Series: Dark Secrets
Author: Elizabeth Chandler
Page Count: 599
Published: May 4th, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
3 Stars ★★★
Page Count: 599
Published: May 4th, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
3 Stars ★★★
This young adult bind-up contains books 3 and 4 of the Dark Secrets series. In "No Time to Die", we follow a girl attending a theater camp where her sister died. The mystery of her death remains unsolved, but a supernatural mystery - and a love triangle - complicate things further. In "The Deep End of Fear", Kate returns to the Westbrook Estate where her friend Ashley drowned many years before. Tutoring the young Patrick, she starts to fear the possibility of dangerous family dynamics, and even the paranormal. Will she suffer from another loss? Or will she be the one to die this time?
Both of these books are best described as enjoyable, but not particularly memorable.
The atmospheres in both stories were definitely creepy and tense, which was a major strength. Overall, the characters were interesting, likeable, and made me want to keep reading. However, the second story felt way too drawn out, and at times quite boring.
I appreciate the hint of romance in both stories, although the first story had a bit more romance than the second. I like that there was a paranormal or supernatural element to both mysteries, however it wasn't too intense or overpowering the "real life" mysteries that the characters faced. It was very balanced.
I think that the reveal of the first book's villain, and their motives, was a bit too unbelievable for me. I also found that there were some annoying cliches, such as the whole "villain explains evil plan to the hero" trope.
Overall, these books were interesting, but I'm not interested enough to keep them in my book collection. I recommend this for fans of Elizabeth Chandler's first two Dark Secrets books, and for those looking for a short mystery.
Find Dark Secrets 2 on Goodreads
