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 available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Waterstones, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Last year, Nan’s three best friends ventured into the canyons near their small town and never returned. Now one of them is back, and Nan can’t believe it…because she’s the one who killed them. From the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls comes another dark thriller about friendship, jealousy, desire, and revenge, with a twist ending that needs to be talked about.
Last summer, Luce, Edie, Jane, and Nan took a boat out for one final swim in the river. It was a perfect summer night.
But the only one who returned that night was Nan. Edie, Jane, and Luce disappeared, and Nan’s story has always been the same: She has no idea what happened. The girls went ahead, and it was as though they vanished into thin air.
Now, one year later, all of Saltcedar has gathered at the river for a memorial. Nan even recreated the outfit she wore that fateful day last summer. And when Luce climbs out of the water, no one is more surprised than Nan.
Because Nan killed her. Right before she killed Edie and Jane.
