‘She’d heard enough explosions to know exactly what one sounded like.
And the sickeningly, deathly quiet after it.’
– Something’s About To Blow Up
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[ About Something’s About To Blow Up ]
When an explosion rips through the chemistry lab at Raven’s Hill School and six girls are injured, the first thought is that it’s an experiment gone wrong. Then the guards start investigating and suspect a bomb. But if so – who was it targeting, and why?
Ella, Becky, Maeve and Mackenzie are rushed to hospital, along with the injured Frankie and Sorcha, who team up with Jess to try to find out what actually happened. But what they discover is more sinister than even they could have imagined…
[ My Review ]
Something’s About To Blow Up by Sam Blake published May 23rd with Gill Books. It is the second book in this YA thriller series, following on from Sam Blake’s YA debut, Something Terrible Happened Last Night. Sam Blake has also been busy writing adult thrillers, with her latest, Three Little Birds, released earlier this year.
Sam Blake returns to her amateur sleuths at Raven’s Hill School, where much of the action takes place, following an explosion in the chemistry lab. Raven’s Hill is an elite Irish private school set in the fictional town of Kilmurray Point.
‘I really love the girls at Raven’s Hill School, it’s a big cast with a whole mix of personality types, girls who have come together from all over the world. Raven’s Hill is a girls’ boarding and day school in the fictional town of Kilmurray Point, with partner boys’ school, Raven’s Park College, providing much of the drama! I really hope readers can identify with the characters and enjoy them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.’ – Sam Blake
The Gardaí are called in to investigate what is initially thought to have been an accident but, as the evidence is gathered and analysed, the possibility that this may have been deliberate is raised. The school community are stunned at the thought that someone would consciously undertake such a heinous crime. Ella, Becky, Maeve, Mackenzie, Frankie and Sorcha all suffer injuries to different degrees of seriousness, with Jess truly shaken from her past experiences in the Lebanon.
As demonstrated in Something Terrible Happened Last Night, these girls are super smart, assertive and tech savvy. When they start to piece together events leading up to the explosion, alongside some curious snippets of information, they begin to assemble a few truths, separating the fact from the fiction
Meanwhile rumours start to take flight on Rave-fess, the schools anonymous confession site. Rave-fess provides the platform for all sorts of conspiracy theories about everything and anything, including the recent vicious attack on a male student, Jasper, from Raven’s Park College. Why was he so brutally assaulted? Who has a vendetta against him and why?
With everything in flux, the girls are determined to get to the bottom of this nightmare but, little do they know, that someone else has other plans. With parallel narratives scattered throughout from differing voices, it’s clear that there is something a little more threatening at play. It’s clear that someone has an agenda.
When younger, I always enjoyed mysteries set in a school environment. What Sam Blake has done here is upgrade it for the 21st century highlighting many relevant societal themes and, of course, adding the technical capabilities of teenagers in today’s world.
To be a teenager today must be very, very challenging. The cyberbullying, the anxiety, the sense of worth, the pure fear of not fitting in are very much a reality for many. In fiction these scenarios can be taken to another level but, the truth is, these days, how far will a young person go before the realisation dawns that something has to stop. In very recent times, we’ve seen some horror stories come out of parts of the world where paranoia and isolation among teenagers can lead to noxious behaviour. Sam Blake highlights this through the medium of an elite Dublin school, where no one would expect such distressing occurrences to happen.
Something’s About To Blow Up is a whodunit aimed at teenagers from 14+ but, as is the case with many YA books today, it can of course be read by older readers also. The drama and peer pressure of the school environment is well depicted with all the added modern references of mobile phones, social media platforms and confession sites that the majority of teens today have experience of.
Something’s About To Blow Up is another entertaining read from Sam Blake. It’s fun while also highlighting some very important themes that will resonate with many. Amateur sleuthing is always an appeal in fiction, no matter what your age so be sure to pick up a copy of Something’s About To Blow Up and discover for yourself the antics of this confident and bright bunch of teenagers.
** Thank you to Gill Books for my copy of Something’s About To Blow Up in exchange for my honest review
![Headshot of Sam Blake](https://i0.wp.com/www.swirlandthread.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/VFOL-Profile-Photo-by-Alice-Rose-Jordan-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1)
[ Bio ]
Sam Blake is a multiple No 1 bestselling crime writer, who has been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year three times. Her 10th thriller, Three Little Birds, and her second YA thriller, Something’s About to Blow Up, are both in shops now. Follow her on social @samblakebooks and find out more at www.samblakebooks.com, where you can join her Reader’s Club and get a free book.
Sam is the founder of Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival, Murder One. She is currently Chair of the board of the Society of Authors, and previously was Chair of Irish PEN and a board member of the Crime Writers Association.
X ~ @samblakebooks
With all her interests, I’m so in awe of how Vanessa keeps up a frenetic pace – and still manages to write great books!
She is a powerhouse. Unbelievable work ethic!