Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This was an okay book, I was not blown away, but I did not hate it, either. It was a pretty quick read with a good storyline. I just couldn't really get into this book.

Now this was a very well thought out horror and suspense novel! The creepy build up of terror and the unreliable narrator, as well as the spooky mansion setting. Sheer delight for me and should be the same for other horror fans!

I had this book on my "to read" list for so long and decided to finally read it after a friend suggested it. What was I waiting for?!? This book was great! I was a bit concerned after reading the first chapter or so, but the storyline quickly captured my attention and I was hooked

Alone was a fun, fast, and chilling read that kept me guessing until the very end. The novel follows 15 year old Seda, as she copes with living in an old murder mystery mansion with her mom and siblings while fighting her inner demons (specifically, her dead twin brother). The book read like a scary movie, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. :)

Perfect for those of us who like creepy, suspenseful books with unanticipated plot twists! Love the homage to The Shining. Well done!

This book was amazing!! Love love love it!! The characters were so easy to like and the plot was thrilling!!

*3 stars*
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a weird one. I didn't love it, but I definitely couldn't stop reading it. I think this could have been a truly terrifying story if the characters were different. Maybe a little older? I couldn't really target a specific age group for the audience on this one. I would say late teens/YA?

This was good though...not what I expected entirely...

Horror/Psychological Thriller/Twisted Humor? That's what I'd describe this as.

I'd give it a read if you're looking for a quick and interesting story.

As soon as I started reading this, I wanted to put it down. So I did.

It’s a good concept, but I found it to be pretty predictable. It reminded me a lot of teen slasher movies.

Alone was a book that I was hesitant on picking up because I have never read anything from Cyn Balog and horror books have not really won me over. When I tell you that Alone was the best horror I've ever read, that it the truth. At the beginning I didn't know what to expect with this teen named Seda who lives in a creepy, old hotel with just her mom and her four younger siblings. Then strangers come to the hotel and join in the celebration for Seda's 16th birthday by doing a murder-mystery game. There were tons of thrilling twists and the ending had left me so shocked that I was contemplating about it for days. This is a novel I highly recommend!

This book literally Terrified me. I had to stop 3/4 the way through and couldn't sleep for the rest of the night! Goes to show I should not be reading horror stories. I must say- I was completely engaged in this book until they turned out the lights... :)

OMG this book was good. I was hooked right from the beginning as the author jumps right into the story giving us a little background into the main characters family. Seda is one of five children, two sets of twins and Seda. Seda was told she was a twin but consumed her twin while in the womb. Seda feels that she has a connection with her brother, Sawyer, who doesn't play nicely. The whole story takes place in a huge mansion that was turned into a murder-mystery B&B in the middle of nowhere. A snowstorm hits and a group of teens have an accident on their way to the ski lodge. They are invited to stay until the storm passes. This is where the fun really starts. All the while the author has us feeling that there is something up with Seda. The teens are put through a murder-mystery to solve for Seda's sweet sixteen birthday.

If you are not into horror or murder type novels you will not like this book. I am still unsure of the ending. I would have given this book a 5 out of 5 stars but I found the ending weird. Other than that I loved this book and can't wait to read more from Cyn Balog. I find Balog's writing well established, hooking the reading in and feeding them the right amount of suspense to keep them reading to the very end. This is a quick book and I am sure I could have read the whole thing in one sitting if I had the time.

Not entirely sure how I feel about this book. Slowish start, but really picks up at about 50%. Gets uber creepy. But the end? I’m torn as to whether I liked it or hated it. Can’t really say more than that because....spoilers.

I really enjoyed this book the whole way through, I'm not sure what can be said about it without giving too much away, I half expected this ending, I half expected the twist it was taking, having said that, I still enjoyed it, I thought it was well written, little details said in passing were explained in panic. I hope to read more from this author.

So I think my brain just went on a roller coaster ride after this book. At first, I was skeptical because I was not sure where this book was going but let me tell you WOW, this book was amazing.

Alone is about Seda and her family. Her mother inherits a mansion that was used as a house of horrors if you will, the house has tons of rooms with creepy stories of past tenants, ect. Seda's mother decides to up and move her family into this home with the idea of renovating and selling., but she needs to have the perfect buyer, one who does not want to change the home of its creepy essence. That leads to the family staying there longer than Seda would like.

As winter approaches, a blizzard hits. Shortly after come a group of teens stranded In the storm which leads them to staying with Seda and her family. Seda is a little skeptical to them staying with the family, she fears something might happened to them. ( I'm trying not to spoil it for everyone) To entertain everyone Seda's mother sets up a murder mystery hunt which makes you wonder if what happens is a nightmare or some horrific reality.

Cyn Balog did a wonderful job with keeping the thrill and mystery alive in this book. I also enjoyed the little stories at the beginning of each chapter, it really gave more to the creep factor. This book was wonderful with how many twist and turns it took, one minute your thinking oh ok I know how this is going to end them BAM your hit with a twist, I loved it!

This book was a bundle of scary, creepy and curious. The plot, writing, characters, all of it was an unexpected pleasure. As I finished the book I was left speechless, I had to sit there for a second and process what just happened. This book kept me guessing and intrigued all the way through. 5 STARS!!!

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I am not a scary book person. Really. It's too easy to get my heart racing, AND I do almost all of my reading in bed at night in the dark. Yet, I continue to voluntarily read thrillers - both paranormal and psychological. Such is the case with my reading of "Alone" by Cyn Balog (from one of my favorite publishers Sourcebooks Fire).

The first half of the book feels a little slow as you're reading. The author has a purpose for every single thing. Trust me. So, read through it. Get to know the setting, plaques, characters, everything you can. Because it's about to get turned upside down in the second half of the book. I think that's what I appreciated the most - finding out that it ALL had a purpose. My time was well-spent as a reader. It's such a fulfilling moment.

The ending... I have some lingering questions for the author. Mostly one. ONE lingering question. And I feel like the end went too fast. I needed it to slow down a bit. Maybe even just a few more paragraphs.

Overall, I think it's a worthwhile book. I recommend it to anyone who has a couple of hours and enjoys a twisty-turny read.

Alone by Cyn Balog is the story of Seda, the twin she absorbed in the womb, her 4 siblings(2 sets of twins), her mother and the murder mystery mansion her mother inherited. Throw in some stranded High School kids, fake blood and yummy brownies and you've got yourself one hell of an interesting sounding book, right?

Seda is a very complex character. She is obviously mentally disturbed but she was handing it pretty well before her mother inherited this creepy murder-mystery mansion from family members and then had to move from her home in Boston to some no-reception mountain in Pennsylvania in order to help her mother sell the mansion. After arrive, though, it appears that her mother might be changing her mind about selling the mansion and they end up staying at the mansion far longer than anticipated. This stay also prompts her father to leave her mother because he is tired of the situation. With no electronics or even a house phone, Seda is left alone with her snowglobes and her thoughts. Oh, and her twin brother, Sawyer. This can't end well.

The story progresses and we end up with four stranded High School aged teenagers coming to stay with Seda and her family. With these four enters a love interest for Seda and things get a bit weird with that and the creeptastic who-dun-it hunt her mother set up for her birthday. Things get VERY screwed up during the hunt and fake blood turns into real blood. First kisses turn into fake advances and four friends slowly turn into one. And let me just say, I did not like Heath. He was UGH!

The concept and plot of this book is so different and interesting. I have never read anything like this before and I want to thank the author for having such a creative mind in the horror world. It was also super fun stopping to look up all the different historical deaths and things that were included in the book.

In the end, the book concluded with Cyn Balog's usual twist and turn. I always know her books are going to end with some sort of mindf**k and I love it. What started out as The Shining with a bunch of teenagers turn into something VERY different but VERY amazing. I just can't help but wonder if his body will ever be found.

Overall, I gave the book 4.5/5 stars.

I tried picking this up again and I am really not feeling it. The writing is just not there for me, I don't know how I feel about the voice in the MCs head that she thinks is her absorbed-in-the-womb twin brother, and then this whole exchange that isn't a spoiler but is a direct quote so [

"'Watch who you're calling baby,' she snarls at him. Truthfully, the girl is broad-faced, broad-bodied, and obviously pretty solid, even without the white puffer coat she's wearing. She looks like she can take care of herself. 'I'm only four months younger than him, and four days older than you.' Heath gives her a playful smirk. 'Whatever.' She rolls her eyes and mutters to me, "You don't have to be Sherlock to see we're not related by blood. Our parents adopted me from China when I was a baby.' It's clear from how annoyed she sounds that she's been explaining that all her life."
(hide spoiler)].

The whole section just felt so unnatural and off and I don't even know where to begin unpacking what is written here. None of this is working for me so I'm DNFing.