{Synopsis} – Ariel's birthday weekend looks to be the event of the season, with a private concert by rock star Hudson Winters on the grounds of her family's east coast estate, and all of Ariel's elite prep school friends in attendance. The only person who's dreading the party is Sera, Ariel's former best friend, whose father is forcing her to go. Sera has been the school pariah since she betrayed Ariel, and she now avoids Ariel and their former friends. Thrown together, Ariel and Sera can agree on one thing: this could be one very long night.
They have no idea just how right they are.
Only moments after the concert begins and the lights go down, thugs open fire on parents and schoolmates alike, in a plot against Ariel's father that quickly spins out of control. As the entire party is taken hostage, the girls are forced apart. Ariel escapes into the hidden tunnels in the family mansion, where she and Sera played as children. Only Sera, who forges an unlikely alliance with Hudson Winters, knows where her friend could be. As the industrial terrorist plot unravels and the death toll climbs, Ariel and Sera must recall the sisterhood that once sustained them as they try to save themselves and each other on the longest night of their lives.
{My Thoughts} – This is one of those books I started reading not really knowing what to expect. It was highly enjoyable and had a fast paced plot. The character line was built quickly and effectively through intense word usage.
The main characters are Sera and Ariel. They are high school classmates that use to be best friends. There is a lot of history between the girls because they had been so close for so long, but when Sera turns Ariel in for self-harm: everything changes. Ariel had been through a kidnapping ordeal while she had been on a family vacation with her parents in Mexico. The situation had been a bit to intense for Ariel and she had been having problems dealing with the after effects of the ordeal that she’d been through and she turned to self-harm. Sera had a hard time keeping her secret and had told on her which had caused Ariel to end up spending sometime in a mental hospital and Arial had never forgiven Sera for that. However, because of that situation the two girls had stopped associating with one another.
Ariel has a birthday party and somehow in the mix even though they stopped talking Sera gets invited. However, it’s the very last place Sera wants to be, she has no choice but to attend.She isn’t sure about how she feels other then that she doesn’t feel socially accepted by anyone in her school anymore. Ariel has more or less blocked out the past and isn’t willing to really face it, because she is forcing herself to channel through day to day routine.
Once the party is underway a whole lot of chaos takes place. Ariel’s party turns into a hostage situation and those running the action are after one thing, a big payout. There are many twists and turns within the book and it leaves you wondering who, what and why? As I was reading this, at first I was thinking okay but then what? I wasn’t quite sure how everything was meant to be tied together and I have to admit I have no complaints. This was a truly enjoyable read and I hope to read more books like it in the future!
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
