Review: Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog (Spoiler Free)


unnatural-deeds-by-cyna-balogUnnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Date of Publication: November 1st 2016

Genres: YA Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 288

Format: eGalley (Netgalley)

Rating: ★★★★★ (5 Stars)

 

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

Secrets. Obsession. Murder. Victoria is about to discover just how dangerous it can be to lose yourself.

Victoria Zell doesn’t fit in, but she’s okay with that. All she needs is the company of her equally oddball boyfriend, Andrew. She doesn’t care what anyone else thinks…until magnetic, charming, mysterious Z comes into her life, and she starts lying to everyone she knows in an effort to unravel his secrets.

And then something terrible happens. Someone is dead and it’s time for Victoria to come clean. Interspersed with news clippings and police interviews, Victoria tells her story to Andrew, revealing her dark, horrible secrets…secrets that have finally come back to haunt her.

I’d like to thank Sourcebooks Fire for approving me to receive an eGalley of Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unnatural Deeds is a YA Mystery Thriller and as expected was very plot driven with some occasional glimpses into the characters past lives. Since this book is a mystery, i’ll keep this review short for a change 😉 We meet Victoria at the beginning of the school year & she’s pretty much the new kid in the school until Z shows up. Z is a transfer student who just like this book, enjoys being one giant enigma, in fact he thrives on it. The polar opposite to Victoria who takes medication for her anxiety and doesn’t speak to any of the students in the school. The daughter of a religious family, Victoria’s only friend is her neighbor Andrew (same age as her) who suffers from Agoraphobia & has been homeschooled & sheltered. Andrew also happens to be Victoria’s boyfriend and they see each other mostly at each others homes or at their favorite spot by the fence that separates their homes. Up until the arrival of Z in Victoria’s school, Andrew was her life and she enjoyed coming home and re-counting her day at school to him & listening to him talk about his life at home. Andrew’s mother had re-married & his step-dad was physically abusive and not understanding at all of his anxiety disorder. This all changed the minute that Z noticed Victoria & chose to give her the attention that all of the popular girls in the school wanted from him. Z was charming & charismatic, the definition of a bad boy and the minute he set his sights on Victoria they both fell through the rabbit hole. Z brings out a side of Victoria she never knew she had & it was thrilling to her.

Writing/Thoughts:

This being a Thriller/Murder Mystery, I enjoyed the format Balog used where she started each chapter with the transcript of the police investigation…yes, someone is killed but I won’t say who HAHA! students and teachers are interviewed by the police & it is during these brief chapter openers that we are given a piece of the puzzle. What you think you know or have figured out is probably wrong…that’s all i’ll say about that for fear of you guessed it…spoilers! LOL. I’ve seen a ton of mixed reviews for this book because of the way Victoria worshipped Z but given her background & the fact that she suffers from anxiety, I was able to give her character some understanding. This wasn’t at all what I was expecting in reading my 1st YA thriller & that’s a very good thing, makes me want to check some more out. I don’t want to reveal more than this because this book is just one that you want to go into not knowing anything, I would definitely recommend Unnatural Deeds if you’re looking for your next YA Murder Mystery *wicked grin*

Author: LairOfBooks

"I didn't choose the Book Life, the Book Life chose me"

27 thoughts on “Review: Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog (Spoiler Free)”

  3. This is a great review Lilly, I already have this book on my to-read list and after only seeing positive reviews for it on WordPress so far I’m really tempted to move it up my to-read list a little. I haven’t read many mystery/thriller books but those I have I’ve really enjoyed so hopefully this will be another. I’m already intrigued, especially by the fact that the chapters open with police transcripts, seems like an interesting way to tell that part of the story.
    Great review! 😀

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    1. Thank you Beth! it’s a fast read & my 1st YA Thriller, so glad it didn’t disappoint. The opening chapters were a really great addition to the story, each time I reached a new chapter I felt like I had 1 more piece in the puzzle. I look forward to read your take on it if you decide to read this one 🙂

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  4. Awesome review, Lilly! 🙂 This book is so up my alley. I’ve read a ton of mysteries and thrillers lately and I’m really loving them. Your review is a making me want to go grab a copy. And that cover…wow! That sounds really cool that you get clips at the beginning of each chapter. I bet that had you dying to know what happened. Now I want to know what happened. I need to read this. 🙂

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    1. Haha!!! Yea & I didn’t even want to give my opinion on anything so as to not ruin it 😂😂😂 I was seriously trying to figure out what happened & just when I thought I had it smh NOPE! Lol hope you do get to check it out 😉 Thank you 😊💕

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      1. I requested the book on NetGalley about an hour ago. I decided that I need this book ASAP because of your fab review. 🙂 That’s always a plus. I hear The Girl On The Train book and movie are so easy to figure out and that really bums me out when I have a book all figured out. I like to experience it without knowing any info ahead of time. 🙂

        Like

    1. Nice! I picked up Last Seen Leaving in hardcover from Macmillan at Comic Con for $10 last wknd just because I loved your review. I jumped next to Gretchen from Chicnerdreads with a “Look that’s the book Melissa read & really liked” LMAO! smh *covers eyes*

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      1. 😂😂😂 I do that same thing when I’m in bookstores. I’ll be like “So and so liked this and I really want to read it now.” and whoever is with me will look confused and be all “Who?” and I’m like “Blogger friend. 😊” 🙈. I’m glad my review made you want to get it. I hope both of you end up enjoying it as much as I did. 💕

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    1. I didn’t expect to enjoy this one but once I got to a certain point I found myself wanting to know just what the heck happened! 😂😂😂 it. Wasn’t a sub-genre I was looking to explore but maybe it won’t be the last one 😉

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  7. Okay, I need to know who was murdered now. It’s as simple as that. Love how you’re not telling us about it, though!! ❤ It always sucks when a reviewer takes away the exciting discoveries for the reader. The anxiety parts sound really intriguing as well. But the MUR-DER! O_o Fab review Lilly!

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  8. Oooo I love that cover!

    I find it very difficult to review thrillers too, for fear of giving too much away. Mine usually end up short as well.

    I’m very interested in the fact that the author begins each chapter with a portion of the police investigation. I would think this would really enhance the suspense!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Yea, I didn’t think it would be that hard until I sat down to write down my thoughts & noticed I couldn’t include most of what I had written. For me spoilers in any book include mentioning that there’s a plot twist, unreliable narrators, or anything about the ending. It just takes the fun away from finding that out for myself. SO with that in mind I stuck with being vague LOL! The beginning of each chapter added to the reading experience because it had you trying to piece everything together before reaching the very end.

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