I've said it before and I will say it again: "I love a YA mystery/thriller!" And Stephen Wallenfels is able to deliver something entertaining, engaging, and unique with DEADFALL. We are in the wilds/wilderness of the Pacific Northwest as two brothers are on a mission for survival.... but from what or from whom? And the format of the past/present chapter alternating helps keep this pace up and it's easy to devour this one in a single sitting if you have the time! There are some heavy themes/elements involved; it's not a total easy thriller. We have themes of sex trafficking, drug abuse, and a few more. But it is handled quite well and the it does impact the way we perceive this story. I will be looking for more from this author!

A very heavy, tough read, but well written. Sometimes you read a synopsis and it just really doesn't prepare you for the content of the book, and this is one of those cases. There were times it felt a bit bloated, but generally the action kept moving with the dual timelines.

Twin brothers on the run discover a girl locked in the trunk of a crashed car in the middle of nowhere, which means they’re now also on the run from her kidnapper, who — surprise! — may be someone they already know. I’m sure there’s an audience for this book, but it’s not me: The mystery was too predictable, and chase sequences (of which there are many) were just not exciting.

Yikes! I was so excited for this book! Unfortunately, the writing is poor and it has some pretty disturbing scenes that narrow the audience that would enjoy reading this book. Two brothers deal with the aftermath of an accident scene and their lives seemingly fall off the rails. Sadly, I could not get through this book because of the crass language and a generally disturbing scenes (one of the characters peeing himself on a bridge because of the trauma he has witnessed).

A jarring, yet momentous thrill ride, Deadfall is every bit as tense as it is grand, even under its small-scale confinement’s.

Wow...wow! Totally blown away by this novel. Everything about it was well done. The story, the characters, the writing. I was intensely waiting for each turn of the page as I read it.

Deadfall by Stephen Wallenfels is a book about twin brothers, their horrible father and how they ended up in the foster care system.

My above description of this book sounds vague and that is because I want it to be. This is one of those books where you need to read everything in order to understand all the events and I don't want to spoil that for anyone so I will keep it vague.

I will say, however, that the beginning of the book was pretty slow for me. I really didn't enjoy the parts where it went back to the past and showed the father. I did end up liking that part a bit further on in the book when the action started to pick up but in the beginning, I was dreading it.

This book contains crime, sexual stuff, a gay character, drugs, violence, the woods, snow, a deer, car accident, explosion and many other very interesting things that really draw the reader into the story. I was very glad the story was told more from Cory's perspective because I don't think I would have liked reading from Ty's very much. Cory was a great voice for the story.

In the end, I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book because I have a weird thing where I hardly ever enjoy books told from the boys perspective unless is it dual back and forth, but I really liked the book and I liked Cory's voice throughout the story.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 stars.

DNF. I tried to finish on several occasions but this character's voice did not elicit much sympathy. I could imagine a few students who might enjoy it however so. . . two stars.

A solid YA thriller read - Full review to follow

Things to keep in mind - this does depict child abuse, sexual abuse towards minors, sex trafficking, and violence.

Title: Deadfall
Author: Stephen Wallenfels
Genre: Thriller, YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Ty and Cory Bic are running away from the danger and drama in their lives when they come upon a dying deer in the middle of the road, and tire tracks swerving off the road beside it. Though they need to disappear without a trace, they follow the tracks and find an empty car. The banging from the trunk reveals Astrid, so traumatized she doesn’t speak, and they realize they’ve stumbled into something bad. Something that might be linked to their past—and the death of their father.

Sixteen months before, the twins’ father took them on a hike to show them a secret—and to tell them they were leaving their old lives behind. He moved them hours away, where he soon became involved with some frightening men, while the boys struggled to make a life and clean up the abandoned crack house they found themselves living in. When their father is murdered, they end up in a foster house with a powerful man hiding a secret. When the twins decide to reveal his secret, running away is their only option.

This is a pretty dark book, with lots of heavy topics: drug use, abuse, human trafficking, murder…it’s not for the faint of heart. I liked Cory; he struggled with people accepting him, but he is such a strong person, he just has to realize it. Ty was less likable for me, but the two of them together make a formidable team.

Stephen Wallenfels lives in Washington. Deadfall is his newest novel.

(Galley provided by Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.)

This mystery thriller delivers its story in two timelines- the present where these twins find a girl trapped in the boot of a car in an accident, and their life 16 months before, counting down to how they came to be on that road. Both timelines are through Cory’s perspective, but the present is in first person, and the past in the third person, a choice that felt a bit jarring in the start but which I got used to as I went along. Their story chronicles the birthday trip that their abusive father takes them to, before moving them to another town, getting mixed up in shady stuff and dying, then the boys being delivered into a foster home of a would-be politician who seems too good to be true; the main mystery of the story being what made them run away and be on their way to their father’s hideout, and who is the one who kidnapped the girl.

The book builds up suspense well, and with the alternating chapters usually ending in cliffhangers, it just keeps you reading and reading. As the story progresses, many thing emerge that could be the reason for them running away so it always seems like – is this it? Also, the now chapters are like a survivalist thriller, Cory and Astrid trekking through a forest/mountain trail, with her injured and them low on supplies and the threat of her kidnapper loose and probably about to attack just adsd to the tension. Cory is a smart protagonist, cunning but also a gentle soul. His and Ty’s relationship seems distant at times, to the point where it seems like Ty could be bad, but then there are instances where Ty shows where his moral code lies. The twists are not all that surprising, because there are plenty of clues leading up to it, but it is nevertheless exciting because of the writing itself. Bonus: there isn’t a romance sub-plot.

In short, a tense mystery to keep you entertained.

This book kept my interest and kept me reading until the end, but I did feel it was playing the topics brought up a little too safe. I did like that it had me guessing and that I didn't guess correctly (which rarely happens), and I also liked that I was able to relate to Corey so well. I usually have a harder time getting into books with male leads, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting a much darker book so that was a pretty big let down and is the main reason for it receiving 3 stars. I enjoyed it, but it definitely wasn't enough.

*See my full review on my blog, Book Bite Reviews*

Hard-hitting thriller

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Emotional, physical and sexual abuse, implied rape, sex trafficking, violence.

This was a dark, difficult book for me to read. Don't get me wrong - it's an excellent book. But know that just because this book has two teen brother protagonists, that doesn't make it a teen book.

It bounced back and forth between the past and present events in Ty and Cory Bic's lives, which I thought was handled very well by the author. And the momentum and suspense kept building in intensity until a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

It was difficult for me because this book triggered some very panicky feelings in me. The reasons aren't important but just go in forewarned - this is one intense story.

I received this book from Disney Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Cory was the main focus in this book, as in the current timeline it was from his first person point of view and in the past it was mostly focused on him, despite being in the third person. He was a sympathetic character with enough depth to be interesting, but with enough mystery to keep the reader wondering what makes him tick. I liked the way the story was laid out, in the present with the kidnapped girl, Astrid, and in the past seeing how Cory and Ty went from being in the custody of their abusive Dad to a better life they eventually abandon. While Cory was a compelling protagonist and I was interested to see how Cory and Ty got to the predicament they were in at the start of the book, DEADFALL didn't really push any limits or take me in completely. I kept waiting for it to get more interesting, but it never really moved past obvious build ups into territory that wowed me. It's a pretty straight forward story that doesn't have many twists or turns.

DEADFALL was fine, but it didn't stand out from your average YA thriller.

Cory and Ty Bic are twin brothers. On their 16th birthday, their father, Benny Bic, takes them on a hike into the mountains to visit an old place he found there. Someone had made a shelter inside an old stump. Benny takes this opportunity to tell them that he has sold their home (and everything in it) and that they are moving to Portland. In Portland, the boys find the new home to be a trashed crack house owned by their father’s new business partner, an unscrupulous man named Tirk.

Cory is the narrator of the story. He is the one who bears the brunt of his father’s abusive tendencies. Ty is strong and an athlete. Cory is overweight and likes to cook, and he also thinks that he might be gay. So, he struggles with a lot of identity issues and his bully of a father picks up on that as a perceived weakness and harasses him every chance he gets.

One night, there is a suspicious fire and Benny is killed. The boys are sent to a foster home. Their new foster father is a judge and is very rich. They live in a huge home with just about anything they want at their fingertips. Their situation seems to have improved a lot, but has it really?

This story is told in alternating chapters that present the current time, as well as the past. The reader gradually sees the background come to light. The story begins to make more sense as more and more details are revealed. It’s an interesting writing technique, but the time jumps can be a little disconcerting as a reader. You want to keep going with the scene you were just reading and then suddenly, you are transported back to another scene at a previous time. It works, but the effect can be jarring at times.

The character development we see mostly happens with Cory, although his brother does go through some changes too. Mostly, we see Cory growing as a person and becoming more confident in himself and his identity. Both boys develop a goal and work hard for it. The judge always seems to be one step ahead of them though.

The novel worked well and the scenes of the chase in the wilderness are well done. The bad guys are thoroughly bad and scary characters. There are a lot of seeming coincidences, but eventually everything comes together and we see how these events became related to each other.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty well-done thriller/adventure story. There is an element of mystery in figuring out who the girl in the car trunk is and how she fits into the whole thing. The boys know who murdered Benny, but the detectives have not solved it yet, and what is hidden in the stump? The storyline keeps the reader’s interest and there are many pieces that need to fall into place, so you keep on reading to find out just exactly what happened. I loved it and I recommend it highly!

DNF. I had hopes for Deadfall, but I really hated the main character's voice--so backwoods idiot--and couldn't make myself continue, even after 4 tries.

This story begins when Benny Bic takes his twin 16-year-old sons Cory and Ty on a road trip for their birthday. Benny is a drunk who has taken to physically abusing Cory since his wife left the family a couple of years earlier. Ty is the one who is the most like their father, including his anger issues. Cory is more sensitive. He's fat, bright, interested in cooking, and is coming to believe that he is gay.

The road trip isn't something either of the boys want to do. They wind up hiking into the wilderness where, after scaring them by seeming to abandon them, Benny shows the boy a secret hideout in an old burnt out stump that he discovered some years earlier. He also tells them that their home has been sold and that they are moving to Portland so that he can go into business with a low-life named Tirk.

Benny moves the kids into a former crack house and begins to get involved with Meth. After he double crosses his partner, he's murdered and the boys are thrown into foster care with the bad guys on their trail.

The story is told in a somewhat linear fashion alternating between the boys life in Portland, in Luster, and in Stumptown. It talks about their life in foster care with former judge turned political candidate Harvey Mott and his family, and what they discover about him. It also adds suspense when the boys decided to run away to winter in Stumptown and discover a car with a girl in the trunk who's still be pursued by those who put her there.

The story was fast-paced and action-packed. I liked getting to know Cory and watch him grow through the story. The only complaint I have is the number of coincidences that litter the story. The judge picked the boys because he remembers seeing them along with their parents one time when Benny was up before a judge. The kidnapped girl connects to their father and the other villains after them.

Wow! I finished reading this book in less than 24 hours. I mean, I read it passionately for those less-than-24-hours, too! This novel is equally coming-of-age, thriller, and identity exploration. The story alternates from a time in the not too distant past and the present. The novel starts with a dated past narrative which is told in third person. As the story jumps to the present, the POV switches to 1st person. This is an interesting choice. Telling portions of the story in third person endears secondary characters to the reader. Even those you want to hate. However, the reader will bond most with Cory, the 1st person storyteller. Cory is keeping a huge secret, not only from his family, but also from himself. Through the course of novel with dangers, struggles, and attempts at survival, Cory musters a new self-awareness. The violence of his realization and acceptance provides a relatable metaphor for any teenager going through age and family related life experiences.
Potential readers should note that while this novel is, in some ways, a drama- it deals with family relationships and coming of age themes- it is more so a thriller. This book is exciting! The mystery is captivating! Meanwhile, it is also funny and heartwarming. The only negative is that the conclusion is a bit longer than necessary.
Still, I just cannot recommend this book enough. I have already ordered it for our library. I am recommending it to people daily. I also set out Wallenfels's previous novel on a display in my dept. this month.
I received a free, early release copy of this novel from Disney Book Group in exchange for a an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for this review.
Brothers with a dysfunctional family, put in foster care, triumph over evil while breaking the rules themselves.
I enjoyed the wilderness setting more than the foster home (albeit a fancy foster home).

There is so much going on in this book. I would be intrigued one minute then frustrated by time shifts, I would recommend this to older readers than mine. Just not my style for me to love but I know others will definitely get into this book,