Book Review: The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong

Release Date: October 13th, 2015
Read: February 8th-10th, 2016
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Series: N/A
Format: Hardcover, 340 pages
Source: Gifted

Description from GoodReads:

   Riley Vasquez is haunted by the brutal murder of the couple she was babysitting for.

   Max Cross is suffering under the shadow of a life-altering diagnosis he doesn’t dare reveal.

   The last thing either of them wants is to spend a weekend away at a therapy camp alongside five other teens with “issues.” But that’s exactly where they are when three masked men burst in to take the group hostage.

   The building has no windows. The exits are sealed shut. Their phones are gone. And their captors are on a killing spree.

   Riley and Max know that if they can’t get out, they’ll be next—but they’re about to discover that even escape doesn’t equal freedom.

Review:

   Haven't you been held hostage before?
   Kelley Armstrong has been a must read author of mine since I read her first YA series, The Darkest Powers, oh so many years ago. Then as the years went on, I read her second YA series that just happened to connect with the first one, The Darkest Rising, then eventually going on to reading her adult novels, reading books like Bitten or Stolen. But it wasn't until her Omens event in Winnipeg back in 2013 that I became officially hooked on her books.
   Right off the bat I knew that The Masked Truth was going to be so much more than the description foretold. Instead of just a thriller, you were also reading a murder mystery where not everything was as it seemed. With so many factors ands characters involved, you couldn't help but root for one character or another. Armstrong pieced every little detail nicely together that you could not find one end untied.
   Along with the perfectly written murder mystery, you were also given these perfectly written characters as well. These characters being faced with PTSD and Schizophrenia, and those terms weren't just thrown around nilly nilly. Armstrong did her research and was able to portray the two in her book perfectly, and not only was that done well, she wrote her Schizophrenia as being normal or at least attempting to lead a normal life. Not everyone with Schizophrenia will turn into a psychopath and go on a murdering spree, it was nice to finally have someone show and explain that, especially in a novel.
   Finally the last thing that made The Masked Truth exceptional, the diverse characters. There was a particular scene in the beginning of the novel that continues to pop up in my mind, that I just can't forget. When first entering the building where the novels' events occurred, Riley was accused of being Mexican because of her skin tone and the more foreignness of her last name, even though she descended from Spain. Although the accusation was cleared up and corrected, it still showed the ignorance that the world shows when it comes to nationalities. I personally think that we need to become more educated with ethnical matters, so this little shove in the face will hopefully cause discomfort to others in hope that they too, will hope to end the ignorance.
   The Masked Truth was everything and more that I expected from Kelley Armstrong, and I definitely hope that she'll continue to write more YA in the future.

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

"Right as rain."

"My parents taught me that life .... helps those who help themselves."

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary, Murder Mystery, Murder, Survival