The Dead List – Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller

It’s Ella’s senior year of high school and she and her best friend Linds plan to make it the best year ever. At Brock Cochran’s end of summer pool party, the girls vow to have as much fun as possible before they head off to different colleges next fall. But when Ella is mysteriously attacked on her way home from the party, everything changes. Ella’s carefree senior year plans disintegrate as she finds herself at the center of an attempted murder investigation.

Ella tries to move on, but her attacker isn’t done yet. He shows himself in the form of horrifying signs and symbols: a clown mask strewn on her bed, a dead bird in her backpack, a shadow moving past her window in the night. And as the weeks pass, it turns out that Ella isn’t the only one being tormented.

With the help of an old flame, Jensen Carver, and her friends and family, Ella tries to attain some sense of normalcy, but she can’t seem to shake the feeling that there’s a dark pattern hidden in the killer’s every move. Suddenly, even those in her innermost circle seem suspicious. In her seemingly safe West Virginia town, Ella starts to wonder who she can trust.

The Dead List is a thrill ride and a half. It has the perfect balance of suspense and romance coupled with a twist you will NOT see coming.

The Dead List follows Ella as she begins her senior year of high school. Ella is looking forward to the future because she’s racked with guilt about the past. Her past and who she’s become because of it makes Ella an interesting character to follow. She’s in a semi decent place mentally, but still struggles here and there. It’s refreshing to read about a character not ashamed or embarrassed to have seen a therapist. Especially a teenage character. She’s much more mature than you’re average teenager, which elevates the story to another level.

What I enjoyed most about this novel was the intricate mystery. There’s the main mystery about who’s the serial killer as well as Ella’s past. Both mysteries and teased though out the novel perfectly. The reader is given enough information to solve the puzzle, by only if they’re paying VERY close attention.

That ending was CRAZY. I wasn’t expecting it at all. It almost had me crying. Hats off to you Jennifer Armentrout, for writing an incredible mystery novel.

 

Overall, The Dead List is an absolute joy to read. It features a solid mystery, a hot romance, and some truly scary scenes.

 

 

**I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.