Official Review: The Sham by Ellen Allen
-
Linda7228
- Posts: 93
- Joined: 27 Aug 2014, 00:35
- Favorite Book: Blood Weddings by Federico Garcia Lorca
- Currently Reading: Heist Society
- Bookshelf Size: 1
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-linda7228.html
- Latest Review: "The Sham" by Ellen Allen
Official Review: The Sham by Ellen Allen
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Sham" by Ellen Allen.]
Share This Review
The Sham is a unique novel. A young adult mystery thriller that has us second guessing everyone. This novel takes us through six months into Emily's life with her boyfriend Jack, who has recently come into town. Jack is a good looking guy, very smart but also very sick, his body is failing, he has headaches all the time. Jack is very secretive, he has no past, no one really knows who he is or where he comes from and when Emily's classmates dead bodies start appearing he becomes the prime suspect.There are strange signs painted all over town and only Jack seems to know what they mean, Emily doesn't know what to think, who to trust, she knows her boyfriend is unusual but not a killer now she just needs to prove it.
I thought this novel was captivating.I have have never read a mystery thriller that has young adults as main characters and I truly enjoyed it.The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the unhealthy relationships between all the characters, the parents were terrible and the friendships were worse.The gang of girls in the beginning were horrible, the author touches the very delicate subject of extreme bullying and gives us a cringe worthy scene.One of my problems with this book was that I didn't like the main character I felt that even though she is only eighteen years old she was too naive, she put too much trust into someone she didn't know.I think that Emily was looking for someone to give her the love and support she didn't have at home and she took shelter in her boyfriend.Jack on the other hand is a complete mystery you never really know who he is until the very end of the book.
This book deals with the death of three girls, we get to meet these girls at the beginning of the book and I personally hated them. They are you're typical bullies with disgruntled home lives, the problem is they are so mean there really isn't enough time to feel bad for them.For me one of the most interesting parts of this book aside from the main characters was the towns reaction to the deaths of the girls, you go from sadness to outrage and then from terror of thinking there is a killer still at large. The reaction to who the prime suspect was and how the town reacted to his presence was fascinating, the author managed to grasp how people would really react if we found ourselves in one of these situations.
I had a problem with how the police officers worked in this novel, they play such a key part and I truly think they are the worst cops ever. They played you're typical good cop-bad cop routine and let me tell you it so didn't work for them.The way the investigation evolved was so slow and nothing was ever resolved, they never had any new leads and girls kept turning up dead. The town was terrified and the police in my opinion did nothing to appease them because basically they had nothing. It really puts into perspective what would happen if there was a killer on the loose near you, how would you react and how important the police is.
The author really took me for a ride, this is how mystery thrillers should be written.This novel has so many twist and turns that when you make to the ending you won't know what hit you.My only complain is that I felt the main characters were left with an unfinished ending we never really know what happens to them.In the end,I really liked this book, if you like mystery thrillers then you will love this book,on the other hand if you are looking for an uplifting novel with a "happy ending" this book isn't for you. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Mostly because I found the ending lacking but overall the story was great and the characters although strange were incredibly well written.
***
Buy "The Sham" on Amazon
Buy "The Sham" on Barnes and Noble
Share This Review
I thought this novel was captivating.I have have never read a mystery thriller that has young adults as main characters and I truly enjoyed it.The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the unhealthy relationships between all the characters, the parents were terrible and the friendships were worse.The gang of girls in the beginning were horrible, the author touches the very delicate subject of extreme bullying and gives us a cringe worthy scene.One of my problems with this book was that I didn't like the main character I felt that even though she is only eighteen years old she was too naive, she put too much trust into someone she didn't know.I think that Emily was looking for someone to give her the love and support she didn't have at home and she took shelter in her boyfriend.Jack on the other hand is a complete mystery you never really know who he is until the very end of the book.
This book deals with the death of three girls, we get to meet these girls at the beginning of the book and I personally hated them. They are you're typical bullies with disgruntled home lives, the problem is they are so mean there really isn't enough time to feel bad for them.For me one of the most interesting parts of this book aside from the main characters was the towns reaction to the deaths of the girls, you go from sadness to outrage and then from terror of thinking there is a killer still at large. The reaction to who the prime suspect was and how the town reacted to his presence was fascinating, the author managed to grasp how people would really react if we found ourselves in one of these situations.
I had a problem with how the police officers worked in this novel, they play such a key part and I truly think they are the worst cops ever. They played you're typical good cop-bad cop routine and let me tell you it so didn't work for them.The way the investigation evolved was so slow and nothing was ever resolved, they never had any new leads and girls kept turning up dead. The town was terrified and the police in my opinion did nothing to appease them because basically they had nothing. It really puts into perspective what would happen if there was a killer on the loose near you, how would you react and how important the police is.
The author really took me for a ride, this is how mystery thrillers should be written.This novel has so many twist and turns that when you make to the ending you won't know what hit you.My only complain is that I felt the main characters were left with an unfinished ending we never really know what happens to them.In the end,I really liked this book, if you like mystery thrillers then you will love this book,on the other hand if you are looking for an uplifting novel with a "happy ending" this book isn't for you. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Mostly because I found the ending lacking but overall the story was great and the characters although strange were incredibly well written.
***
Buy "The Sham" on Amazon
Buy "The Sham" on Barnes and Noble
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Latest Review: "The Sham" by Ellen Allen
-
hollynewhouse
- Posts: 24
- Joined: 03 Jan 2015, 06:17
- Bookshelf Size: 45
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hollynewhouse.html
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
I loved this YA book, it kept me on the edge of my seat! I had a roller coaster of emotions while reading through this book in one sitting! The character development is exceptional and realistic, the setting of the scenes had just enough description to capture the readers attention but not overdo it and the same for the dialogue and character descriptions as well. I could really see everything while reading the book and that is a big plus with me, especially when the author gives just enough to spark the reader's imagination but not too much as to over-inform. The scenes lead logically in to the following one and the story line flowed very nicely while the plot was fantastic and well developed. this book was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants a terrific read!!! I personally give it 20 stars not just 5 stars!
