Today, I’m thrilled to be sharing my review of Flight 171 by Amy Christine Parker. Right from that premise, I knew this would be a perfect blend of horror and thriller for the days where darkness draws ever closer.
This is part of the tour fantastically organised by TBR and Beyond Tours and you can check out the rest of the tour stops here.
Devon Marsh is haunted by secrets. Like the identity of the person who killed her twin sister, Emily, in a hit and run accident last Halloween, which Devon has vowed to uncover. Like the things Devon said to Emily just before she died.
But she’s determined to start fresh when she boards a four-hour flight along with her classmates for their senior class ski trip. Devon never could have guessed those secrets would surface in the most terrifying way when a supernatural creature hijacks their flight and gives the students a deadly ultimatum:
Choose one among them to sacrifice before the end of the flight. Or the plane will crash.
As the clock ticks down, the creature slowly unearths the passengers’ deepest, darkest secrets—and reveals that one of the teens on the plane is responsible for Emily’s death. The students must agree on a sacrifice, or there won’t be any survivors. But can Devon find a way to stop the creature, or will she give in to her anger and let revenge take control?
Publication Date: 4th October
TW: death, murder, violence, hit and run, self harm, suicidal ideation, sexual assault, drugging, blackmail, cheating
Book Depository | Goodreads | Waterstones
My Thoughts:
Flight 171 was a claustrophobic little nightmare of a book.
Rarely has a book had me so thoroughly gripped and glued to its pages. I genuinely flew through this book in one heart-pounding sitting. Just from that premise, I was ensnared. The hint of Final Destination meets I Know What You Did Last Summer and that classic horror movie curse thread woven in sounds like it’ll make for a frightening and challenging story, all of which was served up to me. This was an intense and incredibly atmospheric book, all hinging on that fateful and bloody Halloween night. The variety of secrets bubbling to the surface and other actions that increase the stakes serve to create a sense of constant paranoia and mistrust. When everyone around you is hiding something, who can you really trust?
At the centre of this book is Devon. Her grief and vulnerability instantly endeared me to her, even as she found herself still stuck in the image and shadow of Emily. There is a deeply entrenched sense of guilt at her survival and the true events of the night that cannot help but make you fall in love with her. Though her narration is heavily skewed by her emotional attachments and mismatched memories, you find yourself rooting for her and joining her as a fellow detective. Indeed, I enjoyed how all the surrounding characters were fleshed out beyond their various high school stereotypes. Everyone had a hidden layer or unexpected twist to their character that reminded you how messy and human they all were.
This emphasises the awful dilemma at the heart of the story that much further. There were some truly spine-chilling scenes here, tinged with gore and the horror both manifesting physically and emotionally. This is a book that expertly plays with the dark depths of the human psyche. In that sense, I adored how the supernatural elements came into play. They contrasted the sharp realism of this awful situation, becoming symbols of different facets of the experience of grief.
Flight 171 is a book that consistently defies expectations and reminds you of the deadliest, darkest secrets we hold close.
About the Author:
AMY CHRISTINE PARKER is the author of the critically acclaimed duology, GATED and ASTRAY as well as the standalone thriller, SMASH & GRAB. GATED was a nominee for both the Sequoyah Book Award and the South Caroline Junior Book Award and was a YALSA Quick Pick for reluctant readers. Amy’s latest novel–her first horror/thriller mashup, FLIGHT 171, releases in October 2022. She writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and two very mischievous cats. Visit her at amychristineparker.com and follow her on Twitter @amychristinepar.
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