Death by the River by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor | More like Death by Boredom

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A High School “American Psycho”

Some truths are better kept secret.
Some secrets are better off dead.

Along the banks of the Bogue Falaya River, sits the abandoned St. Francis Seminary. Beneath a canopy of oaks, blocked from prying eyes, the teens of St. Benedict High gather here on Fridays. The rest of the week belongs to school and family—but weekends belong to the river.

And the river belongs to Beau Devereaux.

The only child of a powerful family, Beau can do no wrong. Handsome. Charming. Intelligent. The star quarterback of the football team. The “prince” of St. Benedict is the ultimate catch.

He is also a psychopath.

A dirty family secret buried for years, Beau’s evil grows unchecked. In the shadows of the ruined St. Francis Abbey, he commits unspeakable acts on his victims and ensures their silence with threats and intimidation. Senior year, Beau sets his sights on his girlfriend’s headstrong twin sister, Leslie, who hates him. Everything he wants but cannot have, she will be his ultimate prize.

As the victim toll mounts, it becomes crystal clear that someone has to stop Beau Devereaux.

And that someone will pay with their life.

WARNING: Readers of Death by the River will encounter situations of violence and sexual abuse which could be upsetting.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here ...

What the fuck did I read.

SERIOUSLY. What the fuck did I read. And why the fuck did I suffer for more pages than necessary?

Contrary to all the raving reviews and praise for this book, Death by the River is boring as fuck (at least at the beginning). If any death occurred at the river, it was yours truly from pure boredom. 😴

Beau Deveraux is the catch of a lifetime on the outside with his good looks and reputation. But on the inside, he’s a psychopath, becoming obsessed with his girlfriend Dawn’s twin sister, Leslie. She wants no association with Beau and warns Dawn to do the same.

Good god, there is so much repetition.🙄

The book nails this fact into our heads repeatedly, chapter after the chapter, and it’s one of the main reasons why I couldn’t stand Death by the River. I get it – Beau is nice and chummy but secretly evil and Leslie sees right through the facade. Everyone else is a lamb, all nice and innocent to Beau’s ways.

Then there’s pacing plus the repetition. 😣

It was slowwwww. Maybe it’s the writing style, but gosh, I made it to 52% and nothing really happened except:

• Beau’s obsession with Leslie
• Leslie’s uninterest in Beau
• Everyone’s awe of Beau
• PARTAYYYYYYYY

And two sexual assaults with no death actually happening except for the death of the victim’s reputation, which is expected, considering the book is about sexual assault.

But ultimately, Death by the River fell flatter than a green onion pancake for me.

Just a side note, but green onion pancakes are delicious. I think I insulted them greatly. Green onion pancakes do not deserve this comparison.

Sophia

Blogger at Bookwyrming Thoughts · Website · Read More Posts

Sophia started blogging in February 2012 for the hell of it and is surprisingly still around. She has a GIF for nearly everything, probably listens to too much K-Pop and is generally in an existential crisis of sorts (she's trying her best). More of her bookish reviews and K-Pop Roundups can be found at The Arts STL.

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