Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Release Date: September 18, 2012 (hardcover)
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 304
Source: Gift from relative

Overall: 5 Stars

Summary:

Shhhh!
Don't spread the word! Three-day weekend. House party.
White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do not want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—three days on Henry Island at an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own reasons for wanting to be there, which involve their school's most eligible bachelor, T. J. Fletcher, and look forward to three glorious days of boys, bonding, and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly, people are dying, and with a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the rest of the world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for three days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine? 

My Thoughts:  
Gretchen McNeil's Ten is a brilliant horror story! I began reading Ten around midnight, and as more characters met their untimely deaths, I considered for a moment if I should stop in case I couldn't sleep, but I was far past the point of return. I was already halfway through the book and just had to know if Meg would make it out in one piece. McNeil makes Ten all the more frightening by leaving the impression that everyone is a suspect and cannot be trusted.

When Meg is invited to an exclusive party at White Rock House on Henry Island, she knows she can't refuse to go when their host is the most popular girl at school. Meg would much rather stay at home and write, but her best friend Minnie couldn't be any more thrilled to attend. But what was supposed to be an innocent weekend of fun turns into their very worst nightmares for ten teenagers. One by one, and in very horrific ways, someone is trying to kill them, and to make it worse, a terrible storm completely isolates the teens on the island from the outside world. Meg must discover the killer before she's the next victim...

I really liked Meg as a protagonist. She's an aspiring writer and loyal best friend, even though Minnie has a tendency of walking all over her. Minnie can be self-centered and takes Meg for granted, but she has her moments when you can recognize why the girls are such close friends. Months ago, Meg turned down the chance to be with her crush, T.J., because she knew Minnie has feelings for him too, and it's a decision that still breaks her heart. Romance and friendship drama aside, Meg is the first one to suspect that someone is trying to kill them off and instead of sitting around waiting for the inevitable, she tries to find a solution.

Just when I thought I had everything figured out, there was a huge twist and the identity of the murderer took my completely by surprise! Gretchen McNeil has done a fantastic job placing all the clues in the narrative, yet still allows readers to scramble in the dark to uncover the mystery on their own. By the time I reached the conclusion, I could hear my heart pounding and I was afraid to venture out of my room into the dark. A terrifying thriller, Gretchen McNeil steadily builds up the suspense until a mere shadow is enough to make you jump in fright.