The Camp - Karice Bolton (+ Giveaway)

The Camp by Karice Bolton
Publisher: Create Space
Publication Date: April 18, 2013
Source/Format: Author (Thanks Karice!) || e-book

Emma has always tried to be perfect in her almost eighteen years of existence, but it has never been good enough. As she finds herself counting the days until she’s officially free from her parents’ reins, her stepfather hands her a plane ticket explaining that she must attend the Re-Boot Camp in the wilds of Alaska.

Once she lands in the middle of nowhere, she realizes the camp is nothing like she imagined, and she wants out immediately. That is until she meets Liam.

The camp is full of teens with dark pasts, but she finds herself drawn to Liam’s ability to see who she really is and who she wants to become. While Emma and Liam begin adjusting to a place neither wants to be, frightening events begin to unfold. When people begin disappearing, it becomes apparent they can only trust one another as they fight for survival.

Based on this cover, you can clearly understand two things about The Camp right off the bat: (1) it's got a strong romance aspect and (2) it's not a lighthearted story. You can basically gauge from that initial impression whether or not you'll like this story. It was certainly a diverting read for the hour I was on the train last weekend, particularly when it came to the mystery hanging around the camp.

I'm not overly fond of any of these characters, which is normally a deterrent when I'm reading. However, the story itself - a girl sent to a camp meant to rehabilitate teens with criminal pasts finds herself smack dab in the middle of a crazy mystery when campers begin to disappear under mysterious circumstances - was completely thrilling. At some points, I'd find myself surprised by how ordinary the day-to-day life at camp was. But for the most part, it was one scare and thrill after the next, and that kept me glued to the book. I really like the way Bolton managed to keep me on my toes with the mystery, as I really didn't start to piece things together until we had nearly reached the end. I normally don't read thrillers, but I'm glad I made an exception for this book. While it scared me a lot (because some of the things that happened are downright freaky), I also found the whole experience exciting and very different.

The romance is slightly cheesy, born out of an immediate attraction and feeling slightly insta-love. I didn't really mind all that much, because I'm a big fan of cheese. Plus, the quieter moments between Emma and Liam really made me smile. It was sweet how they could find the courage to be vulnerable with each other about their pasts and their feelings, and I definitely appreciated them getting together! While there were certainly lines that had me rolling my eyes, I did feel like the romance was believable.

Reading The Camp was an interesting experience for me because it's very different from my usual reads. I'm a scaredy cat, so I was easily freaked out while reading, but I definitely enjoyed embracing the excitement of the experience. The novel is an easy, fast-paced read, with an interesting setting and a very creepy mystery. I'm glad that I took this opportunity to read out of my comfort zone, mostly because it turned out to be a whole lot of fun!

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As part of the blog tour, I get to share this awesome giveaway we've got going on! The prize is the winner's choice of a KINDLE FIRE, a NOOK HD or a $100 gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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