The Rules

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Memorial Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2015

Review

High school student August is a likable, but very flawed and confused protagonist. August DeYoung wants revenge. Revenge for the death/murder of his sister Alexa. That is easy to do when you have a genius I.Q. and have rich and absentee parents. Their idea of helping him through his grief is to buy him a new Porsche. August takes his time and plots his revenge carefully. First he needs to become popular, which he does by hosting amazing parties with scavenger hunts. It is during what he calls his last party that his revenge plan comes to fruition. All those he feels had a hand in his sister's suffering and death and all who betrayed and made fun of August will suffer this night. And boy do they suffer and die. The bodies are dropping, and in very painful and gruesome ways. But, is August really exacting his revenge? Is this what he really meant to do? Or is there another killer at work? The tension mounts. This is psychological thriller, mystery and horror writing at its best. All set against the backdrop of high school social hierarchy and drama. Each chapter is from one particular character's viewpoint, as well as what they are enduring in this brutal scavenger hunt. At the beginning of each chapter is a rule that that particular character lives by and through that you see the story from their perspective. This progresses the story and the tension along nicely. Is August guilty or will someone discover who the real culprit is? The reader is in for an exhilarating and scary ride. This is a plot and action driven novel. There is not a lot of character development. But there is enough to understand the characters and what they did to deserve to be invited to the deadly scavenger hunt. It would have been nice to have a bit more backstory on August and his family as well as his sister's mental illness and what things were like before they moved to California. But that in now way effects the enjoyment of this book. Not to over use the word "very", but very tensely written, very scary and a whole lot of fun to read.

Overall Book Score: excellent