Review: One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards

Book Blurb:

Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Are they labels or a warning? The answer could cost Sera everything.

Murder, justice, and revenge were so not a part of the plan when Sera set out on her senior camping trip. After all, hiking through the woods is supposed to be safe and uneventful.

Then one morning the group wakes up groggy, confused, and with words scrawled on their wrists: Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Their supplies? Destroyed. Half their group? Gone. Their chaperone? Unconscious. Worst of all, they find four dolls acting out a murder—dolls dressed just like them.

Suddenly it's clear; they're being hunted. And with the only positive word on her wrist, Sera falls under suspicion…

My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Mystery, Survival, Suspense, Teen--

Sera is involved in a week long camping trip to earn school credits, but the trip is terrible since it’s rainy and she is surrounded by people she usually ignores at school. While hiking one day, the group gets separated. Sera is left with 3 other students and one teacher while they try to figure out how to get back together. But the next day, the teacher isn’t waking up, their supplies are missing and the kids are left with words written on their skin. Someone is hunting them and they don’t even know why, or better yet how to survive.

This book sneaked up on me like I could never have anticipated. I was reading along, thinking this story was just ok, but next think I know it is 2am and I was surprised to find myself wide awake, still reading, and filled with an overwhelming amount of anxiety, paranoia and fear (which is very unlike me). I was so wrapped up in the slow building tension the author created that I did not even realize time passed or that I was experiencing what the characters I give mad props to the author for the ability to drag me into the story. If you are looking for a book with mystery and suspense that keeps you on your toes, then this is the book for you.

There are so many suspects laid out here there was no way to narrow it down, which I liked, and plenty of sketchy motives. Trust nobody. Each of the four kids has some internal demon that others judge them for, or is a dark internalized problem, that unfortunately comes to the surface during this dangerous life threatening trek. The book is narrated by Sera, and we only know what she know, which is not a lot about her companions or nature, but at times is stuck on her own misgivings. All four of the featured characters felt so well developed and full of personality, I wanted to know and root for them all (while at the same time doubting their innocence).

This review is pretty vague because I don’t want to give anything away. Taking the journey with the characters is the best part of the story and it was incredibly well done (there was a lot of psychological games played here to get wrapped up in). I will admit that I was a little let down with how the story ended, it did not make a ton of sense to me and was a little blah compared to the rest of the book. This was the first book I have read from this author but I am excited to pick up another.

I received this title from the publisher in return for my honest review.