Review: Ruin
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2013
I got a copy in exchange for an honest reviewAfter participating in the cover reveal for this book I wanted to read it, so when I noticed it on Netgalley I didn't hesitate and requested it. This book was different than I expected, but it was really well written and the story was so intriguing.Ruin is about a small town called Winter, winter is such a boring town and there isn't really anything left there. At first we see Winter through Kate her eyes and even I felt the need to escape from this small and stiffling village. It was almost creepy how well the author described the village. Then ofcourse there happens something unexpected a stranger enters winter. From that moment on I started speculating about why he was there and it's only at the end of the book that we found out and all my quesses where horribly wrong. There is a lot mystery and even a bit danger and romance. The stranger called Ben, makes the reader see another side of Winter. The book is written from Kate her perspective, but when she talks with Ben I could suddenly see how beautifull Winter could be.I really liked the author her writing style, I really felt like I was there in Winter and while the story is a bit short, it's not rushed. The pace is perfect and the ending was great too. The ending wraps up the story of Kate and Ben, while leaving room open for more stories to take place in Winter. And I can't wait to read the next book in this series.I liked Kate, although sometimes I was a bit surprised at how she reacted. She get's angry at her parents once and I flinched when I heard what she said to them. At first I wasn't sure what to think of Ben, he was a stranger and he never told them his reason for being there, while Kate trusted him almost immediately I thought she was a bit quick to trust him, because he was suspicious. I wasn't sure what to think of Jane and am curious to leanr more about her in the next book, because in this book she came across as a bit weak and not really having a mind or dreams of her own. I really liked Jane her grandma, Mrs M. She was a grumpy old lady, but for some reason all the conversations with her where funny and she was still really perceptive despite her old age.There also is some romance in this book, but I felt that it clashed a bit with the rest of the story sometimes. The relationship develops a bit fast and Kate keeps saying Ben is a good person, while she hardly knows him. I also couldn't get a really good feel of both characters and maybe that's why I didn't really feel the romance.To conclude: I enjoyed Winter, it's a bit short, but the pace is right. I really liked the smal town setting and the mystery. I found it a bit difficult to connect with some characters and I didn't really feel the romance. The ending wrap this storyline up nicely, while making me look forward to the next book in this series. I like the authors writing style and it fits the story perfectly.