I first fell in love with Armstrong’s books during the Darkest Powers trilogy. I was a high school nerd with a love for fantasy. It took the classical spin of necromancers, werewolves and witches and transformed them into a modern day awkward teen love story. Add in a happy ending and I’m a goner.
I picked up “Missing” with the hope that I could rekindle that feeling. All book lovers know exactly what I mean. That feeling when you pick up a book and you blaze through the chapters while developing a bond with the characters. When you can almost see the plot unfolding in front of you. And when you get to the very last page, it’s almost as if you’ve lost a close friend.
While I was pleased to dive into Armstrong’s world once again, I’m sad to say that it’s wasn’t the same warm and welcoming hug I expected.
The story starts off in a town called Reeve’s End, a small country town. We follow a teen girl, Winter Crane, as she tries to uncover the mystery of whether the kids that actually escape Reeve’s End are leaving or missing. We’re introduced to a couple different characters, including Lennon and Jude from the “right” side of the tracks and Winter’s drunk, abusive father.
While I appreciate how Armstrong took the time to build the characters and backstory, I was pretty frustrated with how the story developed. Once I’d gotten comfortable with one set of characters working to solve the mystery, we’re introduced to a secondary character that’s nothing like we expect. And then half way through the novel, the only glimpses of progression were mere pop-ups of a man/woman stalking Winter. At the end of the book, when we’re finally faced with the ultimate villain and all of the pieces are coming together, it just seems like such a rushed, mundane finale.
Overall, I appreciate Armstrong’s effort to create a suspense young adult novel, but next time, I’ll probably stick with her trilogies.
Goodreads: goodreads.com/dmiria_246_collins
D'Miria Collins 