Still Waters

Book covers do wonders to a book....and what do you know its a thriller as well. Well read on to find my review of Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne.

Here is the summary of the book:

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget. But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety. Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.


A creepy house, a teenage girl who can't seem to say those words (imagine it all), and a boyfriend who has a dark side...sounds promising don't you think? Well read on...read on....

Both Colin and Hannah have been together for a year and so now Colin expects Hannah to say those three words, but somehow she can't pronounce them and is still waiting for the perfect moment. Collin will be leaving for college soon, so Hannah plans a trip to the lake house Colin went to as a child without telling him. Colin would rather not ever go back to that lake house, although he isn't sure what it is that he doesn't like about it. Some things were a little off once this trip started. The roads to this lake house weren't even on a map. The house appears as if someone has been living there, but nobody has been there since Colin was last there. So something is off about the whole situation. As Collin grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety. Something is definitely wrong here.

As far as the characters are considered they all seems pretty bland as well as the pacing of the story. Hannah is a sweet girl, who is a goody two shoes and seems very responsible. She doesn’t lie, she doesn’t steal, and does everything she can to take care of her little brother and help to support her family. But her boyfriend's leaving town so she breaks all the rules, she steals, lies and leaves her homes for a romantic getaway with her boyfriend in the middle of no where. But she still can't say the "L" word and much of the book is based on this.

Colin is a another one who isn't very well fleshed out. The book indicated that his family is rich and they definitely did not have fond memories of that "Pine House" but even that background is on looked into as well.

The plot also left disconnected, the climax happens towards the end and even that is not don't great. The pacing was very slow, the buildup for the climax is also pretty late. And the first half of the chapters are pretty slow and mundane. Regarding the concept of the story...well that was the only thing I liked about it all and the cover....which i'd say is GORGEOUS. But yes this short book could have used a bit more work regarding the plot, and the characterization to make it work.

"A creepy house in the middle of nowhere...definitely not a romantic getaway"

Genre :      Young Adult, Paranormal


My Copy:      Courtesy of Simon and Schuester PULSE IT reading group


Publisher: Simon Pulse


Rate:              3/5 (Liked It)