What do you think?
Rate this book
The 100 Society
For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.
As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust.
With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...
As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust.
With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...
317 pages
First published September 4, 2014
About the author
Carla Spradbery
2 books29 followersAfter working with teenagers for more than a decade, Carla decided to start writing for and about them. Having had a lifelong obsession with dark literature, it only seemed natural to write stories that would thrill, scare and maybe make her readers think twice about reading alone in the dark.
Carla lives in Hampshire with her husband and two children. She still enjoys working with teenagers, although she finds it harder and harder to understand why the music they like has to be quite so loud.
Her first novel, The 100 Society, will be published by Hodder in September 2014.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 19, 2014
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
WARNING: OHMYGODI’MGOINGTOGIFTHEHELLOUTOFTHISONE!
What’s your favorite scary movie, errrrrrr, I mean book?????
It all starts with Grace, a 6th form student at boarding school who has never quite lived up to her super-surgeon-father’s expectations. In an effort to make a name for herself, Grace decides to become one of the “100 Society” (an elite group of art students who can manage to tag 100 various locations throughout the city) and recruits a group of friends to help accomplish this monumental task. If they fail, they risk expulsion – succeed and they’ll become legends.
None of the friends could have ever predicted how high the stakes would get when a new tagger appears leaving the ominous message “Let the Games Begin,” which winds up being more than a little reminiscent of:
Now it’s up to Cassie to figure out who leaves the Reaper mark, before he wipes the group out one by one.
Seriously, throw everything you think you know about gooooood books out the window and appreciate this one for what it is – a mash-up of several different scary movies (only not quite as awesome – hence the 3 Stars).
This book was pure guilty pleasure type of entertainment for me. We’re talking about a cast of dumb broads who run UP the damn staircase rather than out the unlocked front door when the bad guy is coming for them
and couples who watch their friends get maimed/killed, but still think it’s been a “not so bad” week and that it’d be saaaa-weeeeeeeet to “do it” rather than finding the psycho who has promised to murder them all
and even though the killer was prrrrrrreeeeeeeetttttty dang obvious to me from the get-go, I still enjoyed the shit out of this one. Much like I did with:
Recommended to????? Anyone who could picture Jennifer Love Hewitt’s heaving breasts while reading this review or wished Ryan Phillipe would be in some more movies where he takes his shirt off : )
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!!!
WARNING: OHMYGODI’MGOINGTOGIFTHEHELLOUTOFTHISONE!
What’s your favorite scary movie, errrrrrr, I mean book?????
It all starts with Grace, a 6th form student at boarding school who has never quite lived up to her super-surgeon-father’s expectations. In an effort to make a name for herself, Grace decides to become one of the “100 Society” (an elite group of art students who can manage to tag 100 various locations throughout the city) and recruits a group of friends to help accomplish this monumental task. If they fail, they risk expulsion – succeed and they’ll become legends.
None of the friends could have ever predicted how high the stakes would get when a new tagger appears leaving the ominous message “Let the Games Begin,” which winds up being more than a little reminiscent of:
Now it’s up to Cassie to figure out who leaves the Reaper mark, before he wipes the group out one by one.
Seriously, throw everything you think you know about gooooood books out the window and appreciate this one for what it is – a mash-up of several different scary movies (only not quite as awesome – hence the 3 Stars).
This book was pure guilty pleasure type of entertainment for me. We’re talking about a cast of dumb broads who run UP the damn staircase rather than out the unlocked front door when the bad guy is coming for them
and couples who watch their friends get maimed/killed, but still think it’s been a “not so bad” week and that it’d be saaaa-weeeeeeeet to “do it” rather than finding the psycho who has promised to murder them all
and even though the killer was prrrrrrreeeeeeeetttttty dang obvious to me from the get-go, I still enjoyed the shit out of this one. Much like I did with:
Recommended to????? Anyone who could picture Jennifer Love Hewitt’s heaving breasts while reading this review or wished Ryan Phillipe would be in some more movies where he takes his shirt off : )
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!!!
February 7, 2016
This title features on my Worst of 2015 list!
Actual Rating 1.5 Stars
This book reads like the slasher movies that were so big fifteen years ago. Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and so on. In fact, one scene in particular seems very similar to an integral scene in I Know What You Did Last Summer.
There’s a formula to those movies and, for a reader who has never watched a single one of those movies, this book probably does carry a few shocks. But for those of us who know the genre, and have read and watched similar things before, this book is rather predictable.
The rest of this review can be found here!
Actual Rating 1.5 Stars
This book reads like the slasher movies that were so big fifteen years ago. Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and so on. In fact, one scene in particular seems very similar to an integral scene in I Know What You Did Last Summer.
There’s a formula to those movies and, for a reader who has never watched a single one of those movies, this book probably does carry a few shocks. But for those of us who know the genre, and have read and watched similar things before, this book is rather predictable.
The rest of this review can be found here!
August 7, 2014
The 100 Society blew my mind away. It was creepy, it was scary, but I loved every single second reading it!
This book had everything I was looking for, I loved everything about the book, even the parts that made me want to turn around and look behind me just because I was so creeped out. Before going into this book, I went to look up reviews and saw that some were 3-4 stars and obviously, I had my doubts. But this book proved my doubts wrong the moment I started reading it.
I started this book at night time, and let me tell you this, it was so creepy, I had to check my window a few times just in case there was someone outside. Seriously, it was that creepy.
Reading the reviews, I saw that many people had said they felt like they didn't connect with the characters in this book. But for me, it was different. I felt like I connected with all of them, especially Grace (the main character). The author didn't go into much depths about each character, and I don't know whether that was intentional or accidental, but it made me connect with them even more. Carla Spradbery kind of gave hints here and there about each character, and we can easily guess or pick out pieces from their past and I love that.
There were also five other main characters: Trick, Pete, Ed, Cassie & Faith. Trick, I love him so much. I mean, first things first...he has a full sleeve!! I mean, if your character has a full arm sleeve tattoos, then I'm sold. Other than me swooning over every time the author mention his tattoos, I love his personality. He might have came from the "bad" side of town, but he is a really good guy. He cares for his friends, even though he might've acted like he doesn't care, but he does. And that is what I really love about him.
The crime and mystery behind The 100 Society was the best. I didn't really expect a couple of rebels from a boarding school to go graffiti tagging. But then again, you don't really expect students from a boarding school to become a rebel either. It was really great seeing the bad side of a "good" school, and it has been a while since I've enjoyed a book that has contradicted between real life situations.
If you guys love to read about crime, mystery, thriller, horror (only a spoonful of creepiness) and a little bit of romance, then you will love The 100 Society!
I will also do a video review which I will link to when it is uploaded :P
This book had everything I was looking for, I loved everything about the book, even the parts that made me want to turn around and look behind me just because I was so creeped out. Before going into this book, I went to look up reviews and saw that some were 3-4 stars and obviously, I had my doubts. But this book proved my doubts wrong the moment I started reading it.
I started this book at night time, and let me tell you this, it was so creepy, I had to check my window a few times just in case there was someone outside. Seriously, it was that creepy.
Reading the reviews, I saw that many people had said they felt like they didn't connect with the characters in this book. But for me, it was different. I felt like I connected with all of them, especially Grace (the main character). The author didn't go into much depths about each character, and I don't know whether that was intentional or accidental, but it made me connect with them even more. Carla Spradbery kind of gave hints here and there about each character, and we can easily guess or pick out pieces from their past and I love that.
There were also five other main characters: Trick, Pete, Ed, Cassie & Faith. Trick, I love him so much. I mean, first things first...he has a full sleeve!! I mean, if your character has a full arm sleeve tattoos, then I'm sold. Other than me swooning over every time the author mention his tattoos, I love his personality. He might have came from the "bad" side of town, but he is a really good guy. He cares for his friends, even though he might've acted like he doesn't care, but he does. And that is what I really love about him.
The crime and mystery behind The 100 Society was the best. I didn't really expect a couple of rebels from a boarding school to go graffiti tagging. But then again, you don't really expect students from a boarding school to become a rebel either. It was really great seeing the bad side of a "good" school, and it has been a while since I've enjoyed a book that has contradicted between real life situations.
If you guys love to read about crime, mystery, thriller, horror (only a spoonful of creepiness) and a little bit of romance, then you will love The 100 Society!
I will also do a video review which I will link to when it is uploaded :P
July 13, 2014
Rating - 1.5 stars.
*All quotes are taken from an ARC from Netgalley. Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review*
This book is, as a close friend of mine put it, like Schrodinger's cat. You have to open the box to see whether it's alive or dead and when I opened the box, this cat was definitely dead and slightly moldy.
The plot centers around one Grace Becker and her friends, all from the same art class, who are in the process of graffiti painting tags in 100 locations around the town/city/wherever the hell they live. They are all doing this for various reasons, the main being they want to join the 100 society of the title.
"Believed to have originated at the prestigious Clifton Manor School, The 100 Society was founded more than twenty years ago by the notorious graffiti artist known only as 'A'. While the anonymous artist's work now sells for millions, he has created a legacy of copycats, each hoping to 'tag' the same hundred locations."
The fact that this is an extract from a very unprofessional sounding newspaper not withstanding, there is more information in this blatant expositionary device about the heroine than in the entire book. One of my pet peeves is when authors fail to describe, even vaguely, what the protagonist's physical appearance is like, especially when the book is written from a third person POV. There is not a single scrap of detail regarding Grace's appearance.
This irritation is exacerbated by the staple angst-ridden love triangle, because I simply do not know what Trick and Pete see in Grace. I started off thinking that Grace was a kind, open minded sort of heroine but she quickly devolves, in my opinion, into a sweetly simpering, selfish female who cannot think past appearances.
Grace is deathly afraid of being expelled, but every action she takes sets her even more firmly on the road to expulsion. All Grace really wants is attention from her family (Clifton Manor is a boarding school). She has an inferiority complex from being in the shadow of her perfect older brother (Jack), but instead of becoming competitive and aiming to improve, she decides to paint illegal graffiti tags that will get her into trouble and which she will never be acknowledged for. Grace's imaginary relationship with her dad is equally bad. We all know, as Grace does, that hardworking single fathers who raise two or more kids send off their youngest daughters to expensive boarding schools because they can't stand the sight of said offspring.
What's more, Grace takes every action (or inaction, as the case may be) on her family's part as proof that she is *sniff, sniff* unloved. For example, her father, who works in Singapore, does not return her call (and as we find out, that's not his fault either) and Grace doesn't have enough credit to call again. So instead of sensibly emailing her dad or brother, what does Grace do? WHINE.
" 'He said he'd call.'
'I know.'
'He calls Jack.'
'He calls you too.'
'Not this week.' "
Even if I managed to overlook all this somehow, there is still Grace's complete inability to do anything using common sense. I seriously wonder how she managed to survive this long.
Grace's Guide to Ghastly Situations:
1. When someone is in mortal danger, say, when they have acid thrown onto their face, you must not, under any circumstances, help them other than by muttering a few useless words. You may scream for help, but do not look around for any liquids or substances that could soothe the victim's pain.
2. When you have the suspicion that your room has been broken into and a friend reports a similar incident, do not, on the pain of death, report this to the concerned authorities. Being expelled is far, far more terrifying. This applies to death threats, stalking and accidental deaths as well.
3. When you have knowledge that your friend is about to get killed, do not go with any sort of protection or weapon. Once you get to the spot where the murderer is on the verge of killing you both, do not attempt to call the police with your shiny cellphone or record conversations as proof of innocence. Only dither about until something happens.
4. Above all, do not attempt to save yourself. Wait for the boyfriend/firefighters/deus ex machina to do it.
At least her name isn't Prudence.
If there's no hope for the MC, you ask, what about the other characters?
What secondary characters? They are all so flat, so 2-D, you could walk over them like they were carpets, and never know it. I was briefly happy when the blond airhead, Cassie, was revealed to be more than her appearance. Here, I thought, this book is going to be different.
"The person she had once thought of as a vacuous bimbo was actually an intelligent, talented girl who just so happened to like nice shoes."
I didn't know that
(a) the heroine would take her place as resident idiot
(b) she'd be MIA because she was made into the aforementioned acid victim.
The only other girl we meet (apart from the perennially snoozing art teacher) is a redhead named Faith (what is with these inappropriate evangelical names?) whose only role is to agonise over how Pete doesn't love her and to provide an extra painting for the killer to enact a scene with. Cassie's boyfriend Ed, can't do much except look sad and cry. Pete is painfully bland. Most of the time, you get the impression he's there just because he's there. As for Trick, he's the lesson that goes "Tattoos and mysterious bad-boys do not maketh a believable person". Everyone, including Grace, has no personality whatsoever.
Now comes, limping on three toes, the plot. In the rating of 2.5 stars, the half star is because the author is good at misdirection. Enough that I questioned my belief, even though my answer to the whodunnit turned out to be right in the end. The pacing of the novel is also good, with a steadily increasing tempo of terror and confusion that culminates in the expected revelation of the murderer's identity. However, if you're expecting any investigation and logical deductions here, don't. All things are in passive voice here; the main character never actively attempts to solve problems. It just barely holds your interest, if only to see whether Grace's naïveté will get her killed. (Sadly, no.)
Conclusion: I do not really recommend this book. Though it has no rage-inducing flaws such as racism or sexual abuse cloaked as romance, it can be annoying because it could be so much better. It's very similar to the Scream movies, only minus the strong heroine that is Sydney. So no, it's not for me.
*All quotes are taken from an ARC from Netgalley. Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review*
This book is, as a close friend of mine put it, like Schrodinger's cat. You have to open the box to see whether it's alive or dead and when I opened the box, this cat was definitely dead and slightly moldy.
The plot centers around one Grace Becker and her friends, all from the same art class, who are in the process of graffiti painting tags in 100 locations around the town/city/wherever the hell they live. They are all doing this for various reasons, the main being they want to join the 100 society of the title.
"Believed to have originated at the prestigious Clifton Manor School, The 100 Society was founded more than twenty years ago by the notorious graffiti artist known only as 'A'. While the anonymous artist's work now sells for millions, he has created a legacy of copycats, each hoping to 'tag' the same hundred locations."
The fact that this is an extract from a very unprofessional sounding newspaper not withstanding, there is more information in this blatant expositionary device about the heroine than in the entire book. One of my pet peeves is when authors fail to describe, even vaguely, what the protagonist's physical appearance is like, especially when the book is written from a third person POV. There is not a single scrap of detail regarding Grace's appearance.
This irritation is exacerbated by the staple angst-ridden love triangle, because I simply do not know what Trick and Pete see in Grace. I started off thinking that Grace was a kind, open minded sort of heroine but she quickly devolves, in my opinion, into a sweetly simpering, selfish female who cannot think past appearances.
Grace is deathly afraid of being expelled, but every action she takes sets her even more firmly on the road to expulsion. All Grace really wants is attention from her family (Clifton Manor is a boarding school). She has an inferiority complex from being in the shadow of her perfect older brother (Jack), but instead of becoming competitive and aiming to improve, she decides to paint illegal graffiti tags that will get her into trouble and which she will never be acknowledged for. Grace's imaginary relationship with her dad is equally bad. We all know, as Grace does, that hardworking single fathers who raise two or more kids send off their youngest daughters to expensive boarding schools because they can't stand the sight of said offspring.
What's more, Grace takes every action (or inaction, as the case may be) on her family's part as proof that she is *sniff, sniff* unloved. For example, her father, who works in Singapore, does not return her call (and as we find out, that's not his fault either) and Grace doesn't have enough credit to call again. So instead of sensibly emailing her dad or brother, what does Grace do? WHINE.
" 'He said he'd call.'
'I know.'
'He calls Jack.'
'He calls you too.'
'Not this week.' "
Even if I managed to overlook all this somehow, there is still Grace's complete inability to do anything using common sense. I seriously wonder how she managed to survive this long.
Grace's Guide to Ghastly Situations:
1. When someone is in mortal danger, say, when they have acid thrown onto their face, you must not, under any circumstances, help them other than by muttering a few useless words. You may scream for help, but do not look around for any liquids or substances that could soothe the victim's pain.
2. When you have the suspicion that your room has been broken into and a friend reports a similar incident, do not, on the pain of death, report this to the concerned authorities. Being expelled is far, far more terrifying. This applies to death threats, stalking and accidental deaths as well.
3. When you have knowledge that your friend is about to get killed, do not go with any sort of protection or weapon. Once you get to the spot where the murderer is on the verge of killing you both, do not attempt to call the police with your shiny cellphone or record conversations as proof of innocence. Only dither about until something happens.
4. Above all, do not attempt to save yourself. Wait for the boyfriend/firefighters/deus ex machina to do it.
At least her name isn't Prudence.
If there's no hope for the MC, you ask, what about the other characters?
What secondary characters? They are all so flat, so 2-D, you could walk over them like they were carpets, and never know it. I was briefly happy when the blond airhead, Cassie, was revealed to be more than her appearance. Here, I thought, this book is going to be different.
"The person she had once thought of as a vacuous bimbo was actually an intelligent, talented girl who just so happened to like nice shoes."
I didn't know that
(a) the heroine would take her place as resident idiot
(b) she'd be MIA because she was made into the aforementioned acid victim.
The only other girl we meet (apart from the perennially snoozing art teacher) is a redhead named Faith (what is with these inappropriate evangelical names?) whose only role is to agonise over how Pete doesn't love her and to provide an extra painting for the killer to enact a scene with. Cassie's boyfriend Ed, can't do much except look sad and cry. Pete is painfully bland. Most of the time, you get the impression he's there just because he's there. As for Trick, he's the lesson that goes "Tattoos and mysterious bad-boys do not maketh a believable person". Everyone, including Grace, has no personality whatsoever.
Now comes, limping on three toes, the plot. In the rating of 2.5 stars, the half star is because the author is good at misdirection. Enough that I questioned my belief, even though my answer to the whodunnit turned out to be right in the end. The pacing of the novel is also good, with a steadily increasing tempo of terror and confusion that culminates in the expected revelation of the murderer's identity. However, if you're expecting any investigation and logical deductions here, don't. All things are in passive voice here; the main character never actively attempts to solve problems. It just barely holds your interest, if only to see whether Grace's naïveté will get her killed. (Sadly, no.)
Conclusion: I do not really recommend this book. Though it has no rage-inducing flaws such as racism or sexual abuse cloaked as romance, it can be annoying because it could be so much better. It's very similar to the Scream movies, only minus the strong heroine that is Sydney. So no, it's not for me.
June 16, 2014
This book took me right back to my teenage years when I used to buy every single Point Horror book and read them obsessively. Sadly the teen horror genre seemed to fade away to be replaced by paranormal romance, dystopian, contemporary, all of which I love but I always craved the suspense of a good horror book.
I have read and love all of James Dawson's books and this debut book by Carla Spradbery is right up there with them, I read it in a day whizzing through it eager to know who the stalker was, I think I guessed pretty much everybody except who it actually was.
I really hope this is a sign the teen horror genre is making a triumphant return and I look forward to reading more books by this very promising new author.
I have read and love all of James Dawson's books and this debut book by Carla Spradbery is right up there with them, I read it in a day whizzing through it eager to know who the stalker was, I think I guessed pretty much everybody except who it actually was.
I really hope this is a sign the teen horror genre is making a triumphant return and I look forward to reading more books by this very promising new author.
June 17, 2014
*NOTE* I was provided an Advanced & Uncorrected Reader Copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion*
This is a worthy read. But also, I hate to say it, I was disappointed with this book. When it said “Point Horror meets I Know What You Did This Summer” my jaw dropped. I was salivating. This is exactly what I’d been waiting to read. But I don't feed like that's what this is really like.
The writing is decent, though I feel like a little more editing could cut out unnecessary adverbs. The characters felt real, but they weren’t completely three dimensional to me. And I know this is an ARC, so just a heads up, there are still a few spacing issues on the document.
On the plus side for praise, I thought the concept was very interesting and the idea fresh. I also found most of the characters to be interesting and likeable, or at least holding character traits and flaws similar to those in real life. I found the mystery of the story to be interesting as well and kept me wondering how it would end.
I’m not sure I would compare it to POINT HORROR and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, but I would say that this is an interesting, unique read worth giving a shot.
This is a worthy read. But also, I hate to say it, I was disappointed with this book. When it said “Point Horror meets I Know What You Did This Summer” my jaw dropped. I was salivating. This is exactly what I’d been waiting to read. But I don't feed like that's what this is really like.
The writing is decent, though I feel like a little more editing could cut out unnecessary adverbs. The characters felt real, but they weren’t completely three dimensional to me. And I know this is an ARC, so just a heads up, there are still a few spacing issues on the document.
On the plus side for praise, I thought the concept was very interesting and the idea fresh. I also found most of the characters to be interesting and likeable, or at least holding character traits and flaws similar to those in real life. I found the mystery of the story to be interesting as well and kept me wondering how it would end.
I’m not sure I would compare it to POINT HORROR and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, but I would say that this is an interesting, unique read worth giving a shot.
January 10, 2016
{Thank you Hachette Children’s Books and Netgalley for providing this in return for an honest review}
When this book was described as I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Point Horror, I instantly wanted to read this book. I absolutely love cheesy, serial killer horror movies and really wanted to see how it would translate over into a young adult book. For the first half of the book, I was really nervous that I was going to be let down with the comparison made about this book to one of my favorite horror movies, but then it really picked up and had me at the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, this book was predictable and the characters weren’t anything special, but I was so engrossed by the plot, it made the book very enjoyable.
The plot of this book was fantastic. I loved the mystery of who was sending the threatening messages to Grace and her friends. The first half of this book was somewhat of a letdown. I found myself being bored at times and the plot seemed like this book was going to be very PG rated; I am not saying that the book needed to be blood and gore everywhere, but I was reading a horror story and I wanted to see something more than just a grim reaper being spray painted over Grace’s and her friend’s tags. I almost wondered why they were so scared for the first half of the book. Then a big event happens at the halfway point that changed the book completely. The book became very suspenseful, mysterious, and fast paced. I was constantly trying to figure out who I thought was behind the events that took place in this book. I was a little disappointed that this book did fall into the clichés of horror films. I did guess the end of the book, which was disappointing since I wanted to be totally blown away. I wish Spradbery would have pointed the finger at more characters so that it would have been more difficult to guess the ending. I also loved that this book was set in a school, which really added to the plot and made the story more original.
The writing of this book was not fantastic, but was not horrible either. I did find myself being confused when there were flashbacks because it was not made clear when the plot went back into present tense, but those scenes were rare, so it did not take away from the book too much. I also wish there was more description in this book. I had a hard time imagining the setting and even what the characters looked like because a lot was not described clearly. However, I did like that the book had special touches that made the design of this book stand out. I liked that the chapter headings had the numbers spray painted, which looked really cool. I also like that the book cover does not give anything away about the book that would ruin the plot.
I was disappointed with the characters in this book. I did not feel like I really knew any of the characters because none of their backgrounds were really explored. I felt I knew the most about Grace, Trick, and Daniel, but the other characters were written pretty vaguely. I never really found myself fearful for the characters in this book, which is bad since I am supposed to be rooting for them to stay alive. I felt like the mystery of the book would have been so much better if Spradbery would have explored the characters backgrounds and made the reader feel like they knew the characters more. I also was surprised that there was a love triangle in this book, which I wish would not have been included because it was too clique and ruined aspect of the plot. I did like that the characters in the books were not portrayed as super virtuous or heroic. The characters were flawed and at time selfish, which I really liked.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, but it was nothing special. I love stories like the one presented in this book, which I think really affected how I felt about this book. This book falls into the cliques of having no character development, crappy romance, and being cheesy at times, but those are all the things that make these types of horror movies/books good. I would say that if you are looking for an easy and fun read, than to give The 100 Society a shot.
When this book was described as I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Point Horror, I instantly wanted to read this book. I absolutely love cheesy, serial killer horror movies and really wanted to see how it would translate over into a young adult book. For the first half of the book, I was really nervous that I was going to be let down with the comparison made about this book to one of my favorite horror movies, but then it really picked up and had me at the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, this book was predictable and the characters weren’t anything special, but I was so engrossed by the plot, it made the book very enjoyable.
The plot of this book was fantastic. I loved the mystery of who was sending the threatening messages to Grace and her friends. The first half of this book was somewhat of a letdown. I found myself being bored at times and the plot seemed like this book was going to be very PG rated; I am not saying that the book needed to be blood and gore everywhere, but I was reading a horror story and I wanted to see something more than just a grim reaper being spray painted over Grace’s and her friend’s tags. I almost wondered why they were so scared for the first half of the book. Then a big event happens at the halfway point that changed the book completely. The book became very suspenseful, mysterious, and fast paced. I was constantly trying to figure out who I thought was behind the events that took place in this book. I was a little disappointed that this book did fall into the clichés of horror films. I did guess the end of the book, which was disappointing since I wanted to be totally blown away. I wish Spradbery would have pointed the finger at more characters so that it would have been more difficult to guess the ending. I also loved that this book was set in a school, which really added to the plot and made the story more original.
The writing of this book was not fantastic, but was not horrible either. I did find myself being confused when there were flashbacks because it was not made clear when the plot went back into present tense, but those scenes were rare, so it did not take away from the book too much. I also wish there was more description in this book. I had a hard time imagining the setting and even what the characters looked like because a lot was not described clearly. However, I did like that the book had special touches that made the design of this book stand out. I liked that the chapter headings had the numbers spray painted, which looked really cool. I also like that the book cover does not give anything away about the book that would ruin the plot.
I was disappointed with the characters in this book. I did not feel like I really knew any of the characters because none of their backgrounds were really explored. I felt I knew the most about Grace, Trick, and Daniel, but the other characters were written pretty vaguely. I never really found myself fearful for the characters in this book, which is bad since I am supposed to be rooting for them to stay alive. I felt like the mystery of the book would have been so much better if Spradbery would have explored the characters backgrounds and made the reader feel like they knew the characters more. I also was surprised that there was a love triangle in this book, which I wish would not have been included because it was too clique and ruined aspect of the plot. I did like that the characters in the books were not portrayed as super virtuous or heroic. The characters were flawed and at time selfish, which I really liked.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, but it was nothing special. I love stories like the one presented in this book, which I think really affected how I felt about this book. This book falls into the cliques of having no character development, crappy romance, and being cheesy at times, but those are all the things that make these types of horror movies/books good. I would say that if you are looking for an easy and fun read, than to give The 100 Society a shot.
September 24, 2014
Now the end scenes of this book alone are worth reading it for. Talk about holding my breath tension! Breathing now, which is kinda good. I was not expecting much from this book to be honest after some pretty low rated reviews, of which I am now a bit baffled by. Let me tell you my spin on things.
For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.
So Grace and her five friends are running around graffiti tagging specific locations, to get into the infamous 100 Society name book, it comes with high risks not only of expulsion but risk of life as they tag in some dangerous settings.
The first half of the book is a bit of a slow burner, we get to know the characters, a bit about the dynamics between them all, we join them in a few minor tagging moments, partake in their art class at school as they prepare for school art exhibition. For me the book was cruising, not great, not terrible, cruising. A 3 star read at this point. It was just okay, readable, but just okay.
Then things start to go horribly wrong. A death, more freak accidents, weird emails and messages and an ugly tag over every graffiti tag they do from someone identifying themselves as the Grim Reaper. I seriously searched the characters both central and peripheral for who it could be, I thought I had nailed who it was, I was so wrong it wasn't funny!
The stakes get higher and things get weirder, someone is out to cause serious harm and it's not just a game anymore, this is serious thriller territory. The latter half and especially the final third of the book is a page turner, and I loved the way things got darker and darker, more insidious and also more mysterious. Some events really threw me as I didn't expect things to get THAT bad.
One of those plots that lulls you along then whammo! Hits you with some surprises, tension and really well written scenes that just hook you in until it's over with. I can't share too much more really or it will blow the whole book open but this book really cranked up a notch in it's end scenes, I thought it was fantastic, especially as I did not see it coming the way it ended. Took me totally by surprise.
This is a great debut Young Adult novel, it really does switch gears to be thrilling and quite dark by the end and was very entertaining. Just when you think you know all the characters and what they stand for, be careful as things may shift before your eyes.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.
So Grace and her five friends are running around graffiti tagging specific locations, to get into the infamous 100 Society name book, it comes with high risks not only of expulsion but risk of life as they tag in some dangerous settings.
The first half of the book is a bit of a slow burner, we get to know the characters, a bit about the dynamics between them all, we join them in a few minor tagging moments, partake in their art class at school as they prepare for school art exhibition. For me the book was cruising, not great, not terrible, cruising. A 3 star read at this point. It was just okay, readable, but just okay.
Then things start to go horribly wrong. A death, more freak accidents, weird emails and messages and an ugly tag over every graffiti tag they do from someone identifying themselves as the Grim Reaper. I seriously searched the characters both central and peripheral for who it could be, I thought I had nailed who it was, I was so wrong it wasn't funny!
The stakes get higher and things get weirder, someone is out to cause serious harm and it's not just a game anymore, this is serious thriller territory. The latter half and especially the final third of the book is a page turner, and I loved the way things got darker and darker, more insidious and also more mysterious. Some events really threw me as I didn't expect things to get THAT bad.
One of those plots that lulls you along then whammo! Hits you with some surprises, tension and really well written scenes that just hook you in until it's over with. I can't share too much more really or it will blow the whole book open but this book really cranked up a notch in it's end scenes, I thought it was fantastic, especially as I did not see it coming the way it ended. Took me totally by surprise.
This is a great debut Young Adult novel, it really does switch gears to be thrilling and quite dark by the end and was very entertaining. Just when you think you know all the characters and what they stand for, be careful as things may shift before your eyes.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 21, 2014
Reposted from my blog Skeleton Key Reviews http://skeletonkeyreviews.com/?p=312
The 100 Society takes place in the UK at Clifton Academy. The 100 Society are a bunch of what we would call in the states “Seniors”, consisting of Grace and her friends all of which are in her art class. Which include: Peter, Graces best friend that she has known since starting at Clifton. Peters on the other hand would probably say his feelings are more then friendly. Faith, friends with Grace and has feelings for Peter. Cassie, the pretty girl. She’s a bit of a snob and she is Ed’s girlfriend. Ed, the quiet type. Seems to be somewhat tech savvy and is in charge of their 100 Society blog. Daniel, he’s not really a part of the society. He is part of the class and knows what they are all up too. He’s got a big time crush on Cassie. And last but not least, Trick. Trick is a bit of a rebel. He’s a scholarship from the “wrong side of the tracks”. Hot and tatted, he’s also into Grace.
If you are one of those people that hate love triangles you will probably be tearing your hair out before getting through the book. I myself, don’t mind them. Grace has two guys vying for her attention. The “good guy” Peter and “bad boy” Trick. Grace mostly just sees Peter as a really good friend and is irresistibly drawn to Trick. Then there is also Faith. She gets pissy with Grace from time to time for leading Peter on. Faith is totally into Peter.
When the shit starts hitting the fan it is pretty intense. I thought I had The Reaper pegged ,but I changed my mind about half way through. Then as it all keeps going and with the twists and turns the author throws at you it left me second guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s a deliciously dark read. If it were chocolate it would be the semi sweet variety. The thing between Grace and Trick is sort of sweet, but The Reaper, that nut job is completely bitter.
P.S. This book has nothing to do with chocolate…
The 100 Society takes place in the UK at Clifton Academy. The 100 Society are a bunch of what we would call in the states “Seniors”, consisting of Grace and her friends all of which are in her art class. Which include: Peter, Graces best friend that she has known since starting at Clifton. Peters on the other hand would probably say his feelings are more then friendly. Faith, friends with Grace and has feelings for Peter. Cassie, the pretty girl. She’s a bit of a snob and she is Ed’s girlfriend. Ed, the quiet type. Seems to be somewhat tech savvy and is in charge of their 100 Society blog. Daniel, he’s not really a part of the society. He is part of the class and knows what they are all up too. He’s got a big time crush on Cassie. And last but not least, Trick. Trick is a bit of a rebel. He’s a scholarship from the “wrong side of the tracks”. Hot and tatted, he’s also into Grace.
If you are one of those people that hate love triangles you will probably be tearing your hair out before getting through the book. I myself, don’t mind them. Grace has two guys vying for her attention. The “good guy” Peter and “bad boy” Trick. Grace mostly just sees Peter as a really good friend and is irresistibly drawn to Trick. Then there is also Faith. She gets pissy with Grace from time to time for leading Peter on. Faith is totally into Peter.
When the shit starts hitting the fan it is pretty intense. I thought I had The Reaper pegged ,but I changed my mind about half way through. Then as it all keeps going and with the twists and turns the author throws at you it left me second guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s a deliciously dark read. If it were chocolate it would be the semi sweet variety. The thing between Grace and Trick is sort of sweet, but The Reaper, that nut job is completely bitter.
P.S. This book has nothing to do with chocolate…
August 11, 2014
A wonderfully entertaining book this – a little spin on such movies as “I know what you did Last Summer” with a group of friends being stalked by a menacing figure who seems to know their every move. Grace wants to become a member of the 100 society – a group where membership is gained by tagging various locations, each one more dangerous than the last. When a shadowy figure appears at one such location, things take a turn for the macabre.
It has a wonderful engaging prose, some heart stopping moments and a terrific pace to keep you on your toes plus some red herrings on the way to discovering who is behind it all – it was an absolute delight for me due to my love of all things twisty and turny plus my secret (ok not so secret) love of cheesy horror movies. Ms Spradbery manages to keep enough of the cheesiness in there to keep us gory film buffs happy but dispenses with the more generic aspects that can creep into this sort of story, so that there is a fresh and new feel to the whole thing. Excellent stuff.
If anything I would have liked it to be a bit longer, the characters were intriguing but didnt have time to develop as much as perhaps I personally would have liked but that is neither here nor there when it comes to pure reading entertainment value. I also particularly liked the artistic central theme – some of the art work being created by the students I would love to see in real life – and that particular thread pulled the whole thing together in a clever way, giving it a focus and a bit more heart.
Overall an excellent read, one I enjoyed thoroughly, I will look forward very much to what the author comes up with next.
Happy Reading Folks!
It has a wonderful engaging prose, some heart stopping moments and a terrific pace to keep you on your toes plus some red herrings on the way to discovering who is behind it all – it was an absolute delight for me due to my love of all things twisty and turny plus my secret (ok not so secret) love of cheesy horror movies. Ms Spradbery manages to keep enough of the cheesiness in there to keep us gory film buffs happy but dispenses with the more generic aspects that can creep into this sort of story, so that there is a fresh and new feel to the whole thing. Excellent stuff.
If anything I would have liked it to be a bit longer, the characters were intriguing but didnt have time to develop as much as perhaps I personally would have liked but that is neither here nor there when it comes to pure reading entertainment value. I also particularly liked the artistic central theme – some of the art work being created by the students I would love to see in real life – and that particular thread pulled the whole thing together in a clever way, giving it a focus and a bit more heart.
Overall an excellent read, one I enjoyed thoroughly, I will look forward very much to what the author comes up with next.
Happy Reading Folks!
January 11, 2016
Erster Satz:
"Grace Becker suchte am Sternenhimmel nach einem Halt, nach irgendetwas, um bloß nicht nach unten zu schauen, während sie sich Zentimeter für Zentimeter nach vorne schob."
Meine Meinung zum Buch:
Mit "Kill U: Wer verliert, muss sterben" hat die Autorin Carla Spradbery eine spannende und temporeiche Story erschaffen. Bereits nach den ersten Seiten war ich von der Geschichte gefangen und habe das Buch in einem Rutsch gelesen.
Die Idee hinter der Story ist einfach großartig, denn jeder Kunststudent soll ein Kunstwerk erschaffen, welches auf einer Ausstellung gezeigt und besprochen werden soll. Diese Kunstwerke nehmen im Laufe der Geschichte einen wichtigen Platz ein, in dem es um Leben und Tod geht.
Während wir Grace & die Clique dabei verfolgen, wie sie versuchen, 100 Tags an verschiedene, öffentliche Orte zu sprayen, um in den Club "Der 100" aufgenommen zu werden, erhalten wir kaum Verschnaufpausen. Für mich ein kleiner Minuspunkt, denn die Story prescht mit ihren knapp 270 Seiten immer weiter voran, dadurch bleiben, für meinen Geschmack, die Charaktere zu sehr auf der Strecke. Man erfährt sehr wenig bis eigentlich gar nichts über die Freunde. Selbst über den Club "Der 100" erfährt man nur flüchtige Details.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist flüssig und leicht verständlich.
Fazit:
Auch wenn das Buch ein paar Schwachstellen vorzuweisen hat, fand ich die Idee hinter der Story einfach toll. Ein paar mehr Informationen über die einzelnen Personen wären zwar wünschenswert gewesen, dennoch kann ich das Buch empfehlen.
Das Buch erhält von mir 4 von 5 Federn!
"Grace Becker suchte am Sternenhimmel nach einem Halt, nach irgendetwas, um bloß nicht nach unten zu schauen, während sie sich Zentimeter für Zentimeter nach vorne schob."
Meine Meinung zum Buch:
Mit "Kill U: Wer verliert, muss sterben" hat die Autorin Carla Spradbery eine spannende und temporeiche Story erschaffen. Bereits nach den ersten Seiten war ich von der Geschichte gefangen und habe das Buch in einem Rutsch gelesen.
Die Idee hinter der Story ist einfach großartig, denn jeder Kunststudent soll ein Kunstwerk erschaffen, welches auf einer Ausstellung gezeigt und besprochen werden soll. Diese Kunstwerke nehmen im Laufe der Geschichte einen wichtigen Platz ein, in dem es um Leben und Tod geht.
Während wir Grace & die Clique dabei verfolgen, wie sie versuchen, 100 Tags an verschiedene, öffentliche Orte zu sprayen, um in den Club "Der 100" aufgenommen zu werden, erhalten wir kaum Verschnaufpausen. Für mich ein kleiner Minuspunkt, denn die Story prescht mit ihren knapp 270 Seiten immer weiter voran, dadurch bleiben, für meinen Geschmack, die Charaktere zu sehr auf der Strecke. Man erfährt sehr wenig bis eigentlich gar nichts über die Freunde. Selbst über den Club "Der 100" erfährt man nur flüchtige Details.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist flüssig und leicht verständlich.
Fazit:
Auch wenn das Buch ein paar Schwachstellen vorzuweisen hat, fand ich die Idee hinter der Story einfach toll. Ein paar mehr Informationen über die einzelnen Personen wären zwar wünschenswert gewesen, dennoch kann ich das Buch empfehlen.
Das Buch erhält von mir 4 von 5 Federn!
August 11, 2014
3.5 stars
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Hachette Children's Books and Netgalley.)
17-year-old Grace is trying to spray paint a ‘tag’ on 100 locations across the city, all with the hope of becoming notorious, and getting her art recognised.
When it seems that someone is undoing her work though, and people start dying, she knows that this is one stunt that has gone too far.
Who is targeting Grace’s classmates? And can she stop them before it’s too late?
I nearly didn’t read this, but I am so glad I did because it was actually pretty good!
I really liked Grace, I liked her spunk, and I liked how much she loved her friends, as well as her drive to be brilliant. I felt quite sorry for her when things started going wrong though, as she was really unprepared to be targeted the way she was.
The storyline in this was pretty good, and although it started out a little slowly, it got better. There were some pretty creepy moments, and it was really hard to guess who the bad guy was! I suspected one person, then another, but I never guessed at who the culprit really was!
There was some romance, but it was a side-story; I did like the it at the end though, even if the love-triangle was a little irritating at one point.
The ending to this was good! We got a bit of action, and again – I did not guess who the killer was at all!
Overall; good YA mystery/horror story,
7 out of 10.
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Hachette Children's Books and Netgalley.)
17-year-old Grace is trying to spray paint a ‘tag’ on 100 locations across the city, all with the hope of becoming notorious, and getting her art recognised.
When it seems that someone is undoing her work though, and people start dying, she knows that this is one stunt that has gone too far.
Who is targeting Grace’s classmates? And can she stop them before it’s too late?
I nearly didn’t read this, but I am so glad I did because it was actually pretty good!
I really liked Grace, I liked her spunk, and I liked how much she loved her friends, as well as her drive to be brilliant. I felt quite sorry for her when things started going wrong though, as she was really unprepared to be targeted the way she was.
The storyline in this was pretty good, and although it started out a little slowly, it got better. There were some pretty creepy moments, and it was really hard to guess who the bad guy was! I suspected one person, then another, but I never guessed at who the culprit really was!
There was some romance, but it was a side-story; I did like the it at the end though, even if the love-triangle was a little irritating at one point.
The ending to this was good! We got a bit of action, and again – I did not guess who the killer was at all!
Overall; good YA mystery/horror story,
7 out of 10.
August 22, 2014
**I received an ARC through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Wow! I'm impressed. The 100 Society was a great thriller/mystery. I was on the edge of my seat. At times I was a bit scared. Spradberry kept me guessing. I was highly entertained.
Grace is a student at Clifton boarding school. She's determined to join The 100 Society, an elite group of students that tag graffiti over the years on one hundred different landmarks throughout the city. Due to the danger of tagging certain landmarks, students will be expelled if caught.
But Grace has something to prove and with the help of her friends she's just a few tags away from completing her goal. However, it seems like someone doesn't want her to succeed.
A terrible accident, mysterious texts, mistrust among friends equals a wild ride to an explosive finale. When you're let in on who the culprit is you'll gasp with surprise but at the same time it will make complete sense.
I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend!
Wow! I'm impressed. The 100 Society was a great thriller/mystery. I was on the edge of my seat. At times I was a bit scared. Spradberry kept me guessing. I was highly entertained.
Grace is a student at Clifton boarding school. She's determined to join The 100 Society, an elite group of students that tag graffiti over the years on one hundred different landmarks throughout the city. Due to the danger of tagging certain landmarks, students will be expelled if caught.
But Grace has something to prove and with the help of her friends she's just a few tags away from completing her goal. However, it seems like someone doesn't want her to succeed.
A terrible accident, mysterious texts, mistrust among friends equals a wild ride to an explosive finale. When you're let in on who the culprit is you'll gasp with surprise but at the same time it will make complete sense.
I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend!
July 29, 2016
Thrilling, insane and unexpected are words I would use to describe this book. The 100 Society has pretty much every element I love in a YA book: boarding school, breaking rules, and unexpected romance. The idea of going around the city tagging buildings and specific places to join a society sounds very enticing, as if something had to do with the Illuminati (at least it did to me). The main character, Grace, was actually very good. Although I did hate her for being annoying a times, she was a real embodiment of teenaged girls now a days; daring, yet, clueless enough to not realize people actually like them. The story was very I Know What You Did Last Summer, but without the gore that I despise. It was a thrilling novel and the writing was very good as well. I was able to breeze through the book and still understand everything. I have never been a fan of very thrilling/scary novels but this one really did it for me.
August 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this story.
Grace Becker is a sixth-form student preparing for an art exhibit with her friends. On the side they are also attempting to become members of the 100 Society. The 100 Society is an elite group of people that have tagged 100 locations around the city with their own individually created graffiti marker. However, their obsession with becoming members leads to one student dying, another student being permanently blinded in one eye, and more chaos than they ever imagined. Grace must figure out who has been stalking them and tagging over their marks with a Reaper before all of her friends are killed.
Another great horror read for the summer! I enjoyed this story and I was definitely second guessing myself the entire book trying to figure out who was the Reaper. The author does a great job of keeping you on your toes!
Grace Becker is a sixth-form student preparing for an art exhibit with her friends. On the side they are also attempting to become members of the 100 Society. The 100 Society is an elite group of people that have tagged 100 locations around the city with their own individually created graffiti marker. However, their obsession with becoming members leads to one student dying, another student being permanently blinded in one eye, and more chaos than they ever imagined. Grace must figure out who has been stalking them and tagging over their marks with a Reaper before all of her friends are killed.
Another great horror read for the summer! I enjoyed this story and I was definitely second guessing myself the entire book trying to figure out who was the Reaper. The author does a great job of keeping you on your toes!
June 22, 2014
I enjoyed this. It's a wonderfully written YA mystery - there are questions about everyone's motives, who it could be, who's telling the truth, and the culprit will surprise you. I read an absolute ton, so I'm usually already aware of who it is. Not this time. And I was surprised, but it's a choice that doesn't make everything fall apart either. It all fits - all the reasons why. It's kind of sad, really, but sometimes that's the life of the rich and bored.
I would have liked to have seen more of Grace's brother and father. She talks about them a lot (you'll see why), and then once they are there and she's okay, there's barely a half page of interaction between them before the guys are off again.That was disappointing because I really wanted to know her father's reaction to it all (and Mr Perfect's - her brother).
I would have liked to have seen more of Grace's brother and father. She talks about them a lot (you'll see why), and then once they are there and she's okay, there's barely a half page of interaction between them before the guys are off again.That was disappointing because I really wanted to know her father's reaction to it all (and Mr Perfect's - her brother).
August 12, 2014
(I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
The 100 Society started out quite slow, but it got so much better!
Grace was an okay character, but i didn't love her.
The other characters were the same, i liked them, but didn't love them.
The mystery in this was great.
I'd think the killer was one person, then change my mind, then change it again! When the killer was revealed at the end, it was someone who i didn't even suspect.
Overall, A great read.
The 100 Society started out quite slow, but it got so much better!
Grace was an okay character, but i didn't love her.
The other characters were the same, i liked them, but didn't love them.
The mystery in this was great.
I'd think the killer was one person, then change my mind, then change it again! When the killer was revealed at the end, it was someone who i didn't even suspect.
Overall, A great read.
Read
December 29, 2014The premise sounds pretty good but then the writing itself was not what I expected. It lacks depth for as far as I can tell an the characters are one dimensional. I also couldn't connect to any of them.
Will try and see if I could make a full review of this.
thank you Netgalley for providing this copy to me for review purposes
Will try and see if I could make a full review of this.
thank you Netgalley for providing this copy to me for review purposes
June 5, 2014
Really enjoyed this, just the right book for me. Highly recommend.
March 7, 2018
Allgemeines:
Titel: Kill U - Wer verliert, muss sterben
Autor: Carla Spradbery
Verlag: Coppenrath (1. Juni 2015)
Genre: Thriller
ISBN-10: 3649621495
ISBN-13: 978-3649621492
ASIN: B012AR0AXW
Seitenzahl: 272 Seiten
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 14 - 17 Jahre
Originaltitel: The 100 Society
Preis: 14,95€ (Gebundene Ausgabe)
10,99€ (Kindle-Edition)
Inhalt:
Spraye einhundert Graffiti-Tags an unmöglichen Stellen, und du darfst dem Klub der 100 beitreten! Aber Vorsicht, du könntest dabei draufgehen …
Die Kunststudentin Grace ist kurz davor, in den legendären Klub der 100 aufgenommen zu werden. Bereits 95 der 100 nötigen Tags hat sie gesprayt. Beim Versuch, den 96. Tag auf einer Brücke anzubringen, kommt es jedoch zu einem gefährlichen Zwischenfall: Grace und ihre Freunde werden von einem Fremden angegriffen. Kurz darauf entdeckt Grace, dass ihre bisherigen Tags mit einem Sensenmann übersprüht wurden. Will jemand ihre Aufnahme in den Klub sabotieren? Als mehrere von Grace' Freunden in seltsame Unfälle verwickelt werden, ist Grace davon überzeugt, dass der Fremde es eigentlich auf sie abgesehen hat. Die harmlose Mutprobe wird plötzlich zum tödlichen Ernst und jeder ist verdächtig.
Bewertung:
Dieses Buch hat durch einen Fehler zu mir gefunden: meine Adresse wurde mit der Anschrift einer anderen Bloggerin verwechselt und so wurden unsere Päckchen vertauscht. Im Nachhinein bin ich jedoch wirklich sehr froh, dass diese Verwechslung passiert ist, denn sonst wäre ich nie über diese kleine Perle von Geschichte gestolpert. Total unvoreingenommen habe ich sie begonnen und emotional am Ende aber vollauf begeistert wieder beendet.
Das Cover zeigt als Hauptmotiv ein Graffiti auf einer hellen Wand: mit schwarzer Farbe sind die Grundrisse eines Mädchengesichts gesprayt, in weiß und Pink der Titel daneben. Natürlich ist es ganz passend, die Kunstform, um die es im Buch vorrangig geht, auf dem Cover abzubilden und auch gerade durch die scharfen Kontraste wird das Bild zum Eye-Catcher. Der Titel passt auch ganz gut, vor allem das "U", dass das "you" darstellen soll, hat einen Bezug zur Handlung: Graces Markenzeichen in der Sprayer-Szene ist ein Drachen in der Form eines "Us". Nicht ganz einverstanden bin ich mit dem Untertitel, welcher meiner Meinung nach eher weniger passt und eigentlich keine besondere Bedeutung zu haben scheint. Ich hätte ihn einfach weggelassen. Auch innerhalb des Buches war ich von der Gestaltung positiv überrascht. Jeden der 36 Kapitelanfänge ziert die jeweilige Zahl in Graffiti-Manier. Die dominanten, leicht verwackelten Zahlen haben etwas Hypnotisches, Unterdrucksetzendes, was sehr gut zur Handlung passt.
Erster Satz: "Grace Becker suchte am Sternenhimmel nach einem Halt, nach irgendetwas, um bloß nicht nach unten zu schauen, während sie sich Zentimeter für Zentimeter nach vorne schob."
Die Geschichte schickt uns auf die Reise in die USA auf die renommierte Privatschule Clifton Manor, wo unsere Protagonistin Grace mit ihren Freunden studiert. Ihr großes Ziel ist es, in den legendären Klub der 100 aufgenommen zu werden, wozu sie mit der Hilfe ihrer Freunde schon 95 von den 100 geforderten Graffiti-tags an die vorgegebenen Stellen gesprayt hat. Wir steigen mit einer imposanten Nacht-und-Nebel-Spray-Aktion in die Handlung ein und erleben hautnah, wie Grace beim Versuch, den 96. Tag an einer Brücke anzubringen von einem Unbekannten angegriffen wird. Als sie daraufhin immer wieder Drohungen mit dem Zeichen eines Sensenmannes erhält, ihr Zimmer durchsucht wird und Hacker auf ihrem Blog private Bilder veröffentlichen, müssen die Freunde erkennen, dass sich was als Mutprobe begonnen hat, längst in bitteren Ernst verwandelt hat. Doch wer ist der Angreifer, der nicht davor zurückschreckt, Graces Tags alle mit seinem Sensenmann zu übersprühen und ihren Freunden immer wieder gefährliche Fallen stellt? Und was hat er mit ihnen vor? Als sich die düsteren Bilder, die die Schüler im Kunstunterricht für eine Ausstellung gemalt haben, langsam alle zu erfüllen beginnen, begreift Grace, dass sie im Mittelpunkt eines perfiden Planes steht und der Strippenzieher mitten unter ihnen ist. Denn wie auch die anderen Kunstwerke wird der gesprayte Sensenmann bald Programm...
"Ihr schnürte sich der Magen zusammen. Irgendwo gab es einen Zusammenhang, den sie zwar noch nicht benennen konnte, der ihr aber Angst machte. Trotz des blauen Himmels war in der Ferne Donnergrollen zu hören. Ein Sturm zog auf."
Wow, was als harmloser Nervenkitzel in der Sprayer-Szene beginnt verwandelt sich schnell in einen atemlosen Thriller, welcher es weiß, mit den Gefühlen des Lesers zu spielen, wie kein Zweiter. Vor allem die interessanten und innovativen Ideen der Geschichte, wie der Klub 100 und das zum-Leben-erwecken von Kunstwerken hebt diesen Thriller von anderen ab und ließ ein ums andere Mal eine Gänsehaut über meinen Rücken rieseln.
Während man sich als Leser noch in die Situation ein zu denken versucht, taucht zum ersten Mal ein Unbekannter auf, der bei den Jugendlichen erstmal nur Angst vor dem drohenden Schulverweis schürt. Im Verlauf der Handlung beginnen sich die Ereignisse zu überschlagen und es wird klar, dass die Nichtaufnahme im Klub 100 und das Verpassen der besten Studienplätze nicht das Größte Problem der Freunde ist: ein gnadenloser Jäger sitzt ihnen im Nacken und verfolgt jeden ihrer Schritte.
"Am Himmel rissen die Wolken auf und gaben den Blick auf einen fast kugelrunden Mond frei, der den Sportplatz einen Augenblick lang in geisterhaftes Licht hüllte. Sekunden später schloss sich die Wolkendecke wieder und tauchte das Schulgelände abermals in Dunkelheit, doch Grace hatte jemanden auf dem Platz gesehen.
Regungslos.
Auf der Lauer."
Die 265 Seiten lassen uns kaum eine Verschnaufpause und treiben uns mit Überraschungen und Wendungen hilflos vor sich her. Durch viele Andeutungen, Drohungen und kleinen Krisen innerhalb der Gruppe, wird die Zusammensetzung der Geschichte stetig so durchmischt, dass man einfach nicht voraussehen kann, wer es denn nun ist, der die Jugendlichen jagt. Vom Direktor der Schule, über den gruseligen allgegenwärtigen Hausmeister Sylvester, bis hin zu den Mitgliedern von Graces Clique, hatte ich alle mal in Verdacht. Ist es der geheimnisvolle Daniel, auf den alle Indizien hindeuten, oder doch gar Trick, der sich so liebevoll um Grace zu kümmern scheint? Mit jeder Szene wird das Bild, das man sich gemacht hat wieder umgeworfen, sodass mir bis ganz zum Ende der Blick auf die schlussendliche Auflösung verwehrt blieb! Das hat schon lange kein Buch mehr geschafft! Durch die vielen Änderungen des Schauplatzes, dem regelrechten Szenenstakkato und nicht zuletzt dem abwechslungsreichen, flüssigen Schreibstil, wird eine gespenstische, gehetzte Stimmung kreiert, der uns Leser schonungslos auf den Showdown zu rennen lässt.
Der Fokus liegt eindeutig auf der Handlung, was bei dieser Art von Geschichte auch vollkommen in Ordnung ist. Der Plot lebt von den Protagonisten als Gruppe in ihrer vollen Dynamik, welche auch sehr spannend abgebildet wird. Die einzelnen Charaktere als Individuen sind nicht so wichtig, weshalb sie auch nur grob gezeichnet werden und die Charakterisierung vor allem auf emotionaler Ebene doch ein klein wenig oberflächlich bleibt. Das ist natürlich ein wenig schade, kann ich aber zugunsten der Spannung gerne in Kauf nehmen. Trotzdem sind alle Charaktere spannend umrahmt und bilden zusammen eine komplett durchmischte Gruppe, von der aber jeder der Täter sein könnte.
"Eigentlich mochte Grace den Regen. Warm und geborgen unter der bis zum Kinn hochgezogenen Bettdecke hatte sie stets dem sanften, mal stärker, mal schwächer werdenden Klopfen am Fenster gelauscht und war beruhigt eingeschlafen. Doch jetzt wo Cassie im Krankenhaus lag, die Augen und das Gesichts entstellt durch einen schrecklichen Unfall, der bestimmt keiner war; wo jemand Cassies Spind und ihr Zimmer durchwühlt hatte, fühlte sich Grace überhaupt nicht mehr geborgen. Im Gegenteil, das Klopfen klang, als würden tausend Finger unerbittlich gegen die Scheibe trommeln, um ins Zimmer zu gelangen..."
Grace ist hier die Hauptprotagonistin und erzählt aus der personalen Innensicht. Sie ist der Mittelpunkt der Clique und hat die ganze Geschichte mit dem Klub 100 erst losgetreten, weil sie versucht, aus dem Schatten ihres Bruders herauszutreten. Während er erfolgreich Medizin studiert, will sie Karriere als Künstlerin machen und ihrem Vater durch die Aktion beweisen, was sie drauf hat. Sie malt das Bild "Für immer".
Neben dem gutaussehenden Pete, welcher ihr bester Freund ist, den sie seit Jahren kennt und dem sie blind vertraut hilft ihr dabei noch Trick, der eigentlich Patrick heißt und der geborene Rebell zu sein scheint. Obwohl Pete eigentlich die perfekte Wahl ist und er sie seit Jahren zu lieben scheint, fühlt sie sich eher zum rebellischen Trick hingezogen, welcher mit seinen Tätowierungen und der mühelosen künstlerischen Begabung aus der Reihe tanzt. Die sich anbahnende Liebesgeschichte ist zwar eigentlich voll von Klischees, fügt sich aber auf sehr passende Art und Weise in die Handlung, sodass sie diese eher komplettiert als stört. Trick malt "Der Glockenturm", Pete töpfert eine Tonskulptur.
"Seine Augen. Das Braun seiner Iris kam ihr noch dunkler vor. Diesen Ausdruck hatten sie sonst nur, wenn er in seine Bilder versunken war. "Grace." Sanft strich er ihr über die Wange. Allein diese leichte Berührung raubte ihr den Atem."
Seit Trick vor einigen Monaten auf die Schule gekommen ist, hat sich Graces Freundschaft zu ihrer besten Freundin Faith verändert. Warum erfährt sie erst, als sie herausfindet, dass sie schon seit Jahren auf Pete steht und es nicht ausstehen kann, dass Grace diesen so in der Luft hängen lässt. Wie auch die Rivalitäten zwischen den Künstlern angesichts der nahenden Ausstellung, zu der wichtige Universitäten Talentscouts schicken werden, ist diese Dreiecksgeschichte ein wunderbarer Nährboden für Konflikte innerhalb des Freundeskreises. Faith malt "Der Schrei".
Die letzten beiden Mitglieder der Clique sind das Paar Cassie und Ed. Während Cassie auf den ersten Blick wie eine oberflächliche Tussi wirkt, mit ihren Designerschuhen, ihrem aufwändigen Make-Up und den ausgetüftelten Outfits, ist Ed die Bodenständigkeit in Person. Wie gut die beiden zusammenpassen, erfahren wir erst, als klar wird, dass in Cassie mehr steckt, als ihr schönes Aussehen vermuten lässt. Während Ed ein sozialkritisches "Galgenmännchen" auf die Leinwand gebracht hat, hat Cassie in ihrer Collage "Dekonstruktion von Schönheit" ebenfalls Kritik an der Gesellschaft geübt. Dass die beiden somit ihr Schicksal unterschrieben haben, konnten sie noch nicht ahnen...
"Als Daniel sich die Brille zurechtrückte, herrschte für einen Moment absolute Stille. Im mächtigen Schatten von Clifton Manor schob er sich das strähnige Haar aus dem Gesicht, dann schenkte er Grace und Pete ein Lächeln, das nicht zu der Kälte in seinen Augen passt. Als würde ein Totenkopf feixen..."
Der letzte nennenswerte Charakter ist Daniel, welcher als Außenseiter neben der Clique steht und von allen wie ein Fußabtreter behandelt wird. Weil er pyromanische Züge hat wird er hinter seinem Rücken dafür verschrien, ein Psycho und für den Brand an der Schule verantwortlich zu sein. Er malte das Bild "Feuer". Als er dann auch noch in den Fall mit dem Klub 100 verwickelt zu sein scheint und sich mit den Freunden an der "Lost Souls Bridge" treffen will, wo es zu einem schrecklichen Unfall kommt, scheinen alle Indizien auf ihn zu deuten. Doch ist er es wirklich oder steckt noch jemand anders dahinter?
Ein Roman der zeigt, wie aus Hass und einer psychischen Störungen ein schonungsloses Katz-und-Maus-Spiel entstehen kann, dass schnell entgleist. Ein Hauch von Tod inmitten des normalen alltäglichen Lebens, eine Menge Freundschaft und Verrat, alles unter dem Deckmantel der Kunst. Das letzte i-Tüpfelchen fehlt noch, ansonsten haben wie hier einen rundum mitreißenden und überzeugenden Thriller vor uns.
"Grace drehte sich zu Trick um. "Ich habe das Gefühl, die ganze Welt ist heute wahnsinnig geworden." Trick schaute von seinem Bild auf. "Weißt du, ich glaube, der Wahnsinn geht gerade erst los..."
Gerade das Ende trumpft nochmals mit einem spannendem Showdown auf, den man der Geschichte gar nicht zugetraut hätte und offenbart, was dieses Buch ist: eine positive Überraschung auf ganzer Linie!
Fazit:
Ein rasanter Action-Thriller voller Nervenkitzel, der alles hat, was für eine gute Portion Spannung nötig ist: der Zwiespalt zwischen Vertrauen und Verrat, enttäuschte Freundschaftsbanden und erstarkende Liebe und ein Hauch von Tod inmitten des normalen alltäglichen Lebens - alles unter dem Deckmantel der Kunst.
Titel: Kill U - Wer verliert, muss sterben
Autor: Carla Spradbery
Verlag: Coppenrath (1. Juni 2015)
Genre: Thriller
ISBN-10: 3649621495
ISBN-13: 978-3649621492
ASIN: B012AR0AXW
Seitenzahl: 272 Seiten
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 14 - 17 Jahre
Originaltitel: The 100 Society
Preis: 14,95€ (Gebundene Ausgabe)
10,99€ (Kindle-Edition)
Inhalt:
Spraye einhundert Graffiti-Tags an unmöglichen Stellen, und du darfst dem Klub der 100 beitreten! Aber Vorsicht, du könntest dabei draufgehen …
Die Kunststudentin Grace ist kurz davor, in den legendären Klub der 100 aufgenommen zu werden. Bereits 95 der 100 nötigen Tags hat sie gesprayt. Beim Versuch, den 96. Tag auf einer Brücke anzubringen, kommt es jedoch zu einem gefährlichen Zwischenfall: Grace und ihre Freunde werden von einem Fremden angegriffen. Kurz darauf entdeckt Grace, dass ihre bisherigen Tags mit einem Sensenmann übersprüht wurden. Will jemand ihre Aufnahme in den Klub sabotieren? Als mehrere von Grace' Freunden in seltsame Unfälle verwickelt werden, ist Grace davon überzeugt, dass der Fremde es eigentlich auf sie abgesehen hat. Die harmlose Mutprobe wird plötzlich zum tödlichen Ernst und jeder ist verdächtig.
Bewertung:
Dieses Buch hat durch einen Fehler zu mir gefunden: meine Adresse wurde mit der Anschrift einer anderen Bloggerin verwechselt und so wurden unsere Päckchen vertauscht. Im Nachhinein bin ich jedoch wirklich sehr froh, dass diese Verwechslung passiert ist, denn sonst wäre ich nie über diese kleine Perle von Geschichte gestolpert. Total unvoreingenommen habe ich sie begonnen und emotional am Ende aber vollauf begeistert wieder beendet.
Das Cover zeigt als Hauptmotiv ein Graffiti auf einer hellen Wand: mit schwarzer Farbe sind die Grundrisse eines Mädchengesichts gesprayt, in weiß und Pink der Titel daneben. Natürlich ist es ganz passend, die Kunstform, um die es im Buch vorrangig geht, auf dem Cover abzubilden und auch gerade durch die scharfen Kontraste wird das Bild zum Eye-Catcher. Der Titel passt auch ganz gut, vor allem das "U", dass das "you" darstellen soll, hat einen Bezug zur Handlung: Graces Markenzeichen in der Sprayer-Szene ist ein Drachen in der Form eines "Us". Nicht ganz einverstanden bin ich mit dem Untertitel, welcher meiner Meinung nach eher weniger passt und eigentlich keine besondere Bedeutung zu haben scheint. Ich hätte ihn einfach weggelassen. Auch innerhalb des Buches war ich von der Gestaltung positiv überrascht. Jeden der 36 Kapitelanfänge ziert die jeweilige Zahl in Graffiti-Manier. Die dominanten, leicht verwackelten Zahlen haben etwas Hypnotisches, Unterdrucksetzendes, was sehr gut zur Handlung passt.
Erster Satz: "Grace Becker suchte am Sternenhimmel nach einem Halt, nach irgendetwas, um bloß nicht nach unten zu schauen, während sie sich Zentimeter für Zentimeter nach vorne schob."
Die Geschichte schickt uns auf die Reise in die USA auf die renommierte Privatschule Clifton Manor, wo unsere Protagonistin Grace mit ihren Freunden studiert. Ihr großes Ziel ist es, in den legendären Klub der 100 aufgenommen zu werden, wozu sie mit der Hilfe ihrer Freunde schon 95 von den 100 geforderten Graffiti-tags an die vorgegebenen Stellen gesprayt hat. Wir steigen mit einer imposanten Nacht-und-Nebel-Spray-Aktion in die Handlung ein und erleben hautnah, wie Grace beim Versuch, den 96. Tag an einer Brücke anzubringen von einem Unbekannten angegriffen wird. Als sie daraufhin immer wieder Drohungen mit dem Zeichen eines Sensenmannes erhält, ihr Zimmer durchsucht wird und Hacker auf ihrem Blog private Bilder veröffentlichen, müssen die Freunde erkennen, dass sich was als Mutprobe begonnen hat, längst in bitteren Ernst verwandelt hat. Doch wer ist der Angreifer, der nicht davor zurückschreckt, Graces Tags alle mit seinem Sensenmann zu übersprühen und ihren Freunden immer wieder gefährliche Fallen stellt? Und was hat er mit ihnen vor? Als sich die düsteren Bilder, die die Schüler im Kunstunterricht für eine Ausstellung gemalt haben, langsam alle zu erfüllen beginnen, begreift Grace, dass sie im Mittelpunkt eines perfiden Planes steht und der Strippenzieher mitten unter ihnen ist. Denn wie auch die anderen Kunstwerke wird der gesprayte Sensenmann bald Programm...
"Ihr schnürte sich der Magen zusammen. Irgendwo gab es einen Zusammenhang, den sie zwar noch nicht benennen konnte, der ihr aber Angst machte. Trotz des blauen Himmels war in der Ferne Donnergrollen zu hören. Ein Sturm zog auf."
Wow, was als harmloser Nervenkitzel in der Sprayer-Szene beginnt verwandelt sich schnell in einen atemlosen Thriller, welcher es weiß, mit den Gefühlen des Lesers zu spielen, wie kein Zweiter. Vor allem die interessanten und innovativen Ideen der Geschichte, wie der Klub 100 und das zum-Leben-erwecken von Kunstwerken hebt diesen Thriller von anderen ab und ließ ein ums andere Mal eine Gänsehaut über meinen Rücken rieseln.
Während man sich als Leser noch in die Situation ein zu denken versucht, taucht zum ersten Mal ein Unbekannter auf, der bei den Jugendlichen erstmal nur Angst vor dem drohenden Schulverweis schürt. Im Verlauf der Handlung beginnen sich die Ereignisse zu überschlagen und es wird klar, dass die Nichtaufnahme im Klub 100 und das Verpassen der besten Studienplätze nicht das Größte Problem der Freunde ist: ein gnadenloser Jäger sitzt ihnen im Nacken und verfolgt jeden ihrer Schritte.
"Am Himmel rissen die Wolken auf und gaben den Blick auf einen fast kugelrunden Mond frei, der den Sportplatz einen Augenblick lang in geisterhaftes Licht hüllte. Sekunden später schloss sich die Wolkendecke wieder und tauchte das Schulgelände abermals in Dunkelheit, doch Grace hatte jemanden auf dem Platz gesehen.
Regungslos.
Auf der Lauer."
Die 265 Seiten lassen uns kaum eine Verschnaufpause und treiben uns mit Überraschungen und Wendungen hilflos vor sich her. Durch viele Andeutungen, Drohungen und kleinen Krisen innerhalb der Gruppe, wird die Zusammensetzung der Geschichte stetig so durchmischt, dass man einfach nicht voraussehen kann, wer es denn nun ist, der die Jugendlichen jagt. Vom Direktor der Schule, über den gruseligen allgegenwärtigen Hausmeister Sylvester, bis hin zu den Mitgliedern von Graces Clique, hatte ich alle mal in Verdacht. Ist es der geheimnisvolle Daniel, auf den alle Indizien hindeuten, oder doch gar Trick, der sich so liebevoll um Grace zu kümmern scheint? Mit jeder Szene wird das Bild, das man sich gemacht hat wieder umgeworfen, sodass mir bis ganz zum Ende der Blick auf die schlussendliche Auflösung verwehrt blieb! Das hat schon lange kein Buch mehr geschafft! Durch die vielen Änderungen des Schauplatzes, dem regelrechten Szenenstakkato und nicht zuletzt dem abwechslungsreichen, flüssigen Schreibstil, wird eine gespenstische, gehetzte Stimmung kreiert, der uns Leser schonungslos auf den Showdown zu rennen lässt.
Der Fokus liegt eindeutig auf der Handlung, was bei dieser Art von Geschichte auch vollkommen in Ordnung ist. Der Plot lebt von den Protagonisten als Gruppe in ihrer vollen Dynamik, welche auch sehr spannend abgebildet wird. Die einzelnen Charaktere als Individuen sind nicht so wichtig, weshalb sie auch nur grob gezeichnet werden und die Charakterisierung vor allem auf emotionaler Ebene doch ein klein wenig oberflächlich bleibt. Das ist natürlich ein wenig schade, kann ich aber zugunsten der Spannung gerne in Kauf nehmen. Trotzdem sind alle Charaktere spannend umrahmt und bilden zusammen eine komplett durchmischte Gruppe, von der aber jeder der Täter sein könnte.
"Eigentlich mochte Grace den Regen. Warm und geborgen unter der bis zum Kinn hochgezogenen Bettdecke hatte sie stets dem sanften, mal stärker, mal schwächer werdenden Klopfen am Fenster gelauscht und war beruhigt eingeschlafen. Doch jetzt wo Cassie im Krankenhaus lag, die Augen und das Gesichts entstellt durch einen schrecklichen Unfall, der bestimmt keiner war; wo jemand Cassies Spind und ihr Zimmer durchwühlt hatte, fühlte sich Grace überhaupt nicht mehr geborgen. Im Gegenteil, das Klopfen klang, als würden tausend Finger unerbittlich gegen die Scheibe trommeln, um ins Zimmer zu gelangen..."
Grace ist hier die Hauptprotagonistin und erzählt aus der personalen Innensicht. Sie ist der Mittelpunkt der Clique und hat die ganze Geschichte mit dem Klub 100 erst losgetreten, weil sie versucht, aus dem Schatten ihres Bruders herauszutreten. Während er erfolgreich Medizin studiert, will sie Karriere als Künstlerin machen und ihrem Vater durch die Aktion beweisen, was sie drauf hat. Sie malt das Bild "Für immer".
Neben dem gutaussehenden Pete, welcher ihr bester Freund ist, den sie seit Jahren kennt und dem sie blind vertraut hilft ihr dabei noch Trick, der eigentlich Patrick heißt und der geborene Rebell zu sein scheint. Obwohl Pete eigentlich die perfekte Wahl ist und er sie seit Jahren zu lieben scheint, fühlt sie sich eher zum rebellischen Trick hingezogen, welcher mit seinen Tätowierungen und der mühelosen künstlerischen Begabung aus der Reihe tanzt. Die sich anbahnende Liebesgeschichte ist zwar eigentlich voll von Klischees, fügt sich aber auf sehr passende Art und Weise in die Handlung, sodass sie diese eher komplettiert als stört. Trick malt "Der Glockenturm", Pete töpfert eine Tonskulptur.
"Seine Augen. Das Braun seiner Iris kam ihr noch dunkler vor. Diesen Ausdruck hatten sie sonst nur, wenn er in seine Bilder versunken war. "Grace." Sanft strich er ihr über die Wange. Allein diese leichte Berührung raubte ihr den Atem."
Seit Trick vor einigen Monaten auf die Schule gekommen ist, hat sich Graces Freundschaft zu ihrer besten Freundin Faith verändert. Warum erfährt sie erst, als sie herausfindet, dass sie schon seit Jahren auf Pete steht und es nicht ausstehen kann, dass Grace diesen so in der Luft hängen lässt. Wie auch die Rivalitäten zwischen den Künstlern angesichts der nahenden Ausstellung, zu der wichtige Universitäten Talentscouts schicken werden, ist diese Dreiecksgeschichte ein wunderbarer Nährboden für Konflikte innerhalb des Freundeskreises. Faith malt "Der Schrei".
Die letzten beiden Mitglieder der Clique sind das Paar Cassie und Ed. Während Cassie auf den ersten Blick wie eine oberflächliche Tussi wirkt, mit ihren Designerschuhen, ihrem aufwändigen Make-Up und den ausgetüftelten Outfits, ist Ed die Bodenständigkeit in Person. Wie gut die beiden zusammenpassen, erfahren wir erst, als klar wird, dass in Cassie mehr steckt, als ihr schönes Aussehen vermuten lässt. Während Ed ein sozialkritisches "Galgenmännchen" auf die Leinwand gebracht hat, hat Cassie in ihrer Collage "Dekonstruktion von Schönheit" ebenfalls Kritik an der Gesellschaft geübt. Dass die beiden somit ihr Schicksal unterschrieben haben, konnten sie noch nicht ahnen...
"Als Daniel sich die Brille zurechtrückte, herrschte für einen Moment absolute Stille. Im mächtigen Schatten von Clifton Manor schob er sich das strähnige Haar aus dem Gesicht, dann schenkte er Grace und Pete ein Lächeln, das nicht zu der Kälte in seinen Augen passt. Als würde ein Totenkopf feixen..."
Der letzte nennenswerte Charakter ist Daniel, welcher als Außenseiter neben der Clique steht und von allen wie ein Fußabtreter behandelt wird. Weil er pyromanische Züge hat wird er hinter seinem Rücken dafür verschrien, ein Psycho und für den Brand an der Schule verantwortlich zu sein. Er malte das Bild "Feuer". Als er dann auch noch in den Fall mit dem Klub 100 verwickelt zu sein scheint und sich mit den Freunden an der "Lost Souls Bridge" treffen will, wo es zu einem schrecklichen Unfall kommt, scheinen alle Indizien auf ihn zu deuten. Doch ist er es wirklich oder steckt noch jemand anders dahinter?
Ein Roman der zeigt, wie aus Hass und einer psychischen Störungen ein schonungsloses Katz-und-Maus-Spiel entstehen kann, dass schnell entgleist. Ein Hauch von Tod inmitten des normalen alltäglichen Lebens, eine Menge Freundschaft und Verrat, alles unter dem Deckmantel der Kunst. Das letzte i-Tüpfelchen fehlt noch, ansonsten haben wie hier einen rundum mitreißenden und überzeugenden Thriller vor uns.
"Grace drehte sich zu Trick um. "Ich habe das Gefühl, die ganze Welt ist heute wahnsinnig geworden." Trick schaute von seinem Bild auf. "Weißt du, ich glaube, der Wahnsinn geht gerade erst los..."
Gerade das Ende trumpft nochmals mit einem spannendem Showdown auf, den man der Geschichte gar nicht zugetraut hätte und offenbart, was dieses Buch ist: eine positive Überraschung auf ganzer Linie!
Fazit:
Ein rasanter Action-Thriller voller Nervenkitzel, der alles hat, was für eine gute Portion Spannung nötig ist: der Zwiespalt zwischen Vertrauen und Verrat, enttäuschte Freundschaftsbanden und erstarkende Liebe und ein Hauch von Tod inmitten des normalen alltäglichen Lebens - alles unter dem Deckmantel der Kunst.
October 2, 2014
Okay, so I’ve been on somewhat of a thriller/horror kick lately. The 100 Society by Carla Spradbery had the potential to be a great thriller but to me, it was a bit sophomoric. I really, really wanted to like this book … I really did but I have a big problem with characters that just behave stupidly. Especially when the author initially portrays them as smart characters and I have to watch their intelligence level take a nose dive throughout the book.
The 100 Society is a group that begins at Clifton Academy, the essence is that they tag a series of locations – 100 locations to be specific - with their unique graffiti mark. This will gain them unrecognized fame and glory. It will also get them expelled from the academy if they’re caught. This is one of the biggest fears of the main character, Grace. Grace has a serious inferiority complex caused by her highly successful older brother, Jack and lack of attention from her surgeon father. So, it’s sort of a tug-a-war for me in the arena of ‘why in the heck is she doing this’? Why risk expulsion if your biggest fear is disapproval from your father? But … one character, Ed, makes a comment in the book that if they manage to tag all 100 locations, it will all but guarantee them a spot in the finest art schools. But that leads me to the question: If they can’t tell anyone, ever, how will the finest art schools know they did it? So, you see my dilemma here.
What started out as such a promising read quickly became a bore. Grace and her friends blatantly ignore billboard size signs that read, “Yep, I took out your buddy and you’re next!” and continue on blindly, all for possible street cred? I mean nobody’s going to know they did this and if anyone finds out, the best possible outcome is expulsion from school and parental disapproval? Let’s face it, if you get expelled from school, chances are that the ‘best art schools’ aren’t going to accept you anyways. I guess if there was more to gain from belonging to The 100 Society, I could get behind it. Give me a better reason for this, please! Something more to gain ... anything! This was my biggest problem with the book, there was no feasible reason behind the premise. I understand that an unknown artist did this years ago and said unknown artist who goes only by 'A' has made millions off his artwork but it still doesn't tie in to the story and here's why: 'A' made no money of his graffiti tag, 'A' is a fictitious character within a fictitious work, therefore lacking any real credential that he is even a real artist within the book and lastly, I think that this tidbit about 'A' was thrown in there just to justify and give some vague reason for the 'New' 100 Society to even exist because, Lord knows, I can't come up with a valid reason.
The characters were bland and boring, I held out a lot of hope for Trick, I thought he would be the shining star out of all of them. The handsome yet tattooed rebel who comes off cool and detached, but nope, he became as two dimensional as the rest of them. Grace, the main character, felt flat and forced, selfish and self-absorbed. I never felt the closeness that this group was supposed to have, in fact, their interactions felt like a group of strangers. I have more intimate conversations in the Wal-Mart check-out line.
I will give credit to some mildly thrilling moments but that’s about the best I can do. I was disappointed in this book. Not something I would recommend.
This ARC was provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
October 28, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.
As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust.
With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...
From the outset, I have to say I was very interested in reading this book. I have read quite a few YA novels recently but most of them were of the dystopian or apocalyptic version, so to find one about a regular group of teenagers in a regular world, I was happy to give it a go.
It started pretty well - we find Grace and her friends in the midst of a "tag" when they are discovered and one of their number is attacked and injured by a mysterious figure. From there on, however, we slid into the world of unbelievable narrative.
One thing that I found odd about the premise is this: if tagging 100 places to earn your place in the "100 Society" is supposed to help you gain entry to the big art schools, how is that going to happen if you aren't allowed to tell anyone you have done it?
This is what bugged me the most about the story: the author is good. She writes well, interesting characters and a plot that, on the whole, was rather sound. But there is something a little wrong with the storytelling. We are led to believe at times that, instead of informing the authorities when their lives are threatened, when their rooms get broken into, when one of them is assaulted, they keep it all to themselves and try and figure it out. I just had a real issue with that. At one point, when a character is killed, I threw the book to the floor in exasperation. The final unveiling of "The Reaper" was also a little tame - if you had been able to hold your interest long enough, you will have guessed his or her identity pretty early on.
On the whole, a reasonable book - but if you are looking for something that holds your interest over 300+ pages, then maybe you need to reconsider.
Paul
ARH
For sixth-form student Grace Becker, The 100 Society is more than just a game; it's an obsession. Having convinced her five friends at Clifton Academy to see it through to the end, Grace will stop at nothing to carry out the rules of the game: tagging 100 locations around the city. With each step closer to the 100-mark they get, the higher the stakes become. But when the group catches the attention of a menacing stalker - the Reaper - he seems intent on exposing their illegal game, tormenting Grace with anonymous threats and branding their dormitory doors with his ominous tag.
As the once tight-knit group slowly unravels, torn apart by doubt and the death of a student, they no longer know who to trust.
With time running out, Grace must unmask the Reaper before he destroys everything she cares about for ever...
From the outset, I have to say I was very interested in reading this book. I have read quite a few YA novels recently but most of them were of the dystopian or apocalyptic version, so to find one about a regular group of teenagers in a regular world, I was happy to give it a go.
It started pretty well - we find Grace and her friends in the midst of a "tag" when they are discovered and one of their number is attacked and injured by a mysterious figure. From there on, however, we slid into the world of unbelievable narrative.
One thing that I found odd about the premise is this: if tagging 100 places to earn your place in the "100 Society" is supposed to help you gain entry to the big art schools, how is that going to happen if you aren't allowed to tell anyone you have done it?
This is what bugged me the most about the story: the author is good. She writes well, interesting characters and a plot that, on the whole, was rather sound. But there is something a little wrong with the storytelling. We are led to believe at times that, instead of informing the authorities when their lives are threatened, when their rooms get broken into, when one of them is assaulted, they keep it all to themselves and try and figure it out. I just had a real issue with that. At one point, when a character is killed, I threw the book to the floor in exasperation. The final unveiling of "The Reaper" was also a little tame - if you had been able to hold your interest long enough, you will have guessed his or her identity pretty early on.
On the whole, a reasonable book - but if you are looking for something that holds your interest over 300+ pages, then maybe you need to reconsider.
Paul
ARH
October 2, 2014
"You've been tagged. Let the games begin."
This quote from The 100 Society is reminiscent of a famous phrase in The Hunger Games. Though Carla Srradbery's story is set at a private school and not in a bleak dystopian world, this Young Adult thriller deals with the same themes of death, fear and misplaced trust.
Grace and her group of friends are talented art class students at Clifton Manor school. They are all mixed personalities with their individual hang ups, but together they form The 100 Society. To gain membership into this elite, but illegal club, 100 local landmarks need to be tagged with the artist's chosen letter of the alphabet. Grace is the self-appointed leader of the group, eager to succeed where her elder brother failed in reaching the target.
The terror begins on the night Grace and her accomplices are tagging number 96 on their list. After finding a hooded figure watching them, their blog is hacked and a Reaper graffiti tag appears not only on each society members' door, but across each landmark they have visited.
Our fear escalates concurrently with each characters' and as it becomes apparent that their lives are in danger, we question whether anybody is whom they appear to be.
Carla Spradbery successfully builds the atmosphere of suspicion and terror, but her inclusion of a romantic plot thread does not give us comfort, instead she uses the situation to invoke further feelings of mistrust.
My favourite character is Trick who is at Clifton Manor on a scholarship; being the least privileged of the group makes him the most genuine. Although he enjoys being rebellious he proves he has a huge heart.
Carla Spradbery's writing is fast-paced and her use of strong imagery makes The 100 Society an exciting read. Although this is a Young Adult book, it could easily be enjoyed be adults because of its subject matter and that makes it a definite recommendation from me!
This quote from The 100 Society is reminiscent of a famous phrase in The Hunger Games. Though Carla Srradbery's story is set at a private school and not in a bleak dystopian world, this Young Adult thriller deals with the same themes of death, fear and misplaced trust.
Grace and her group of friends are talented art class students at Clifton Manor school. They are all mixed personalities with their individual hang ups, but together they form The 100 Society. To gain membership into this elite, but illegal club, 100 local landmarks need to be tagged with the artist's chosen letter of the alphabet. Grace is the self-appointed leader of the group, eager to succeed where her elder brother failed in reaching the target.
The terror begins on the night Grace and her accomplices are tagging number 96 on their list. After finding a hooded figure watching them, their blog is hacked and a Reaper graffiti tag appears not only on each society members' door, but across each landmark they have visited.
Our fear escalates concurrently with each characters' and as it becomes apparent that their lives are in danger, we question whether anybody is whom they appear to be.
Carla Spradbery successfully builds the atmosphere of suspicion and terror, but her inclusion of a romantic plot thread does not give us comfort, instead she uses the situation to invoke further feelings of mistrust.
My favourite character is Trick who is at Clifton Manor on a scholarship; being the least privileged of the group makes him the most genuine. Although he enjoys being rebellious he proves he has a huge heart.
Carla Spradbery's writing is fast-paced and her use of strong imagery makes The 100 Society an exciting read. Although this is a Young Adult book, it could easily be enjoyed be adults because of its subject matter and that makes it a definite recommendation from me!
July 22, 2014
Grace knows the stakes are high when it comes to The 100 Society. But she wants it more than anything, so it doesn't stop her. But The 100 Society is a coveted thing, and not all that enter make it to the full 100, so roping her friends in wouldn't just be for Grace's benefit. It would help them too, getting them recognition.
But when someone is watching them on one of their latest tags, not too shy of 100, the scare factor is amped up when they notice that the person wasn't just watching. They were stalking. Grace tells her group of friends, who are pretty much all Art fanatics working on their latest projects for a showcase, that they can make it to 100 despite everything, that no group has ever done the full 100 easily. Her brother couldn't even make it.
But she didn't expect things to get even worse. Now their stalker has a name; the Reaper. And he's determined to crush Grace's dreams of being in the 100 Society, even if it means taking the group down too - and when the stalker seems too close to home, the group find that it might even be one of their own. Or someone just close enough.
When a member of the group gets seriously hurt, and a classmate dies, it seems like things are only just beginning. Grace can't turn a corner without thinking the Reaper is close, with the encounters, texts and calls becoming more disturbing by the minute. All she could do was try to unmask the Reaper, but when it's showcase day at the Academy, it seems she's running on little time to save the ones she loves the most. For some, it was too late - but Grace was determined not to let anyone else die. If she could stay alive herself.
Read full review here on Pretty Little Memoirs.
But when someone is watching them on one of their latest tags, not too shy of 100, the scare factor is amped up when they notice that the person wasn't just watching. They were stalking. Grace tells her group of friends, who are pretty much all Art fanatics working on their latest projects for a showcase, that they can make it to 100 despite everything, that no group has ever done the full 100 easily. Her brother couldn't even make it.
But she didn't expect things to get even worse. Now their stalker has a name; the Reaper. And he's determined to crush Grace's dreams of being in the 100 Society, even if it means taking the group down too - and when the stalker seems too close to home, the group find that it might even be one of their own. Or someone just close enough.
When a member of the group gets seriously hurt, and a classmate dies, it seems like things are only just beginning. Grace can't turn a corner without thinking the Reaper is close, with the encounters, texts and calls becoming more disturbing by the minute. All she could do was try to unmask the Reaper, but when it's showcase day at the Academy, it seems she's running on little time to save the ones she loves the most. For some, it was too late - but Grace was determined not to let anyone else die. If she could stay alive herself.
Read full review here on Pretty Little Memoirs.
September 3, 2014
*Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Fast-pace and suspenseful, I was continuously frightened for our main characters. I definitely love this cover, it conveys the theme of spray-painting and art but also the darkness and gruesome aspects to this novel.
To choose to start, The 100 Society is not a game. It is a game changer. Until now Grace has only had the threat of being caught by the school, but now she and her friends are being threatened by someone who does know, and will do whatever they can to remain anonymous. So when the Reaper is spray painted on top of Grace's own markings, soon things take a turn for the worse as the crimes against them slowly become worse.
The wide variety of our main characters was intrigueing, they were all very different in their own ways which made them all hauntingly mysterious. Though I was pleased by the representation of natural human emotions as they displayed emotions of which in many Young Adult Fiction novels are not widely portrayed.
The plot of this novel was very unique, to have a novel centred purely around art was interesting and incredibly engaging; it was a truly terrifying yet perfectly plotted novel. Though the conclusion was anticipated, the way it was represented was truly shocking!
This is a nail-biting, darkly haunting and edge-of-your-seat novel that will have you scared stiff... but at the same time begging for more.
Fast-pace and suspenseful, I was continuously frightened for our main characters. I definitely love this cover, it conveys the theme of spray-painting and art but also the darkness and gruesome aspects to this novel.
To choose to start, The 100 Society is not a game. It is a game changer. Until now Grace has only had the threat of being caught by the school, but now she and her friends are being threatened by someone who does know, and will do whatever they can to remain anonymous. So when the Reaper is spray painted on top of Grace's own markings, soon things take a turn for the worse as the crimes against them slowly become worse.
The wide variety of our main characters was intrigueing, they were all very different in their own ways which made them all hauntingly mysterious. Though I was pleased by the representation of natural human emotions as they displayed emotions of which in many Young Adult Fiction novels are not widely portrayed.
The plot of this novel was very unique, to have a novel centred purely around art was interesting and incredibly engaging; it was a truly terrifying yet perfectly plotted novel. Though the conclusion was anticipated, the way it was represented was truly shocking!
This is a nail-biting, darkly haunting and edge-of-your-seat novel that will have you scared stiff... but at the same time begging for more.
September 7, 2014
I really enjoyed 'The 100 Society'. It's a mystery/thriller novel that reminds me of Point Horror books from when I was a teenager, only it's way, way better.
Grace is a student at Clifton Academy, a boarding school. Along with her friends Trick (aka Patrick), Pete, Faith, Cassie and Ed, she's a member of 'the 100 Society', a Clifton Academy tradition where a group of students tag locations around the area in the vicinity of the school with a letter from the alphabet. She enjoys the thrill of it, until the friends start being watched and followed by someone. Their new enemy starts covering their 100 Society tags with his own - one of a Grim Reaper. As things get worse - first in the form of creepy texts and emails and then exploding in violent attacks, cracks start to form in the group, and the more dangerous their mysterious stalker becomes, the deeper in trouble Grace and her friends find themselves.
The plot of 'The 100 Society' was gripping, and the characters were well-rounded and interesting. My favourite character was Trick, he was funny, smart, vulnerable, and seemed to be the one out of all of them with the most sense. I liked Grace a lot too for pretty much the same reasons I liked Trick, though she did do some pretty dumb things, her heart was in the right place, and she didn't need some guy to come and save her every five minutes, either. And every good thriller/horror book requires the protagonist to make some not so smart decisions because otherwise they wouldn't be as fun.
I really hope Carla Spradbery will write more books, in an interview at the end of 'The 100 Society' she said she was working on another one, so yay for that!
Grace is a student at Clifton Academy, a boarding school. Along with her friends Trick (aka Patrick), Pete, Faith, Cassie and Ed, she's a member of 'the 100 Society', a Clifton Academy tradition where a group of students tag locations around the area in the vicinity of the school with a letter from the alphabet. She enjoys the thrill of it, until the friends start being watched and followed by someone. Their new enemy starts covering their 100 Society tags with his own - one of a Grim Reaper. As things get worse - first in the form of creepy texts and emails and then exploding in violent attacks, cracks start to form in the group, and the more dangerous their mysterious stalker becomes, the deeper in trouble Grace and her friends find themselves.
The plot of 'The 100 Society' was gripping, and the characters were well-rounded and interesting. My favourite character was Trick, he was funny, smart, vulnerable, and seemed to be the one out of all of them with the most sense. I liked Grace a lot too for pretty much the same reasons I liked Trick, though she did do some pretty dumb things, her heart was in the right place, and she didn't need some guy to come and save her every five minutes, either. And every good thriller/horror book requires the protagonist to make some not so smart decisions because otherwise they wouldn't be as fun.
I really hope Carla Spradbery will write more books, in an interview at the end of 'The 100 Society' she said she was working on another one, so yay for that!
March 22, 2015
When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but I forced myself to carry on and then very quickly I became enthralled. The 100 Society starts with a group of friends attempting to join the "100 society" a group of people in history who have completed 100 graffiti tags around the city of the prestigious school they all attend. Each of these tags must be completed in increasingly dangerous settings and if caught, could affect their whole future and the stakes become higher as they move closer to the 100th tag. Other than this basic story line, it is best to go into the book with very little knowledge about it, as I did.
I was mesmerized by the thrill and mystery of this book. With countless twists and turns, I was dying to get to the end to understand what was happening. This book is very dark, from the plot to the characters and I had such fun reading it. This is the kind of book that has you dying to finish to find out what happens, but also never wanting it to end because you're enjoying reading it so much. I really want Carla Spradbery to write more as this book was a YA mystery masterpiece and I can't wait to see what else lies in her imagination.
I was mesmerized by the thrill and mystery of this book. With countless twists and turns, I was dying to get to the end to understand what was happening. This book is very dark, from the plot to the characters and I had such fun reading it. This is the kind of book that has you dying to finish to find out what happens, but also never wanting it to end because you're enjoying reading it so much. I really want Carla Spradbery to write more as this book was a YA mystery masterpiece and I can't wait to see what else lies in her imagination.
June 27, 2014
A poorly written knock-off of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, or anything similar. The characters were all the same, the killer was cliche, and worst of all, the 100 society is the dumbest/lamest group ever. oh. so you tagged a bunch of buildings. Good job. *passes award* no. These aren't even cleaver or unique tags. WHO CARES?! By the time I was about halfway through I decided to skim just to see who great of a train wreck it eventually became. Nothing memorable, nothing new, and not worth your time at all. SAVE YOURSELF!
Read
June 29, 2014DNF. Didn't like this. I got about 30% in and had to give up. I still have no idea what the point of The 100 Society was!! Also didnt like any of the characters, so unfortunately it wasnt for me.
July 21, 2014
ASDFGHJKL THERE ARE NO WORDS I CAN'T EVEN OMG.
Full review to come. if I I find words.
Full review to come. if I I find words.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews