left behind by incarcerated criminals will surely all be worth it. But it isn’t long before Nia and her little sister, Kayla, find themselves trapped inside. And then Kayla vanishes. Suddenly, this feels like more than a game gone wrong. Someone is hellbent on making Nia and Kayla the prison’s last inmates…”
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
Publication Date: February 2nd 2023
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of emotional abuse, sexual coercion and physical violence.
Book 70 of the year, who an Earth am I!?
Off the bat, this book was not at all what I thought it would be. I went into it thinking one thing, but it was something else completely, but I did end up still enjoying it, however.
Nia doesn’t really fit in with her friend group which consists of her boyfriend, Scott, and his group of friends, all from the year above Nia. In that group is Olivia, your typical mean, who Nia thinks wants Scott for herself. Still, she is trying to gain their approval, so when Olivia sends her on a dangerous dare in an abandoned prison, where things only go from bad to worse.
For what I think is going to be a new year debut, Tess (she/her) has done a great job at developing her characters; she makes you like who you should, and dislike who you shouldn’t, and she sets the tone of the abandoned prison perfectly. I do love a YA thriller, and I’ve made that very known in this site, so of course, this is right up my street.
I’d suggest this for fans of Karen M. McManus, Holly Jackson, and anyone else with a similar writing style.
I wish Tess all the best with the launch in February, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future!
Thank you to Team BKMRK for the ARC!
All the love,
Jade x
Tea Stains and Book Spines 