Review: The Dead List by Jennifer L Armentrout

The Dead List

Author: Jennifer L Armentrout

Series: Standalone

Publisher – Self (Free on Wattpad)

Synopsis (Goodreads)

From Jennifer L. Armentrout's blog posted on April 15, 2015:

"The Dead List is a full standalone novel, coming in at roughly 93,000 words. It’s a Young Adult Romantic Suspense Yes. Lots of Romance. Sort of like Don’t Look Back, but a throwback to movies like Scream and the sort of campy fun ones. Think I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Scream. But with more romance.

That’s all I’m going to say about the book. I think a blind read is something different. A little fun.

There are no plans at this time to sell it or put it in print soon. I probably will one day, but the point of this is that it’s free for you guys.

The Dead List is a raw novel, meaning it hasn’t been through copy editing. You’ll going to see typos and some strange things. You’re actually going to see what a book of mine looks like before copy editors get their hands on it. Hopefully there are no random ‘shits’ where there is supposed to be ‘shirts’. 

I will be posting a chapter or a couple of chapters at a time, as one does on Wattpad. Chapters will be added every Wednesday, Friday and then Sunday as long as I’m not traveling or, you know, acts of God clause.

You can find me on Wattpad by going HERE
– You can download Wattpad on your phone or tablet
– Or read on your computer"

Read the full blog post regarding The Dead List HERE

Review: 4 ½ out of 5 stars

I didn’t know what to expect when I started The Dead List by Jennifer L Armentrout, I have enjoyed her thrillers and suspense novels previously but I didn’t know much about this freebie Wattpad title but once I started on it, I couldn’t put it down (and I’m still suffering from the late night read!).

Our MC is seventeen year-old Ella, a high school senior who was once best friends with Penn, Gavin and Jensen – they were once inseparable but after a tragic event, Jensen moved away and Gavin & Ella ended up dating but it didn’t work out but they remain close.

When Ella attends a party with her best friend Lindsey she ends up getting attacked by someone in a freaky clown mask but she is thankfully saved by Jensen who has since returned to the area. After this happens other people begin to disappear and strange things are happening around Ella but she puts it down to the after effects of being attacked.

We also get a sweet romance between Jensen and Ella, I loved their interactions and I adored how protective he was of her; they complimented each other well and I am always drawn to relationships where they start out as friends and it turns into more. All of the secondary characters were written well but I never quite knew who could or couldn’t be trusted.

I love books that make you think, I was sure I knew who the villain was & I was half right but then JLA threw in a twist I definitely wasn’t expecting. There were so many crazy happenings in this book, I couldn’t put it down! I needed to know who would be next – why the bad guy was targeting Ella and bullies who were connected to them when they were younger and also who was behind the disturbing mask! I loved every moment of it and I am relieved I read it as a whole rather than wait for it to be released chapter by chapter as it was when it was first released.

I really enjoyed JLA’s writing; she really should write more suspense/thrillers because she does it well. The Dead List is a raw novel, it hasn’t been through copy editing so there are errors but it was nothing that couldn’t be overlooked. 

I highly recommend this thrilling read!

About the author: # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia. 

All the rumors you heard about her state aren’t true. 

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen. 

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins. 

All images/blurb/author details etc. have been copied from GoodReads