Review - Killer Instinct

There's almost nothing I love more than a good murder mystery, whether it be on TV, the big screen, or on a page, so last year when I heard about a book that was basically Criminal Minds with teenagers I knew I had to read it.  I devoured the first one and was very pleasantly surprised by the novel as a whole and the fact that I didn't see who the killer was from page one, so when I heard there was going to be a second book in the series I knew I had to get my hands on it.  So often I find that the second book in a series inevitably leads to heartbreak one way or another but that, thankfully, didn't happen.  Dare I say it I think that I actually enjoyed this book more than the first one in the series.  Everything was ramped up in this sequel, the romance, the intrigue, the death, and the gore. With the consequences of the first book really starting to show up at the very beginning the stage is set for a novel that could very well have ended up being a flop but with Barnes introducing a character we had only just heard about in book one everything changes and gets much, much darker.  Again we got to see inside the mind of the killer and look through their eyes as they methodically carried out their plan, but we also got a glimpse of a killer behind bars who, arguably, could be one of the top serial murderers in the YA world (and might be able to hold that title in the real world as well).  I think it's also important to point out that while this book could have been so dark Barnes managed to keep it light with her entertaining cast of main characters who we get to learn more about.  Overall I'm ridiculously pleased with the outcome of this book and would recommend it to anyone who has a thing for YA and criminal dramas (especially Criminal Minds).  As for the rest of the series I hope that there will be at least two more books (although if we're being honest there's probably only going to be one more), but regardless of how many books there are left I can't wait to return to this world with these characters because even the ones I disliked I still wound up liking!  Bravo Barnes for a great second-in-a-series novel, and I do believe you have found your calling writing YA murder mysteries!

Out November 4, 2014

4.5/5 dust spirits

*Thanks to Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review