Review--99 Lies by Rachel Vincent

Lie #1: I'm Fine.

After surviving a harrowing kidnapping, Maddie's heart is buried with the hostages who didn't make it, while Genesis is still fighting to free herself--from her own lies and from her vindictive ex.

Lie #2: I'm Still Me.

Back home in Miami, the former hostages try returning to normal life: high school, dating, million-dollar charity galas. But with the headlines that declare Maddie and her boyfriend, Luke, the new "it couple," Holden a hero, and Genesis a traitor, there's no escaping the spotlight--or the truth about he ways they betrayed one another in the jungle.

Lie #3: I Forgive You.

Genesis and Maddie may have outsmarted their captors' initial plot, but everyone has a plan B, and this time the danger isn't from an outside threat...it's what they might do to one another.

Told in alternating perspectives, the gripping conclusion to 100 Hours delivers an explosive mix of nonstop action and emotional intensity as five elite teens discover that lies are nowhere near as dangerous as the truth.

Rachel Vincent’s 99 Lies continues the story of Genesis, her cousin, Maddie, and their friends as they experienced a horrific event of being kidnapped while on vacation. While Maddie, Penelope, and Luke were among the ones to be rescued, Genesis is still being held captive by someone very close to her…and her ex is her roommate, so things pretty much couldn’t get any worse.

Until they do, naturally!

Once again, this one is told in alternate points of view between Maddie and Genesis. Maddie is back home, having been rescued and Luke is a constant by her side. Though she is determined more than ever to get her cousin back. Genesis risked a lot in order to save them and she will not leave her behind despite their past differences. Meanwhile, Genesis is practically being starved to death by her kidnappers. Then they bring Holden, her ex-boyfriend, in and things pretty much reach their boiling point.

Things were interesting in this one. It’s awhile before we see Genesis get back home, as surely that’s bound to happen based on the description alone! Though her douche of an ex takes credit for rescuing her when in fact it was Indiana, the mysterious boy she met previously before all the chaos of 100 Hours stared that did the rescuing. Holden was the epitome of jerks.

But coming home doesn’t put an end to their problems when it seems their problems followed them home. There’s a new plan being set into motion and if Genesis and Maddie don’t act fast, lives will be in danger.

The pacing to this one was just as intense as the previous one. We have a countdown of sorts that are being led to the big event. We’re made aware of this briefly in the beginning as we see the tables turning and whatnot. Someone knows Maddie’s lying about something and she has been fudging the truth on some of the things she’s shared about what happened, mainly keeping Genesis’ part in the explosion of the cruise ship a secret and a few other things as well, but someone knows. And of course, more shocking reveals are made along the way that were pretty mind-blowing.

Rachel really knows how to set a page-turning pace! Things were intense and exciting from the get-go until the very end and its shocking conclusion. But yet, I will admit that it does leave something to be desired. From what I had gathered, this is a duology. So it’s really over, complete. But yet, I felt like even after the climax of the conclusion there are still things we don’t get clear-cut answers to. Fates have been left uncalled for and for a series finale, even in a duology, that bugs me. I don’t expect full-around happy endings for everyone in a series, but I expect some sort of conclusion, at least knowing where the main players stand—good and bad. But here we don’t quite get that.

It’s a little upsetting in some sense just because I wanted to know what these other characters are doing or going to do. I get the answers I need in regards to Genesis and Maddie, but agh! There was also one other “secret” kind of thing that finally popped back up but I felt like I missed the whys and whats of what it all meant. It was like here’s the reveal and end scene (because something else drew the character away at the time and it was never brought back up). I mean, I guess the reveal was enough, it solved a mystery of sorts. But I felt like there was more to it, but then maybe not. I don’t know. It bugged me nonetheless. Lol.

All in all though, 99 Lies was still a thrilling read! While I had hoped for a bit more resolution in the grand finale, it still ended on a high note. Perhaps not having all the answers to what the unnamed characters were doing after the events is deliberate. It’s hard to really say things without giving out spoilers, but basically let’s just say that by the end, not everyone’s fate was revealed. Despite all that though, this was an enticing read and I was happy to have read it.


Overall Rating 4/5 stars