I have come to associate Ames with horror and books which will make me seriously reconsider sleeping. And if you have been searching for a bit of winter, then It Looks Like Us fits the bill. This YA Thriller Horror is one that gave me a distinctly cinematic vibe. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Shy high school junior Riley Kowalski is spending her winter break on a research trip to Antarctica, sponsored by one of the world’s biggest tech companies. She joins five student volunteers, a company-approved chaperone, and an impartial scientist to prove that environmental plastic pollution has reached all the way to Antarctica, but what they find is something much worse… something that looks human.
Riley has anxiety–ostracized by the kids at school because of panic attacks–so when she starts to feel like something’s wrong with their expedition leader, Greta, she writes it off. But when Greta snaps and tries to kill Riley, she can’t chalk it up to an overactive imagination anymore. Worse, after watching Greta disintegrate, only to find another student with the same affliction, she realizes they haven’t been infected, they’ve been infiltrated–by something that can change its shape. And if the group isn’t careful, that something could quickly replace any of them.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Immediately in It Looks Like Us, Ames pushes the boundaries of the extreme. Taking the characters to the very limits, It Looks Like Us is perfect for fans of snowy landscapes. For those who see the danger, the almost terrifying crunch of snow, and the suspicions of what a blizzard hides. The eeriness from the beginning only increases into a full out horror vibe. While it’s not technically a locked room, because they’re kind of in Antarctic, because of the remoteness and lack of control it definitely feels like that.
That wiggling nagging feeling at the corner of your eye. It Looks Like Us is perfect for that exact feeling. While I wish there had been a bit more time and space after the ‘resolution’ (and side character detail), I was swept away on the action and the thriller vibes. So if you are just craving a read which will keep you flipping pages, then you have to pick up It Looks Like Us. It’s full of characters who have to figure out how to survive and make the best when all their options disappear.
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Ames continuously subverting what I was expecting and I basically read half in one sitting! Find It Looks Like Us on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.