Everything I read by Rory Power slams me over the head with how strange yet great it is. This book was so compelling in how bizarre it was, and I loved the characters and plot. I raced through this story, on edge the entire time, because I was just being pulled through this book by how interested I was---I NEEDED to know what happened/what was going on. The pacing of this is immaculate, with well-plotted twists layered with descriptive writing. As always, I'm looking forward to more from Rory Power in the future.

This book is HAUNTING me. I need to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my collection. Rory power is truly one of the most talented authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading the works of. This book was perplexing and captivating and I held my breath for most of it. I was constantly on edge and absolutely obsessed straight through. Wow. Just wow.

This book was not what I was expecting, I dont know if there was just too much hype in my brain about it, but it fell short of expectations. The book was slow, with the switches between time periods feeling jaggedy. I did like the storyline once it got going and I found the twist at the end somewhat surprising. I think this is a good title to read if you just need a short, easy book to read. I am always down for Rory Power though.

For my review feature Summer Thriller Reads TBR Roundup Tour

Oh. my. goodness! This was a delectable morsel for YA Thriller fans! I devoured this to bring you the best quotes and convince you to pick up a thriller this summer. Ready to fan-girl some accomplices?

~Three girls gone, and only me left to tell the story. To tell the truth.

…something really did happen that day. The billboard over town, the vigil, the press outside—it’s proof that I made three girls disappear.

~I’m just not sure exactly how anymore

~If I wanted to I could run from it. I could slip back into the Eye, and nothing would find me there. Not if I dove deep enough.

“What is this Luce?”
“A haunting. …so you never escape the people you killed.”

**A Haunting, Heart-Pounding Masterpiece of YA Horror**

*Kill Creatures* is everything I love in a YA thriller—twisty, emotional, and absolutely chilling. Rory Power delivers another knockout with this dark tale about grief, memory, and the unsettling things we do to survive. Nan’s narration is both haunting and gripping; from the very first line (“she’s the one who killed them”), I was hooked.

The horror isn’t just in the blood or eerie setting of Saltcedar Canyon—it’s in the unraveling of memory, the manipulation of truth, and the weight of guilt and love. The sapphic relationships are handled with nuance and intensity, adding emotional depth that lingers long after the last page. Power’s prose is as atmospheric as ever—lush, sharp, and utterly immersive.

The pacing is tight, and the reveals hit hard. I found myself second-guessing everything, just like Nan. If you’re a fan of *Wilder Girls* or enjoy stories with unreliable narrators, twisted friendships, and creeping dread, this is your summer must-read.

It’s violent, unsettling, and honest in a way few YA books dare to be. *Kill Creatures* isn’t just a story—it’s an experience.

Highly recommend for fans of psychological horror and darkly beautiful storytelling. Thank you to the author and publisher for the book and my honest review.

I mean this in the nicest way but this book was so stressful I wanted to stop reading.
The author did an amazing job making me root for the main character despite everything that she did. Only problem I had with this book was the epilogue. It seemed to just be there for shock value.

After the amazing first sentence of Rory Power's KILL CREATURES, I could not put it down. Nan is a deliciously unreliable narrator. She's also a compelling character, making for an irresistible combination. The novel's beginning is especially riveting with seemingly impossible return of Luce. One thing I loved is that Nana does awful things yet, when everything is revealed, my heart breaks for her. How did Rory Power do that so beautifully? I have already assigned this novel to several students who are writing unreliable narrators and/or characters who do very bad things without remorse. KILL CREATURES has helped them understand how to develop their own characters in a way that leaves them compulsively readable.

Dark, twisty, and impossible to put down, Kill Creatures is a gripping YA thriller about memory, guilt, and the secrets between friends. Rory Power masterfully unravels a chilling mystery through an unreliable narrator and haunting prose. Perfect for fans of Sadie and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this is a psychological puzzle that lingers long after the final page.

I loved the creepy vibes in this small-town thriller. After Nan, an unreliable narrator, if there ever was one, killed her three best friends last summer, she's shocked and terrified when one resurfaces on the day of the girls' joint memorial service.

I enjoyed wondering if the way Luce came back was going to be magical or mundane and if the amnesia she was claiming was real, or if she would be the one to expose Nan's crimes.

Overall this was a great YA thriller that really kept me guessing.

Kill Creatures is a sensational and unputdownable YA thriller that is destined to keep you in its clutches until the early hours. You do not want to miss this.

Rory Power’s work always thrives in the liminal space between fantasy and reality with an interplay between the two that makes you question what you are reading. This lends itself incredibly well to this story which centres around unreliable narratives and the constant sensation of someone lying to you. As a reader you are doubting everything and that creates an unease and atmosphere that is like lightning in a bottle. If you cannot believe everything, you feel even more motivated to track down the truth. This is an impossible situation and you desperately want to figure it out. Like other great YA thrillers, there are plenty of twists and turns in store as Power weaves a twisted web for you to get lost in. There is a throughline of potential speculative elements and local folklore entangled in the story that is deeply fascinating and again lends itself to that blurriness and ambiguity that keeps you hooked. It feels like the town itself is a character with the spotlight increasingly weighing down Nan. That small-town community is brought to life with everyone knowing everyone else and subsequently their secrets. The interpersonal dynamics are crucial and Power gradually reveals the full extent of this. Everything feels like kindling waiting to spark and that fateful night is the foregone explosion that was always building. In this vein, Saltcedar Canyon is eerie, a reminder of the power of nature and maybe other elements.

All of this is set up perfectly by that pitch. Nan killed the girls last summer, but now one of them has returned. Everything about this is irresistible and reels you in. I heard this and just had to read the book. It is a unique premise where you know from very early on that you are dealing with a narrative that is going to flip the script and make bold, interesting and unexpected choices. Power capitalises on this and delivers an arresting and enthralling story that constantly builds the tension with stakes that soar sky-high. We follow the two timelines of then and now, building towards a conclusion that seems telegraphed from the first page, but is everything as it really seems?

There is also a thematic exploration of privilege and the tension between holidaymakers and locals that can boil over. The differing backgrounds of these characters has shaped them fundamentally and also causes plenty of clashes. Nan has always been an outsider, until she forged this friendship, but it is layered and complicated in ways that Power slowly shows to the reader. It is wickedly captivating reading with the way the jigsaw pieces start to fit together. There are relationships that develop and may spiral into obsession. It is so well-constructed and builds until the tension feels unbearable. Nan is at the centre of both timelines, evading the truth in the present and moving towards the unthinkable in the past. She is cold, calculating and manipulative with a voice that sends shivers down your spine. In stark contrast, her desire to belong is palpable and strongly defines her. All of this builds towards an incredible and explosive conclusion with an excellent sting in its tale. Power’s writing is exacting and sharp with a bite to it.

Kill Creatures is going to be one of the YA books of the summer. It builds on its phenomenal premise to deliver a taut and thrilling read that keeps you in its clutches until the final page.

Kill Creatures is a page turner about secrets, obsession, and jealousy.

I always know I'll have a good time with a new Rory Power book. I like how she writes her female characters, and their friendships in particular. They are flawed and weird and complex. Kill Creatures has no shortage of these female characters.
I was so intrigued by the idea of this story - friends go missing one summer until one year later when one of them comes back alive, much to the shock of the town, but also to Nan, the one who killed them. So much potential!

Unfortunately, once the story got going and when all the twists and turns at reached their end, it all felt underwhelming and cliche. I found myself connecting less and less with our main character, Nan, and her motives for the story always felt like something was missing.

THIS BOOK!! I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it. Everything from the voice to the atmospheric setting to the gorgeous prose draws you in and keeps you hooked until the very last page. A stunning, suspenseful, and deeply alive work of fiction. I'm recommending this book to everyone I know.

ARC provided by Toppling Stacks Tours and Get Underlined. All thoughts are my own.

This book was absolutely WILD! I expected that going in, based on the premise alone, but even still...I was not prepared. The story grabs you from the first line and doesn’t let go until the very end. I flew through the pages, desperate to piece together the truth, even when the path twisted in on itself and left me more confused than before.

Nan is a classic unreliable narrator, and that becomes clear early on, but there’s a particular unraveling to her that still managed to surprise me. The narrative bounces between the present and glimpses of the past, showing the intensity and toxicity of Nan’s relationship with Luce, Edie, and Jane, the three girls whose absence haunts every word of the present timeline. When Luce returns alive early on, everything that Nan thought she buried comes rushing back, and it’s as disturbing as it is utterly fascinating.

The atmosphere is oppressive in the best way. It’s unsettling as hell, and even when the pacing of the story lags in a few places, the sheer creep factor keeps you locked in. That said, the final twist, the ultimate why behind it all, felt like a huge letdown after such an intense build-up. There was a lot of brilliant groundwork laid for something truly explosive, but the ending didn’t quite deliver on that promise. It wasn’t bad, just underwhelming compared to what came before.

Still, there’s a lot to appreciate. The queer representation was well handled and felt organic to the story. And while this won’t unseat Wilder Girls as my favorite Rory Power book, Kill Creatures is a gripping, eerie ride that knows how to keep a reader uncomfortable in all the right ways.

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The chokehold this book had me in was insane! I was eating up every single twist and turn. I couldn’t believe how far Nan would go to keep her secret safe!
This book also really makes you sit back and think about how far a parent would go to protect their child as well!
If you want a spooky ya thriller to read this summerween you’ll love this book!

An ARC review of “Kill Creatures” by Rory Power

4⭐️

“If I went back, would I hear it still? Would I find them all there waiting for me? Is that what you want? a voice like Luce’s whispers in my head. I lift my chin, let the wind slice across my neck. Of course, I tell her. I miss you. I love you all so much. She laughs, low and long, and as I start down toward the lake, I hear her answer. Yeah, right, she says. Yeah fucking right.”

“Kill Creatures” is my first Rory Power book. This book was beautifully and hauntingly written. I loved the writing style and the overall vibe of this chilling, thrilling, and engaging book. I could not put it down. I am a huge sucker for untrustworthy characters in thriller novels. So I was engaged and down with the overall idea and plot from the very beginning of the story. However, this is also the reason why I knocked a star down from my rating. The twist ending did not satisfy me completely because we knew half of the story from the beginning. I would have rated this story higher if I found out major plot points a little later on (not necessarily at the end). Otherwise, this book was so incredibly well written that I still recommend it to people who enjoy this kind of thriller, especially if you want more of a shock and chill than a surprise and thrill.

struggling on what to rate this.
i can't say i enjoyed a single second of this book
but also, idk what i was expecting?
at times this book was actually a bit sickening
this whole plot was just very disturbing to me, as i think it was meant to be?
i really don't know.
this was a short, difficult read.
beyond that i am trying not to think about it
seriously, im actually struggling
everything about the premise of this book, along with it's execution makes my skin crawl
maybe it is because i am around the exact same age as the characters that this just felt so creepy to me?
It also might have just been nan's internal dialougue, which was not so much unreliable as it was plain delusional, but it really made this book feel just so strange and unnerving.
in some ways it felt very similar to Adolescence on netflix, which was also a difficult watch
im really not sure what to think about this one.

(side note: i love the art style of this cover, the only reason i read it-- i need to start reading blurbs😨😨)

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Gave an extra half star just for the cover. I can’t really pinpoint what it is that I didn’t love about this one - perhaps it was the characters not feeling super fleshed out, the reveals being predictable, or maybe I just struggled with the YA-ness of it all. The pacing was spot on and the premise (and cover) were what drew me in. We follow our main character, Nan, as she attends a memorial for her three friends (whom she murdered) when one of them is found alive. If you enjoy YA mystery thrillers, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC!

Rory Power is so good at crafting dark mysteries for the Young Adult genre! I immensely enjoyed this twisty thriller.

I requested an earc of Kill Creatures because I was really enjoyed this author's previous YA novel, Wilder Girls. Set at a girls boarding school on an island where everything- and everyone- is mutating, it left a lasting impression on me. I was also delighted that the dedication for this book was to Spencer Hastings, my favourite Pretty Little Liar, and her field hockey sticks. It was a fun personal touch to the reading experience.

Onto the story of this dark and twisted thriller. Nan is at a vigil for her 3 friends who disappeared the summer before during what is assumed to be a swimming accident. When a person is spotted alive in the water, the police pull her out and assume her to be one of the missing girls, Luce. But Nan knows this can't be true, because she's the one who killed Luce.

From hereon, it is game of cat and mouse between Luce and Nan. Does Luce remember and will she tell? How long can Nan keep up the charade that she wasn't the killer? I love reads that explore the complexity and volatility of female friendships- especially that of teenage girls, who live to impress and be accepted by their peers. I also live for an unreliable narrator and readers quickly discover that Nan is unpredictable and that her version of events cannot be taken as an absolute truth.

This an addictive fast-paced short read, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat with flashbacks from past (what lead up to Nan killing her friends) and present with Luce and Nan. The other supporting characters who are central to this study seem to sit on the periphery, and I would have liked for them to be more fleshed out given how this one ended. Overall, a great poolside thriller read for the summer. Excuse me while I also go for a re-watch of PLL.