Cryers Cross by Lisa McCann

Pages: 233

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Perspective: Third Person

Age Group: Young Adult

Challenges: N/A

Release Date: February 8, 2011

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

Stars: 4.5/5

Cover: A-

Plot:

Cryer's Cross was an eerie, fast-paced, mysterious book. It was fairly short, but it had a lot going on in those pages! From missing teenagers, to romance, to folklore, Cryer's Cross had it all.

I really liked the whole idea behind the story. I thought Cryer's Cross was a very interesting book, and I liked that it continued to leave me hanging throughout the entire book, trying to unscramble the mystery.

Characters:

I looooooved Kendall. I thought she was an extremely unique character, and that added so much life to her. I've never really read a book that had a main character with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and I really liked how Lisa McMann wove that part of Kendall into the story. In other words, it wasn't like Kendall had OCD, and that was that. Her OCD helped her and hindered her throughout the progression of the story, and I loved that.

Another awesome thing related to the characters is that Jacian and Kendall's romance didn't take over the book, but instead was a sub-plot. I really enjoyed the fact that the book stayed mostly centered around the mystery aspect. Not to mention, their relationship was paced perfectly. They didn't instantly fall in love one day, like a lot of characters in other books, which made this book even more realistic.

Writing:

I've read two out of the three books in the Wake series by Lisa McMann, and after reading this book, I have been able to come to the conclusion that Lisa McMann is extremely consistent with her writing. She hasn't written a bad story yet, and I don't expect she will.

The way she writes is addicting, and makes the book progress swiftly. Also, the diction she uses increases the creepiness of this book. For example, she uses "darker" descriptive words, making this book both eerie and mysterious.

Ending:

I liked the ending -- especially since I didn't see what was coming. The ending of this book was bittersweet, but tied it up very nicely.

Cover:

I personally love the cover. It's just SO creepy! I think it really helps tell what this book is about, and when a reader sees it at the book store they'll know exactly what type of book it is.

The Final Verdict:

Cryer's Cross is definitely one of those books where you end up staying up into the wee hours of the morning finishing it and scaring yourself to any little sound outside your window. A perfect winter read!

FTC: Zoe.