ARC Review: CRYER'S CROSS (By: LISA MCMANN)

Author: Lisa McMann
Rating: 4/5

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing | February 8, 2011 | Hardcover  
The small town of Cryer's Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn't that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain. When a second student goes …The small town of Cryer's Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn't that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain.

When a second student goes missing-someone close to Kendall's heart-the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendall's not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she's losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school-messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there-Kendall decides that crazy or not, she'd never forgive herself if she didn't act on her suspicions.

Something's not right in Cryer's Cross-and Kendall's about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

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I was extremely fortunate to receive a package a little while back from Simon and Schuster Canada which included Lisa McMann's Cryer's Cross. 

Cryer's Cross was definitely an interesting read from start to finish. We have our main character Kendall, who comes from the small town of Cryer's Cross where she is the only girl in the senior class. When the novel begins the reader is quickly thrown into Kendall's anxiety about the freshman disappearance. Why was she taken? Who could have committed such a crime? Did she simply run away? Was she dead? These are all questions that come up frequently as the novel progresses. With the narrative written completely in the omniscient third person voice, I found it was hard to connect with the characters. It wasn't as hard to connect with Kendall and her struggle with the disappearance and her own OCD, but it was hard to relate to any of the other characters. Whenever a novel is written in this manner, I feel that the reader will never be able to fully be a part of the protagonists world.

The novel however was fast paced and the plot was extremely well constructed; it never faltered or fell short, in terms of structure and consistency. I was engaged with the mysterious happenings of Cryer's Cross as I read the novel and found my mind slip back to Cryer's Cross when I had to put the book down. McMann has a wonderful way of keeping the reader's attention 100% of the time. This is a quality in a book that I appreciate. Not once was I bored or felt the plot lacked depth. The novel also kept me in the dark the entire time. I'm not sure if it was just me, or once the book is published others will feel the same, but I was unable to guess the outcome. I loved that I wasn't able to guess what was going to happen. There is nothing worse then a plot of mystery and eerie happenings to fall flat when the reader is able to guess 2/3rds of the way in, the outcome. 

I felt the novel could have been a bit longer, enabling more character development and reader relation to the characters. It ended and I was sitting there wanting more. The ending could have been stronger as well. There was all of this build up and right until the last few pages I was enthralled with what was happening.

With that said, I loved Cryer's Cross. It was different and a refreshing change in pace, plot, and female lead. There is no actual love triangle and the story isn't focused on the outcome of the female protagonists love life. It was a story that was able to be strong and convincing without Kendall constantly running back and forth between guys. It's a trope that can get old after reading multiple books with that theme weaved into the storyline. The idea of Kendall facing a problem that goes unaddressed added to the dimension of not only Kendall herself but the story as a whole. OCD is a common problem that people face in their daily lives and that are often criticized for. It is not something to be ashamed of and the story reaffirms that notion of working through your problems and coming out a stronger person.

If you are looking for a story that is different, mysterious, and eerily suspenseful I highly consider picking up Cryer's Cross when it hits shelves February 8th, 2011!

*A special thanks to Michelle from Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC :) 

-Ashley