NetGalley ARC | Thin Air

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a lot of fun and quite a roller coaster ride - as long as you don't think too hard about it. With YA thrillers and murder mysteries there always has to be some suspension of belief for any aspect, and this book is no different, but it was still a great locked-room type read - technically there is more than one room, they're on a private jet, but you get what I mean.

Twelve contestants are aboard an eight hour flight to Paris from the US, on their way to participate in a contest that comes with a major cash prize. Unfortunately for eleven of them, one has decided to better their odds by killing off the competition.

Emily is our main character and there were definitely times I had to remind myself she is a teenager and teenagers often make really stupid decisions. She is there to compete because the money would be a godsend for her and her mother, who are living in poverty. The money would provide for her to go to college, and a better life for both of them.

Once the contestants start dying, the game becomes real and Emily has to decide who to trust - including her BFF's boyfriend, who also made the cut to compete. Loyalties are ever-changing as more information comes to light and there were plenty of twists and turns that even had me guessing. I've read so many of this genre that it is hard to be surprised anymore, but I am happy to report that this one kept me guessing for a while. Emily had plenty of secrets of her own as well that gradually are forced to the surface.

With twelve characters it was hard to get to know all of them well, becuase the author had to also balance that with keeping the killer's identity hidden. Still, I did not feel like they were flat or charicatures. There was enough to differentiate most of them, and we get to know a few pretty well.

The whole thing felt very claustrophobic, which is I suppose it the point, and it was done very well. The tension and stress was palpable throughout and the pacing contributed well to this. I tend to read fiction pretty quickly and this was no exception, because I had to know who the killer was.

Recommended.