Town goes psycho every November?? Book Review: The Violent Season by Sara Walters

Synopsis:

There is something terribly wrong in Wolf Ridge. Every November, every teen is overwhelmed with a hunger for violence…at least, that’s the urban legend.

After Wyatt Green’s mother was brutally murdered last Fall, she’s convinced that the November sickness plaguing Wolf Ridge isn’t just a town rumor that everyone ignores…it’s a palpable force infecting her neighbors. Wyatt is going to prove it, and find her mother’s murderer in the process. She digs up every past brutal act she can find from Wolf Ridge’s past – from car wrecks, suicides, and unnamed victims turning up in rivers—and even reaches out to an out-of-state journalist that seems to believe her. But all of her digging leads to nowhere. Everyone in Wolf Ridge accepts that the November sickness is real, and absolutely no one will talk about it.

As Wyatt’s best friend Cash turns on her, and her friend is almost killed in a tragic accident, Wyatt panics – how can she keep her friends safe, and find her mother’s murderer, when no one believes her?

As the evidence stars to disappear, Wyatt wonders: is she just imagining everything? Is the sickness real, or are the people of Wolf Ridge just naturally prone to doing bad things?

Can Wyatt and her friends come out of the Violent Season unscathed, or is one of them going to be the next victim?

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

This book had so much rooting for it. Great writing, good characters, a solid mystery, a subplot romance (in love triangle form no less!)...the general idea of small town lunatics killing each other every November!! But the ending just fell short.

Wyatt's story was a perfect mix of Tumblr teen angst and murder mystery. I loved the town and felt like I could see all the hipster hang out spots. Slap some indie music in the background and it would be a hit CW show. But the ending kind of washed all of that away for me. The writing was so intense and the story really felt like a slow-burn that was leading to something big. There were intriguing clues peppered throughout that I assumed would all tie together, but...alas...had nothing to do with the anticlimactic ending.

But I suppose the ending does carry some deep meaning with it and I appreciate Wyatt's character growth. Walters' writing was poetic...which I don't normally love...yet it was still gripping and kept me hooked until the (disappointing) end.

Overall: Not a bad book for your toxic 1975-loving-Tumblr feels, but I wouldn't recommend this one if you're looking for a solid mystery/thriller.