GO HUNT ME

An incredible opportunity for a group of friends to shoot a movie at a notorious castle in Romania turns into a nightmare.

Alexandra Rush aspires to be a film director, but her dreams feel threatened when she gets wait-listed for the prestigious college program she was set on attending alongside her producer-wannabe boyfriend. With the help of a famous Romanian actress, Alex is given a new chance: She and six friends, all assumed White, get to spend spring break in Romania at Castle Prahova to create Alex’s Dracula-inspired short film. The castle was once home to Vlad Dracul, inspiration for the fictional vampire Dracula. In the novel’s opening scene, set after the fateful trip, readers learn that Alex was the only one to make it out alive. The story then jumps back to tell the complete tale, with parts of the subsequent criminal report interspersed. This exhilarating novel plays with the Dracula mythos in fun ways while using classic horror tropes like a remote, eerie locale and a mysterious man in a mask. There’s a cinematic feel throughout; it reads like an ode to beloved horror films such as Scream. Crisp writing builds tension and keeps the pages flying as the atmospheric and moody story becomes increasingly gruesome and twisty. Uneven power dynamics based on gender and financial status are skillfully woven in.

A fast-paced thrill ride.