Book Review: RUTHLESS by Carolyn Lee Adams
Title: RUTHLESS
Series: Standalone
Author: Carolyn Lee Adams
Sale Date: July 14, 2015
Age: 14 And Up
Genre: Action & Adventure, Survival Stories
Pages: 256
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
A spine-tingling debut about the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse in reverse as a teen struggles to retain hope—and her sanity—while on the run from a cunning and determined killer.
Ruth Carver has always competed like her life depends on it. Ambitious. Tough. Maybe even mean. It’s no wonder people call her Ruthless.
When she wakes up with a concussion in the bed of a moving pickup truck, she realizes she has been entered into a contest she can’t afford to lose.
At a remote, rotting cabin deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ruth’s blindfold comes off and she comes face-to-face with her captor. A man who believes his mission is to punish bad girls like Ruth. A man who has done this six times before.
The other girls were never heard from again, but Ruth won’t go down easy. She escapes into the wilderness, but her hunter is close at her heels. That’s when the real battle begins. That’s when Ruth must decides just how far she’ll go in order to survive.
Back home, they called her Ruthless. They had no idea just how right they were.
She was supposed to be his seventh victim. He may end up her first.
Ruthless is a fast paced, intense psychological thriller. An edge-of-your-seat experience that glues the reader to their book with breathless anticipation. Debut author Carolyn Lee Adams’s writing will hold you hostage until the last page. Unputdownable!
From the moment I saw Ruthless, with its dramatic cover and blurb, I knew I wanted to read and review it. I wanted to know more about Ruth. A cat-and-mouse game that boasts a heroine that seems as cunning as the villain.
Ruth brings new meaning to the saying “Bring it on!” I love the fact that Carolyn Lee Adams gives her readers a strong female protagonist to follow. The moment we meet Ruth kidnapped and in a moving truck barely conscious, it becomes clear that she is a smart and resourceful teen.
The writing is both vivid and surreal. By using alternating first and third person point of view, Adam's creates a sense of danger and urgency. I could imagine the dirt piled up around Ruth making it hard to breath. Feel the strange movements of the truck and numbness in her arms. Most of all, my heart was racing, waiting for the moment she realized she's kidnapped.
What makes Ruthless such a great read is the use of flashbacks. It gives the reader a sense of what makes both Wolfman (the villain) and Ruth tick. We get a birds eye view of their history. Ruth is called Ruthless for a reason. The reader can fashion a better understanding of her winner takes all attitude. Her (need for) confidence is not something others understand. The flashback helps us relate to her better and see her growth in the story. With the Wolfman, the flashback gives us an inside look into a killer's mind, scaring the pants of us.
Carol Lee Adams creates a winning thriller with Ruthless. Perfect for readers looking for a young adult novel full of suspense and touches of horror. I am so glad I got my hands on a copy and discovered her writing. She gave me the constant “What will happen next?” page turner that I was craving. I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
Notable Scene:
The Wolfman is right about me. He’s right that I’m hard and driven and more than a little mean. He’s right that I’m the hardest case he’ll ever know. Because unlike these poor little girls who came before me, I’m old enough and strong enough to beat him. And God knows, if there’s anybody on earth who knows how to win, it’s me.
This is why I was abducted by this thing. I’m here to stop him. I’m here to make sure this never happens again. -Carol Lee Adams, Ruthless, page 43
