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Hidden Gem Awards: 3rd Place

#3
The Scary Girls
J.D. Kaplan



Trick needs a new band, preferably one where the lead singer doesn't make out with his girlfriend. That's when he meets the Scary Girls: three beautiful, mysterious, and talented musicians whom Trick instantly clicks with. He soon finds himself playing extraordinary music as well as bumping into otherworldly beings that have him questioning who, or what exactly, is he?

Mixing music with the supernatural, The Scary Girls was the most original book of all the entries. I could tell the writer must be an awesome musician as well as a talented writer.

I liked Trick a lot. There was something very relatable about all the characters - something real and raw, especially with Trick. He's a little uncomfortable in his skin, but rises to the moment, and comes across as very likeable, easy going, and very easy to follow as a main character. If you're tired of strong female leads, then this might be the book for you. 

I became really confused at the end. Great twists were mingled together with confusing reveals, and I’m not entirely sure if I understood all of it. There was also a lot of information to take in. While I enjoyed reading about aspects of the Fae which aren't so overdone in supernatural fiction, there were a lot of heavy exposition scenes.

Still, these are broken up with the odd bar room brawl girlfriend drama, and strange visits to another dream-world. I've never read anything else like it!
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