The Masked Truth, by Kelley Armstrong
Oct 19
2015
Kelley Armstrong's standalone novel The Masked Truth is the YA version of the movie Speed: instantly absorbing, action-packed, and blessed with Grade-A chemistry between its two leads.
Riley Vasquez is traumatized by the murder she failed to prevent. Max Cross is terrified of what his recent schizophrenia diagnosis will mean for the rest of his life. Neither is thrilled about attending a weekend-long therapy camp for troubled teenagers... but when a group of masked, armed men burst into the building and take the group hostage, Riley and Max are forced to work together to overcome both their assailants and their fears.
Sadly, The Masked Truth has a few of Speed's weaknesses, too. It goes on too long, and the protagonists' stream of bad luck goes from “far-fetched” to “completely ridiculous”. These flaws aren't serious—I suspect most teen readers will be too enthralled with the story's romance and action to even notice them, actually—but they're typical of Armstrong's writing, which is consistently entertaining, but never quite as amazing as it could be.
Riley Vasquez is traumatized by the murder she failed to prevent. Max Cross is terrified of what his recent schizophrenia diagnosis will mean for the rest of his life. Neither is thrilled about attending a weekend-long therapy camp for troubled teenagers... but when a group of masked, armed men burst into the building and take the group hostage, Riley and Max are forced to work together to overcome both their assailants and their fears.
Sadly, The Masked Truth has a few of Speed's weaknesses, too. It goes on too long, and the protagonists' stream of bad luck goes from “far-fetched” to “completely ridiculous”. These flaws aren't serious—I suspect most teen readers will be too enthralled with the story's romance and action to even notice them, actually—but they're typical of Armstrong's writing, which is consistently entertaining, but never quite as amazing as it could be.
Posted by: Julianka
No new comments are allowed on this post.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!