Note: Hi, when I review books, or anything really, I’m big on discussing what works and what doesn’t work. That often involves spoilers, and seriously I do mean SPOILERS. If you’re not cool with that, that’s totally fine. I have a spoiler-free review that you can read here on Goodreads. But if you’re cool with spoilers, then let’s sit back and chat about this book.
Note: I bought this as part of Amazon’s First Reads program which gives early access to select books for a low price each month.
A Brief Summary
(taken from Goodreads)
In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.
Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons-playing friends are used to living in their imaginations. But when a new girl, Mia, joins the group and reality becomes weirder than the fantasy world they visit in their weekly games, none of them are prepared for what comes next. A strange—yet curiously familiar—man is following Nick, with abilities that just shouldn’t exist. And this man bears a cryptic message: Mia’s in grave danger, though she doesn’t know it yet. She needs Nick’s help—now.
He finds himself in a race against time to unravel an impossible mystery and save the girl. And all that stands in his way is a probably terminal disease, a knife-wielding maniac and the laws of physics.
Challenge accepted.
What works
- When I first started, the story felt a little slow, and I couldn’t figure out when it would really get to the “save the girl” bit mentioned in the book blurb. As I kept reading, I realized that I was wrong. The slowness of the beginning was an illusion and I was fully immersed into this crazy 1980s world.
- It was so hard to put this book down. It wasn’t an intense thriller, but because of how immersive it was, I just had to know how it ended. Sleep may or may not have been sacrificed while reading this book.
- The Dungeons and Dragons scenes were so well-written that those scenes alone would have kept my attention. And I’m not talking just about the group of friends playing the game, I’m talking about how freakin’ descriptive the scenarios that they found themselves in while playing the game. I would absolutely pay to read or watch more if given the opportunity.
- The main group of friends: Nick, Elton, John, Simon and then later Mia. I loved how well they interacted together. Giving off strong ‘Stranger Things’ friendship vibes, each had their own personality and they really came to life on the page.
- I also enjoyed that while time travel was mentioned and even a solid part of the motivation behind the friends’ choices (revealing numbers in advance, the whole point of future Nick/Demus being there, etc.), it wasn’t the focus. The events were still happening in 1986, and everything that the protagonists did were to help future Nick save future Mia.
What may or may not work
- I did feel the ending was a little light for me, not that it wasn’t good. Part of that came from knowing that there is a sequel, but for One Word Kill, it didn’t feel complete. There was closure for some, even most, of what the characters faced in the book, but there was enough of an opening left for the story to continue on. And I think that’s why I still haven’t figured out my feelings for the book in general. I guess I will just have to wait until I read the sequel (which I pre-ordered) to decide then.
- Okay, so I have had a little bit more thinking time between when I wrote the above bit about the ending (for my Goodreads review) and when I’m writing/posting this review. How ‘One Word Kill’ ended was a good actending, not a good book ending. So right now, until I get my hands on the next book in the series, I’m stuck in intermission. There was resolution for some aspects of the story, but with future Nick’s appearance in the book and Nick/Mia’s erasing their memories, I’m just left with more questions about the time between this book and when future Nick decides to come back to 1986.
Honorable Mentions
- Dance lessons in the 80s. Oh my goodness, it was most entertaining having Simon and Nick getting to learn how to dance for Elton’s family’s upcoming party. And not just dance lessons, but dancing with a girl. I was very satisfied.
- Losing Elton’s father. That moment was beautifully written, and I swear I could hear some tragic musical score playing in the background. I wasn’t expecting his death and with Future Nick saying that Nick and Elton stop being friends, I wonder if that will hold true through the sequels.
Side Questions
- Rust was the psychopathic, sadistic villain of the book. How old is this guy? I think I remember something about him being kicked out of the same school (maybe) that most of the friends go to, but the way he acted (craziness aside) made him seem older.
Would I Read This Book Again?
- Yes, I would. I’ll probably wait until the rest of the series is out, so that I can keep that ‘intermission’ time to a minimum, but definitely. It was a good read that kept me turning the pages.
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