Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dark twisty mystery told in the voice of the teen killer.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
KILL CREATURES begins at a vigil. It's been 12 months since about-to-be high school juniors Edie Gale, Jane Bristow, and Luce Allard vanished without a trace, and the small resort town of Saltcedar, Utah, has come together to remember the girls. Their friend Nan Carver told police the four had taken a boat to a local canyon for a hike but had forgotten its anchor and mooring rope, and she'd offered to stay behind to make certain it didn't drift off. But that was a lie. Nan had hiked into the canyon with the other girls. Girls she thought were her very best friends, only to discover they'd betrayed her. Furious at what they'd done, she struck Luce on the head with a rock and lured Edie and Jane into the dangerous current of a swimming hole called Devil's Eye. After the search for the girls was finally called off, Nan simply resumed her life, this time in her new identity as their grieving friend. No one, thought Nan, would ever find out what she'd done. Until the vigil is interrupted by the discovery of a body in the lake. The body of a very alive Luce, who has no memory of what happened to the other girls or where she's been. As Nan tries to find her way through the lies she's told, a new sheriff begins searching for Edie and Jane's bodies, the mystery of who rescued Luce and why they held her captive is revealed, and a determined Luce seeks revenge for more than the murder of her friends.
Is It Any Good?
Author Power gives this dark mystery a surprising spin by replacing the expected inspiring and intrepid teen detective with a remorseless teenage killer. While Kill Creatures is all about murder, there are also serious storylines that will be relatable to most teen readers: discovering a friend isn't who you thought they were, being rejected by someone you have feelings for, and the danger of keeping secrets.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the unsympathetic (and murderous) teen characters in Kill Creatures. What was it like reading a story without a heroine or hero?
Did learning who the murderer was at the beginning of the story make it any less suspenseful?
How did you feel about the way Luce, Edie, and Jane treated Nan? Do you think they qualify as mean girls?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Delacorte Press
- Publication date : June 3, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 269
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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