This is a really good book that is almost certainly destined to be made into a really terrible movie. Prisoners are held on an island and hunted by serial killers as part of a nationally televised reality show punishment, a plot straight out of Black Mirror that could lead to either the best or worst kind of book, depending on the execution (SEE THAT PUN I MADE?)

In any case, the author nails the dark humor of this plot with a wink and a nod to both the over-the-top, nearly camp nature of the storyline and horror tropes, and includes some psychologically thrilling mystery/back story that keeps you turning pages right up until the end. Highly recommend high school and up (or middle school where edgy material can fly).

I received and ARC of this book from Netgalley and The Disney Book Group. I’ve been in a reading slump but this book perked me right up.

The idea that there is an island where criminals are sent and then basically hunted and killed, rather than sitting in prison, is interesting. In #MURDERTRENDING, action happens right and left from the moment Dee is left on the island. Convicted of killing her step-sister, she now has to pay the ultimate price... or does she? Each "prisoner" left on the island is given a costume and fills a role for the people watching at home from their live feeds. Dee was left princess attire, which doesn't fit her personality, at all. As she fights to survive as long as she can, while proclaiming her innocence, she befriends a ragtag group of other prisoners. Can she trust them? Are they innocent as well? Why are all the more recent prisoners young and good looking? Higher ratings and more money pouring in, perhaps? And how does Dee's past fit into this?

Although it’s a YA book, it’s rather graphic and felt more adult because of how violent it was. The premise of the book was interesting and played out well. I think the most distracting aspect of the book was how the chats/viewer comments were laid out. I skimmed a lot of those but felt some of it might have been important to the story.

In the not too distant future, the Department of Justice has set up a new way to deter violent crime. The country's newest reality experience is launched, Alcatraz 2.0. The guilty are released onto the island and must survive as long as possible, all the while being hunted by executioners looking for a viewer spike. Capital punishment has been monetized, and the more creative your kills, the more followers you get.

Seventeen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up, groggy, in the middle of a dirty warehouse. Quickly she realizes where she is - Alcatraz 2.0. She has been framed for the murder of her step sister, and must survive the kill or be killed island long enough to try to prove her innocence. Can Dee and her new allies survive long enough to figure out what is really going on, or will she be just the latest grisly kill posted?

I was extremely conflicted about this book. On the one hand, like a cheesy horror movie, this book was very enjoyable and amusing. On the other hand, it had some series flaws. The plot seemed way too contrived, and everything worked out very easily for the people involved. In the history of the island, only one killer has been taken down, but this non violent seventeen-year-old girl has no problem dispatching the professional killers one after the other. Everything falls neatly into place, and when the big twist is revealed, it is not a surprise to most people if they were paying attention.

If you're looking for a campy ride through a gruesome jail hell, pick up the book and enjoy. If you're looking for something well-written with even the slightest bit of depth, you have better odds escaping Alcatraz than finding what you want here.