“I’d just inserted it into the lock when a familiar chill swept over my skin and raised the hairs on the back of my neck. My head jerked up. There was no other sign of life in the hall, but the quiet hum of the heating system suddenly took on an ominous tone.”

The writing style of this passage heavily employs a tone as ominous and foreboding as the sound of the heating system. While Twisted Lies is largely a romance, the uneasy chill that Stella feels on the back of her neck and the empty hallway are features of the thriller genre, and they all contribute to the promise of a threat to come.

“Everything was fine. He wasn’t back, and I was safe. But despite my self-reassurance, a small part of me couldn’t shake the sense that my gut had been right and that someone had been watching me in the hall.”

The mysterious mention of a “he” returning from her past, alongside personal reassurances to herself, increases the already ominous tone. Not only is there a strange feeling that someone is watching or following Stella, but there is proof that this has occurred before, making the threat all the more real.

“Christian’s expression remained polite, almost disinterested, while Luisa talked, but there was nothing disinterested about the way his eyes held mine. Dark and knowing, like they could strip away every mask I showed the world and find the broken pieces of the girl hiding underneath. Like they thought the brokenness was beautiful anyway. Unease burned through me, and I severed the connection with a blink.”

This passage early on depicts the way Christian will see Stella for who she truly is and not judge her or shy away. His ability to see through her in every way is why Stella quickly becomes more comfortable with him than she is even with her friends.