I read this book specifically because I had heard conflicting reports. A couple of my internet friends had mentioned they’d enjoyed it and so I tucked that into the back of my mind as a “I will read that eventually.” But then, in a books chat I was having with Discord friends, one friend mentioned that she was reading it because she’d heard how bad it was. (She later said that she enjoyed it after finishing it.) A few hours later, the book was returned at work and didn’t have a hold on it. It was a sign. I checked it out. I had to know.
I’m going to be a little coy in this review because this is one of those books that definitely rewards going in knowing nothing. If spooky hide and seek book sounds interesting to you from here, go ahead and skip down to readalikes! I won’t be giving any spoilers but honestly, the less you know, the more fun.
Okay, are all those nerds gone? Let’s do this.
Our heroine is Mack. Mack has seen some things. Several years ago, she was the sole survivor of her father’s murder spree, something she accomplished by hiding very well. Now she’s been invited to take part in a very interesting challenge: spend seven days playing hide and seek. If you make it to the end, you win $50,000. Mack can’t say no to that amount of money.
Everything about the contest is kept incredibly secret. There are fourteen participants, seven men and seven women. They seem to break down along two lines: those who are doing it because they need the money and those who are doing it because they think it’s some kind of reality tv show and they want to promote themselves or their brand. The location is kept secret and they only discover after a (forced?) nap on the bus that they’ll be spending seven days in an abandoned amusement park.
From sunup to sundown, each contestant must go into the park and hide. If they’re found, game over. When the sun goes down, they can return to base camp for some sleep and to prepare for the next day. There is definitely nothing weird, supernatural, or occult going on.
These book flies by. It’s got a spooky hunger games vibe going throughout, which is only helped by having a Effie Trinket-esque character who I must admit, I really loved. There’s clearly an underlying lore that is slowly revealed in drips and drabs, just enough to keep you going while not drowning you in exposition.
Something that really works in its favor is that, although Mack is the center around which the story revolves, the point of view changes sometimes paragraph by paragraph so that the reader sees into every single character’s head. Players that would be one and done and thus highly forgettable otherwise secure a place in your mind by virtue of well detailed thoughts that let you get a real feel for who they are as people. Despite it being fourteen characters whom the reader doesn’t spend a ton of time with, I still feel like I could name and describe most of them off the top of my head which is commendable.
Another thing this book has going for it is that it’s incredibly tight at just 236 pages. As this is a Hide and Seek race against time, the length of the book works in its favor, keeping you guess while also know that each page turn brings you closer to the end. If you’re looking for a face-paced thrill ride to turn off your brain and enjoy, I can definitely recommend Hide.
Hide by Kiersten White is published by Del Rey and you can find links to purchase it here or find it at your local library!
Looking for more books about being in the wrong spooky place at the wrong spooky time?
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike: A young couple and their daughter get a great deal on a brand new apartment that they can’t confuse. Sure, it faces a graveyard and half the building is empty and there are no stairs to the basement, only an elevator but it’s great! Definitely not spooky, definitely not threatening, definitely super safe and normal and good. Right?
Soon by Lois Murphy: So you live in a town that becomes a hellscape when the sun sets. But you can’t afford to move. Nebulah is a small town in Western Australia that has been devoured by a strange mist that kills those who are still outside after sundown. All the people who could move away have but there is a handful of people still there. I really loved this novel and I loved the exploration of why people might not leave their haunted town. It’s a quick read and it’s very worth it.
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt: What if your whole town was fairly normal but every once in awhile, a colonial witch with her eyes and mouth sewn shut just appear and chilled in your house? Black Spring, New York has a witch and a problem: once you move here, you can never leave. It all was working pretty well until recently because, well, teens and the internet. You know how it goes. Hope the witch is cool with going viral~
NEXT TIME
How is it August already? I had so many things I wanted to get done in July and I have done …. none of them. Much like last time, I am afraid most of my life in-between newsletters has been overtaken by writing fanfiction. There is something about writing something with very little pressure (except for the, you know, extreme pressure I put on myself) and instant gratification. There are so many other things I am being paid to write that I am ignoring for this but it is fun so I will continue for the foreseeable future.
Cat update:
Thanks to all my subscribers, you guys are the best! Remember that becoming a paid subscriber means you can pick a book for me to read, something none of you have still taken me up on to my utter surprise. I’ll read your book! I’ll read a book you think is terrible! Just send it along and I can’t say no~
See you all in two weeks! Happy Reading!