This was a fast paced thriller with lots of unexpected twists and turns. The romance was sweet and was often a nice interlude to the insanity of the rest of the story. Although there were times when the plot went in predictable ways, it was well written and still made you think "what will happen next?"

Winter was an interesting character. We see everything from her point of view. She is very much a typical teen with some snarkiness to her which I always appreciate. She is also someone that teens will be able to sympathize with, she is being raised, poorly, by her alcoholic father, in a dead end town. She desperately wants to leave, but in the meantime copes with her life in an honest and refreshing way. Even though she often quips that what is happening is like a bad horror movie, she sometimes makes poor decisions, just like those teens in the slasher movies. But I think that just makes her more human and realistic.

Jude, her eventual romantic interest, is a very multi-faceted character. He has a lot of issues around anger, and the way he was raised. He is Lennon's brother and it really shows how much he cares for him. Once he stops being angry with Winter, he begins to want to protect her as well.

The setting, the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky, was awesome. It helped set the mood of the entire story, with spooky woods, feral dogs and abandoned mines. The small town setting was perfect from the busy body neighbors to the ineffectual sheriff and deputies.

There are a lot of family issues, from Winter's alcoholic father to Jude's overbearing mother. The overall theme is one of nature vs. nurture. In other words are we destined to be who we are because of our genes or how we are raised? Always an interesting storyline in any psycho-thriller and done well here.

Overall an exciting, fast-paced read and a good one to take on vacation with you.

Missing is an intense and sinister read that will keep you on your toes. Edge-of-your-seat, ominous and even a few gruesome scenes help create a steady build-up of tension. Add in the evil taunts by the 'bad guy' and the first half of this book has a wonderfully creepy, dark feel.

The tone lightens a bit in the last half with less of that creepy feel and more focus on the mystery aspect as Winter tries to figure out what's happened to the missing teens from her small town of Reeves End, Kentucky. There is a smidgen of romance but, thankfully, it's kept to a minimum. The dialogue between Winter and her love interest elicited a couple of eye rolls from this 40-something reader so I was thankful the suspense was the focus.

This was more plot-driven than character based. The characters were a bit of a mishmash - from Winter and Jude whom we get to know fairly well to a smattering of locals (including the sheriff who was a one-dimensional corrupt, lazy man who was easy to hate) and some high powered, rich people.

The book focuses on Winter who was an okay main character but I would have liked to have seen more depth to her. Some of Winter's decisions were questionable and some issues had too much of a serendipitous 'right place, right time' feel but Winter she held her own.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The cover is eye-catching and it's a good, chilling read with twists and a sinister overtone.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Looking for your next YA mystery thriller obsession? Look no further. Kelley Armstrong has done it again! I absolutely fell in love with the way she writes a non-paranormal story the second I read The Masked Truth, which came out two years ago and was outstanding. I am so pleased she decided to go the non-paranormal route again because Missing is just phenomenal.
Winter Crane lives in Reeve’s End, an incredibly small town where once you turn eighteen you leave and never look back. Winter is looking forward to doing just that. She is feeling alone after her sister left leaving her with their abusive father. One day Winter stumbles upon a boy unconscious in a tree and chooses to help him. And before she knows it, the boy goes missing. It doesn’t take long for the boy’s brother to come looking for him. Now Winter wonders if everyone else who left went missing themselves.
The plot is deeply intriguing. The story moves at a fast pace making it near impossible to stop reading. I really enjoyed the characters and the creepy elements throughout the story. The mystery gets pretty complex but is ultimately rewarding for the reader. There is a nice amount of action and romance that works into the plot beautifully.
If you love dark, fun, entertaining mysteries or thrillers, make sure to check out Missing by Kelley Armstrong today!

Meet Winter Crane who lives in small town named Reeve's End where the main goal of the graduating population is to leave and never return. Winter has this same goal. She hunts, traps, and has some good nature skills to help her survive until she can take off. One evening is the woods she comes across and unconscious boy and has to save him from some feral dogs trying to eat him. This makes her the main target of a very sick man who has been abducting teens that try leave or return to her hometown. She teams up with the brother of the boy she saved after he goes missing, and the story that evolves kept me hooked until the end which I did not see coming. Full of suspense, action, and steady evolution to the conclusion. A must read for people that like a good mystery. I give it 4/5 stars.

I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review. I have been a huge fan of Armstrong’s Cainsville and Casey Duncan series so I was excited to read this. This ended up being an okay read. The story was a thriller mystery that involved a serial killer. The main protagonist is really poor and doesn’t have much, so there are some elements of survival in here as well.

I wasn’t personally a huge fan of this book, I didn’t enjoy the characters all that much and thought the story was just so so. Armstrong has written some much better books. This was an okay quick read but it was nothing special.

I had some trouble staying engaged in the story. Winter was an interesting heroine but I didn’t find the story to be all that intriguing. It was all fairly predictable and boring. This just wasn’t a story that grabbed me and pulled me in.

Overall this was an okay read. I guess would recommend to those who enjoy thriller mysteries. Both Armstrong’s Cainsville and Casey Duncan series are much more interesting than this book was and I would recommend those over this book.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I have heard of Kelley Armstrong but this is the first book I've read written by her. The writing was good and flowed well. The characters were somewhat likable. One of the problems I had with this book is that nosy neighbor. If she was so nosy, how did she not ever notice Winter not actually living in the trailer? Just a few weird things here and there but overall pretty good.

Winter Crane is just biding her time in the small, isolated town where she lives. She can't wait to graduate and go on to college where she is determined to become a doctor. Right now, she living with her drunken, abusive father on what would be the wrong side of the tracks if her town were big enough for trains to go through. She is hiding from her father in an old hunting shack she's found when a boy who has been badly beaten stumbles in.

Lennon says that he came looking for a girl named Edie that he met at a concert. Winter knows Edie; she's her best friend. She's also one of a number of kids who have left town as soon as they could and haven't been heard from since. Winter's sister Cady is another of those who left without a forwarding address.

When Lennon disappears again, he leaves Winter wondering what happened to him and what happened to all those other kids who disappeared. She begins an investigation which gets her involved in the town's secrets. She is pretty much on her own until Lennon's brother Jude comes looking for him and, very reluctantly, teams up with Winter.

Lennon and Jude come from a very different background than Winter. They were adopted into an "old money" family and their father is a Congressman. But their family is rife with secrets too.

This story was creepy, action-packed and had great characters. I liked Winter's determination and attitude. I liked Jude who wasn't easy for us or for Winter to get to know. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers.

Armstrong never disappoints. It doesn't matter in what genre she writes, when I open up one of her books I always know I am in for something fun and well written.

Her latest YA mystery was just that. It was fun, entertaining and kept me on my toes. One of the few YA mysteries where I didn't see everything coming long before the book was over and one that had me guessing and second guessing right up until the very end.

With engaging characters, a fast paced plot line and enough mystery and creepy thrills to leave me wanting more and flipping rapidly through the pages to discover who was responsible for it all.

I highly recommend this to someone looking for a well throughout, plotted mystery that will thoroughly keep you engaged until the very end.

This author is a superstar as far as I'm concerned and her fantastic paranormal stories cannot be praised enough. Yes I've even enjoyed the ones she has written that are aimed at teenage readers so I was intrigued by the possibilities of a more mainstream YA thriller. Absolutely no supernatural events just a mystery with suspense that lasts until the end.
Winter has grown up in dead , going nowhere Reeves End, Kentucky. Oh she's not exactly a poster child for the Appalachian mountains but she knows how to keep her head down and blend in. Winter dreams of a better life and like so many others can't wait to escape just like her sister. Hey,so many leave and don't look back so why shouldn't Winter be one of them ? Yes Winter has a plan and she's worked long and hard but one night alone in the nearby forest changes everything she believes in as she makes a discovery that leads her down a dangerous path!
Whilst not exactly action packed ( although lots of things happen ) there's a brooding intensity that just hangs over this story. Winter finding a badly beaten boy is just the start of a sick and twisted game. It's very easy to like Winter as she's courageous and practical but it wasn't so easy to warm to the confusing characters around her. With twists, turns and red herrings the author keeps her readers guessing and if honest I was eighty percent in before I had a firm idea of just where this was going. I didn't like the attitude of authority figures in this although there are instances of kindness but overall I was left feeling that the majority of the supporting characters just muddied the waters. An ending that felt rushed after all the build up but I cannot deny that it kept me up late reading it as the mystery and obvious connections just needed to be resolved . Definitely more suspense than romance with its myriad multi laters and I really enjoyed the sense of dread that permeated as Winter found herself repeatedly in danger . I think what resonates most of all though is how easy it is to fall off the grid, for loved ones to become lost and those left behind to believe their own propaganda . I'm not sure if there are many who live a 'hillbilly' lifestyle anymore but thought the author did a creditable job of making Reeves End feel believable .
This opinion is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts are my honest opinion.

Thrilling read, but some of the developments came across as very unlikely, especially given the ages of the characters.

This is the first time I read one of Ms. Armstrong's books. Now I see why my daughter loves her. Super suspenseful story! Winter is looking for her sister who seems to have disappeared. Add a drunk for a father, two hot brothers and someone very creepy who is stalking Winter. Really liked this book although I could do without some of the violence.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult crime thriller eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

missing (Kelley Armstrong)

Title: missing

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Random House Children's Crown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (Hardcover/E-book)

ISBN: 978-0399550324

Source: NetGalley

So me mateys, I continue with me Kelley Armstrong obsession and this be her latest offering. It is not me favorite of her novels (as I prefer her fantasy or adult thrillers) but this was a quick and fun read.

The story follows Winter Crane who lives in a small poverty stricken town in Kentucky. Like most young residents of the town, she has one hope - to graduate high school and escape to the big city. Just like her big sister and best friend did. Except Winter can't seem to get a hold of either of them.

Due to an abusive home life, she tends to take care of herself. Think hunting and trapping and shack in the woods. One day in the woods, Winter rescues a young guy in trouble who happens to be looking for Winter's best friend - the same friend that Winter has been unable to reach. In trying to figure out the whereabouts of her missing friend, Winter begins to think that not everyone in town made it to the big city. Can she solve the mystery before anyone else goes missing?

One of the "problems" I had with the novel was the setting. In me vagabond nature, I once lived in a small, one street town in Kentucky. The author does try to address the stereotypes and challenge them. However, there were inclusions of many small town stereotypes like an idiot pointless sheriff, using food stamps as currency, moonshine stills, and old mountain folk with no running water or electricity. I couldn't tell if some of these facts were trying to be based in reality or just plot points to forward the story.

Two less then stellar impressions were of some of the twists towards the end of the novel. I kinda felt like I was reading a V.C. Andrews melodrama in parts. And I wasn't a huge fan of those books even back in the day. Also the way Winter puts another person's wishes about reconciliation with her abuser ahead of her own preferences made me cringe.

But these issues were very minor for me overall concerning me enjoyment. I still found the author's writing, characters, and story to be engaging. I read this book in one quick session. While I don't think this will ever be a re-read for me, it was certainly entertaining if taken with a grain of salt. I very much look forward to Kelley Armstrong's next novel.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House/Crown Books!

The author's website has this to say about the novel:

Winter Crane has exactly one thing to look forward to in Reeve’s End: leaving it. Like her best friend did. Like her sister did. Like most of the teens born in town have done. There’s nothing for them there but abandoned mines and empty futures. They’re better off taking a chance elsewhere.

The only thing Winter will miss is the forest. Her only refuge. At least it was. Until the day she found a boy–a stranger–left for dead.

But now he’s gone too. And he has Winter questioning what she once thought was true. What if nobody left Reeve’s End at all? What if they’re all missing?

To visit the author’s website and blog go to:

Kelley Armstrong - Author

To buy the novel visit:

missing - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Previous Log Entries for this Author

sea of shadows- book one (Captain’s Log – Young Adult Fantasy)

empires of the night -book two (Captain’s Log – Young Adult Fantasy)

forest of ruin - book three (Captain's Log - Young Adult Fantasy)

the masked truth (Captain’s Log – Young Adult Thriller)

city of the lost - book one (Off the Charts – Thriller/Crime Novel)

a darkness absolute - book two (On the Horizon & Off the Charts – Thriller/Crime Novel)

By no one else's fault than my own did I get the impression that this would be a paranormal book and that was what I was looking forward to reading. However, this is a YA thriller, a whodunit book about Winter, a young girl who discovers that the people that have left the little town of Reeve's End have perhaps met a grisly end. Among them is Winter's sister that left a year before and never was heard from again.

Young adult is not a genre I read that often, but I've lately been reading up on Kelley Armstrong and this book seemed interesting and it turned out to be quite a good book. For a YA is it actually really good. However, despite that Armstrong managed to create a really great female lead characters and also write an interesting story, did I not completely fall for the story, especially not the ending. I don't know, it just didn't really intrigue me and I felt that the book lacked suspense.

Missing was an interesting book. I came to like Winter very much, she is a strong character and I loved how Winter, despite her upbringing has a goal in life. I also loved the little town of Reeve's End, there is just something special about town like this, far from civilization. The best part of the book was the beginning when everything was still a mystery and one wondered what was going on, what had happened with all the youngster? Personally, would I have loved a paranormal angle to the story, but it worked as a thriller, despite the lack of a truly suspenseful ending.

I don't usually read contemporary fiction, but I really enjoyed this.

I never, in a million years, expected to read thrillers, let alone like them. Kelley Armstrong is changing my mind for me! Her storytelling is so captivating that I could not put this down. Her characters and the mystery kept pulling me back in when I should have been sleeping, eating, or generally doing anything else. Fantastic!

I simply couldn't help but request this book the moment I saw it. Because it sounded just like my kind of story. I love mysteries, lol. And I really enjoyed the other book like this by Kelley. So I was really excited to read this one. While I enjoyed this book, I sadly didn't love it. Aw. But I did enjoy the mystery very much.

I had expected to love this book, so it was a little disappointing when I started reading it that I hated the beginning. Okay, I didn't fully hate this book, but I disliked so much about the first parts of it. Mostly because it was boring, yet it was not supposed to be. Probably also because the book started in a weird place. Sigh.

The reason for why I had issues with the beginning was because of the main character, Winter, I think. I felt like this book began in a weird place, cause I wanted and needed to get to know Winter more first. I'm not sure how to describe it. Just that it bothered me to read the beginning and not know the girl enough. I simply didn't like her enough in the beginning, which was depressing. I also found some parts of the beginning to be pretty silly. Which is why I'm giving this book three stars. Because I did not love it all. Aw. But. The book did get better. And I found the last part of the book to be all kinds of awesome. Not perfect, but I enjoyed it a whole bunch. I didn't really have any issues with the writing, just didn't love it either. I liked the book, but sadly no love.

Missing is told from the point of view of Winter. She's a girl living in this very small town, where a lot of the people are poor, she included. She's on her final high school year, and just waiting for the time to be able to leave this town. She's really smart, and she knows how to hunt. I wish I could say that I loved her, but I had some issues with her. Aw. Mostly because I felt like I didn't connect to her at all. I liked reading about her, I just didn't fully care about her, which was so sad. She was interesting, though. But I wanted more.

This book is about Winter discovering a boy in the woods where she spends all her time. He has been beaten badly, and seems scared of someone. She helps him heal for a couple of days, and gets to know him too. Sadly I didn't connect with this at all. Or really understand the point of it. She didn't take him to the police or a doctor. Or someone else either. She didn't call anyone. And he even kisses her when she doesn't want it. I just did not like Lennon at all. He was supposed to seem cute, I guess, but he was not.

Thankfully, this boy was not the love interest at all. Because Lennon goes missing a few days after Winter finds him. And then his brother comes looking for him. And ah, I loved Jude a whole lot more. I had a few issues with him, aw, but for the most time I loved him a lot. And I shipped him and Winter so much. I liked reading about how they got closer, how they became friends, while also searching for Lennon. They don't have the best start, but they do get closer, and I loved that. They were pretty cute to read about together.

This book is about missing teenagers. I was hoping to love that so much, but I had so many issues with it in this book. Aw. Probably because Winter and Jude were the only ones looking for these missing teens. No one else seemed to think they were missing. The local sheriff was the most awful person, that really bothered me too. It shouldn't be like that. Sigh. I enjoyed reading about Winter and Jude looking for clues, because it was interesting, but it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. Some parts got boring fast.

But despite all that I found the mystery in this book to be all kinds of interesting. I liked finding out who the kidnapper was. I liked how it all fit into the story, with all the characters. I also liked the final scenes of the book. I liked the romance, though I wish that had been a bigger part of the book. Another thing I didn't like, though, was the ending for some of the characters. Someone died. I really needed to know what happened after that, and it wasn't written. Hmph. I needed to know more, so I was a little disappointed.

I'm not going to say more about this book. I'm just unable to think of anything else at the moment, lol. I enjoyed this book a lot, but I also had a lot of issues with it, and so I didn't love it. But I am glad that I read it. And I do think you should all read it too. The mystery was interesting. But ahh. I did not like that there were so many feral dogs in this book that got murdered, in awful ways. Shudders. Winter is also getting abused, and that bothered me too, because the reason for it was beyond weird and not okay at all. Ugh.

Much like I've previously stated about Becca Fitzpatrick, Kelley Armstrong has found her home in YA thrillers. Again like with Fitzpatrick, I had enjoyed previous books by Kelley Armstrong but it never could have prepared me for the on-the-edge-of-my-seat rollercoaster-without-a-seatbelt feeling I experienced reading missing. Very few books I've read recently have had me playing a guessing game and this was one of them. I couldn't quite grasp how deeply the mystery was woven to figure out who was good, who was bad, and who lived on the gray line in between.

The characters were so well written, so well balanced. I both loved them and hated them at times, and that is the greatest compliment I can give a book - it had me exhibiting real emotions. I cannot wait to tell everyone I know to pick up a copy of this novel. Lately it's been so hard for YA readers to find wonderfully thrilling novels like the ones authors such as Mary Kubica produce for adult fiction, but with this latest influx in authors like Kelley taking the plunge I feel like that is starting to change for the better. If you're looking for a book that truly keeps a vice-like grip on you til the final page, one where you honestly have to shirk all responsibility until you finish it, this one is for you.

Missing by Kelly Armstrong is an interesting and somewhat chilling young adult mystery. And truth be told, while it may not be as suspenseful as I would hope for a mystery of this kind, I did find the pacing, characters, writing style, and overall plot line to be very appealing.Fans of the genre and those who enjoy Armstrong's book will pair well with this novel and I would definitely recommend it to others!

Winter Crane lives in the small Kentucky town of Reeve's End. It is just her and her abusive, drunk father since her mother died and her sister ran off. Winter endures her father by hiding out in a shack in the woods and working as much as possible (as a tutor and at a medical clinic). She wants to get out of town and go to medical school. One day while in the shack, she hears the local feral dog pack howling and discovers they have treed a young man. Lennon has been beaten and doesn't seem to remember much except that he was trying to find his friend Edie. Turns out Edie is also Winter's friend. Winter tries to help Lennon, but he quickly disappears as well. Then his brother Jude shows up. Jude is nothing like laid-back Lennon. He is intense and wants to know where his brother is. Jude and Winter discover more than just Edie and Lennon are missing and there might be a dark past in Jude and Lennon's background that is behind everything.

This was a pretty intense read. The story moves and a pretty good pace and really leaves you wanting to find out what is going. Does the final result make sense? Not entirely. There are a few twists that seem just a little too over-the-top. However, I really liked both Winter and Jude and their determination to find out what is going on and to not compromise who they are in the process. It was a nice change of pace to have two such strong-willed characters in the lead of this story. It is also a bit different from what I am used to from Kelley Armstrong. There are no paranormal elements, just twisted psychotics.

I received this book from Netgalley.