Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: November 1st, 2016
288 Pages
Synopsis: Victoria Zell doesn’t fit in, but she’s okay with that. All she needs is the company of her equally oddball boyfriend, Andrew. She doesn’t care what anyone else thinks…until magnetic, charming, mysterious Z comes into her life, and she starts lying to everyone she knows in an effort to unravel his secrets.
And then something terrible happens. Someone is dead and it’s time for Victoria to come clean. Interspersed with news clippings, and police interviews, Victoria tells her story to Andrew, revealing her dark, horrible secrets…secrets that have finally come back to haunt her.
I’ve read every book by Cyn Balog, and what I’ve learned is that she can be counted on for storytelling that is like no other. Unnatural Deeds is an eerie and haunting tale that kept me guessing right up until the end. The story is told in the second person by Victoria as she narrates what has happened to her boyfriend Andrew. Kudos to Balog just for pulling this complicated technique off successfully. I’m not generally fond of second person narration but honestly, Balog is such an accomplished writer that this was done seamlessly. I did however run into problems with the characters. While I liked that Victoria was an unreliable narrator, I thought she came across as too one-dimensional. From the very beginning while she somewhat intrigued me, I was never able to connect with her. Andrew was much more sympathetic, but there was a distinct lack of character development. Surprisingly, the one I liked the most was the sleazily charming Z who ended up being a much more complicated character then I originally thought. There were so many secrets and lies between these characters that most of the fun came from trying to unravel them all. And best of all was the huge twist at the end which I did not see coming. So, despite my issues with Victoria and Andrew, Unnatural Deeds is still a worthwhile read that older teens and adults who are fond of twisty mysteries with unexpected endings, will enjoy. Cyn Balog is one of my favorite YA authors and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
By Hook Or By Book 
You must be logged in to post a comment.