The Four: A Novel by Ellie Keel
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Web ID: 19875912Heartbreakingly beautiful
This is a book that will stick with me. It’s heartbreaking, tragic, and beautiful all at the same time. Keel writes from the perspective of Rose which leads to a deeply personal perspective that results in you learning the secrets alongside rose and her heartbreak and pain is yours as well. Keel writes about horrifying and traumatic events but does so without being gratuitous. It makes you question how far you would go for those you love and loyalty
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Dark Academia
A prestigious boarding school, populated by wealthy students who have grown up together, awards four scholarships to Marta, Lloyd, Sami and Rose. They are branded as misfits and become the targets of bullying and harassment. Marta, in particular, is singled out by Genevieve. When she is involved in an accident Marta is blamed but she has the support of the group. This was described as a dark academic thriller and what these students go through is disturbing. The story develops slowly but Ellie Keel keeps your attention as the tension increases. While it was well written, I had trouble connecting with her characters, making this a three star read for me. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow Publishers for providing this book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Horrifying Tale
Four scholarship students drawn together by shared experiences navigate unexpected treachery at an elite boarding school. This psychological thriller, aptly named The Four, takes readers deep into the human psyche, exploring good and evil. Author Ellie Keel serves up a riveting coming-of-age thriller packed with unexpected twists. Marta, Lloyd, Sami, and Rose are known as Millennium Scholars, which puts them in the crosshairs of the other students. The story is narrated in first person by Rose, who adds context to key events by foreshadowing things to come. It doesn’t take long for the reader to understand something horrible is about to happen. Marta often finds herself being bullied, which threatens her already fragile personality. This serves as the catalyst for dramatic twists and turns. The Four delivers a horrifying tale showcasing what can happen when someone is pushed too far within a boarding school atmosphere. ~ Amy for Novels Alive
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A gritty YA thriller
For Fans Of: That’s Not My Name, Perfect Little Monsters Title: The Four Author: Ellie Keel Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 Genre: YA Thriller Violence: 🔪🔪 Spice: 🔥 TW: Self harm, bullying, assault, mental illness Synopsis: Tale of four scholarship students at a prestigious English boarding school, whose “free-loader” status marks them as targets. Shocking event compels them to take extreme action to protect one of their own, with far-reaching results. Thoughts: Not gonna lie: struggling a little with this review. I enjoyed this debut author’s masterful, sophisticated storytelling. And...it is DARK. The mold that originally hooked me on YA thrillers—a good puzzle, engaging characters, violence at a remove—is being joined by a newer trend: darker, more visceral stories addressing timely, important themes. The Four falls into the latter category. The story begins by foreshadowing a death that will occur & which therefore hangs over every scene. The first-person narration, told with the benefit of hindsight, further weights each scene with meaning & foreboding. The pairing of these devices allows the author to reflect on the tumultuous landscape of high school, that liminal place between adolescence & adulthood, with its social hierarchies, vicious bullying, & academic pressures. Particularly compelling is the book’s examination of how behaviors that would be frowned upon (if not considered criminal) in the broader world are normalized within an insular culture, warping one's sense of right & wrong. While I’m leery to suggest it to teens, I would highly recommend it to adults. For anyone with children in their lives, it provides a deeply empathetic view of their mental & emotional journey. Thank you to William Morrow Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Gripping story!
This book drew me straight into the story and I was hooked from then on in! Four scholarship outcasts in a boarding school club together naturally as they experience life with cruel and never ending jibes from the rich, snobby children around them. One of them seems to be singled out, and the bullying is relentless and sometimes physical. Marta takes it all, She loves school. It seems she was home schooled before and has leaped at the chance to get away from all that. Marta is very intelligent which doesn’t help her cause, and most of the time she takes what punishment she gets, but one day she snaps. What is an innocent defence has huge repercussions and her future is uncertain. Her friends rally round and try to help. Will she get punished or are her friends able to help her cause? Definitely a five star read!! Many thanks to HQ Stories for the chance to read this arc copy for review consideration. My opinion is my own. #Netgalley, #HQStories, #EllieClareKeel.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com