Under The Surface by Diana Urban (2024)
First thing I want to do is compliment the publishers and the artist-designer responsible for that terrific cover art.. Clever, precise rendering of what's in store for a reader, a breathless thrill ride that combines YA horror and romantic teen angst all in one package. A genuine rollercoaster ride that makes a reader want to make sure their safety bar is locked in position before they zoom off into danger.
Ruby, Selena Val and Olivia are on their high school trip to Paris when an unwise adventurous impulse leads them into no end of peril. Julien, a charming French boy, promises to lead them into one of the wild secret parties held deep in the city's legendary, but notoriously creepy catacombs.
Not exactly big surprise, as you might have guessed........the girls and Julen find themselves seriously lost within the endless dark tunnels stacked with bones and skulls from centuries of corpses. Stumbling from one literal dead end to another, they also discover they don't just face a fate of dying from thirst or starvation. They're not alone. They've become hunted prey of something or someone sharing the catacombs with them. And some of those ancient corpses appear a little fresher than ancient.....more like newly murdered.
Since nobody knows where the girls went, the suspense generated here is relentless. Main character Ruby and her three companions struggle to survive as they carry the weight of connected backstories filled with friendships ripped apart by betrayals and romantic misunderstanding. As their situation grows more harrowing and dire, up above them Sean, Ruby's longtime crush (and vice versa), makes a desperate attempt to out-think the slow moving police in finding out how and where the girls disappeared into.
A fast fun read, this one, sometimes scary, sometimes heartfelt and all of it designed to keep you glued to it to the very end. 5 stars (*****) (and beware looking for all night parties in catacombs, a definite health hazard....)
Ruby, Selena Val and Olivia are on their high school trip to Paris when an unwise adventurous impulse leads them into no end of peril. Julien, a charming French boy, promises to lead them into one of the wild secret parties held deep in the city's legendary, but notoriously creepy catacombs.
Not exactly big surprise, as you might have guessed........the girls and Julen find themselves seriously lost within the endless dark tunnels stacked with bones and skulls from centuries of corpses. Stumbling from one literal dead end to another, they also discover they don't just face a fate of dying from thirst or starvation. They're not alone. They've become hunted prey of something or someone sharing the catacombs with them. And some of those ancient corpses appear a little fresher than ancient.....more like newly murdered.
Since nobody knows where the girls went, the suspense generated here is relentless. Main character Ruby and her three companions struggle to survive as they carry the weight of connected backstories filled with friendships ripped apart by betrayals and romantic misunderstanding. As their situation grows more harrowing and dire, up above them Sean, Ruby's longtime crush (and vice versa), makes a desperate attempt to out-think the slow moving police in finding out how and where the girls disappeared into.
A fast fun read, this one, sometimes scary, sometimes heartfelt and all of it designed to keep you glued to it to the very end. 5 stars (*****) (and beware looking for all night parties in catacombs, a definite health hazard....)
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