14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph [book review]

14 Ways to Die book Summary:

14 Ways to Die is a young adult thriller by Vincent Ralph. The book follows high schooler, Jessica Simmons. When she was seven years old her mother was killed in an alley that was a shortcut to her house. Now that it’s ten years later Jessica wants to find out who killed her mother since he or she is still on the loose and killing people. It’s what her mother and the rest of the victims deserve. So, when producers want to create a show that showcases the lives of young adults who have gone through a hard time, Jessica jumps on the opportunity. Will the killer fall for the bait that she’s putting out there? Even if he does will Jessica still be able to stay safe?

What I thought about 14 Ways to Die

I’m thankful that I was able to get an advanced copy of 14 Ways to Die. Granted I was a little late to actually read the book and review it before it was published. I know most of you probably already know that I love thrillers and horror. I don’t really care if it’s YA or adult. If it’s good or something I’m interested in then I’m going to read it. So, I’m sure you can understand why I was excited to get my hands on this one. 

The Characters

I kind of feel for Jessica’s character. I get what it’s like losing a parent at a young age. Granted I lost mine in a different way, but it made her relatable. She’s a girl who thinks she’s weak but she’s really not. Jessica is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for. This is another reason I like her really well. She’s humble and maybe has a little bit of low self-esteem which I can relate to. In 14 Ways to Die you get a feel for her character and want to be able to root for her. 

I don’t know what it is about new era thrillers that revolve around blogs, podcasts, and vloggers that just makes me want to read them. I guess I always like mixing things that I would never have thought about doing when I was in high school. These things were around but never crossed my mind, and it makes me wish it had. I couldn’t imagine what Jessica was going through though. If my mom were killed I’m not really sure if I could put myself through the pain of going on camera and either a) not finding the killer or b) finding him and he finds a way to threaten me or possibly do worse.

The Plot

As I stated before I actually really like the plot. I like the idea of a reality-type show that follows people around that has gone through a pretty big tragedy. I think a lot of us would rather not go through the tragedy, but still get a better understanding of those that do go through it. It’s hard not to be fascinated with the lives of those who go through bad things as long as they are okay with it. It’s what makes good tv.

The only downside is finding out who the killer was. The killer is a bit disappointing but it’s hard bringing something new to a genre when it feels like the author’s covered almost everything. Despite that, I can’t wait to read more books by Vincent Ralph! 

If you like this review then you might like my review for The Inheritance Games. Make you subscribe to my newsletter if you want to stay up to date on new releases and book reviews!