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What a very, very weird little town Wayward Pines, Idaho, is! That’s not a spoiler alert: Readers will realize by the second chapter that Wayward Pines is next-level weird and not in a cheery Mary Poppins kind of way. Weird in a Shirley Jackson or Robin Hardy way, really weird.

And what a page-turner Pines is! Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke has arrived to investigate the disappearance of two fellow Secret Service agents. Another agent was killed in a horrendous car accident. And nearly show more everyone seems to be hiding a lot. But that’s the least of it; author Blake Crouch takes readers on a twisty ride with one shocking surprise after another.

I’ve been hearing the buzz about the Wayward Pines trilogy for years. It lives up to the hype and more. Why didn’t I read this series years ago? Five terrifying stars in the Idaho skies. show less

I’ve been working my way slowly through Blake Crouch’s backlist. I finally picked up Pines, the first in the Wayward Pines series.

This is exactly what I want in sci-fi thriller. Fast paced, impossible to put down, every answer led to more questions. I’m not gonna say it was a 5-star banger, but it was definitely 4.5. This is bingeable thriller stuff right here.

I don’t want to give you much beyond the blurb, because you really need to go into this blind. Ethan Burke is a Secret show more Service agent, sent to the small, cozy town of Wayward Pines to find two missing agents. He wakes up in the hospital after a massive car accident, and everyone seems nice but won’t give him straight answers. He’s unable to leave town, has no ID or wallet, and can’t contact anyone outside.

I think it’s a 4.5 instead of a 5 for me because we get a couple character POVs that weren’t very strong, and I didn’t have too much interest in. That might get more fleshed out in later books, but luckily for now the focus was mainly on Ethan and the action so it kept my attention. If you want character driven, this probably isn’t for you. But action? Page-turning suspense? Crazy weird things? Check, check, and check.

I think whether you like this or not will depend on how far you’re willing to suspend disbelief. Towards the end, the science and feasibility of some of the reveals start to stretch a bit, but that’s where the “fiction” in science-fiction comes into play. If you don’t like Crouch’s other works, I don’t think this will change your mind. But if you DO like him, or you just like a thriller in a sci-fi framework, then I don’t think you should miss this one. I listened to this on audiobook while painting our guestroom/library, and I was itching for each coat to dry so I could get back in and start painting and listening again. I think this is great for an audiobook, so as soon as I’m done with the one I’m on now (the new Bobiverse book YAY!) I’ll be queuing up the next in the series. BINGE TIME. show less

This was probably one of the most intense books I’ve ever read. No joke - the pace is absolutely relentless, and at times that becomes too much of a good thing. I kept yearning for a place to rest, to catch my breath, but Ethan got no breaks and neither did I, as a reader. The book is often brutal, with some incredibly violent scenes that made me wish I wasn’t reading late at night in the dark. Crouch is incredibly good at those types of scenes. His writing is vivid and imaginative, and show more it’s easy to get sucked in to the world he created. And maybe that was part of my problem with this book. I didn’t want to be sucked into Wayward Pines! I was a little too creeped out, and although the payoff is brilliant and I really enjoyed the final 20% of the novel once the revelations started coming, I’m not entirely sure I can handle any more books in this series. I debated watching the TV show, but if it’s as dark and horrifying as parts of this book were, I think I’ll stay away. I love Crouch’s writing - in fact, Dark Matter was one of my favourite books of last year - but this series is just a little too much for me. show less

If I was one to cuss a lot, this would be an instance where I cuss out of shock from this book. "Pines" started out how I expected...but then just escalated up and up and up and the THREW ME FOR A GIANT SPINNING LOOP. I mean, I heard this was creepy and unexpected but that did nothing to prepare me for this wild ride.
I quite literally had to pace while reading parts of this, it made me so nervous and on edge! "Pines" has a staggeringly mysterious and intense plot. While the writing style show more itself is a bit stilted and could be more robust and descriptive, it's that achingly gasp-worthy plot that's gonna reel people in to the story. I can't WAIT to read the next book! I'll add more detail this review once I can get my thoughts together. show less