Category Archives: Cyn Balog

June 2, 2019 · 11:57 pm

Review: That Night by Cyn Balog

Title: That Night by Cyn Balog
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Some secrets are best left buried…

It’s been a year since Hailey’s boyfriend Declan died, and Hailey is still far from okay. She’s lost almost all her friends, her grades are falling, and she pretty much lives wrapped up in bed. Everyone says Declan’s death was a suicide—after all, his father’s gun was found near his body—but Hailey knows that the happy, confident Declan she knew would never do that. She’s positive. The problem is, she can’t remember anything from the day he died.

Kane, Declan’s stepbrother and Hailey’s best friend, thinks that everyone should move on—why relive the pain? But when Hailey sees a strange picture with a threatening message amongst Declan’s belongings, she’s convinced she has proof that there’s more to the story. Hailey starts searching for answers and throws herself into memories her subconscious tried to make her forget…and the deeper she looks, the more she remembers.

But the truth she uncovers will be more dangerous and more devastating than she could have ever imagined.

Review:

Weaving seamlessly back and forth in time, That Night by Cyn Balog is a compelling young adult mystery.

One year after her boyfriend Declan Weeks’ suicide, Hailey Ward is still struggling to make sense of his death. The past year has not been easy for her since she spent time as inpatient at a psychiatric facility. Although back in school, Hailey is drinking and self-harming in an attempt to stop her emotional pain. She is also still trying to recover the memories she has suppressed about the weeks leading up to Declan’s death.  Equally confusing is her uneasy relationship with her longtime friend and Declan’s stepbrother Kane. But what Hailey finds most upsetting is the troubling discovery of a photo bearing an ominous message in Declan’s belongings. Hailey becomes even more convinced her deeply devout boyfriend’s death might be murder. But will her slowly returning memories bolster her supposition?

Despite her hospitalization, Hailey has still not come to terms with Declan’s death.  After seeing the photograph, she becomes insistent in her quest to uncover the truth. Kane is reluctantly helpful but Hailey resents how easily he has moved on. She is extremely distressed by some of the memories that gradually return in the months after the anniversary of his suicide.  Is Hailey fully prepared to handle the shocking details of what really happened during the weeks before Declan died?

That Night is an intriguing young adult mystery. Through a series of flashbacks, Hailey’s life in the present is cleverly interwoven with her romance with Declan in the past. With an absolutely unanticipated stunning plot twist, Cyn Balog brings this riveting novel to jaw-dropping conclusion. A very engrossing young adult that I recommend to older teen and adult readers due to content such as suicide, self-harming, and underage drinking.

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Filed under Contemporary, Cyn Balog, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Sourcebooks Fire, Suspense, That Night, Young Adult

November 5, 2017 · 11:57 pm

Review: Alone by Cyn Balog

Title: Alone by Cyn Balog
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

This must-read for lovers of Stephen King’s The Shining will leave readers breathless as Seda and her family find themselves at the mercy of a murderer in an isolated and snowbound hotel. Get ready for what Kirkus calls “A bloody, wonderfully creepy scare ride.”

When her mom inherits an old, crumbling mansion, Seda’s almost excited to spend the summer there. The grounds are beautiful and it’s fun to explore the sprawling house with its creepy rooms and secret passages. Except now her mom wants to renovate, rather than sell the estate—which means they’re not going back to the city…or Seda’s friends and school.

As the days grow shorter, Seda is filled with dread. They’re about to be cut off from the outside world, and she’s not sure she can handle the solitude or the darkness it brings out in her.

Then a group of teens get stranded near the mansion during a blizzard. Seda has no choice but to offer them shelter, even though she knows danger lurks in the dilapidated mansion—and in herself. And as the snow continues to fall, what Seda fears most is about to become her reality…

Review:

Set in an isolated and disquieting mansion during a snowstorm, Alone by Cyn Balog is a suspense-laden young adult mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Seda Helm is not at all pleased by her mom’s decision to remain in the creepy home she inherited. Despite her plans to sell it, she keeps rejecting offers for the onetime hotel turned murder mystery mansion. Cut off from the outside world due to no cell service, internet or landline, no one has heard from Seda’s dad since he abandoned the family months earlier due to his frustration with his wife. Seda’s much younger siblings still take great delight in the rundown mansion, but Seda is more than ready to return to Boston.  When a group of teenagers are stranded at the decrepit home during a blizzard, Seda’s mother stages an elaborate murder mystery scavenger hunt that takes a deadly turn.

Seda is a bit of an unreliable narrator who spends a lot of time in her own head.  She is great with her younger siblings despite the fact she feels a little overlooked by her parents.  The longer she and the rest of her family remain at the mansion, the darker Seda’s thoughts become. She also misses her dad and she is growing increasingly irritated with her mom’s refusal to return to Boston.

When the teenagers find themselves stranded following a minor car accident, Seda reluctantly allows them to remain on the property as long as they stay out of sight of her mother.  The group’s leader, Heath, ignores the edict and her mom ends up not only welcoming the teens with open arms, she convinces them to take part in a clever murder mystery. Seda is initially a reluctant participant in the game, but since she is paired up with the very attractive Heath, she eventually becomes more invested as they figure out what the clues mean. Slowly but surely, the hunt becomes more sinister and after she and Heath make a startling discovery, Seda makes a shocking admission.

Although a little slow paced in the beginning, Alone is an engaging mystery that readers of all ages will enjoy. The storyline is entertaining and the characters are interesting.  Although observant readers will most likely pick up on few subtle clues that hint at some of the upcoming plot twists, Cyn Balog brings the novel to an absolutely jaw-dropping conclusion that will take readers completely by surprise.

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Filed under Alone, Contemporary, Cyn Balog, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Sourcebooks Fire, Suspense, Young Adult

October 31, 2016 · 11:57 pm

Review: Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog

Title: Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A novel of infatuation and obsession, Unnatural Deeds has an electrifying ending that readers won’t see coming.

Victoria Zell doesn’t fit in, not that she cares what anyone thinks. She and her homeschooled boyfriend, Andrew, are inseparable. All they need is each other. That is, until Zachary Zimmerman joins her homeroom. Within an hour of meeting, he convinces good-girl Vic to cut class. And she can’t get enough of that rush.

Despite Vic’s loyalty to Andrew, she finds her life slowly entwining with Z’s. Soon she’s lying to everyone she knows in an effort to unravel Z’s secrets. Except Z’s not the only one with a past. Victoria’s hiding her own secrets, secrets that will come back to haunt her…and destroy everything in her path.

Review:

Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog is a spellbinding young adult mystery about secrets, obsession and murder.

Victoria “Vic” Zell is a sixteen year old student at St. Ann’s who does not quite fit in with the rest of her classmates.  Shy and suffering from severe anxiety, she keeps her head down and tries to stay out of the limelight.  All of that changes with the arrival of new student Zachary “Z” Zimmerman who is charming, outgoing and well-liked. Before meeting Z, Vic spends all of her time outside of school with her childhood friend and boyfriend, Andrew Quinn, her agoraphobic next door neighbor. Vic is fascinated by Z and surprisingly, he seems just as enthralled by her. Her relationship with Andrew is soon tested when Z’s interest in her turns romantic and this unlikely love triangle soon takes a deadly turn.

Vic is a somewhat naive and lonely teenager whose parents are rather overprotective.  She is a highly intelligent young woman but she struggles to make friends or fit in due to her somewhat debilitating anxiety disorder.  She is immediately  captivated by Z and while Vic is a little intimated by his good looks and self-confidence, he easily persuades her to join him on his adventures.  As she begins to step out of her comfort zone, she revels in the attention she garners from both Z and her fellow students.  When Z expresses an interest in her beyond friendship, she feels guilty over betraying Andrew but she basks in her newfound status as Z’s girlfriend.  However, Vic’s jealousy leads to a betrayal and her love for Z then turns to obsession.  As her relationships with both Z and Andrew begin to fall apart, Vic’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic leading up to the school play and the school dance.

Z is a charismatic yet quite enigmatic young man with a mysterious past.  He seems to genuinely like his fellow students and he comes across as kind-hearted and compassionate. But as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that no one really knows much about him and some unsavory rumors begin to surface about him.  Z can be a little manipulative when he needs something and it does not much effort on his part for Vic to fall completely under his spell.  By the time she realizes Z is not the person she thought he was, Vic is completely obsessed with him.

Vic is the novel’s sole narrator and her account of events is directed to Andrew, the one person who knows and understands her best.  Readers know right from the start that something awful has happened but just what that is remains unclear until the story’s shocking conclusion.  Most of the chapters contain snippets of information from numerous sources including newspaper articles, police interviews, coroner’s reports and news updates.  The chapters themselves detail Vic’s relationships with Z and Andrew but it soon becomes clear that Vic might not be the most reliable narrator.  The  slightly ominous overtones gradually become darker and stunning plot twists take the novel in a very unexpected  direction.

Unnatural Deeds  is an exceptionally riveting young adult mystery.  Cyn Balog’s writing style is quite engaging and she easily captures the readers’ attention right from the very first chapter.  Vic is a sympathetic character whose anxiety issues make it easy for her to fall under Z’s spell.  Z is an intriguing character who remains unfathomable even when all of the details about him are revealed. The storyline is refreshingly unique and the mystery about what happened to whom is quite perplexing. This absolutely outstanding mystery will keep readers guessing the truth right up until the novel’s stunning conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Cyn Balog, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Sourcebooks Fire, Suspense, Unnatural Deeds, Young Adult