A pulse-pounding psychologicalthriller based on the popular Dutch tradition of blindfolding and dropping teens and pre-teens in the middle of a forest — and what happens when it goes horribly wrong. - Goodreads
Easily one of my favourite suspense of the year. I usually go for the heavy and dark suspense but this one is a light read where you can easily finish it in one sitting. Karin is a 12 years old protagonist who proves that at a young age, you can still be clever and resourceful. I would normally diss the facts that some younger protagonists have an adult-like mind in these kind of stories, but the author has carried the youth beautifully when mixing the bold and suspense atmosphere.
The book opens with an atmosphere of uneasiness right away. Karin is dropped off on Hoge Veluwe National Forest blindfolded with three other children. A Dutch tradition known as dropping, where children only have a few basics with them to navigate during the night to find their way back home. At first you wtiness the typical childish conversations between pre-teens, a guy who thinks he’s the team leader surrounded by 3 girls, slowly their rivalry turn them against each other and completely get lost in the woods. In the meantime, Karin’s mother unravels a mystery of her own that will put Karin herself in a graver danger than she thinks.
I personally love reading this book, if you are in a mood for a light suspense and a quick read to get over a reading slump, I totally recommend it. Do not go into this book expecting to read The Hunger Games like it was marketing, I would say to dive right in but expect it to be about pre-teens and at its core, about family. I get a glimpse at the Dutch tradition and I guess at how they see the world and the need to build the strength for their kids to survive in the society as well.
What do you think? Would you have done the Dropping or letting your kids do it?
Thank you to Hachette Canada for sending me a copy of this book!
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I like teen Or YA mystery thrillers. They are not too dark and includes good concept. It’s great you enjoyed this one. Amazing review!
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Dropping sounds interesting. I can see it being popular in that part of the world. It reminds me of something my uncle would sometimes do, where he’d drive me all around to somewhere I’d never been before and then say, “ok, get us home,” and I’d have to give all the directions to see if I could find the way back. This was long before GPS and cellphones and we had no map, and I have a terrible sense of direction, so it was fun. Discovered a lot of interesting places that way. Glad you enjoyed this book!
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This sounds good! Love your review!
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