Regan McDonell

I received this eARC from Orca Book Publishers on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way.

Warning: This book contains graphic scenes of abuse, mutilation, and rape, as well as language that may not be suitable for some younger YA readers.

I AM BEYOND SHOOK

The Writing

The writing was mostly very well done, with a very unique and strong voice and style, but sometimes I found myself having to reread a line several times and still not understand it. Luckily, the gripping mystery, character development, and suspense really made up for it.

I really appreciated that there was a really strong Native American (First Nation in this case, as the book takes place in Canada) influence on the spiritual beliefs of one of the main characters, Réal. It was unique and interesting. I'm sure most people have heard about the Windigo but not many know much beyond that, myself included, so it was refreshing and added a whole other element to the story.

The Characters

The cast was believably diverse; no one felt like a token or an addition just to fill a quota. They all felt like actual people with actual lives.

Réal Dufresne: He was just that. Real. He felt like a real person. He was the best friend of the dead boy and deep down, he believes that he's has something to do with his death, but his kind soul shows who he really is. His journey of letting go of your fears and accepting love is so wonderful. His inner struggle made sense with his actions, and I was really rooting for him to have nice things.

Evelyn (Evie) Hawley: She finds herself pregnant with her dead boyfriend's baby at the beginning of the story and isn't sure what to do. She was quiet and shy and really reminded me of Ellie from [b:I Stop Somewhere|29751533|I Stop Somewhere|T.E. Carter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495023772s/29751533.jpg|50108752] by T.E. Carter, which was released February 27 of this year (*shameless plug* check out my review) but with more spunk and more fire to her.

Shaun Henry-Deacon: The dead boy. As the story goes on, we learn more of what kind of person Shaun really was: the best friend, the boyfriend, the King. He was just as complex as all of the characters who were alive and present.

Sunny: She was the scary pretty girl who's secretly insecure and caring, who feels too deeply and internalizes too much. Her cold beauty was a shield just like Ré's toughness was, to protect herself. I was not much of a fan of how her reveal of being bulemic was dealt with, though, as it felt a tad tacked on and somewhat inconsiderate on Evie's part when she called her "crazy" for going to a group therapy session.

Alex Janes: While he wasn't a key player until the climax, he was a steady character who was interesting in his own right. I'd have liked to know more about him.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed this book! It's a very fast, gripping read that will have you guessing and second guessing until the very end, which was extremely satisfying. It felt like what I would have liked from [b:Pretty Little Liars|162085|Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars, #1)|Sara Shepard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1377830522s/162085.jpg|2191061]. There is a love story plot that was kind of the A plot, and usually I hate those, especially in a contemporary, but I actually really loved this. It was a great book that tackled topics like rape, murder, domestic abuse, parental neglect, poverty, and mental illness in a smart, considerate, and effective way. The ending was somewhat open ended but I was very happy with it and am currently stuck trying to figure out if this was a 4 star or a 5 star rating...… (mere)

Mature-Content Rating: Language, Death, Adult Situations, Underage Drinking, Drug Use, Triggers

“Don’t get much better than this.” Alex had said, holding Sunny’s hand. And maybe he was right. Because getting back down had been a lot harder than getting up. Getting down had been climbing over the edge and seeing just how far there really was to fall. Trusting that the bolts would hold. That you’d make it back to earth in one piece.”

This wasn’t the story I imagined it to be. I was expecting a murder/mystery with a compelling plot and a lot of secrets between friends. There are a lot of secrets, but most of the book is drama centered around a small group of friends.

Re`al is known for being tough and unapproachable, but we don’t really get to see much of that side of him. The story focuses so much on his relationship troubles that the writer forgot to show the ‘psycho’ side of Re`.

Evie was only plugged into the group of friends by her boyfriend, Shaun. When Shaun is found dead she has to discover where she belongs in a group that she doesn’t really know as well as she thought.

Sunny and Alex are the couple of the group- always have been together and always will be kind of couple. Alex is a pothead that doesn’t seem to have much of a future and Sunny wears the pants in the relationship. She’s also more of a psycho than Re` is ever portrayed to be.

The plot itself is hard to grasp. Re` family is really superstitious and he believes a wendigo (slightly strange version of) may have killed Shaun and goes about his way trying to get rid of the evil. For me, there wasn’t enough interaction outside the little group of friends. A boy is dead, presumed murdered, and not once are his closest friends confronted by cops. Or by parents. Or teachers. Or other students. It seems the author put them in a bubble to expand on their romantic dramas.

Overall, it was an okay story. I liked the supernatural elements, the constant mystery of what really happened to Shaun, and some of the interactions of the characters; but it just fell short of being completely developed.… (mere)