Welcome to dinner, and again, congratulations on being selected. Now you must do the selecting.
What do the queen bee, star athlete, valedictorian, stoner, loner, and music geek all have in common? They were all invited to a scholarship dinner, only to discover it’s a trap. Someone has locked them into a room with a bomb, a syringe filled with poison, and a note saying they have an hour to pick someone to kill … or else everyone dies.
Amber Prescott is determined to get her classmates and herself out of the room alive, but that might be easier said than done. No one knows how they’re all connected or who would want them dead. As they retrace the events over the past year that might have triggered their captor’s ultimatum, it becomes clear that everyone is hiding something. And with the clock ticking down, confusion turns into fear, and fear morphs into panic as they race to answer the biggest question: Who will they choose to die?
First, I'm big into thriller, mystery, and horror movies, but it's very hard for me to connect to those types of books. I'm glad I found one that broke through that barrier! What I really liked about this one was that it was like the Breakfast Club meets Saw but not bloody or with crazy contraptions!
Even though the story is told from Amber's perspective, I felt that each character was well developed. I felt bad for some, wanted to slap some, and wanted to hug some of them. I don't always read books fast, but I flew through this one!
I especially loved the timeline of the story going back and forth between past and present to get the full story. I can't say too much because I don't want to give the story away, but I will say it was fun yet also with life lessons that make you think about things, especially bullying and mental health. Loved it!
By Candace Robinson
All Your Twisted Secrets was a young adult escape room thriller that gradually revealed a web of secrets and lies. It was a quick and fast-paced read, driven forward by the tension between the characters, and I found it exciting although I predicted most of the plot twists.
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Six teens were supposedly invited to a scholarship dinner but upon arrival they realized it was a trap- they were locked in the room and told to choose someone to die within an hour or they would all meet untimely ends. There was Amber, an incredibly talented music geek. Sasha, a smart and ambitious queen bee. Robbie, a popular athlete and Amber's boyfriend. Diego, the class genius and entrepreneur. Priya, a quiet and lonely magic trick enthusiast. And Scott, mysterious and known for drug dealing. Confusion and panic ensued but as they all tried to get out alive the past was dredged up and they realized there was more connecting them than they initially thought.
The novel alternated between the locked room and flashbacks of the past to help us understand how the relationships and conflicts between the characters had changed and how they affected their actions in the room. I liked this structure as it created a fast, exciting pace and slowly revealed the characters' personalities.
Furthermore, the book incorporated many themes like bullying, suicide, drug abuse, school pressures, mental health and peer pressure in a way that cleverly showed the effects these issues have on people's lives without seeming forced. It also explored moral ideas surrounding accepting responsibility for one's actions and what happens when someone doesn't.
However, I wasn't overly impressed with the ending because I'd predicted who had put them in the room already and I found it a bit over the top. The characters were interesting, each with their own goals, problems and secrets. They could have had a bit more depth but I do appreciate that it's hard to balance that many characters.
So in conclusion, All Your Twisted Secrets was a thriller that I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fast-paced read that, as the title suggests, is full of twists and secrets.
By Umairah