The Fear by Natasha Preston is yet another twisty and suspenseful mystery novel, with twists around every corner. Izzy lives in a small fishing town, where everyone knows one another and always helps each other out. A trend takes the town by storm as people begin reposting and sharing the way they think would be the scariest to die by. Just another trend– right? But as people start turning up dead, dying in the way they said scared them most, Izzy knows this trend is not a silly joke anymore. As the deaths start hitting closer and closer to home, Izzy is determined to stop the killer. But at the end of the day, who can she really trust? This book will keep you at the edge of your seat until the very last page (quite literally). The book starts off nicely, describing the small town and how everyone is more or less acquainted with each other. A few pages in the first dead body is found, diving quickly into the plot. Izzy gets close with a few people, such as Axel, her mysterious classmate, Tristan, her sister’s friend and Axel’s cousin, and Justin, her long unrequited crush. However Justin seems to take an interest in Izzy for no particular reason, and it’s never exactly explained why. Throughout the book red herrings and suspicious activities from multiple suspects throws readers off, keeping you guessing constantly. Several times clues pointed toward one person only for the suspicion to be redirected toward another. As the story progresses, Izzy does increasingly risky things, which border on the line of foolishness and bravery. At a certain point her actions become frustratingly idiotic. There are chapters throughout the book told from the killer’s perspective, all without giving away who he is. It adds a nice element of horror, to be in the killer’s mind and see him commit despicable actions. The ending is a somewhat predictable one, until the last page.

Click here for my opinion on the ending…

The last few pages are quite the rollercoaster. The killer is revealed to be Tristan, which was pretty predictable. Axel and Izzy fight him and escape, only for him to catch them again. Izzy’s best friend comes to their rescue and manages to shoot Tristan in the neck, though succumbs to a knife wound at the same time. The final twist comes at the very last page, when Axel and Izzy are driving away and Izzy notices that they are driving out of town. Axel replies to this by saying that murder runs in the family. And that’s where the book finishes, with Izzy’s fate uncertain. Yet another cliffhanger, a classic for Natasha Preston’s book. This ending leaves many questions unanswered. Whose perspective were the killer’s chapters of? Were they working together, or alone? We’re unlikely to ever get answers as Natasha Preston has no plans for a sequel. The ending was completely out of the blue and seemed like it was there for more of a shock value.

To conclude, The Fear is a suspenseful thriller, even with its plot holes. Its an easy read with an interesting concept, perfect for a dark and stormy night (bonus points if its snowing, much like it does throughout the book).

3.5/5 stars