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    Still Waters
    Still Waters
    Still Waters
    Ebook225 pages2 hours

    Still Waters

    By Emma Carlson Berne

    2.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He’s leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they’ll never forget.

    But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someone's been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn’t seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin’s dark side, and her own safety.

    Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
    Release dateDec 20, 2011
    ISBN9781442421158
    Still Waters
    Author

    Emma Carlson Berne

    Emma Carlson Berne is the author of over one hundred and twenty books for juvenile, middle-grade, and young adult readers. She has worked with American Girl Publishing, Disney Lucasfilm, Simon & Schuster, PJ Library, Lonely Planet Kids, National Geographic Kids, and Scholastic, among others. She often ghostwrites under the names Jake Maddox, Lila Stewart, Elizabeth Woods, and Hailey Abbott. She is a keen horseback rider and lover of nature and animals. She enjoys running and walking, hiking, camping, and cooking. Emma lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and three young sons.

    Read more from Emma Carlson Berne

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    Reviews for Still Waters

    2.5/5

    28 ratings7 reviews

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    • 2/5
      The main character is annoying, there is very little tension and/or creepiness, and the book ends (at least the main plot) abruptly.

      The writing wasn't terrible, however I never really cared one way or the other about any of the characters. Well, none if them other than the MC, Hannah, whom I considered supremely selfish. Seriously, they could've been picked up by the Death Star & I wouldn't have cared...except to wonder why Vader found them so fascinating.

      I kind of loathed Hannah, which is strange...usually I just find characters annoying. Perhaps it was her clear disrespect toward other peoples homes and belongings. Or perhaps it was her lackadaisical attitude toward work. Or it could have been her selfishness in the light of her boyfriends obvious apprehension. Whatever it was I actually disliked her enough to hope she would be picked up the Death Star or Jabba the Hutt. *sigh* i cant believe i actually said that and meant it...

      I don't recommend this. It was a good premise and the author has talent, but it could have been so much better.
    • 2/5
      I just finished this book and I had to rush downstairs to get my review done quickly... lest the entire book escape my memory. Nothing much happened, and it's not the type of book that leaves you thinking long after you're done reading it.

      I couldn't really connect to Hannah, the girl you're supposed to really root for and whatnot. The entire time we're told how responsible and reserved and geeky she is, but we never see that. We're told that she does what she's supposed to do and never acts with any sort of spontaneity. Told. Not shown. Hannah, while unremarkable on all accounts, exhibits none of the characteristics we're constantly having beaten into us. The worst part is that she acted spontaneous to get the book rolling. That's right, Berne had her character act out of character in order to have a plot. For me, that doesn't make sense, but whatever.

      STILL WATERS is only about 200 pages but for me that felt really, really long for the amount of action. Literally nothing happened until the last forty pages -- and as soon as it started it was over. The mystery was interesting and even the solution and causes were begetting. But at the end of the book I just felt nothing. I didn't outright hate it (though I did get annoyed with blown out windows on abandoned buildings being referred to as blinded eyes.)

      I usually love thrillers. They're my favorites along with dystopians. And when I found out Emma Carlson Berne is the author of Choker, written under the name Elizabeth Woods, I was doubly excited to read STILL WATERS. I loved Choker -- A LOT. In the end though, STILL WATERS was neither a mind-blowing work of art, nor a let down. It was a quick short read with a romantic ingredient that's good for a rainy afternoon.
    • 2/5
      I'm a person that likes finality, that craves it in all things. That kind of person that likes having all the answers and knowing exactly what lead up to those final conclusions. I mean, I used to peek at the final page of every book I bought I still totally do this just to glance at who might survive, scared to get attached to doomed characters.For these reasons, I don't like to give up on books. For a looong time, I hardly ever ever did. I'm talking like maybe four out of hundreds in the last four years. I'd endure past recycled plotlines, push through just-plain-bad dialogue, obvious machinations and plotpoints, shoddy writing, just because "Hey, it might get better before the end. You never know." And that's true, it really could get better - but it totally doesn't. As it turns out, books that start off bad or bland or boring, those are the kind of books hardly ever actually get better, and then you're left with x amount of wasted time and a lot of excess frustration.Last year, I got better at pruning through my TBR piles and what I had to read. I DNFd'd more books last year than I ever have in a single year before (12 out of 213), and I am growing ever more discerning here in 2012. So when I found myself struggling with reading Still Waters, thinking constantly to myself, "Just hang in. This could get better. It could get off this generic beaten path. Only [x] pages to go to FREEEDOM!" but, then, I realized, I don't have to finish this book. There is nothing compelling me to read it: not the plot, the characters, nothing. So after 152 pages, I called it quits.No doubt some will love this book. I bet they'd also really enjoy Spellbound a book I DNF'd last year - as both are generic, young-adult thrillers, with vague paranormal framing, and are utterly, utterly unoriginal. Not for me, but no rating because hey, maybe after 150 pages, it really does get better.
    • 2/5
      I just finished this book and I had to rush downstairs to get my review done quickly... lest the entire book escape my memory. Nothing much happened, and it's not the type of book that leaves you thinking long after you're done reading it.

      I couldn't really connect to Hannah, the girl you're supposed to really root for and whatnot. The entire time we're told how responsible and reserved and geeky she is, but we never see that. We're told that she does what she's supposed to do and never acts with any sort of spontaneity. Told. Not shown. Hannah, while unremarkable on all accounts, exhibits none of the characteristics we're constantly having beaten into us. The worst part is that she acted spontaneous to get the book rolling. That's right, Berne had her character act out of character in order to have a plot. For me, that doesn't make sense, but whatever.

      STILL WATERS is only about 200 pages but for me that felt really, really long for the amount of action. Literally nothing happened until the last forty pages -- and as soon as it started it was over. The mystery was interesting and even the solution and causes were begetting. But at the end of the book I just felt nothing. I didn't outright hate it (though I did get annoyed with blown out windows on abandoned buildings being referred to as blinded eyes.)

      I usually love thrillers. They're my favorites along with dystopians. And when I found out Emma Carlson Berne is the author of Choker, written under the name Elizabeth Woods, I was doubly excited to read STILL WATERS. I loved Choker -- A LOT. In the end though, STILL WATERS was neither a mind-blowing work of art, nor a let down. It was a quick short read with a romantic ingredient that's good for a rainy afternoon.
    • 5/5
      As soon as I finished reading this book I looked up the author to see if she had written any other books because I wanted more! I don’t read YA thrillers often and was a little nervous when I started this but now that I finished I’m just itching to get my hands on another one.This book was SO creepy! It probably didn’t help that I was always reading it in the middle of the night, when I was the only one in my house still awake, which of course made it seem even more creepy.I really liked both of the main characters, Hannah and Colin. From the very beginning Colin seems like a sweet, caring, boyfriend, I found it really hard to be wary of him, which we’re pretty much told to be from the synopsis.Reading this book was like watching that movie where the main character is about to turn around and you know the bad guy is going be right there yet you still scream when it happens. The whole time I read I was on edge just waiting for that moment.Pine House seemed like its own character the way Hannah and Colin called it by name and the detail in which it was described. I had a clear picture of it in my mind and felt like I was there walking through it.There were a few loose ends throughout the story but nothing too bothersome. Little facts, like how neither of the characters think to bring food with them on their weekend getaway and how after being abandoned for 10 years Pine House still has food in the cabinets that Hannah & Colin actually eat! GROSS! The town where Pine House is located is practically desolate with just a few strange inhabitants. The way the town and its people were described it seemed like something strange had happened there in the past but this was never really explained. . I thought this aspect was going to play into the story more and that we would learn why it was the way that it was.In conclusion, I’m so glad I gave this one a chance and picked it up! I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for Emma’s next book, Never Let You Go coming out this December!
    • 1/5
      This book was dull. The author spent entirely too much time building to what was going on instead of actually having anything happen. I get that she was trying to build suspense, but it really didn't work. It might have if this had been a screenplay or an actual movie, but, in book form, it failed. She did, however, develop her characters enough that they felt real.
    • 3/5
      I’m not familiar with The Shining (gasp!), so I could only compare Still Waters to every other thriller I’ve read, and I believe Emma Carlson Berne separated herself from the crowd with this really enjoyable story. Hannah has a plan – to sneak her boyfriend, Colin, away for a romantic weekend. But where are they headed? To an old, creepy lake house, of course! While this idea isn’t a particularly new and innovative one, it was definitely entertaining. Berne adds her own little touches here and there too, which keeps it exciting, while richly detailed writing made for excellent descriptions. Really, I could almost hear the floorboards creaking as Hannah crept down the halls of Pine House. But given its length and basic premise, I had to try and accept that Still Waters was never destined to be something remarkable or groundbreaking for this genre. Nevertheless, I was still unable to lower my expectations because I’d developed some major cover-lust for this book well before its publication. A pretty girl in a creepy setting, bound to run into trouble? Hello, weekend! And that’s exactly what this book is – a quick read. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it exempt from the pitfalls of short stories, such as poor character building and a weak plot. Hannah’s character was aloof and felt rather empty. She had no real substance or interests aside from her boyfriend and mustering up the courage to tell him she loves him during their trip. And the discovery of the house and subsequent getaway just seemed a little too convenient. The sharp ending left me dissatisfied and questioning, too. I wasn’t disappointed though. It was a good distraction from a boring weekend. So if you’re looking for something deliciously spooky and easy to devour, but are still on the fence about this one, I say give it a shot! Just maybe not at night. Or at least leave a light on…until morning…

    Book preview

    Still Waters - Emma Carlson Berne

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