*REVIEW* Feral

Synopsis:

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words continue to haunt Claire Cain months after she barely survived a brutal beating in Chicago. So when her father is offered a job in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out will offer her a way to start anew.

But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire feels an overwhelming sense of danger, and her fears are confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. While everyone is quick to say it was an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it, and vows to learn the truth about what happened. 

But the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to realizing a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley...

Feral is an interesting book that starts out extremely strong, gets a little weird and awkward in the middle, and then ends on a good note that leaves you feeling overall pleased with the book. And thank GOODNESS for the ending because the middle? I found myself literally grumbling to myself because I did not understand where the plot was taking us readers. That's the thing about books though... a good ending can change everything.

Feral introduces us to Claire, a high school student who barely survived a horrific beating in Chicago, based on a story she wrote for her journalism class that attracted the attention of local media and became a big deal. Claire and her father move to Peculiar, a strange small town so that Claire can recover emotionally from the ordeal she went through. Unfortunately, things are not as calm in Peculiar as her father and she hoped they would be. The town lives up to its name as Claire discovers the body of a missing girl, a body being eaten by the large amount of feral cats that call Peculiar home...

Claire is thrust into a dangerous world as she begins investigating some strange occurrences in town, picking up where the dead girl, Serena, left off in her investigating for a story she was working on for the school newspaper. Claire makes the shocking discovery that things are really not what they seem in Peculiar and that her very life, and soul, may be in danger. Just when Claire thinks she has it all figured out, she stumbles across the most horrifying truth yet--and learns that she may not be able to trust even herself. Will Claire figure things out in time or will she be another casualty of this strange town? All will be revealed in this riveting tale by Holly Schindler.

This one will definitely keep you guessing and the ending is a true surprise. If mystery and intrigue are up your alley, check this one out when it releases in August. Happy Reading!

Expected publication date: August 26, 2014 by HarperTeen