Natasha Rhodes

The first of a new series of thrilling original novels based on New Line Cinema's "Final Destination" films. The lead guitarist of an all-girl band predicts the destruction of the club they're about to play in. A handful of patrons survive, only to be picked off one by one. Original.

Dead Reckoning

Geoffrey Froggatt

** spoiler alert **
           This is the second book that I’ve read in the Final Destination book series, and it is also the book with the premise I was most excited to read. When the nightclub that she's just been performing in collapses, killing everyone inside, Jess Golden is more than a little freaked out. She'd seen the whole thing happen in a vision only moments before. Already under suspicion from the police, Jess is implicated even further when the other survivors start dying mysteriously. As the death toll mounts, a twisted plan is hatched so that Jess and her friends might live, a plan that may ultimately place them in further danger. After reading Final Destination: End of the Line where it took awhile to get the main plot started, I was surprised to see this book immediately begin at the location where the disaster occurs. I liked the choice to start the novel at the beginning of the premonition and I liked how the opening disaster was depicted in this book, it could have easily been the script to a Final Destination movie’s opening disaster. The only thing I disliked about the opening is that there wasn’t many clever foreshadowing moments hinting towards the main disaster besides the “Abandon all hope ye who Enter Here” graffiti/sign and Wet Sprocket song “When Will We Fall Down?” playing. One of the bands playing that night is also called Mors Mortis, which literally just means “Death of Death” in Latin, which I felt was incredibly lazy. I tried not to compare this book to Final Destination: End of the Line, but I admittedly noticed how the foreshadowing moments were much more clever in that book. While I did like how this book got to the main disaster rather quickly, I was a little bothered with how long it took for the characters to start dying and begin to figure out what was going on. I didn’t find myself caring about these characters the way that I did in previous Final Destination stories. I thought that some of the creative decisions in this book were corny, like the creepy homeless man who tells Jess to follow the signs. Some of the dialogue felt clunky. I hated the dream sequences and felt like they didn’t add anything to the book or story. We did get to see a “physical” dream representation of Death itself but I felt like it was out of place for a franchise like this and it didn’t fit well. I was disappointed that the characters didn’t figure out what was going on with death’s design and try to stop it the way that most characters in this franchise do. I hated how long it took for the characters to realize what was going on, but I understand that that choice also set this novel apart from most Final Destination stories and I do appreciate that it tried to do something different with the formula. I felt like the deaths in this book were not very creative and kind of boring, and I hated how one of the deaths happens off-screen/off-page. I wasn’t satisfied with how the story wraps up. The ending was weak. Ultimately, I feel like this book wasted its excellent premise, but I’m still glad that I read it in my mission to read all the Final Destination books. I still recommend this book to hardcore Final Destination fans who want to experience every story set in this world, even if I thought this book was a disappointment.

Dead Reckoning

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