I received a copy of this book for my stop on the blog tour at Donnie Darko Girl.
Just a couple days ago I said I'm a fan of serials, and Behind the Stars is another reason why. Well written, intelligent, and mysterious, this series is the kind that keeps you in a constant state of holding your breath either hoping for or against the next thing to happen. And while you don't know what will happen, you do know there's enough tension to cut with a knife and keep you on the edge of your seat.
I really liked trying to figure out the mystery behind Prentiss's kidnapping. One day she's on her way to work but never makes it there. Instead, she wakes up in a strange place with kids she knows from school - male and female. I couldn't tell who had kidnapped all of these kids and why. Was there a war? An invasion? What do the kidnappers want with these kids?
In the meantime, Prentiss takes us back in her memories to her relationship with her boyfriend Jackson, the turmoil at home between her brother and their father, and losing her mom at an early age. I was able to get to know what Prentiss was like before she was taken as well as afterward. It's clear from the start she isn't going to go down without a fight. While everyone else seems resigned to their fate, she's thinking of ways to escape and bring help to get everyone else out, too.
With so many people in their small town unaccounted for, no one knows if they've been taken, too, and whether they're dead or alive. I couldn't put this book down...I had to find out what was going on! What I wanted to know the most, almost more than if Prentiss could make a break for it, was who had kidnapped them and why. What were they planning on doing with those they had abducted and how were they able to get away with it? Neither the military nor the police comes to save the day, so why is that?
The answers will surprise you, even shock you. There were so many moments where I really think I did hold my breath! I would have rated this five stars, but after the first episode, the story slowed down a bit; however, I realize this was to build up relationships between characters for what would happen later down the road. Not long after, the story picks back up again with speed.
Behind the Stars is definitely the kind of series I look for when wanting something fresh and original to read. I loved losing myself in the pages and playing Sherlock as I tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Definitely recommend this!
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