A review by spearly
14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph

dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Mom was thirty-two when she died, the first victim of a man they still haven’t caught. Number one on a list that now stretches to thirteen.
So if you ask why I want to be one of the five people to star in a new online show about them and only them, it’s pretty simple.
I want to catch the Magpie Man, and this is how I’m going to do it.


What a ride! Honestly, I LOVED the blurb of this on NetGalley, and only realized when I saw the other additions of the novel on Goodreads that I've actually had this on my TBR since last year, when it was called Are You Watching?. Clearly I didn't feel to motivated to read it then. What a difference a trendy cover and new title can make!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC for review!

This was a fun take on a YA thriller. I loved the incorporation of social media and online sensationalism to catch a killer. I wouldn't be surprised if something like this actually happened (or has already happened!)

There were a lot of red herrings. Every time a new character was introduced, especially a male one, I found myself suspicious. It was really fun trying to parse out the real clues from the trolls, the set-ups, and the anonymous tips. I thought Jessica was a great protagonist; a girl defined by her mother's murder, who essentially also lost her dad when he lost his wife, a girl determined to solve the crime no matter what. She toed the line between brave and reckless perfectly. 

Was this the perfect mystery? No. I found the final clue that set off the final chain of events to be a bit flimsy, some of the red herrings weren't explained the best, and I didn't feel much of a payoff when things finally come together (except for the very end. iykyk!) Nonetheless, it was a fun read!

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