Ten About Ten: Three, Four and Five

Ten 
by Gretchen McNeil
Expected Publication: 09.18.2012
From Goodreads:

 And their doom comes swiftly.

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

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

I first read Ten right after I got back from BEA.  It was a book I was very excited about, even more so after meeting the adorable author and getting my book signed.  I thought instead of just doing a review I'd list ten things I loved about Ten by Gretchen McNeil it's September 18th release.

Check out my Ten About Ten: One post here.
Check out my Ten About Ten: Two post here.

 #3 of 10 Things I Loved About Ten by Gretchen McNeil:

The third thing I love about Ten is ALL THE DEATHS.  This is not watered down horror for fragile minded kiddos, this is horror.  In horror, usually but now always, people die.  They die in interesting ways.  And I don't want to hear, "But I don't like violence" because if you can handle ALL THE DEATHS is the Hunger Games series, or the Harry Potter books, than you will be able to handle this.  Heck, when it comes to some of the characters you may find yourself cheering on the killer.  

#4 of 10 Things I Loved About Ten by Gretchen McNeil:

Fourthly, I loved the setting.  In horror, it's almost 90% setting, Midnighters!  Creepy, isolated hotel in the winter?  Creepy, isolated cabin in the woods?  Creepy, isolated house in the country?  All these places work.  Because if someone is scared, and they can't get away, it ratchets up the terror level.  It's not really that scary if you hear a noise in the attic and decide to go to the all night IHOP until the crazy inbred freak in your attic gets bored and decides to move to your neighbor's house.  

In Ten, Meg and friends end up on an island, mostly deserted.  There's a storm, further isolating them from the warm comfort of IHOP's pumpkin pancakes (seriously, are those back yet, ya'll?  I am sooooo ready for fall and pumpkin pancakes), and of course, cutting off all access to help from the authorities.  The nature of the island, the storms knocking out their means of communication... perfect. It's so nice when the weather cooperates with your evil plans to kill a bunch of teens.  

#5 of 10 Things I Loved About Ten by Gretchen McNeil:

Number five is: Gretchen McNeil herself!  The woman is adorable!  She has the cutest giggle and she's just genuinely nice.  I really love when people can be all dark and creepy, yet look like sunshine and laughter.  I only met her briefly at BEA.  I was one of the first people in line for a copy of the Ten arc and I was still ultra nervous about meeting and talking to authors.  McNeil was awesome and giggled sweetly at my over-exuberance.  She even tweeted me a few times instead of taking out a restraining order against me.

And she writes scary books!  Teens need more scares in their lives, and less glitter and falling in love with inhumanly gorgeous guys that turn out to be vampires/fae kings/merman/fallen angels/their half brothers.  Not that they don't need glitter and romance, but death and destruction are also needed to make them into nice, slight warped but infinitely funnier adults.  

Now, go and support cutey-pie Gretchen McNeil and her upcoming book Ten by joining The Army of Ten!