About the Book – The Headmaster’s List by Melissa de la Cruz
One of them was driving.
One of them was high.
One of them screamed.
And one of them died.
When fifteen-year-old Chris Moore is tragically killed in a car crash, Argyle Prep is full of questions. Who was at the wheel? And more importantly, who was at fault?
Eighteen-year-old Spencer Sandoval wishes she knew. As rumors swirl that her ex, Ethan, was the driver that fateful night, she can’t bring herself to defend him. And their messy breakup has nothing to do with it – she can’t remember anything from that night, not even what put her in that car with Ethan, Chris, and Tabby Hill, the new loner in school. Was it just a night out that went very wrong? And is it just a coincidence they were all part of Argyle’s esteemed honor roll, the Headmaster’s List? In a place ruled by pedigree and privilege, the answers can only come at a deadly price.
Set against the glitz and glamour of an elite LA private school, Melissa de la Cruz’s first YA thriller is an addictive mystery perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Most of the story elements seem to be untethered and sort of floating around for the sake of the plot to progress
Read on for our review of The Headmaster’s List by Melissa de la Cruz
Our Review of The Headmaster’s List by Melissa de la Cruz
A lot of things worked in the book but at the same time, a much more amount of factors totally worked against this book for me. To me, The Headmaster’s List was a lot of misses than gains. The sad part is that there was an actual story that could have been explored and dealt with in a better fashion and the output would have been really good. I will not lie that this is a fresh story because I feel I have seen and heard the basic plot line in other books too. A major accident/event. One/two survivors and a quest to find out what really happened.
The trouble with the book is that at times it forgets its plot purpose and wavers a lot with events and plot angles that actually don’t work much towards the flow of the storyline. All that it does is take up space and dip the story pace by a bit. So a lot many times you see the book trying to cover up this by adding a quick twist or revelation. The problem though is that this quick turn-up leaves you more confused and a whole lot of more questions arising. Most of the story elements seem to be untethered and sort of floating around for the sake of the plot to progress and reach its finish line.
The sad thing is that the end revelations and the second half were quite interesting but since we have been dragged along for a long time with a female character who keeps getting on your nerves and stirring up trouble and confusion, the effect gets lost.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would say that there was some X factor missing in the treatment of the plot because of which it leaves a whole lot of questions open and feeling a sense of incompleteness to it. Despite having good twists and turns, the way it goes through dips and downs, it fails to create the right impact.
Squirrel Rating
