The Cellar - YA Review by Alexis F


Reader: Alexis F.
Age: 14
Title: The Cellar
Author: Natasha Preston
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pub Date: 03/01/14
Galley: Yes
Top 25: No
Convince us to read the book:  It was a good book in all, but there were a few things that needed a little bit of work.  The plot and character were definitely interesting.  It's not every day that you pick up a book that happens to have a serial killer with OCD in it.  The only thing that I can really "complain" about (really it's not complaining at all, but whatever) is that  there seems to be things missing that should be there.  When the main character (Summer...  who sort of turns into Lilly for a while ) gets thrown into the cellar, it seems like all she thinks abut is having her boyfriend come and rescue her.  I've debated a lot about whether this makes her weak, or smart.  In the end I picked weak, but that's just my opinion.  Sure she thinks about smashing a frying pan over her captor's head a few times, but other than that all she does is sit around and whine...  then again, I think a lot of people might do the same thing in her situation.  Now that I think about it, that might be what made it more realistic than other books.  In all it was a pretty good book (if you don't mind reading about people getting killed - A lot).
Memorable or Forgettable: It was a memorable book for sure.  No, it didn't make me afraid of my basement or anything, but its plot had this sort of addictive feel.  Trust me, that's pretty weird coming from a person that gets freaked out even thinking about killers and stuff like that.  I didn't like how it ended though (so I'll most likely forget about the ending), but I'll remember the rest of it for a very long time.
Cover: The cover did reflect the content, but it didn't tempt me to pick it up.  A single flower on the steps of a freaky and dark cellar.  You could tell that it was going to be a little scary (or maybe a lot).  I don't really look at the cover of the books that I read.  If they have a good hook on the back, then I'll try them.
Age Range: 14 through 15
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 3P Some teen appeal

tags:  mystery / thriller / contemporary / realistic fiction / ya lit



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