What is better than a horror book read in October? Nothing! This is why I chose to read Flight 171. Also because I am a big fan of horror books & movies, especially when it’s about ghosts and possessions. (the only kinds of stories that I love)

I loved reading Flight 171. From the beginning it gives you spooky vibes and I liked that it started with a creepy moment. The description of the old lady gave me goosebumps. Definitely a perfect book for Halloween and everyone who is a fan of horror. The plot was interesting and catching, it made me hungry for more. I liked the author’s writing style and I can’t wait to read something else by her.

Thank you TBR and Beyond and Amy Christine Parker for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect choice to read on Halloween. I read this book in 1 day and it did not disappoint. It kept me on the edge of my seat and completely entertained.

It had suspense, mystery, death, was paranormal and was a great YA horror story. I may give a side eye to any old ladies on airplanes for the rest of my life. A perfect choice if you are looking for something spooky but not horror filled.

I loved this book! The storyline was so unique and I was hooked on from the start.. I definitely recommend this YA book for those that like drama and mystery! I will definitely be reading more form the author!

Let me start by saying I very very very rarely read horror but a friend convinced me to give this one a go and Amy Christine Parker is an absolute treasure so I wanted to try this one. Also, Final Destination vibes isn’t something I take lightly. That is one of my all time favorite movie franchises.

This book is definitely spooky so I do not recommend reading it at night or on an airplane. But, it was so thrilling and addictive. I literally couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was next.

For someone who usually doesn’t dabble in horror, I must say, I enjoyed this tremendously.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OMG! This book was something else and honestly, I loved it. The whole idea was unique and terrifying, I was honestly so into the book and couldn't stop reading it, Amy you're a genius, and I can't wait to read more of your books!

Flight 171

Amy packs this story with gore, horror, and supernatural elements that are perfect for spooky season.

I don’t want to give too much away because you should definitely go in blind, but think Final Destination. And just like Final Destination this book will scar you for airplanes lol.

This was one of those books where I jumped at signing up to review the book after seeing the cover, because as a flight attendant who loves horror, why wouldn’t I? I will say that the majority of the aviation information that is mentioned throughout the book is accurate, there were only a few things I found that were not actually correct. One of these instances where a piece of aviation information was inaccurate had to do with a comment about the oxygen masks dropping during an emergency landing. In actuality, oxygen masks deploy due to a loss of cabin pressure or decompression. Following the deployment of the masks, the plane would descend to a lower breathable altitude and then after accessing the situation and what caused the decompression and the integrity of the plane, the pilots would then make an emergency landing at the nearest airport.

Aviation jargon aside, on to the actual point of the story, the frightening decision that Devon and her classmates must make in order to appease a supernatural creature and save the lives of everyone on the plane. I loved that the action of the book got off to such a quick and bloody start and then just continued on a turbulent path from there. I loved that the creature seemed to hone in on specific characters from the beginning as it made me want to know what it was about these specific characters that drew the creature to them more than others. I also loved that the creature, while an immortal, was unique in that it was an entity that apparently could only exist with a living host and that each of its hosts stayed with them for all of eternity as they moved from host to host.

As the tensions mounted with the reveal of everyone’s secrets in an attempt to help them decided who to give to the entity, things really came to a head when Devon and the class finally learned who was responsible for Emily’s death. The reveal brought the suspense to a whole new level as I found myself wondering what Devon would do with that information, what I would do if in the shoes of these characters and also thinking about the long term consequences of the final decision.

Spoilers*
I thought this book was going to end with all the characters forgiving each other and taking down the evil demon that feeds on hate and fear that way. Instead, this book left me with a totally unhinged nightmare ending. Perfect. Four stars. Quick read. Great YA selection.

Flight 171 was definitely an interesting read! It sucks you in really quickly as you're trying to solve the mystery alongside all the high schoolers on the plane. You're suspicious of everyone, including Devon, while trying to figure out who killed Devon's twin sister, Emily. This book is slightly creepy but not overwhelmingly so. I love a story that has me guessing the entire time and this was it! Thank you Underlined for the advanced copy of this thriller!

The contained setting is decent and the constraints of flight time mean that the pacing is fairly tight. BUt the concept is fairly ridiculous and it isn't especially scary or tense.

What in the world did I just read!? I knew something was up with the little old lady as soon as I started this book. And wow was it a doozy. It was creepy and amazing and I need a movie!!

Overall

Not gonna lie, I had sort of a personal reason for picking this book up. I mean, other than the fact that flying in and of itself terrifies me, so a plane seemed like the perfect setting for a horror book. The blurb, though, really caught my attention. I had identical twin cousins, and one of them was killed by a drunk driver when she was 18, so the premise of a twin desperately trying to find her sister’s killer immediately grabbed my attention.

Flight 171 is like a YA version of The Perfect Storm, where teens are trapped in a dangerous situation and the only way to get out is to turn on each other. And oh, by the way, everyone has a secret. Some are just deadlier than others.

Parker captures the claustrophobic setting of being trapped in a plane really well. Combined with plenty of plot twists and turns and tons of suspense, and I whipped through this book in one setting. I just couldn’t put it down! The ending has that creepy open-ended feel that I’ve loved ever since the Goosebumps series, which were my very first horror novels. You know, the sense that it’s over . . . but is it?

My Thoughts

- As if flying isn’t terrifying enough in and of itself, all aboard Flight 171, where something dark and sinister is lurking amongst the crew. Parker does a magnificent job of capturing the claustrophobia of being trapped in a setting so removed from society and having to go through the unthinkable. Talk about ratcheting the tension up to 12 right out of the gate! If you already have a natural fear of airplanes and/or tight spaces (like I do), this is definitely going to play up the creepy, horrific atmosphere, guaranteed! If not . . . well, that’s okay. Wait for it. Because this isn’t your normal flight. Far from it. In a fashion similar to Stephen King’s Stormy of the Century, the teens aboard the plane have a choice to make: sacrifice one of their peers to save the rest of them. On its surface, one life for many may not seem like a huge sacrifice, but what about if you’ve known each other since kindergarten? What if you have to look someone in the eye as you doom them to eternal suffering? Not such an easy choice!

- While choosing a sacrifice amongst peers might seem difficult, it’s made a little easier by the fact that everyone aboard is harboring a secret. And some are deadlier than others. I’ll admit that some of the secrets were fairly easy to guess and didn’t really come as a surprise. I was a little disappointed that people weren’t as upset about some of them as they should have been and they were sort of swept under the rug as if it was nothing. Except it wasn’t? I mean, the very first secret is shrugged off like nothing at all when it was, in fact, not only a crime but extremely messed up. What sort of secrets could a group of teens have? Well, many of them are things you might guess just from that sentence . . . but not all. Can’t say more than that or I’ll ruin the surprises, right?! Some of these are the sort of secrets people would give anything not to have revealed. As more and more secrets come to light, the group begin to turn on each other, and arguments break out. The atmosphere is incredibly tense, and it leaves everyone wondering, what worse secrets are there still waiting to come to light?

- Devon has a little more at stake than most of her classmates, because her twin sister was killed last Halloween . . . and someone on the plane is the one who killed her. This is really the crux of Devon’s character. After all, she’s lost her twin, who was, arguably, a better person than her. She’s not doing great. Not only is she guilty that her sister died and she lived, she feels guilty for the role she played in the accident on Halloween. Not knowing what happened and who’s responsible for Emily’s death is slowly killing her. Now, it might be killing the rest of her peers, too. Because the killer is aboard the plane with them. This was so tense! On the one hand, it’s hard not to root for Devon uncovering the truth, right? On the other, this is maybe not the exact setting to learn that particular piece of information. This part is intense, not just due to the supernatural stuff, but because it’s such a powerful, emotionally draining thing Devon is grappling with, on top of all the stress and guilt that she’s already feeling.

- Flight 171 is a short, quick read, one that’s hard to put down as more secrets are revealed and things necessarily devolve into panicked teenagers trying to make good decisions. Let’s be honest, teenagers aren’t known for having the best decision-making skills on a good day. Not even the smart ones. These kids, though? Phew, they take poor decision-making to a whole new (not unsurprising) level. They’re relatable in the mistakes they make, but their reactions to the mistakes of their peers had me scratching my heads at times. Yeah, okay, they cheated, but does that really mean they should be forced to endure the worst eternal suffering imaginable? From a high school relationship? I can see how you might think so if you’re the one being betrayed and finding out in that moment, but . . . eh. I guess I’m the weird one, because some of the reactions of these teens just utterly baffled me, whereas things I thought would be common sense were glossed over and not even considered. Needless to say, I don’t think I would’ve survived on that plane. All that being said, I was absolutely hooked to the mystery and finding out who they would choose and what was going to happen. I was glued to my Kindle, turning page after page. It’s not a very long book, so it’s one that’s easy to get through in one setting, and I absolutely wanted to, because I had to know how it would end!

This was an enjoyable read-good pacing, interesting characters, good spooks. I did find the dialogue at times stilted and narrative sections repetitive. A solid book that would appeal to my students who like thriller and mystery books.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into it, but it was much different from what I had been reading, so that might have been why.
Once it got going, I had a hard time putting it down and really thought it was going to end up that Devon hit her own sister. I also liked the bit of background info on the monster at the end.

Loveddd and reviewed on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Clq244ELh7G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

good book and really enjoyed the characters and their journey. I liked the romance.. I enjoyed how the characters grew in the book and what happened.

I can’t even! I started out not knowing if I wanted to read this, because I’m always a nervous wreck when I step onto a plane. But I was ASSURED that this would be YA Horror and not the kind of Horror that would haunt me until the sun comes up.

Flight 171 gave me all those vibes of Final Destination without the constant death and destruction that went along with it. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is death. There is destruction, it just isn’t constant. And I loved it!

Devon is wracked with guilt after the hit & run death of her twin sister, Emily. We don’t know why she feels guilty, only that her sister died on Halloween and she feels that she had a hand in that death… along with someone else who’s there on the school trip with her. And some THING who’s hijacked the flight. They don’t know what it is, but it plans to go expose all of their secrets until they chose one of them to sacrifice.

This was a great spooky read to prepare me for the season. I’m definitely wanting more now and they can only get scarier from here, please! 😍

I will say, I NEVER saw that ending coming… I love it when a book keeps me guessing until the very end. 🤯🤯🤯

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

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I found this book very difficult to get into. The reader is immediately bogged down with so many names to keep track of - and as someone who struggles with names on a good day, I wasn't thrilled. The way mom behaved and her being overbearing made me a bit uncomfortable, and I feel that more exploration of her reaction to the loss would have eased that. The story dragged for me until it kicked off - and once things kicked off, it snowballed so quickly I just had to keep reading. It took a lot of work for me to suspend disbelief, since things get SO crazy. I also wanted to see more involvement and exploration from emily and not just have her as a deus ex machina of sorts. It was very interesting to me that the dead girl was the most reasonable character. Overall, a fun read for someone looking for a spooky, claustrophobic read.

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Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I waited to read Amy Christine Parker’s new YA horror novel Flight 171 until Halloween and I am sure glad I did. This gripping supernatural thriller was the absolute perfect read to give me all the spooky vibes.

Flight 171 follows a group of teens as they board a plane to Colorado for a school-sanctioned trip. However, on board, things quickly go downhill when they realize that a supernatural presence is riding on the plane with them. As this superhuman spirit takes control of their flight and passengers begin to die, the students are presented with a conundrum: they must pick one of their classmates for the creature to possess and take over their life. When the presence begins showing them their absolute worst deeds on the plane’s TV screens, this flight quickly turns into a game of judge not lest ye be judged. Just who will make it off of the plane alive and with reputation intact?

Reminiscent of the popular Goosebumps, Christopher Pike, and Fear Street novels of the 80s & 90s, Flight 171 totally made me nostalgic for this era in which I grew up. I am excited that this fast-paced, chapter cliff-hanging, campy style of horror writing is being introduced to a new generation of young readers in Flight 171.

This novel is easy to read and get into and moves at a fast clip. As the plane propels through the sky, so does this story, which dives right into the action and doesn’t get bogged down with a lot of extra details and backstory. Perfect for reluctant teen readers or anyone who wants to get into a novel that doesn’t require much work, Flight 171 is one wild ride.

Basically, as soon as I finished Flight 171, I wanted more. Author Amy Christine Parker's story of such real characters struggling with which line they are willing to cross to survive kept me riveted. The creep factor was HIGH, too! I'm not sure I will ever be able to hear a set of knitting needles again without glancing around nervously.

As a school librarian, I will be purchasing this title for my library, and I feel it is appropriate for grades 8 and up. (Depending on your students, this could work for 7th grade as well.) I definitely recommend this book.