I don't recommend this book for adult YA readers. The fact that he's called, 'The Magpie Man' should have told me everything I needed to know.

Although there is profanity and other adult subject matter, the execution is extremely light.. To the point where I couldn't figure out if the whole book is meant to be a joke or not.

"1 Killer. 13 Victims. 14 Ways to Die." - this sucked me right in. Had the story been taken more seriously, I think I would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately there was no emotion, depth or suspense (from an adult perspective).

The writing is very clean and the book has a whopping 144 chapters. If you aren't a fan of super short chapters, be aware that most of the chapters in this book are only 1-3 pages each. I personally much prefer short chapters over long ones, as it quickens the pace and keeps the story moving. I do know however, it can be a pet peeve for some.

((The protagonist's name is Jessica and her best friends are Hanna and Emily. There are also characters named; Ali, Lucas, Maya and Ella (if you know you know!))).

I think this book would be much better enjoyed by a thirteen year old.

🔪 YA Thriller/Mystery 🔪

“1 killer. 13 victims. A million views”

📚 Ten years ago, Jessica’s mother was murdered by a serial killer: the Magpie Man. The first of 13 subsequent kills, Jess and her father have had to pick up the pieces of their broken lives. But when the opportunity to participate in a new, online voyeuristic reality show arises, Jess decides to use her new platform to propel the Magpie Man back into the light and, hopefully, into the hands of justice.

👍🏻 The Good: The premise of this novel, catching a serial killer via social media and reality TV, was a fabulous hook and allowed for a very interesting twist on a classic serial killer whodunnit. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book, and had about a dozen different suspects in my head at all times. The author was masterful at dropping small clues for the reader to follow, and then snatching the truth right out from under us at the last minute. Jess’s journey was poignant, emotional, and raw. You could feel both her sorrow and her determination in each page, and it only grew with each step she took to find her mother’s killer. I loved the stylistic choice of making the chapters short, some no more than a paragraph — it kept the pace breakneck and I never wanted to put it down.

👎🏻 The Meh: Some of the plot events and decisions, mostly towards the climax, seemed a bit too convenient and contrived and took me out of the story slightly. I also think the story was maybe 75 pages too long, with some repetitive and unnecessary chapters.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I binged this book in one afternoon, and definitely recommend it for those looking for a fast-paced and unique thriller with a smart cast, interesting premise, and great stylistic writing.

I'm still reading this book. I do think "Are you watching" is a better title than "14 ways to die".
I'll add more to this review later after I finish reading this copy.

I think this was a good thriller for teens. The pacing and buildup were really well done. I was kept on the edge of my seat many times. I also finished this book pretty fast. I was originally going to give myself a few days but finished it in less than one.

I appreciated the creative use of social media. The protagonist, Jess, is using social media to try to find her mother's killer. The use of livestreaming was interesting and set this book apart from similar books. The short chapters worked very well, more than I thought they would, Also, I think the grief Jess and her father show added something raw to the book that is not always present in thrillers.

I highly disagreed with some of the choices Jess made. And perhaps this is because I'm probably older than the target audience and groaned several times when she made certain decisions. But I can attest that teens sometimes make the most questionable decisions, so I can't entirely say her actions are unbelievable. But towards the end, a lot of the plot got implausible.

I was confused a little about some of the smaller details. This is supposed to take place in the UK, but there were references to the American grade system and 911 which aren't really used in the UK. I guess this was done perhaps for the US version, but it did confuse me at times.

Overall, Vincent Ralph created a thrilling take on social media. I would recommend this to teens who are interested in true crime and thrillers. It is a quick and good read and I can see teens picking this up and getting into the thriller genre even if they hadn't shown interest before.

Argh, do you ever just look at a book and think wow, you had so much promise and then it completely flop? Because that is the only way to describe this book.
The premise screamed everything I would want in a book & I thought the idea of the reality live show was very original so I was so excited when I received this ARC, but this just was so bland it was unbelievable.

First of all, Jess isn’t a likeable character. I obviously understand her motivations and feelings and I sympathise with her but she was written in a way that she came across as one dimensional and dull.
The chapters are ridiculously short and felt far too blocky. The book would have benefited so much more with more fleshed out chapters where the scene could be set. We got 500 words a chapter and it was basically just dialogue.
I also don’t think the story really moved at a decent pace. The plotting felt messy and not well throughout and the ‘reveal’ lacked all sense of mystery or appeal.

Overall, this was a poor attempt at a YA mystery/thriller and although this book had so much potential, it was honestly painful in some parts to get through.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.