Complicit – Stephanie Kuehn

Complicit

Author: Stephanie Kuehn

Publish Date: June 24th, 2014

Genre: YA, Thriller, Mystery, Realistic Fiction

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Review

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

I didn’t put the summary on this post because this is a book you have to go into not knowing ANYTHING.

Okay so I started this book to try to get out of a reading funk induced by Melina Marchetta’s Jellicoe Road (which you should also go read). Unfortunately for me, the book induced an even bigger book hangover ;__;

ON TO THE REVIEW.

Complicit was a fantastic book. Well thought-out and with excellent, excellent characterization. Jamie was flushed out well by the time I was fifty pages in and each of the other characters are characterized in some way that brings them to life. Well, the important ones at least. I kind of liked the contrast between the characterization, now that I think of it. I feel like that by leaving some of the background characters flatter, it puts the spotlight on the relationship between Cate and Jamie and also allows the reader to seriously feel and experience the way that Jamie’s mind worked. My heart broke for Cate. For such a short novel, Kuehn did a really nice job of making the characters come alive. The book starts quite slow, but if you hang in there, the ending of the book is definitely worth the read. The foreshadowing is really well done. The plot seems dull when in reality, small events are happening without the reader even realizing it. Kuehn was very subtle about it.

Kuehn did a great job of throwing the reader for a loop. Throughout the course of the book, I had about three to four different theories about what the end was about, but nothing could compare to my reaction when I actually finished it.

For me, the ending of the book was what really made it such a great read. Kuehn packs a lot into a short two-hundred and fifty page novel and because of this, the ending was a little bit rushed. Execution could have been a little more clean, and I wasn’t too happy when the book suddenly ended. It was extremely abrupt especially considering that it didn’t pick up until the end. (But honestly, by the end of the book I could care less about the writing. The plot was just so good!). I HAD to know what happened next, but it was over.

I can’t reveal too much without ruining the read. Complicit is one of those books where it’s better to go into it not knowing anything about it. But needless to say, it’s a great book, extremely unique, and worth a read for anybody.

5/5 Stars