Book Review: Envy by Gregg Olsen

Envy by Gregg Olsen

Hardcover, 285 pgs.

Published Sept 6th, 2011 by Splinter

Reading Level: Young Adult

Source: Publisher *for review*

 

 Murder is such a dirty word…New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.
Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.

Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.

Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.

 Oh ack, this is one of those difficult reviews to write.  Because I was half and half about this book.  I really didn't care for the first half of the book.  I was kind of bored to death.  The style of the writing and the POV's wasn't grabbing me, I wasn't growing attached to any characters and I really wasn't even caring too much about the story and the mystery like I should have been.  I forced myself to continue reading and about halfway it started getting easier and the mystery became more important to me as more details were revealed.  But it wasn't until the last quarter of the book that I could sit down and read straight through and actually not want to put the book down and really was desperate for answers.  I was finally feeling a little more attached to the twins in the story, Hailey and Taylor and their own secrets (or secrets about them) outside of Katelyns death.  So I would say that the last half and especially the last quarter of the book pushed this up to three stars for me.  I also liked the more contemporary issues like the cyber bullying and the realistic parts of the issues the characters had and had to work through.

Now, I know lots of people loved this book so I want to make sure you understand what it was that bothered me.  I didn't care for the style of writing.  It just wasn't for me.  It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't something I was feeling, that I connected with, that compelled me to keep reading.  It was a third person style and jumped around to the different people.  From the twins, to the different mothers, a couple of friends, and even a reporter.  I think maybe seeing all the different thoughts was suppose to maybe add to the mystery, but it just wasn't really working for me.  However, I think fans of mysteries and true crime would enjoy it, just don't go into it expecting to be all creeped out cause it wasn't really all that creepy like I usually imagine a thriller to be.  It was just a mystery with a touch of paranormal like stuff (notice I say touch and paranormal-like, it's definitely not a strong paranormal type theme).  

Once the book picked up, once the pieces started coming together more, I began to feel like I could start making guesses and the book was suddenly much better for me.  I started feeling the mystery and felt like I knew who did what, etc.  And to be honest, I was actually right.  But guessing it correctly didn't ruin the ending in any way. There were many details I hadn't figured out so there was still plenty of surprise. 

Now this is the first in a series so I wondered where it could go and if it would leave off on a cliffhanger, or what?  Well, the book wraps up this mystery but at the end there's a little opener for the next one.  And the finished copy I read had the sneak peek of the next book and it was pretty intense.  I think I'm actually really wanting to read it.  

So although this book sent lots of mixed feelings through me I felt like I could say I like it okay when I'd finished, so I'm giving it three stars and I do recommend it to fans of mysteries, true crime and thrillers (light style thrillers ;).   This one has loads of positive reviews, so be sure to check them out before you cross this one off your list.  

Find the author:

Website | Empty Coffin Website
Readers Discussion Guide

Purchase:

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.