The Rules by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

Taken from chapters:

 

"Narrated by alternating members of an unreliable group of teens, this riveting thriller will have readers on the edge of their seats. No one is safe, and everyone is a suspect.

Callabrese High’s exclusive parties are famous for booze, sex, and most especially, their scavenger hunts. But when the latest invitees RSVP yes, they have no idea what they’re in for. Because this time the high school elite aren’t the ones doing the hunting. They’re the ones being hunted."

 

 

 

When my friend/coworker came across The Rules we were both so excited to read the book described as SAW meets I Know What You Did Last Summer and immediately dropped everything to read it. Everything about this book screamed yes. Sadly, we were both so disappointed, and to be honest I have no idea where the SAW reference came from.

 

This is what I thought about The Rules:

 

- Predictable Killer Early On: it became so painfully obvious who the killer was within the first few chapters of the book. Personally, I like to be constantly questioning multiple characters and have the author throw curves of shocking information at me. I love picking up on clues and fitting the information together at the last second, or be shocked when the killer is announced, seeing the connections when I look back. I find it boring when the killer is clearly guessed (correctly) roughly 50 pages in, and as I keep reading it only becomes more and more obvious.

 

 

- Confusing Setting: I love when a author provides a map of their setting in the book, it can sometimes be so helpful! This book definitely could have used that. I found myself SO confused by the layout of this cabin it made it less terrifying than I think it could have been. There was just so much going on throughout the book in so many places in one small area.

 

 

- Too Many POVs: This book had so many characters it became hard to keep track of everyone and their deaths. I assume this was to experience their deaths but it could have been done a lot better. Instead of having all the different POVs (even from the minor characters) maybe just a few main characters and even a POV from the murderer without the readers knowing who that was. We could have experienced the deaths and get the since of trill from the murder, leading to a bigger hype reveal.

 

 

- Random Reasoning: Ahh, the reasoning. Once the killer has been revealed what we usually sit on the edge of our seats waiting for is the WHY. WHY did this character do this!? As theories of the killer begin to form in your head you start to theorize their reasoning. And like I said before, the killer became so obvious to me and my friend/coworker so early that we couldn't wait for the WHY hype. It again did not deliver. The reasoning didn't really make sense it, it felt lame and not planned out well. It felt to us that the authors so clearly planner who the killer was early on that when they go to the ending they forgot to plan their reasoning and threw something together. WHO the killer is and WHY they are killing should be like clues to fit the overall puzzle, the reason here was random.

 

 

- Dull Ending: Robin was in a real life clue game and just months later isn't traumatized by playing the board game with her brother!? Seriously!?

And the last few sentences left an unresolved feeling hanging in the air, like the story is 100% tied up, yet there is no current plan for a sequel.

My Rating: 2/5 Stars