Cryer's Cross in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Dec 18, 2010 Once rated it it was amazing

I began reading Cryer's cross yesterday afternoon and finished the book about 6 hours later. I was literally sucked in and could not break the pull the book had on me. The way Lisa McMann wrote this book, its like she put a hex on the book to suck you in. The level of creepy in the book is high and I love it but not in a morbid way. The only downside I will say is I wanted more, maybe a little bit more on what was casing the disappearances in Cryer's cross or maybe I just want the story to keep ...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Jenna rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, ebook, s-s-galley-grab, books-read-in-2010

Written in Lisa McMann's unique writing style, Cryer's Cross is an enthralling thriller set in a small town with a literally haunting past.

I loved Cryer's Cross. It was spooky with just the right amount of foreshadowing to keep readers turning pages, wanting to find out how the story would conclude. What I liked best was that McMann had such a flawed main character in Kendall, who suffered from OCD, a rarely written about disease, yet Kendall was still a strong young female who wouldn't stop unt ...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Shari rated it really liked it

4.5 on my blog!
As a fan of Lisa McMann's Wake Trilogy Series I was very excited to read Cryer's Cross. I am excited to say that I wasn't at all disappointed. Kendall's OCD is heartbreaking and charming all at the same time. The relationships between the people in this amazingly small town are so touching. I absolutely loved the characters. The story itself kept me pretty spooked out the whole time I read it. I mentioned to a few people that saw me reading it that it reminded me of a Stephen Kin ...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it it was amazing

This book is downright creepy! I am so happy I read this during the day. Kendall is your average girl in small town with a disorder. Her OCD drives her to know where everything is and to put anything out of order in place. Kendall's best friend/boyfriend Nico suddenly disappears. For days he acted weird and she notice it. She began to put things together when she realizes is all began with a desk.

What I like most about this story was there was no paranormal power. Kendall is an average girl, gro ...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Christin (Portrait of a Book) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 100in2011, young-adult, paranormal, mystery

The countdown widget for this book, as well as the trailer, both seemed to promise a story that was deliciously creepy. Cryer's Cross did not disappoint.

"The smaller the town, the bigger the secrets." So the cover of Cryer's Cross proclaims, and how true it is. Kendall Fletcher's entire routine is shaken by the disappearance of Tiffany Quinn. Despite her OCD, Kendall tries to move on as best she can; after all, she has soccer, Julliard, and her quasi-boyfriend Nico to think about. But then Nico The countdown widget for this book, as well as the trailer, both seemed to promise a story that was deliciously creepy. Cryer's Cross did not disappoint.

"The smaller the town, the bigger the secrets." So the cover of Cryer's Cross proclaims, and how true it is. Kendall Fletcher's entire routine is shaken by the disappearance of Tiffany Quinn. Despite her OCD, Kendall tries to move on as best she can; after all, she has soccer, Julliard, and her quasi-boyfriend Nico to think about. But then Nico disappears as well, and Kendall's mind is permanently locked on overdrive. When another search turns up nothing, she tries desperately to distract herself - even if it means spending time with Jacian, the seemingly rude, brooding, and yet undeniably hot new senior in town. Eventually Kendall notices something strange, courtesy of her OCD: The graffiti on Nico's desk is changing. New messages are there, and what's more, that's the same desk that Tiffany Quinn sat in before she disappeared. Kendall is strangely drawn to the desk, to the voice that must be Nico's. If only she can learn enough from the messages, she knows she can save him. But in a small town, things are never what they seem...

Even though I'd heard about Cryer's Cross from fellow bloggers and seen good reviews of it, I kept thinking of it as "one of those books I'll read when I have time." Then I went to the Lisa McMann signing and heard her read the first chapter. And I was hooked. I read the book in a few hours one afternoon, because, once I started, I couldn't put it down. Kendall is such a relatable character; even people without OCD suffer from recurring thoughts and preoccupations. I loved that she was interested in both athletics and arts and that, even though she became close with Marlena, she could still be one of the guys. And then there was the creepy/paranormal factor. The comments from "WE" were, in a word, chilling. Piecing them together as Kendall tried to unravel the secrets of the desk and the town definitely made for a compelling read. I had my suspicions, but I would never have put everything together quite the way it was in the end.

The only thing I wanted from this book was more - I wasn't quite ready to let Kendall and Jacian go at the end. And while Lisa has a very clean, effective writing style (and one in which present-tense definitely works), occasionally I wanted more description, or perhaps a bit more of the character from the "WE" sections in the rest of the book.

Overall, Cryer's Cross is a great mystery with just the right amount of paranormal elements and a dash of romance added in. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't read the Wake trilogy, but I will definitely be reading that soon, and I cannot wait for Lisa's new novel, The Unwanteds, that will be released in September! ...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Rebecca Sutton rated it really liked it

I started this last night and finished this morning. I found myself skimming over a few places so I could find out what the heck was going to happen. Very well written and SO creepy. I like dark but this creeped me out a little too much! I prefer paranormal that feels more like fantasy, this was almost too realistic. haha But if you like dark twisty, totally creepy, mysterious stories you'll love Cryer's Cross. ...more

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