Book review - Till Human Voices Wake Us

 

Title: Till Human Voices Wake Us

Author: Rebecca Roque

Genre: thriller

Similar books: The Good Girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett

                      Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rating:

 

initially thrilling, though it may go too far

Summary (provided by publisher): Seventeen-year-old Cia lived in a house of secrets until she was five, when her father literally burned it all down. The price of his clandestine operation? Cia’s entire family, and her leg. So, when her best friend Alice says she has a secret too, Cia wants nothing to do with it—even if it could shed light on her family’s dark past. But Alice doesn’t let go so easily, especially when her search for answers might help find Noah, the boy who broke her heart before going missing two months ago.
But then the police find Alice’s body floating in the quarry.
Now Cia would give anything to know Alice’s secrets. Because Alice would never have jumped, no matter what the cops think. Desperate to figure out what happened to her friend, Cia picks up the threads of Alice’s investigation, plunging deep into a shadow world of augmented reality. As she untangles one web of lies after another, Cia finds herself pursued by an enemy that will pay any price to keep their secrets buried. But the girl who already lost everything isn’t about to back down now. Her only chance to avenge Alice lies in exposing an underground society preying on those they think no one will miss—but danger lies closer to home than she imagined.

My opinion: The set up here is a solid one. A girl rescued from a dark past finds that her history is tied up in a larger town secret. We've got murdered teens and a company involved with street kids. Cia is a strong character surrounded by interesting figures. We're never quite sure who can be trusted as evidence continually points in myriad directions. With a plot that is constantly twisting it's a compelling read. That plot, though, goes is some awfully strange directions and ultimately stretches the bounds of believability perhaps beyond the breaking point.

More information: Till Human Voices Wake Us releases February 27.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley