Member Reviews
This was a fun ride. When a motley group of young adults sign up for a hide and seek competition set in an abandoned amusement park, it seems like an easy way to get recognition and maybe some money. There is something nefarious going on in the park though and as the reader, you realize it before the contestants do. Fast paced and scary, this wasn’t the sort of book where you were trying to figure out whodunnit but who survives and how. I liked how the reader was given information as the story went on that further explained the story behind this murderous theme park.
3.5 stars out of 5, rounded up to 4. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
"Hide" is the first book I've read by Kiersten White, although I understand she's a successful YA author. That doesn't surprise me - this book reads like a horror YA in terms of pacing, characterization, and style. It's the classic "and then there were none" formula - a large cast of 14 that slowly dwindle as one by one they're killed off by... something... in the amusement park.
The cast is sketched out; only a few get real arcs or details. Until the 75% mark there was very little violence or gore; just the central mystery of "what is happening here". The end is a gory rush; I just wish the rest of it had been as madcap or as brutal. It really did feel a tinge sanitized. I'd recommend it to teenagers getting into horror, but adult horror readers will find it fairly paint-by-numbers. It was definitely fun, though.
i loved it!
it was dark and creepy and had some pretty deep social commentary woven in. it could be a taddd slow at times, but those times usually didn’t last long. i did predict what the situation was but i definitely didn’t get all the details. i know people have commented about there being so many characters, but i made a quick list at the beginning and that helped me a lot!!
definitely recommend!!
Hide by Kiersten White was absolutely amazing. Reading it felt like Kiersten White unleashed. If you're a fan of The Conqueror's Saga, then you know she doesn't shy away from pushing her content as far as she can go within the bounds of YA, but this time, all bets were off.
From the very beginning, the tone was so different than any of her other books I've read. Every character had such a distinct feel, and I loved watching the dark and twisted story unfurl. It was such a breath of fresh air every time I reached a moment where I knew, if this was YA, shed have had to stop, but since it wasn't she let loose and took it as far as she needed to.
Hide was twisted, engaging, dark, and somehow despite all that, still fun. If you've ever been a fan of Kiersten White, this is one you can't miss.
Hide by Kiersten White
This was a fun book! Well fun in the way horror books can be fun 😂
We follow a group of young people as they play hide and seek in an abandoned amusement park as someone (or something) tries to find them.
My only two complaints about this book is there were a lot of characters that were kind of hard to tell apart and it was a little instalovey. But does it count as insta love if it’s really trauma bonding?
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love over the top horror books where the rational part of my mind goes “this would never work, they would never get away with that” but the fun part of my mind goes “this is such a horrifyingly fun story.” My favorite part of the story was definitely the amusement park setting. I can’t think of anything creepier!
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun, fast paced story set in a unique setting.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Hide presents an interesting concept with a dark take but it could have been better if it was faster paced and gone deeper into depth with the characters and their personalities.
This was something I was really looking forward to! The synopsis immediately hooked me in. There were so many characters in the beginning being introduced that it was hard to keep up with. But you quickly start to see who will be making more of an appearance in the book. I was questioning the whole time what was going on and trying to guess how it would end. I was not expecting the reason behind the disappearances and I still can't decide if I liked it or not. The writing was also something I had to get used to.
Although this book didn't scare me in the least and honestly I wouldn't call it horror, it was still a good book. It held my interest for the most part. A good deal of the book felt in large part like other books I'd read. There weren't any defining features to set it apart. I do read heavily and typically finish a book within days, work allowing; so it's fairly hard for me to find a book that is relatively original in idea and execution. None the less, it was a well written book with good characters that kept me engaged and no yawning.
This read was surprising and fun, especially coming from an old favorite YA fantasy author! I love when authors grow with their audience. I think this will be a hit when it finally reaches shelves.
Hide has a very promising premise but ultimately loses me very quickly. My biggest gripe being how quickly we are introduced to characters and how they basically vanish out of existence. It seemed as though the author was trying to build a background for each, but those are quicky lost. And because of the lack of intensity until the conclusion, I really felt the same to our protagonist as well.
The premise for this book is epic. An adult hide-n-seek game with high stakes….in an abandoned amusement park? There were some downright scary and creepy moments. I was enthralled. The ending unraveled just a tad, or I would be giving a full 5 stars. Overall, I’m very happy to have gotten an ARC of Hide by Kiersten White.
A fun, face-paced, Wild ride. Ready or Not meets Battle Royale. This would make a great movie and I loved the abandoned amusement park setting.
Hide is Kiersten White’s artistic commentary and response to the issues we see previlent in the United States (specifically but also elsewhere in the world):
School shootings and gun violence
Racism
Classism
All those issues that cause those white, cis, het people with money to claim they obtained it by hard work and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps in honor of the sacrifices their parents made when times were hard. Their willingness to sacrifice those that are “other” that are “outliers” to continue their own comfort. All those issues that those who are marginalized by poverty, race, sexuality, and more struggle against every day.
Its a horror story that comments on the real horrors of our world – the monsters are real but they’re not what you think.
This book whas an emotional gut punch. I knew this was a survival game (very much like Escape Room or Squid Game) so I went in like Mack – determined not to get attached to anyone but the main character. I knew they were all going to die some horrible death and the last thing I wanted was to cry over a horror story. Well Kiersten didn’t allow me or Mack to stay aloof.
Characters like Ava, Brandon, and LeGrande worm their way into your heart and you find yourself cheering them on even when you know its hopeless.
I cried. I admit it. It was brutal.
I can’t get into my favorite parts of this book without major spoilers. I’ll simply say the twists and turns not only in the story but also in Mack’s mind are INTENSE.
Speaking of intense, while this game is easily relatable to survival game horror shows and cultist stories like Archive81 (see my review here), Mack actually made me think of one of my favorite thriller characters – China from Koontz’ Intensity. Her trauma, determination, and cleverness were spot on and made me love Mack as much as I love China. Great work.
My only issue with this book is the monster could have been scarier BUT I understand why it is the way it is. I also felt like the end could have had more punch after the final twist. It was ok, but after all that adrenaline reading…I was like “and then?”
A great book. Highly recommended reading Hide by Kiersten White for fans of Escape Room, Squid Game, Archive81, Intensity, and other twisted, fucked up horrors with characters you love even as you fully expect them to die.
In Kiersten White’s first adult novel, Hide, 14 people are invited to participate in a game of hide and seek in an abandoned amusement park. The winner (the last one standing) will receive $50,000. As the game goes on, the participants begin to figure out that something is not right. That’s pretty much all I can say as a summary without giving anything away. At 256 pages, the book is on the shorter side so just go in blind and enjoy the ride.
Even though this is an adult novel it still reads quite YA to me and that’s fine. I think the lines between adult/young adult and new adult are blurring more and more each day.
My favorite part was the first chapter. The language is so lyrical and the setting is so moody and creepy. The characters were very compelling (especially Mack and Ava) but the rest were written rather thin and there are SO MANY characters (some with the same name) that I had a hard time keeping them straight. Again, Mack was really well written. I enjoyed her redemption arc and she is what kept me reading.
I wish I could say more about the plot and the origins of how this was all set up but it would be full of spoilers. Also, I’m not sure that the origin was fleshed out well enough. I felt maybe the author was making a commentary about rich/poor class systems but it never really came to fruition.
Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable story and a fairly quick read despite some pacing problems and some plot elements that confused me. This book is best described as a supernatural thriller with a dash of social commentary.
I give this book 3.75 stars. Would have been a 4 star if some of the two dimensional characters had been fleshed out or removed altogether. If you want a really good read by this author I suggest, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein.
Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for the E-ARC.
Hide will be released on 05/24!
Such a fantastic and gripping plot. I love the hide and seek aspect of this book! I could’ve done with this being more of a realistic thriller (without the supernatural element to it) but overall I’m pretty happy with reading!
Hide by Kiersten White follows 14 individuals who were invited to participate in a game of hide and seek. The winner gets $50,000! Soon, the participants figure out that something isn't right. That's really all I want to say by means of a summary. This book is short, and I feel like anything more than that will give away too much of the story. Go in blind and enjoy yourself!
I really enjoyed this book. It has an atmospheric creepy setting of an abandoned amusement park which kept me on edge the entire time.
I loved the narrative style. While you are mainly following Mack, a homeless woman with a traumatic past childhood event, you actually get the point of view of all the characters. While some have said that this was confusing with so many characters or it was just too choppy, I loved it. I thought it added to the story in that we got the know each character's motives for being there, their thoughts, feelings, fears, histories. It is all straight to the point, which some have noted made characters seem flat, but again, I disagree. I thought the direct, almost choppy writing style only added to the tension of the story. I honestly don't think I would've liked the book as much if we only followed Mack's point of view.
I also enjoyed that there were some journal entries in the book. While they were a little bit of an "info-dump" I found I didn't mind because they were entertaining. Again, I felt like it fit with the story. It is a short, concise narrative with a constant tension and uneasiness, rather than a slasher type horror or drawn out thriller. It really almost feels like it's written like a short story, but it also didn't feel like the plot was stretched out for the sake of stretching it out.
Overall, I feel like this is a book you need to go into with an open mind and without too much prior knowledge. It is a quick read that left me feeling uneasy even after I put it down.
I recommend for people who enjoy a non-traditional narration style with a large cast of characters and a consistently creepy plotline that keeps you questioning what's real and what's not.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!
The writing in this horror/thriller was solid enough, though there were some sentences/phrases that jarred and seemed to be trying too hard. Overall, the premise didn't fully work (at least the execution didn't), and I didn't enjoy the characters enough to enjoy the experience of reading.
So… I ended DNF’ing Hide at the 40% mark. I am super bummed because I really felt like this was going to be a good book for me. There are so many different characters in the book, that the back stories for these people are just super vague. In the book, 14 people play hide and seek in an abandoned amusement park for 7 days. I am on day 4 and nothing has really happened. I just don’t think this was a winner for me. Maybe later I’ll come back to it and give it another try though!!
Wow, what a concept! I love that this story turned supernatural because I fully expected it to not be. I really enjoyed the characters and the development throughout the very fun story.
Kiersten White never fails to deliver an edgy story that keeps the reader guessing. The competition aspect, laced with Greek myth, and background from found documents builds a rich plot without being distracting.
The main character, Mack, is a troubled woman with a mysterious background, much like the other hide-and-seek competitors. They all need money which is always a driving force for tension. My favorite character by far was LeGrand because of his dedication to saving his sister from their neglectful father. Ava was a great love interest for Mack and the chemistry was realistic for 2 people who just met.
The only wish I have for Hide was more background on each competitor. There were so many it was difficult to remember them all at times. I know this serves to show the fast-paced aspect of the competition, but White creates characters I can't help but want to see develop.
Overall, I recommend Hide to anyone who enjoys horror-style novels with competition and fantasy elements. The diversity in characters is refreshing. This is a unique story and I appreciate the ambiguous ending!