I am a big fan of Megan Miranda and everything she writes. I have yet to be disappointed by her incredible thrillers and I gobble them up every time.
I found myself so quickly invested in Beckett and her story, immersed in her character and eager for more. Considering the typical length of books like this, as well as the fact that they are generally standalones, I find it a testament to the authors skill when I grow attached to the character/s in a thriller. I desperately wanted Beckett to find the answers she was looking for, and I also wanted more of her backstory to get answers on past events that shaped who she is. Having little snippets of the past interspersed throughout the story of the present really helped to amp up the intrigue, particularly as the reader, and Beckett herself, are left wondering if both events are tied together somehow. More than that, I even found myself liking the side characters, with their distinctive, relatable personalities.
On top of this, between the small town itself, and the college these events keep taking place at, there are clearly many secrets being kept. With the Howling there is such an air of insidiousness and mystery that it’s impossible not to keep reading to get answers on things that are only hinted at throughout the course of the novel. The book keeps you guessing from start to finish for a number of reasons. Just when you think you know what is going on, it turns on its head and you realize there was something else happening the whole time beyond what both Beckett, and yourself as the reader thought was going on. The plot ends up being so much more than it at first seems and there is more than meets the eye which made it an intense read and so attention grabbing. I was absolutely sucked into the story and could not stop reading, while suffering from not wanting to finish it.
Finishing this book left me with a bit of a book hangover as I don’t know how to follow it up. I really loved this book and it left me struggling to figure out what to read next to scratch the itch. Now to wait for the next Megan Miranda book because I know I’ll be jumping to read it as soon as possible as always.
