Hello friends, happy Wednesday, I hope you’re all having a good week so far! Today I’m back with a book review, I’m reviewing Karen M. McManus’ novel, One of Us is Next.

You can read my review of book one: One of Us is Lying

One of Us is Next by: Karen M. McManus: After the death of Simon at Bayview High, things have been pretty quiet, that is, until a new social media Truth or Dare game starts up. No one knows who’s behind it, but whoever it is, they want to keep Simon’s legacy alive. As the game gets underway, it starts to get dangerous. When a kid dies from the game things get real, fast. Taking place a few years after the first novel, this follows new characters as they try to solve the mystery as to who’s behind this game. Much like the first novel in this trilogy, this followed the characters’ drama more than the mystery itself, but what this novel did better was invest more time into the mystery with a lot more fake-outs that had the reader questioning everything and everyone. It also incorporated the drama a little more into the mystery as well, or it did a better job of doing that. The characters were a little more developed and had a little more depth to them; they felt more dimensional, less hallow and less like checking a box. The characters from the first novel were still quite present in this novel, but they were mostly in the background. As for the plot of this one, it followed the same structure as the first, but the plots felt more psychological and twisted, which made it more of an engaging read. The motives and stakes were slightly higher and the way this ended on such a turn. The reader could see how everything led to how this ended, but they didn’t quite agree with the choice the author chose to make. It felt like it was done for shock value more than anything else. It didn’t feel truly authentic; there were some things that the reader could see, but in the end would a character like this really go that far, this reader doesn’t think so. They do appreciate it did make for a good way to end the novel, but the choice wasn’t great. After the first novel, the reader went in lower expectations and that’s probably what helped them like this one more. They got everything they expected, with a little extra. This reader is curious what the third novel will entail. As for this one, it was fast-paced and easy to read; a good way to pass time.