My first Balog work, but definitely not my last. A great little haunted house story with a wonderfully inventive twist of an ending. Now, for more meat to my review (and spoilers! - you've been warned!) - I loved how unreliable the main character was as a narrator. I was never quite sure if Seda was going to be the villain or the victim and I adored how Balog used the idea of three sets of twins to set up the family dynamics. Seda's twin may have been reabsorbed (or not?!) but he was definitely as much a part of the overall story as the other four siblings. And the dynamic between Seda and her mother was powerfully written. The mother may have been some famous horror film professor but her narcissism was hard to read at points, even if it was supposed to be part of the twisted ending. The mother chose an overgrown, monstrous house over her marriage. As in Stephen King's The Shining, the winter weather was itself a silent character that had a lot of impact on the main character's decisions. The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is that apart from Heath Hunter, the other teens felt like caricatures of prescribed formulaic types. However, I LOVED the introductions to each chapter being a part of the 1980s murder mystery hotel brochure. ( )

Set in an isolated and disquieting mansion during a snowstorm, Alone by Cyn Balog is a suspense-laden young adult mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Seda Helm is not at all pleased by her mom's decision to remain in the creepy home she inherited. Despite her plans to sell it, she keeps rejecting offers for the onetime hotel turned murder mystery mansion. Cut off from the outside world due to no cell service, internet or landline, no one has heard from Seda's dad since he abandoned the family months earlier due to his frustration with his wife. Seda's much younger siblings still take great delight in the rundown mansion, but Seda is more than ready to return to Boston. When a group of teenagers are stranded at the decrepit home during a blizzard, Seda's mother stages an elaborate murder mystery scavenger hunt that takes a deadly turn.

Seda is a bit of an unreliable narrator who spends a lot of time in her own head. She is great with her younger siblings despite the fact she feels a little overlooked by her parents. The longer she and the rest of her family remain at the mansion, the darker Seda's thoughts become. She also misses her dad and she is growing increasingly irritated with her mom's refusal to return to Boston.

When the teenagers find themselves stranded following a minor car accident, Seda reluctantly allows them to remain on the property as long as they stay out of sight of her mother. The group's leader, Heath, ignores the edict and her mom ends up not only welcoming the teens with open arms, she convinces them to take part in a clever murder mystery. Seda is initially a reluctant participant in the game, but since she is paired up with the very attractive Heath, she eventually becomes more invested as they figure out what the clues mean. Slowly but surely, the hunt becomes more sinister and after she and Heath make a startling discovery, Seda makes a shocking admission.

Although a little slow paced in the beginning, Alone is an engaging mystery that readers of all ages will enjoy. The storyline is entertaining and the characters are interesting. Although observant readers will most likely pick up on few subtle clues that hint at some of the upcoming plot twists, Cyn Balog brings the novel to an absolutely jaw-dropping conclusion that will take readers completely by surprise.
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"Sometimes I dream I am drowning... .I'm insane. Batshit. Nuttier than a fruit cake."

This is my first novel by Cyn Balog, and I was not disappointed. I like the scenery that this book takes place in. A deserted mansion at the top of a cliff that needs a bit of fixing up. And Seda, plus her family are there to do just that. Definitely, a page-turner and it does have its creepy moments. The ending was such a good twist. I mean I couldn't believe what I read. I was really like WTF? haha
I see why Seda, in this story was really skeptical about making friends in her new hometown. Secrets she didn't want to be revealed to anyone.
Psychological thriller at it's finest. And I definitely put this book at the top of my list of 2019 reads.
Anyone that is willing to give this book a read. DO IT. You won't be disappointed. ( )

Awesome thriller book! Story about a young girl stuck in a spooky house with her family. She has an imaginary friend who is not really very friendly. Strangers get stranded at the house and it gets crazier and crazier. Ending has a great twist that I could not guess. ( )

Fifteen-year-old Seda thought it was cool to spend the summer at the old mansion her mother inherited, but now it's starting to snow and she just wants to go back to Boston, back to school and her best friends and her crush, back to civilization. The mansion is in the middle of nowhere, it's falling apart, there's no cell service, no landline and it's just plain creepy especially since it was last used as a murder mystery hotel. And Seda's mother won't sell it unless the new owners will keep it as a murder mystery hotel. When a group of teenagers show up as a result of their car going in a ditch and nowhere else to go, Seda has no choice but to offer them shelter - even though she knows something bad is going to happen.

I was at the halfway point when I crawled into bed, thought I'd read a chapter before I fell asleep. I was beyond tired. I ended up finishing the book before I could go to sleep that's how good it was. It was so well-written that everything flowed together and I couldn't set it down because what happens next??? How does it end? The suspense! I absolutely loved the creepy old mansion with its many added on wings and secret passageways. And it was used as a murder mystery hotel! That obviously made the book what it was - which was amazing!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a copy of this book. ( )