Something evil is lurking on the campus of Carleton State. And despite being a student reporter, Daisy is determined to find out who it is and get justice. It’s what she does, after all. Doesn’t hurt that it all helps her build towards her future career as a serious journalist. However, this time she finds herself in over her head and must rely on the help of someone she least expects – reserved, yet popular football player Tyler. Something that her best friend Zack from her hometown doesn’t understand.
But what starts out as a partnership grows complicated with feelings, friends and pasts getting in the way. And all the while, a killer is still on the loose and only growing bolder. Daisy convinces herself that it’s just a story and she’s merely an observer. But slowly, she finds herself drawn into something that turns out much bigger, and much more personal, than she originally thought. Despite all of her friends’ warnings to, for once, stay out of trouble.
It seems trouble follows Daisy and this is certainly no different.
One of my favourite things about Wattpad is all the amazing writers I get to discover. Enter Emily Crewse Kalka. She popped up on my radar first as one of my fellow Wattys 2023 Shortlisters, then as someone who went on to not only read my entry, but also write this wonderful review! She was also my inspiration to start using my own blog to start reviewing some of the amazing indie authors I’ve been reading, so it makes sense I start with her. So this one’s for you, Emily!
I read her Wattys entry “The Whitehall Affair” and enjoyed it so much that I decided to purchase her published novel, “Something Wicked”. I’d come to expect well-written characters, compelling plots, and a satisfying end to a mystery that I wasn’t able to guess along the way. And I got exactly what I wanted.
“Something Wicked” is incredible. We’re thrown into the mystery right from the first chapter, where student reporter Daisy has found herself at the scene of the murder of a girl who looks remarkably like her. To add to the intrigue, the murder has taken place outside a frat house everybody knows Daisy would love to drag through the mud. Given what she did to them the previous year, they feel the same way about her. Despite warnings from all of her friends, Daisy is determined to get to the bottom of the murder – especially when footballer Tyler, who was friends with the murdered girl, enters the picture.
Daisy is one of the most wonderfully written protagonists I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. There were definitely times I didn’t agree with her decisions or wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her, but I still found myself rooting for her the entire way through the novel. She has a lot of baggage she carries that prevents her from letting people in, and Kalka has written it so masterfully that at first I didn’t even realise it was happening. Once I did, I was dying to see if she ever managed to push through and let in her friends, and if there was ever going to be a chance for her and a certain romantic interest.
Of course, the big thing you want to know with any mystery is whether or not the killer is easily identified. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I did not see this one coming. The killer wasn’t even on my radar, and after the big reveal I was kicking myself over it. It was brilliant!
Overall, I’m so, so thrilled I got to read this one. It was an instant favourite for me, and I know I’ll be re-reading it again in the future!
RATING: ★★★★★
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