14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph - HIGH

14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph, 400 pages. Sourcebooks Fire, 2021. $10.

Language: R (45 swears, 26 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Jess’s life became a tragedy when she was seven and her mom was murdered. Ten years later, she has a shot at becoming a YouTube star and bringing attention to the murderer, now a serial killer. Her life has been consumed by this unknown killer for years; now, Jess is determined to find clues that will allow justice to punish him.

Characters that try to be detectives without the training of being a detective are difficult to read because half of me cheers them on and wants to see them succeed while the other half facepalms at unnecessary risks when they refuse to call 911 for help. If you find yourself in any of these dangerous situations, please call 911 instead of breaking laws. When I set aside that hang-up, I enjoy that fast-paced, compelling action that goes in solving a mystery. Ralph keeps readers engaged with interesting characters and unexpected connections. I finished reading with a couple questions still lingering, though I’m fairly confident they’ll be answered if I reread the story. The best parts for me were when Jess tries to find balance and life in her grief, which led to some inspiring one-liners now hanging on my wall. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, illegal activity, and innuendo; the violence rating is for mentions of murder and suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen