Thank you to the author for the copy of the book to review for Rosie’s Book Reviews.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise and the cover (what a great, spooky cover!) intrigued me and I was hopeful as I began reading it. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold my attention like I would’ve wanted it to. It was a bit disjointed and somewhat difficult to get into. It took me over a month and a half to finish it reading in short sessions. It didn’t help that the formatting was terrible. I tried to overlook that as it was an ARC copy, but it made for hard reading.

The protagonist was somewhat likable but not enough for me to want to cheer for him to prevail in the situation he found himself in. When I read a book, I like to have someone to root for. A couple of the minor characters in the band were okay, but they didn’t get to do much in the plot and they thus were one-dimensional.

There were no explanations of a lot of the things that happened in the plot. There were places that motivations were hinted at, but this reader needed more than vague allusions to why certain characters acted the way they did.

Several chapters had unknown characters interacting or having horrific things happening to them and, as someone who reads a lot of suspense and horror, I presumed those would be tied in and explained before the book ended. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

The ultimate showdown near the end of the book was particularly dissatisfying in that many characters acted in ways that defied logic. I don’t want to put in any spoilers, but running toward danger continuously when there are opportunities to escape made no sense to this reader. 

Overall, the author has a great imagination and this story has a lot of potential, but it didn’t quite live up to the expectations of this reader.  It might be right up someone else’s alley, but it just didn’t do it for me.

Blurb:

 Because of Johnny, I went with the band. Because of Kate, I stayed. They played anywhere, all through Appalachia. They were the best show for miles around. But even I didn’t expect Oakville to be the end.

Oakville, WV. It was supposed to be a quiet place: to catch our breaths, to fall in love. It was a chance to know each other completely. As long as Johnny didn’t find out.

It would also be the last show they ever played.

In a foggy Appalachian town, one of us wouldn’t make it home. And everyone else would never be the same.