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alongreader's review
4.0
Savage Island messed me up pretty badly when I read it. This one isn't quite so bad; most of the characters are already psychopaths, so I don't have to worry about whether I'd do what they did in those circumstances.
The ending of Savage has been retconned slightly to allow for a new story, and from the ending of this one I'm guessing there'll be at least one more in the series. Bryony managed to raise the stakes very convincingly (I'm guessing she's visited a lot of escape rooms in her time.) I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next one.
There's a few good twists I didn't see coming and some nice character moments. For a book with so much action, there are plenty of moments where people are talking and sharing parts of themselves.
I wouldn't read this without having read Savage first, but it's a fantastic follow up and I'm very excited for the next one.
The ending of Savage has been retconned slightly to allow for a new story, and from the ending of this one I'm guessing there'll be at least one more in the series. Bryony managed to raise the stakes very convincingly (I'm guessing she's visited a lot of escape rooms in her time.) I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next one.
There's a few good twists I didn't see coming and some nice character moments. For a book with so much action, there are plenty of moments where people are talking and sharing parts of themselves.
I wouldn't read this without having read Savage first, but it's a fantastic follow up and I'm very excited for the next one.
ella__smithh's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elliemaiblogs's review
5.0
After being stunned and amazed at how savage Savage Island actually was, I had to get stuck into Cruel Castle straight away. I loved every minute of this brutal YA horror and although I was sceptical of how I would like Grady’s POV after the last book, I actually enjoyed this one more!
I was pulled into this escape room style sequel straight away and loved how it differed from the Hunger Games-style island approach in the first one. Grady and the other characters who have earned a place on Gold’s internship have to navigate through Stowerling Keep, Gold’s castle in Scotland. Only to find out if they escape the castle will they receive a promotion in the company. And it’s not going to be as easy as a team-building exercise like they thought.
I loved how each room had a different puzzle to solve in order to move on and escape. There is plenty of violence and tricky traps to keep the reader engaged. Pearce really doesn’t hold back with her descriptions of the gory game that plays out and as someone who doesn’t mind gore, I did squirm quite a bit! However, it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a book with this much bloodshed.
I’m such a big fan of multiple POVs so I was thrilled to find that Cruel Castle was told from a few different perspectives. It was very interesting to see how Lizzie and Ben’s characters developed from the first book, it was easy to see how much the ‘Iron Teen Tragedy’ affected them. Although I’m not the biggest fan of Grady, I loved being able to see into his mind and his way of thinking during everything going on.
Cruel Castle is the perfect twisty and gory sequel that you could ask for after Savage Island. I’ve tried not to include a lot of spoilers just so you can go away and read Savage Island first and get absorbed by the brilliantly thought out game as well as enjoying a little (a lot) of bloodshed! So if you have a strong stomach and have a love for horror, this is definitely the series you are wanting to read.
Rating 4.5/5
I was pulled into this escape room style sequel straight away and loved how it differed from the Hunger Games-style island approach in the first one. Grady and the other characters who have earned a place on Gold’s internship have to navigate through Stowerling Keep, Gold’s castle in Scotland. Only to find out if they escape the castle will they receive a promotion in the company. And it’s not going to be as easy as a team-building exercise like they thought.
I loved how each room had a different puzzle to solve in order to move on and escape. There is plenty of violence and tricky traps to keep the reader engaged. Pearce really doesn’t hold back with her descriptions of the gory game that plays out and as someone who doesn’t mind gore, I did squirm quite a bit! However, it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a book with this much bloodshed.
I’m such a big fan of multiple POVs so I was thrilled to find that Cruel Castle was told from a few different perspectives. It was very interesting to see how Lizzie and Ben’s characters developed from the first book, it was easy to see how much the ‘Iron Teen Tragedy’ affected them. Although I’m not the biggest fan of Grady, I loved being able to see into his mind and his way of thinking during everything going on.
Cruel Castle is the perfect twisty and gory sequel that you could ask for after Savage Island. I’ve tried not to include a lot of spoilers just so you can go away and read Savage Island first and get absorbed by the brilliantly thought out game as well as enjoying a little (a lot) of bloodshed! So if you have a strong stomach and have a love for horror, this is definitely the series you are wanting to read.
Rating 4.5/5
nizzzzzzzi's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
10lewis2011's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
tartle_frogster's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
idk_whatimevendoing's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
abookishpenguin's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mxbluet18's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. But after saying that, I don't know quite what to think or fully say about it. I guess somewhat I expected the sequel to be less violent amd gruesome than the first, though with no basis as to why. And in some ways it both was and wasn't. There were more 'on-screen' deaths in Cruel Castle. And to me, the plot and characters felt more complex than the previous book. A very enjoyable read, but not one for younger readers with a strong warning for violence, and language.l