Cover Image: Teen Killers Club

Teen Killers Club

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This was SO GOOD!! There better be a sequel or I am going to riot.

Signal Deere wakes up in a shed with her best friend's decapitated head in her lap and no memory of what happened. With an 80 year sentence and a class A criminal classification, things are looking pretty bleak for Signal. Until she's offered a place in a top secret program for under-18 class A's, otherwise known as the Teen Killers Club. There, she makes friends with an unlikely band of misfit murderers who are being prepped for life as assassins and with the help of Erik, she tries to solve the murder she was convicted for.

This is a twisty, mystery of a story with so much to solve and think about; you never know who to trust, the idea of good and evil is blurred and ofcourse there's a big dollop of teen angst thrown in. The ONLY thing I didn't particularly like about this book was the love triangle, I'm just not into them, but other than that I thought it was fantastic. I can't believe this is a debut novel, it's really well written and is totally gripping. And after that ending, I mean what I said about the sequel...there will be RIOTS!

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book was hard to wrap my head around a little bit. Teen killers? The premise was interesting and how the story unfolded hit its mark.

Was this review helpful?

This book had me at ‘teenage assassins’ and I have to say, Teen Killers Club (TKC) didn’t disappoint! Part summer camp for sociopaths and part who’s trying to murder the murders, all with a healthy sprinkling of angsty teen drama! What more could I ask for? TKC is a fast-paced story about a goth girl named Signal Deere who has the Class A designation of being a murderer, is accused of the murder of her best friend but is really innocent. Signal is presented with a chance out of prison and is offered a position where she’ll be trained to be an assassin for the government in a sketchy Murder 101 course with the slogan:

“What did we come to camp to learn, everybody?” ‘How to not get caught!”

This is a really unique take in a futuristic setting that uses science to deem a person guilty of a crime before they can commit it. Although, most of our teenage assassins have actually murdered someone, it is an interesting take on how science and often society, can judge and wrongfully accuse.

The characters are one of the best parts of the book! Each one is emotive and so well-developed, I enjoyed getting to know them all and I’m interested in hearing more about them. I’m hopeful that with the way TKC ended that we can look forward to a second book.

Thank you to Lily Sparks, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book, and found that it was completely different and unique, which was great! There are so many twists and turns, which keep you constantly questioning whether you should trust the characters and what they are saying.

I found that when I went back to read the book, I was easily hooked back into the story and plot line, which meant that I didn't feel discounted from the book or lose what was happening in it.

In terms of the ending, I like it. However I hope there is a sequel, as if not I think that the ending is cut too short as it leaves you with so many unanswered questions. I do say, I thought that Erick and Javier were working together against Signal, so it was great to have the surprise of being wrong and they were actually working together to help Signal.

I do feel that we didn't get to know that much about the characters Troy and Kurt, so when Troy died, although I didn’t expect it, I didn’t feel anything for his death.

I also didn't think that the idea of a constellation ritual thing with Angel was necessary, as it just felt out of place in the book. I think something else like Angel being a crime lord would have fitted better, as it links to the theme of the teenage characters being killers.

I wish we had learnt more about Erik's backstory, hence why I think a sequel would flesh this book out more and make it even better, as readers know that there is more to come after reading this book. Although I did like how we found out about Javier's past.

Was this review helpful?

This book reminded me a little of the hunger games, the concept isn’t entirely original but it still brings something new and dangerously exciting.
Very well written and a good read.
3 stars.

Was this review helpful?

I’ll be honest and say that despite how much I dug the description and cover of this book (seriously great cover art), I still didn’t have particularly high expectations for this book. Not only did I severely underestimate how much I was going to love this book but I also feel like it was specifically written for me as a murder mystery fanatic (seriously Lily Sparks can we chat about how spot on this was?) A teen framed for the murder of her best friend? Check. An elite camp of teen killers? Check. Murder, Mayhem, and Macabre humor? Check, check, and check.

Lily Sparks has taken the best tropes of YA fiction and mystery and intermixed them together to create a funny, exciting, and engaging read that had me finishing this book in a 12 hour time span (it was that good). Think “Deadly Class” meets “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” in the best ways possible. I am sold on this author and I can’t wait to see what Lily Sparks brings next!

Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Lily Sparks for the advanced read of “Teen Killers Club” in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

What a dark, wild, rewarding ride. There were times this book made me feel squeamish it was so dark and twisty, but the payoff was so worth it. I loved that I never knew who to trust. The direction she chose for each of the characters and the murder mystery itself were unpredictable yet made perfect sense. Through all of the grit Sparks still wove in beautiful prose which shone all the more through the darkness in the story surrounding it. This novel challenges you to evaluate your own tendency to judge others on first impressions or on half of the story, and shows that even villains can have goodness. The writing towards the ending culmination felt a little rushed, but that last page roped me back in and had me begging for a sequel immediately.

Was this review helpful?

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for this review copy.

A campy, page turner, Teen Killers Club, will suck you in and keep you guessing. Signal Deere has been dropped off at a camp designed to train teens convicted of murder, to become assassins. Signal only agreed because it meant getting out of prison. What she didn’t expect, was the chance to meet the people who would become her very best friends and the ability to solve her own case of being wrongfully accused (and convicted). But when their time at camp ends abruptly and the campers are forced out on to their missions prematurely, things end in a way most readers couldn’t imagine.

Without giving too much away, I highly recommend this book for true crime, horror, and dystopian fans alike. I will wait patiently for the next installment!!!!!!

Was this review helpful?

This was a super fun mystery/thriller that had me oh the edge of my seat until the very end. Each character was well fleshed out and the plot was original. I had a great time reading this!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to net galley, the publisher and the amazing lily sparks for this book! I loved everything about this book, the plot, the characters and the cover! Teen killers club starts with Signal who has just been accused of killing her best friend rose, she is now known as a class A. Class A people are the worst of the worst and with no choice, she take a special plea to join teen killers club but not everything is as it seems! Seriously tho read this book I finished it in two days and pray for a sequel!

Was this review helpful?

BOOK REVIEW

This book, the ending, OMG, I loved Teen Killers Club so much! ❤️

Lily Sparks is a Natural. She is such a talented writer and I am already waiting to read more of her books. Her writing style is so engaging and engrossing. I was latched in from the first page until the very last. In this YA Crime Fiction, Lily Sparks effortlessly slipped in deep thoughts that get you thinking while weaving an exciting and riveting story. Her characters are so fell formed, lovable and real and I can literally not put into words how much I loved them, especially Erik. I appreciate it when I just can't predict what is next and Lily nailed that in this debut novel of hers. This unpredictable storyline kept me on the edge and created the kind of tension, that I really got a kick out of. I was left contemplating about subjects such as, who is good and who is bad, what makes a person evil, the misuse of power, power struggle,being controlled and ultimately the question,what is Freedom?

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the premise of it was incredibly original and the characters were so interesting. I felt like all the characters were written authentically, with heart, and with humour.

I would have liked to have seen the main character be tested more, so that we could have felt worried about her since she hadn't actually killed anyone. I enjoyed the love triangle we had going on and found that the two LIs were incredibly well-balanced.

I found myself racing through this book hoping for a resolution but don't feel like I really did. But hopefully that's because there is a sequel in place???

Was this review helpful?

This book. Wow. I mean, I was onboard the moment I read the blurb - it’s a YA mystery set in a camp. A camp where the country's most dangerous teens are sent as an (off the record) alternative to life in prison or a death sentence. A camp where they LEARN TO KILL BETTER!
I wouldn’t recommend this book if you are squeamish… It doesn’t take long at all before we are learning about how to dismember then “dispose of” a body - in reasonably graphic detail. It’s not the sort of thing I was expecting with an author called Lily Sparks - guess that means I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… didn’t I say this in another review? *sigh*
We go into the story with the belief that our main character is innocent of the murder (graphic) of her best friend. Once we meet the other “campers”, it’s hard not to start to wonder if perhaps she’s not entirely truthful. Maybe she does belong there?
The other campers are a varied bunch - total 3 girls and 5 boys - all of which have killed at least one person. I really enjoyed that as we learned about certain characters, we learned not only how they kill - come on, death by hacked pacemaker? Brilliant! I need to meet this author and give her a high five! - but also WHY some of them did it. As far as society is concerned, they all set out to do it on purpose, and are non-rehabilitatable. But even though I left the book unsure as to whether Javier was actually a decent human, I actually liked that. It was nice to not have everything wrapped up in a nice little bow.
Not going to lie, the twists just keep on coming! I didn’t see all of them, and that was neat! At one point, the character doesn’t even mentally state the theory she has, but the book was so well written that you knew what she was thinking, and accepted it, and then forgot that it hadn’t been confirmed!
The writing is beautiful - “Life is a fuse, and I am the red spark shooting towards its end, each moment burning away as soon as I exist within it, bright, sparkling, then gone.” It’s a spectacular juxtaposition to some of the more… murdery writing in the book.
Content warnings: gore, more gore, sexual assault (brief and not more than a kiss), language, discussions of drug use, discussions of murder.
Overall Rating: 5 stars. (yes, I really need to read something I don’t LOVE, but they just end up being so damn good!

Was this review helpful?

Teen Killers Club is an addictive and slightly creepy read, It's fast pace and original plot messes with your head from the first page, drawing you in to the protagonist's world and leaving you to wonder just who is trustworthy. An absolute page turner.

Was this review helpful?

"I see the angel and I want to set her free."

This book was SO, so good. I truly did not want it to end.

Signal Deere has been convicted of killing her best friend, Rose. Though she swears her innocence, all the evidence frames her as the murderer. When Signal is given a choice of spending her life in prison or essentially escaping, she chooses the latter...but not without consequences.

She arrives at a camp seemingly in the middle of nowhere, along with seven other teenagers, all of whom have been identified as killers. Signal learns that she is the newest member of the Teen Killers Club; the name speaks for itself. The teens spend their days at camp training to become assassins, though it is unclear who is truly running this secret club. They're all controlled by "kill switches," implantable capsules that can end their life in an instant if they fall out of line, making escape almost impossible.

Lily Sparks created a truly captivating plot. I cannot praise her storytelling enough, from her impeccable writing to her establishment of unique and diverse characters. This book is a mix of fiction, mystery/thriller, romance, and even a bit of sci-fi. I could not turn the pages fast enough.

Disclaimer: there IS a lot of gore, so if you are squeamish at the mere mention of blood, you may want to proceed with caution.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

You can find my review on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3363980825

Was this review helpful?

<i> Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review </i>

Pleasantly surprised with how this book turned out-- it was almost everything that I wasn't expecting it to be. The novel was carefully and beautifully written with true to life characters and believable plot twists. Once I had started to read this I absolutely could not find it in me to put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting. As a debut novel this surpassed all of my expectations and I'm hoping that I would be able to see more of this author quite soon.

Pros:
- Despite the overdone plot line, this book made it look like it was being introduced to the public for the first time; truly one of the best reads I've had this year.
- GREAT writing style. Could not possibly emphasize this enough, it was incredibly immersive and vividly written-- exactly the opposite of almost every young adult novel out there.
- The characters were very three dimensional. All of them felt real and had a certain depth to them. Usually with these kinds of books I've noticed that most if not all of them are squeamish or whiny or downright annoying but nope not this one.
- This was THE book I didn't even know I was looking for. I mean seriously, teenage assassins with a culty feel? don't mind if I do.

Cons:
- Honestly the only gripe I had with this book wasn't even in the book itself rather its premise which was poorly written. The only reason why I had delayed reading this book so much was because of its crappily written premise that made it look like just another teenage cliche Wattpad story. Though I guess that just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a book by its premise.. or cover for that matter.

Was this review helpful?

Read the full review on my blog:
- Littletalkssss.wordpress.com
- Available to read now (linked below)

I was lucky enough to receive Teen Killers Club as an e-arc from Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley to give an honest review, and to be honest, I loved this book! It was very addictive, I was unable to put it down. It was nothing like I’ve ever read before, so out of the box and incising. Yes, it may have been a bit young for me being 21, but nonetheless I would read it again and again. Sparks was able to draw me into the fictional world of Signal’s messy life, following along as she discovers not only herself, not only love but who framed her for Rose’s horrific murder. With so many twists and turns, subplots alongside the main narrative arch it was highly enjoyable. So much about the book worked well, it flowed perfectly from one point to the next, hitting all the right points. When I received this book, I had very high exceptions for it and I was very excited to read it, and these expectations were not only met, but exceed. I have nothing but high approval of this novel, and recommend it to those who will enjoy the genre, or want to get into the genre.

Characters: The characters were brilliant, all well built and developed, each one having a voice of their own. Unique characteristics that were well defined, and even though they are all killers, I can’t help but love them – and sort of want to be friends with them. I loved how even though they have committed horrific crimes, they still have a warmth in their hearts that was brought out by Signal, whose positivity helped bring the group together to become a close-nit group of friends able to fight back for their own rights and freedom.

Plot: The plot followed a well thought out and set narrative arch, setting out the ground works making it understandable where we are in the timeframe of Signal’s life and who she is as a person. Cutting back to the time of Signal and Rose before the tragedy struck fitted into the main storyline perfectly, helping to add in the background information needed, painting the picture inside my head. Making me play the movie of the book inside my head as I read it.

Writing: Spark’s way of writing the novel was wonderful, the description of characters and places; hearing signal’s inner monologue and thoughts really drawing myself into the story. The lighthearted writing against the slightly more dark premise of the book work together in a fashion where the whole story melts together.

Conclusion
Pros: Fun, fascinating and a fantastic read | Cons: Sometimes felt a little juvenile | Rating: 5/5 Stars

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't put it down! I loved the mystery surrounding everything that I had to keep on reading you know the one more chapter deal but then I would read the one more chapter and say it again. The only reason for the four stars was the romance of the book, now dont get me wrong the author did do a great job with it and it didn't take over the whole story. Would I recommend this story? Heck yes! I definitely cant wait to read more by this author! I also want to Thank netgalley and crooked lane books for giving me the chance to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

I received a digital arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers! Not any of the major endings, but some smaller details and plot points.

OH WOW. So do I have mixed emotions about this book.

The story revolves around Signal, a girl who believes she is innocent and was framed for the murder of her best friend Rose. She is given a second chance to live a life outside of prison by joining this secret camp of teen killers.

Right off the bat let me say I really really enjoyed reading this book and I REALLY hope the author writes a sequel. I was so excited for every time I had a chance to read a little more of this book, and to me loving the experience of reading a book is the most important thing. So 5/5 stars for that.

The story was a really unique and interesting one and there was enough mystery to really keep you on your toes. Another thing I really enjoyed was it gave me, oddly enough, Unwind by Neal Shusterman vibes. The whole "group of kids who are hated by society even though they're just kids, now matter what they have or haven't done" thing is an obvious similarity, though of course in this book, these kids are actual former prisoners. But besides that, the talk of the Protectionists and the testing and classifying of individuals just really reminded me of Unwind. In both books, there are definitely those moments where you stop and think about the way we judge and handle those who society looks down on and kids in general. They're obviously very different books, but I loved those little similarities.

That being said, I did have some issues with the book...

While I loved getting to know these somewhat normal characters and this very not normal camp and all of the mystery and suspense that came with them, I am very over the teen book cliches that have once again shown their faces in this book. Love triangles, "The Bad Boy Who Isn't Good For You But Wants to Make Out Anyway", and "I'm Not Like Other Girls" tropes? It's unnecessary and overdone. These tropes by no means keep me from liking a book, but I do think they aren't necessary. Thankfully, after the first quarter of the book or so, the "I'm Not Like Other Girls" dies down a bit. In this particular book's love triangle, we have Erik starring as the guy who is a jerk at least 50% of the time, but because he's infinitely more interesting than good guy Javier who is so very bland (besides his back story), you end up rooting for Erik anyway. Or at least I did.

I also had a couple of moments that just left me confused as they seemed to be convenient plot points that didn't really make sense with the previous information we'd been given. For example, I was so confused about why everyone believed two of the characters were dating, when right after they supposedly broke up, one of them was making out and "dating" another person. I get you're a teenager at camp, but still. No one questioned it. Along those same lines, one of the campers had a huge issue with the main character, Signal, flirting with any guy, more so Erik but also any guy there. But when Signal ends up kissing a guy, suddenly the camper is rooting for her! I understand they had become sort of friends, but people don't just change their feelings like that. I just found it convenient that when Signal is finally openly ready to be with someone, everyone is now okay with it. It's a minor thing but it kind of bugged me.

My biggest issue with the book is probably the camp. I don't understand why they never really taught the kids how to fight. Where were knife lessons and lessons on defensive techniques? Maybe we are supposed to assume that they were taught that in between the scenes we actually read about, I don't know. But Signal sure didn't seem to have actually learned how to kill someone. I mean... what's the point in learning how to dispose of a body if there's no body to dispose?

How the book wraps up, the characters all tie together, and the mystery is solved has me really split. I won't say what happens, because you should read it to find out, but... I love when books tie things together and characters are connected in ways you may not have thought of, but in this book, I feel like some of the endings and connections come off as a little far-fetched and convenient. But then again, it's a book about a Teen Killers Club... what else should I expect?

To wrap things up...

Despite the many issues I had with this book, I really enjoyed it! I demand a second book ASAP! I NEED to know how and why certain people are alive and demand to know Erik's backstory. I was so disappointed that we never got to find out more about his past, but I'm hoping it's because the author wanted to leave room for Book 2.

I would definitely recommend this book as it's a great fast-paced read! 3.5/5 stars!

Was this review helpful?

Thank You to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!!

Seventeen-year-old Signal Deere is convicted of her best friend Rose's brutal murder, she's designated a "Class A", the most dangerous and manipulative criminal profile. To avoid prison, Signal signs on for a secret program for 18-and-under Class As and is whisked off to an abandoned sleep-away camp, where she and seven bunk mates will train as assassins.

But Signal doesn't fit in and neither does she manage to take part actively in the camp because unlike her other campers, she is innocent.

I just loved this book because its so different and unique!! Its an amazing YA adventure which keeps you hooked on till the end. Initially some of the characters creep you out because they are just teenagers who actually like killing but gradually through the book you start liking all of them. The mystery of Rose's death keeps you guessing right till the end. And the ending... what do I say... It just makes me cry out for a sequel.

Highly recommended!!

Was this review helpful?