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Ten

by Gretchen McNeil (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 2,445 ratings · 759 reviews

SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published September 18th 2012 by Balzer + Bray

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YA Novels of 2012

172nd out of 1,183 books — 8,526 voters

September 2012

9th out of 182 books — 266 voters

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Jul 19, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-publication, harpercollins, september, young-adult, mystery-traditional, read-2012, annoying-main-characters, retellings

A group of teenagers arrive on an isolated island for a party weekend. But one by one, they all start to die...

If I'd never read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, or as it used to be called, Ten Little Indians (view spoiler), this retelling of that classic mystery might've been a more agreeable surprise with its many twists and turns. Even though my recollection of the specific details of who did what in the original story are fairly fu...more A group of teenagers arrive on an isolated island for a party weekend. But one by one, they all start to die...

If I'd never read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, or as it used to be called, Ten Little Indians (view spoiler), this retelling of that classic mystery might've been a more agreeable surprise with its many twists and turns. Even though my recollection of the specific details of who did what in the original story are fairly fuzzy, it's clear that Ten relies very heavily upon that story's red herrings and plot structure, so the way this story is told is a big factor in whether or not this was an enjoyable reading experience.

Unfortunately, I wasn't keen on the writing style, and I found most of the characters to be pretty annoying. Even if they're supposed to be annoying and I'm supposed to want them offed, it seems as though you should still feel something when they all start dying one by one, no? The protagonist and love interest are just fine, but hardly remarkable in any way, and each of the characters seems like a chess piece that's moved around a board rather than real people that you actually care something about. It doesn't help that everyone talks in annoying teen-speak, or that the book veers between hum drum predictable scenes to campy, shrieky (though non-graphic) violence.

I did find the way some of the murders was updated to be kind of interesting (in the original story, the method of each killing paralleled an English nursery rhyme), as well as the overall motivation for the murders. And to be fair, while I thought the idea of a YA retelling of this story seemed intriguing, it is hard to introduce 10 characters and a mystery and to kill everybody off within 300 pages. The charmingly simplistic whodunit Christie structure might also perhaps feel outdated to a modern audience, particularly when (view spoiler). But that's the thing about retellings when they're too faithful to their launching pad and they don't have enough of inspiration or ingenuity on their own: they just don't fly.

This book has very high ratings so far, and may very well end up being popular for readers who aren't familiar with the source material or who are a little more patient with unbrainy horror books or movies. But if you don't fall into one of those two categories, it might be best to give this one a miss.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.(less)

96 likes · like · see review

Nov 24, 2012 karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya, continuations-n-retellings

this isn't going to be one of my two-star reviews where i trash the book and scream and moan about how terrible it was. because it wasn't that it was terrible, it was just...trite. if you have read a million books, like i have, there is nothing here that is going to surprise you (except for the fact that the people in this book put TOMATOES in the FRIDGE!! - why would you ruin a perfectly good tomato???).

it is sortof kindof a retelling of and then there were none, but not really, not at the end...more

60 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Blythe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-favorites, 2012-reads, didn-t-see-that-coming, exceeded-my-expectations, hand-me-some-tissues, highly-anticipating-2012, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, losing-my-faith-in-humanity, surprised-i-didn-t-hate-it, read-reviewed

Vengeance is mine; I will repay.
For the time when their foot shall slide.
For the day of their disaster is near.
And their doom comes swiftly.

Ten is the story of ten (ha! Get it? Because the book is called Ten? Ah. I'll just stop now...) teenagers who are all invited to a secret house party on a secluded island over the course of a three-day weekend. Expecting to have a fun, drunken and hormonally stereotypical time at the party, best friends Meg and Minnie decide to go, despite Meg's reservatio...more

24 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

The words were centered on the title page, written in red ink. It should have been ominous. It should have kept Meg from turning the next page.

Not so much.

The word (review) was my own addition.

Who ever listens when told to stop doing something? The words "keep out" aren't much different from waving a red cape in front of an angry bull. It only dares us to charge right in.

You know, I can't even fault her for doing it. If people were dropping like flies all around me (this is not a spoiler...I w...more

21 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Mitch rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: attack-of-the-clones, no-just-no

The last time I remember seeing this setup - a seemingly random group of people is lured to a remote mansion where they’re killed one by one in ever more gruesome fashion in a half-crazed bid for revenge, it was an episode of Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane cribbed the plot from Agatha Christie, sure, but it was still a damn funny parody. In Ten, Gretchen McNeil takes that exact same well-worn story of horror and revenge, but adds nothing new to it really.

The only thing this book doesn’t lack for is...more The last time I remember seeing this setup - a seemingly random group of people is lured to a remote mansion where they’re killed one by one in ever more gruesome fashion in a half-crazed bid for revenge, it was an episode of Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane cribbed the plot from Agatha Christie, sure, but it was still a damn funny parody. In Ten, Gretchen McNeil takes that exact same well-worn story of horror and revenge, but adds nothing new to it really.

The only thing this book doesn’t lack for is strong writing, McNeil’s White Rock House is the quintessential house of horrors, isolated, foreboding, all bleak lines and sharp angles. A perfect roost for a would-be murderer. But the actual plot, though, I’m being very diplomatic when I say almost the entirety of the book consists of nothing but a string of horror movie cliches. There are the ten dinner… er weekend guests, each one besides protagonist Meg and love interest T.J. suffering from ever worsening character flaws that just beg for them to be offed for their bad behavior. Meg, and to a lesser extent T.J., is the saint whose flaw is being too nice and caring and thus deserve to survive a little longer than the first couple of victims so she can discover the identity of the murderer and rant about how unfair and crazy the killer’s entire plan is. And since the whole thing is entirely by the books, deciding whether Meg and T.J. survive or not was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.

But I wouldn’t be nearly as frustrated with Ten if the characters weren’t so genre savvy, if they weren’t so acutely aware of all these horror tropes, yet still insist on falling into all these cliches anyway. Dead man walking Nathan points out how the black character’s usually the first one to die in a horror film, but that is like the only trope this book successfully avoids. There’s the initial staged suicide that leaves everyone wondering whether there really is a murderer, or if it was just an accident. Yeah, after the previous, I don’t know, three or four creepy and suspicious scenes, I’d at least look into it, but no. Don’t know what these guys are doing. And after the second death, it becomes incredibly frustrating, like McNeil has this checklist of horror tropes and she’s just checking them off as she goes along. Mistrust and suspicions fall on each other Lord of the Flies style. Check. Details about the killer are slowly revealed through intentional breadcrumbs. Check. People are idiots and wander off to their deaths. Check. At this point, I feel like I’m reading a handbook on how to write horror rather than an actual horror novel, and I’m not even spoiling the massive cliche of an ending.

Maybe the by the books plot could’ve been saved by some actually decent characters, but that didn’t happen, so I’ll never know. Most of the characters, Vivian, Minnie, Kenny, are, no surprise, written as completely unlikable tools since they deserve to die, basically, but even the ones who arguably didn’t, Gunner, Kumiko, I really wish they hadn’t been written with such flat characterizations because it seems to me like this book is more concerned with who did what with whom during Prom, even if that is important to the plot, than fleshing out the players. None of them were really all that interesting. Even Meg ends up being such a weak and needy character and T.J. such a blank slate that the ending, rather than being emotional, fell really flat. I’m more pissed at the way everything (predictably) went down than who the killer was, what his motives were, or which characters survived the ordeal.

I guess what I’m saying is that I got nothing new out of this book. The plot ran off a formula, the characters fell flat, and the ending, this isn’t my first horror show, I’ve seen it all before.

Tldr: Just watch And Then There Were Fewer. Family Guy does it better.(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2013 Evie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-ya, september-2012, wish-list, 2012-contemporary, contemporary, 2013-contemporary-month

I think I need a cold shower, cup of hot choco and a teddy bear to snuggle up with.
This book destroyed my mental stability.
Suck on a thumb much?

15 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Rayne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-sept, characters-flat-as-a-board, can-i-get-my-hours-back, death, disappointing, horror, i-have-to-bleach-my-eyes-now, mystery, pathetic-excuse-for-a-heroine, school-life, stand-alone-novel, there-s-romance-in-there-somewhere, thriller, totally-saw-that-coming, young-adult

Review originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2012/1...

This book is exactly what my Halloween night tradition with my boyfriend, siblings and friends is all about. Horrible and painfully predictable slasher/mystery/horror movies full of cliches and stereotyped characters, with no structure or brains to the plot. It's stupid and silly; you know it, I know it, we all know it, but there's a part of us that still enjoy them regardless of how predictable and silly they are. That alone is...more Review originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2012/1...

This book is exactly what my Halloween night tradition with my boyfriend, siblings and friends is all about. Horrible and painfully predictable slasher/mystery/horror movies full of cliches and stereotyped characters, with no structure or brains to the plot. It's stupid and silly; you know it, I know it, we all know it, but there's a part of us that still enjoy them regardless of how predictable and silly they are. That alone is why I gave it 2 stars, because if I were to be completely honest, this book would get a very lonely star. This book entertained me and, quite truthfully, I couldn't stop reading. But it was so bad, just so, so, so very bad.

There's nothing particularly original about this novel. Anyone keeping track of the slasher movies to hit theaters since the early 90's will no doubt be able to identify the murderer as soon as the characters show up and they will have a clear idea of how the story will progress. Mysterious setting? Check. No power or way to communicate with the outside world? Check. Freaky DVD that came out of nowhere? Check. Group of every teenage stereotype you can think of? Check. Protagonist that seems to be the only one equipped with a half-functioning brain, but is shy and pure and such a good friend that she lets others walk all over her, especially her best friend? Check. Super hot guy no one can resist? Check. Freaky, black-haired girl with mysterious ties to everyone in the house? Check and checked. Horrible jokes and time for insensitive comments and hookups in spite of the tower of bodies next to them? Girl ruining her life because one freaking guy did not pay attention to her? Oh, you know the answer to those two.

The writing is uninspiring and fails miserably to set a good and believable suspenseful mood for the story. I was laughing and rolling my eyes about five times per page. The whole setup was too far-fetched right from the start. The story is horribly, almost painfully predictable and I honestly can't say I felt bad for any of the characters getting killed. What's worse, some characters were constructed in a way so that you wouldn't feel so bad about them getting killed, which really hurts the overall point of a novel about a bunch of people getting killed off. If you care about no one in there, if some of them you would actually be glad about being offed, then what's the point in a novel like this? One of the few good things I can say about the book is that, freaking finally, we have a black guy who's the one that's wanted and not the bestie of the main love interest. That was a really refreshing change that I truly appreciated.

I was really looking forward to this novel. I previously read, loved and reviewed here the author's first book Possess, so I know McNeil can write and can manage suspense and creepiness very well, so my expectations for this one were very high. As you can see, though, I was sorely disappointed. But, if I had to say one thing in defense for the book is that I was entertained at least for a few hours.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 17, 2012 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-favorites, 2012-top-12

I can't even begin to explain how much I love TEN! TEN is a fast-paced thriller, with jump-out-of-your-seat moments, secrets that will shock you, and an ending that will terrify you until the very last page.

I should start off by saying that i read TEN in one night: start to finish. I couldn't put it down! McNeil composed a mystery novel in which all of the events in this book actually made sense. She did a terrific job with this novel, and I would recommend it to anybody -- mystery lover or not...more I can't even begin to explain how much I love TEN! TEN is a fast-paced thriller, with jump-out-of-your-seat moments, secrets that will shock you, and an ending that will terrify you until the very last page.

I should start off by saying that i read TEN in one night: start to finish. I couldn't put it down! McNeil composed a mystery novel in which all of the events in this book actually made sense. She did a terrific job with this novel, and I would recommend it to anybody -- mystery lover or not!

Our main protagonist Meg is a very likeable character. She's always there for her friends, always wants to help out, and is always sharp on the tack. Especially when it comes to murders around her. I never once found her to be annoying or idiotic, like some characters are in books that feature murders. Minnie, on the other hand, is a very completely different story. She's quick-tempered and will push anybody aside to get what she wants. Minnie is definitely not the best of friends in YA literature.

And the whole thing with a serial killer murdering these ten teens on an island cut off from the rest of the world . . . mind equals blown. If you don't know, TEN is an inspired story by Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. I thought that Gretchen did a great job at tackling that very popular mystery novel, and I wanted more and more after I read the last page! Fantastic!

THE. ENDING. No spoilers here, but GUYS. WOW. My jaw was literally open for the entire final fifty pages. McNeil had me on the edge of my seat; I was even checking over my shoulder to make sure the killer wasn't standing behind me! Love it when a book makes me do that! And like I said before, everything makes sense in the end! Didn't see a bunch things coming in this novel.

One last thing before I end this review: somebody in Hollywood, PLEASE buy the movie rights to TEN! This would make a killer movie! (no pun intended) Thrilling, captivating and scary; TEN deserves to be on the big screen!

Overall, TEN is one of my favorite novels of 2012! If you want a novel with secrets and betrayals, shocking moments and terrifying conclusions, TEN is definitely the book you should buy!(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 13, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, 2012-reading-challenge, 2012-reads, bea-2012, best-of-2012

My full review won't be up until a little closer to publication date, but this has got to be one of my favorite reads of the year! It reminded me a lot of old school YA, the horror/thriller stories of my own youth. The style is more Christoper Pike (and ya'll know I love Pike) than R.L. Stine, with teens actually behaving in a teen manner.

I was a bit afraid that this book would end up watered down and that only one or two people would die off screen, but nope, McNeil brings the horror! I was th...more

7 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Scott Pilgrim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, must-read-2012, retellings, mystery, contemporary

Find this review and so much more at Scott Reads It

Thank you to Balzer + Bray for providing me with an ARC!

What a book! I'm so glad that I read this horror/thriller because it was awesome. Ten is a fast paced thriller that I read in a couple of hours. There is never a dull moment in Ten and you're eyes will be glued to the page. I know that when I was reading I ignored everything else around me because I was so immersed in Ten.

Ten is the story of ten teens who are invited to an island for a p...more

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 31, 2012 Jord¥n rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, disappointed, horror

Too predictable. Which sucks cause this was one of my most anticipated books of the year for me. I loved her other book, Possess, so I was thrilled to hear she was writing a novel about teens being stranded on a island with a killer dropping them off like flies. My. Kind. Of. Book! Sadly, in the end, it just wasn't the book I had hoped it would be.

What I liked:
. The fast pace. I finished this within two days, it kept my interest and made me really think hard on who the killer might be. In my ca...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Gabrielle Carolina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: september, harper, own

I could write a long, ranting review, but here's the skinny:

If you loved Gretchen McNiel's debut and love angsty teen stories, no matter how they take shape, or even if they take shape, then keep this one on your TBR and enjoy every melodramatic minute.

If you're a Gretchen newbie intrigued by Ten's premise and haven't read Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None yet, push this one back on your must-have list and grab the original then decide.

If like me you're new to McNeil and wanted to try T...more

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Me, My Shelf and I rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read

Once you open this book, you will be unable to set it done until you turn the last page! It was completely and totally, unputdownable!

Ten is a terrifying, bloody and suspense filled roller coaster ride, you'll get back in line for again and again!

YA definitely needs more Horror/Suspense novels, and Gretchen McNeil just set the standard by which all future books in the genre will be compared!

(Full review to come closer to release date! Watch www.MeMyShelfAndI.com for blog tour, interviews and gi...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Jill Heather rated it 1 of 5 stars

Have you read And Then There Were None? Congratulations, you've already read this book, except it was better the first time. The plots are identical, except all the vengeance is about high school stuff and this book is even more offensive about mental illness.

On the other hand, did you desperately want Christie's book to end with an entirely unearned happy ending and without the "here's how it all went down in clever detail" chapter? Even then, you don't want to read this book.

Also, and most o...more

11 likes · like · see review

Oct 22, 2012 Aneeqah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, 2012-ya-contemp, 2012-standalone, wishlist

I love all the creepiness in this book, although it was a little too similar to And Then There Were None for my taste. I wish it wouldn't have followed the book so closely!

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 26, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, book-club

Ten really reminded me of the Christopher Pike I obsessively read when I was 13. (For the record, my favorite was Die Softly--that was super creepy and now I kind of want to re-read it.) This is a retelling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, which is a really messed up story (and very much worth reading if you like horror/scary books) and Ten isn't as disturbed as the source material (particularly the ending); Ten also isn't faithful to the nursery rhyme like the original, though it...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Jen (A Book and a Latte) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bea-2012, signed-by-author, own-arc

Originally posted on A Book and a Latte:

Creepy. Suspenseful. Thrilling.

Wow. Gretchen McNeil knows how to set a creepy scene! The creepiness begins at the very start with the characters arriving on the island. From the description of the island itself, to the layout of White Rock House, Gretchen sets the scene and gears you up for this thriller!

TEN is told in the third person, focusing around Meg. At some point I wished it was told in the first person from Meg’s perspective, but looking back, ov...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Sarah (The Book Life) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: harpercollins, reread-worthy

Originally posted at The Book Life; http://www.thebooklife.com/2012/08/te...

Oh my gosh! Ten is the first book that I've read by Gretchen McNeil and you better believe that I will be pulling Possess off of my shelf soon, to give it a read, too!

Reading Ten was kind of like reading a horror movie in book form, it actually kind of reminded me of that tv show from a few years ago, Harper's Island. Not that the story was the same thing, but the format was similar. A bunch of people, in this case teen...more

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May 11, 2013 Monica Murphy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book. Keep me on the edge of my seat, loved the diverse cast of characters and well written. Like reading a scary movie - loved it!

1 like · like · see review

Jun 09, 2013 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was supposed to be the party of their lifetime , out on a deserted island in a big flash house with only the exclusive invited. However, life had a whole different plan for these Ten party animals. Years ago, I read a Point Horror novel where a teen had a party and then they had to run for their lives as a psycho killer was after them and the whole party had been a set-up and the killer was exacting their revenge on them all. I forgot the title of the book but never the premise as at the tim...more

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Jun 03, 2013 Nic rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-a-boooat, sucks-to-be-everyone-in-this-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Silly as it might sound, I really had to think about whether to tag this book "on a boat." There are only a few scenes, none of them very long, that take place on boats. On the other hand, at least one of those scenes is very important. On the other other hand (that's hand number three - borrow a friend's!), most of the time, the boat in question is moored in a boathouse while people are on it.

ANYWAY. A decent murder story, heavy on the cheese, which is sort of inexplicably what I was in the moo...more Silly as it might sound, I really had to think about whether to tag this book "on a boat." There are only a few scenes, none of them very long, that take place on boats. On the other hand, at least one of those scenes is very important. On the other other hand (that's hand number three - borrow a friend's!), most of the time, the boat in question is moored in a boathouse while people are on it.

ANYWAY. A decent murder story, heavy on the cheese, which is sort of inexplicably what I was in the mood for. There are some logic gaps, but a lot of them are of the, "why haven't you realized this obvious fact?" variety, which is excusable given that the characters are all scared teenagers.

The main actual problem I see is the fact that the diary Meg finds, Claire's diary, conveniently doesn't use people's names. Well, it does use names when they don't matter to this story (e.g. her therapist) or when it will make Meg and the reader think the wrong thing (e.g. Tom), but otherwise, it's "The Boy" this and "her" that. As I say, convenient. Since it turns out that Tom wanted Meg to find the journal, and he forged a couple of pages, I suppose it's POSSIBLE that he actually rewrote the whole diary to leave out people's names, but that seems unlikely, since he doesn't mention it during his villainous monologue.

Random thought: Minnie's mental illness, though handled in a way that might be a bit problematic, makes her character more sympathetic and her relationship with Meg more interesting. And, you know, Minnie's death more tragic.

Oh, and this was kind of funny to me: right up until Ben's real identity as Tom is revealed, I was so sure that the unidentified burned body found at the beginning of the book was Jessica's. "Jessica" invites them all to this party at her family's island beach house, and then she doesn't show up? But apparently rather than kill her, Tom just had her invited to another party so she'd be out of the way. Too bad he didn't do that for the Lawrences . . .

Also, is it weird that the villain monologue Tom has mostly makes me think he's super annoying? I just want to shake him and be like YOUR LOGIC, IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE! YOU KILLED PEOPLE FOR REASONS THAT ARE DUMB!(less)

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May 25, 2013 Adrienne ツ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Adrienne ツ by: Jasmine

Shelves: annoying-main-characters, ebooks, mystery-suspense, owned, stand-alone, unputdownable

One by one they will pay...

Meg and Minnie, best friends since seventh grade, are invited to a super-secret party hosted by one of the most popular girls in their school. It takes place on a remote island and the ferry that delivered them there isn't due back for three days. Meg and Minnie are focused on having fun and enjoying the view. But less than twelve hours later gruesome "accidents" start to happen and the atmosphere around the teenagers change.

Soon Meg and the others realize that there'...more

1 like · like · see review

May 17, 2013 Jam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-contemporaries

Mind. Blown.

This book was literally like watching a movie. Such a good page-turner. And every time I was convinced I knew who the killer was, the story spun me in a different direction and continually kept surprising me. I loved how the story unfolded. My only complaint is that some of the characters were seriously annoying and pissed me off--but hey, what scary movie doesn't have its share of annoying characters we'd love to see killed off, right? And I guess that means McNeil did a decent job...more

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May 02, 2013 Life Between Coffee Spoons rated it 2 of 5 stars

If you look at my favorites shelf, you'll find And Then There Were None front and center. So, naturally I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this teen retelling. Even though I didn't set the bar very high, I'm not sure McNeil managed to hit my low expectations.

Ten follows the plot of the original closely, but with shallower characters, gratuitous f-bombs, and trite cultural references. Ten teens are invited to a secluded island for a weekend party but slowly begin to realize something isn'...more If you look at my favorites shelf, you'll find And Then There Were None front and center. So, naturally I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this teen retelling. Even though I didn't set the bar very high, I'm not sure McNeil managed to hit my low expectations.

Ten follows the plot of the original closely, but with shallower characters, gratuitous f-bombs, and trite cultural references. Ten teens are invited to a secluded island for a weekend party but slowly begin to realize something isn't quite kosher when death invites itself along and all communication is lost with the mainland. The killer's motivation ends up being one of the better aspects of the novel.

Strip it of the recycled plot and you're left with a mass of flat characters, most of whom I kept getting mixed up (Hint: If you're not going to have good characterization, don't name your two main protagonists something as similar as Meg and Minnie). The language felt more childish than teen and so much like the author was trying to be hip with the overuse of colloquialisms and references to movies, music, etc. Also, I don't care about whatever amount of cussing you want to throw in, but don't throw it in for the sake of trying to be cool and grown up. The haphazard f-words felt forced and distracting, especially since they were surrounded by one or two other curse words the entire book. And they weren't used in a oh-we're-teens-and-we-only-say-the-f-word kind of way, but rather a oh-I-haven't-cussed-in-five-pages-better-do-so kind of way.

Maybe I just have too much admiration for the source material and am too old to appreciate this kind of novel, but I don't think so. I would recommend it mostly for readers who really devour mysteries. It's definitely YA, with almost every thought or conversation revolving around boys, with a dash of school thrown in. There is some kissing and conversations about whether people have slept together, but nothing detailed. The violence is fairly tame, with none of the murders described in detail.(less)

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Apr 28, 2013 Adam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Every reader has a tell--that one inner thought that shows up at some point during an especially awful book and announces, in its shrillest voice, what we dare not acknowledge out loud: every page after this one is going to be a chore rather than a pleasure--something you now have to do rather than something you want to do or get to do. You won't quit the book, obviously, because that's not what good readers do; not every book can be a gem, after all, and perhaps there will be something redeemin...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Koral Polidore rated it 5 of 5 stars

**SPOILER AT THE END** This book was amazing!!!! :) It was like 13 Reasons Why mixed with the TV show Harpers Island! The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat! I couldn't put it down! I was completely shocked who the killer was!

shocked gif photo: tumblr_m08u17wTv31r0byljo1_250.gif

Totally wasn't expecting that! I liked how every1 was there 4 a reason and it really clicked once the killer was revealed! The only thing that kinda bothered me was that TJ said never let Minnie get between us again 2 Meg but I think that was a little inconsiderate...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Hylary Locsin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Meg and her best friend Minnie have been invited to the party of the year at the isolated vacation home of the uber-popular Jessica Lawrence. Jessica’s family owns a mansion on Henry Island off the coast of Washington, and only a select group received the invitation to stay at the parentless house for the weekend. Meg is used to being in Minnie’s shadow, especially when it comes to handsome footba...more Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

Meg and her best friend Minnie have been invited to the party of the year at the isolated vacation home of the uber-popular Jessica Lawrence. Jessica’s family owns a mansion on Henry Island off the coast of Washington, and only a select group received the invitation to stay at the parentless house for the weekend. Meg is used to being in Minnie’s shadow, especially when it comes to handsome football-star T.J. Fletcher. Minnie has been trying to get with T.J. for years, but Meg has never told her that she is secretly in love with him as well. To Meg’s surprise, T.J. was also invited to Jessica’s party, along with his best friend, and Minnie’s ex, Gunner, and nine other people. Although there’s a storm raging outside and they’re the only house around, everything seems set for a weekend of fun. Meg soon realizes, however, that the party is not what it seems. The guests begin to die in mysterious ways one-by-one, each death accompanied by a slash painted in dripping red on the wall. It soon becomes clear that everyone who was invited to the party is there for a reason, and that there is a murderer in the house who is seeking vengeance. But what is the link between the partygoers, and can they survive long enough to determine who the killer is?

In the vein of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None comes this story by veteran author Gretchen McNeil. Murder mysteries are not something you find too often in young adult literature, and the McNeil puts up a valiant effort in transforming this concept for a young adult audience. While there are some genuinely creepy moments in the novel and it is well-written, the mystery of the killer’s identity and why the party guests were invited to the house on Henry Island is, unfortunately, very obvious from the beginning of the story. Since the primary objective of the book is to keep the reader guessing as to how the events will unfold, the fact that there isn’t much mystery diminishes the good points of the novel. The relationship between Meg and her best friend Minnie is interesting, particularly since Minnie struggles with bipolar disorder and Meg is her self-imposed caretaker. Expanding on this aspect of the story would have added a lot more depth, but the author never really gets into it at more than a surface level. The romance between Meg and T.J. is also enjoyable, but never gets a chance to truly blossom either, with the author focusing more on the murders. For teens who have never read a mystery or who want something that goes by quickly, Ten is a good option that will, at least, keep them entertained. For readers who want something with a little more depth, however, there isn’t enough meat on the bones of this novel to make it a worthwhile read.

When I read the book jacket for this novel I was super excited to pick it up. An Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery for teens isn’t something you see every day. Unfortunately, while I found the book to be well-written and there were some creepy moments, I found the mystery to be far too predictable. I am by no means a mystery novel buff or an expert at figuring out who did what, but I had the plot figured out a few chapters in. I’m not sure if the mystery was intentionally not too complicated, but there really was no suspense. I do think that this book might be a good choice for a reluctant reader or for a teen who has never experienced a murder mystery novel, but other than that I would skip this one. (less)

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Apr 20, 2013 Books rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-2013

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was looking forward to reading Ten as it has a phenomenal cover and intriguing premise. I love mysteries and thrillers, but I’m sad to say that this was a disappointing read for me. Apparently it’s based on one of Agatha Christie’s novels, but I haven’t read any of her books yet, so I can’t compare the two.

There were a lot of things that bothered me about the plot, but my biggest complaint is the silly and unnecessary romance in this story. It would’ve f...more I have mixed feelings about this book. I was looking forward to reading Ten as it has a phenomenal cover and intriguing premise. I love mysteries and thrillers, but I’m sad to say that this was a disappointing read for me. Apparently it’s based on one of Agatha Christie’s novels, but I haven’t read any of her books yet, so I can’t compare the two.

There were a lot of things that bothered me about the plot, but my biggest complaint is the silly and unnecessary romance in this story. It would’ve functioned well without two of the characters trying to rekindle their lost love. Meg’s constant inner-thoughts about T.J., her fantasizing about him kissing her, and all the what-ifs she was constantly contemplating, had me glossing over some of the pages. I don’t really mind romance in books. Honestly, I don’t. But I do expect authors who work romance into their stories to give me something new. Something so different it makes me fall in love with their character(s), or at the very least something that would take my breath away (like in Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry). In this story, Meg is a bland, irritatingly sappy character. I mean, she discovers a body, goes into a panic for about two paragraphs about there being a murderer on the loose, but then, for the next ten pages, switches to daydreaming about T.J. Can you blame me for thinking “what the heck?” The romance was obviously used as story filler since it added nothing to the plot.

Don’t even get me started on T.J. Heaven knows I’ve never come across a more naïve, oblivious character than him. The rest of the characters aren’t even worth mentioning. The author didn’t even bother to establish that connection between the reader and the rest of the characters, as they get murdered faster than the speed of light. The plot itself is pretty standard. Nothing new is added to the story that I haven’t seen in a typical murder mystery movie before. The ending? Meh. I can assure you it’s nothing you haven’t already seen in countless low-budget thriller movies. Oh, and the journal found by Meg which is supposedly from a seventeen-year-old suicide victim, reads like an adolescent’s diary. No wonder she was shunned by the other high school kids.

So those were some of the things I didn’t enjoy about the book. There were also a few things I did enjoy and which motivated me to finish the book. Like I said, the ending wasn’t anything spectacular, but the suspense and build-up to the “who-dunnit” was quite nerve-wracking. Halfway into the story I’ve suspected just about every character who was still alive at that point. I know of many readers who didn’t like Minnie’s character because of her erratic behavior, but I think the author did great to throw such a character into the mix. Despite my complaints about the things I didn’t enjoy, I think that Ten is a good read, just not a great read. Apart from the drawn out syrupy romance, the plot itself moved quite fast. The gore is kept to a minimum which makes this a suitable read for younger readers and sensitive readers alike. I’ll definitely read more of this author’s books.
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Apr 14, 2013 Webster Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

An invitation to a weekend party on an exclusive island, best friends Meg and Minnie thought they were going to relax and enjoy the company of friends, crushes, and meet new people. Both wanted to be at the party for their own reasons. Meg has a secret crush on T.J., while Minnie flaunts her love to everyone. Meg is a writer and an observer. She is anxious to see how this weekend will turn out. A raging storm brings new troubles for everyone. The party started out fun, until after dinner, what b...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Audric rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013, high-school, really-stupid-characters

First of all : there are a few minor spoilers below, so read at your own risk!

Here's how the story starts:

A girl and her best friend go to a secret party on a remote island hosted by the ex-best friend of the POV's best friend, who is no longer her best friend because she is now best friend with the POV. On the island, they discover that the guy the POV's best friend has a crush on is also there, and it turns out that the POV is also in love with him but hasn't told her best friend because... we...more First of all : there are a few minor spoilers below, so read at your own risk!

Here's how the story starts:

A girl and her best friend go to a secret party on a remote island hosted by the ex-best friend of the POV's best friend, who is no longer her best friend because she is now best friend with the POV. On the island, they discover that the guy the POV's best friend has a crush on is also there, and it turns out that the POV is also in love with him but hasn't told her best friend because... well, she's her best friend! There is also the guy's best friend, whom the POV's best friend dated to get closer to her crush (obviously). This guy is now dating the friend of the host's best friend, and finally there's the guy currently dating the host (who doesn't seem to be anybody best friend, poor guy :/ ). Then there is a bunch of flat and cliché characters (the Know-It-All Girl, the Dumb-Racist-Homophobic Guy, tec...) who are just there to get killed.

The host of the party isn't here, and it doesn't seem to disturb anyone (except the POV because she is so smart, even though she went to a remote island party with a bunch of people she doesn't know with her lunatic best friend, who treats her more like a dog than a human).

You got my point : the characters are bad. Like really, really bad. And they are so stupid that I actually believed they wanted to get killed ("Hey, wait here in the middle of night, all alone, while I go get whatever it is I forgot" / "hey let's split up while we're searching the house!" / "hey, I found out who the killer is but I'm not gonna tell you now because there are dead people around and I don't wanna talk about their killer in front of them, so let's wait until we get out to reveal what readers already figured out 20 chapters ago!")

On the other hand, I can't argue the fact that the story moves at a high pace, and I read it very quickly (that's why I picked it in the first place).

I could have rated it 2 stars, because it was quite fun to read since I laughed at all the decisions the characters made, but I think the average rate is far too high.

To all of you who were actually scared by the book and the ending, I would really like to know what you thought was so scary? (And I say this in a respectfull way)

To conclude : if you're looking for a fast-paced book where stupid teens make stupid decisions that get them killed, this is a book for you.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
2013 Hub Reading ...: Ten	5	16	13 de Jun 04:41
YA Buddy Readers'...: TEN by Gretchen McNeil START DATE: 05/24/13	26	19	26 de May 07:58
Who did you think the killer was? (Spoilers)	18	77	25 de May 16:29
Crazy for Young A...: Ten by Gretchen McNeil → Start Date: May 9th, 2013	163	32	10 de May 21:51
Could there be another book?	3	21	18 de Feb 08:44

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About Gretchen McNeil

Singer. Writer. Clown.

Gretchen is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown. Her YA horror/paranormal POSSESS debuts with Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins, August 23, 2011. Her second novel, TEN – YA horror/suspense about ten teens trapped on a remote island with a serial killer – also with Balzer + Bray is tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2012 release.

Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voic...more

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