Deadly Inside, Somewhere REALLY Deep Down...

Published:  December 18th, 2012

Deadly Little Lessons (Touch #5)

By: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Hyperion Book CH

ISBN-13:  9781423131625

Camelia Hammond's trying junior year of high school is finally over...but her troubles aren't.  After she discovers a painful truth about her family, she escapes to a summer arts program in Rhode Island.  Determined to put family - and boyfriend - drama behind her, she throws herself into her artwork.

At art school, she gets caught up in the case of Sasha Beckerman, a local girl who is missing.  Even though all signs suggest that the teen ran away, Camelia senses otherwise.  Eager to help the girl, she launches her own investigation.  She finds a blog by someone named Neal Moche, a psychometric who might have clues to Sasha's whereabouts.  There is something familiar about Neal, and Camelia realizes how much she misses Ben, despite being committed to Adam.

But time is running out for Sasha, and Camelia will have to trust her powers if she's to save her.  Will the lessons Camelia has learned in the past give her the strength to do so?

Review

     The last book in a series.  One that I started reading in 2011, a few months before book four was released.  So I didn't have to wait from book to book, like many other readers (I know the agony from other series though).  However these were just a fun, no pressure series (my version of book junk food) to read in between heavy hitters.  That said, I had been enjoying the series but felt like book four was too much  rehash and way too much romantic angst.  I was hoping that this one would get back to the roots of the series, which started out fairly interesting and decently well-written.  Yeah, access denied on that particular dream world/alternate reality.

     So, the synopsis is a big fat liar.  In the first paragraph, it says that Camelia goes to Rhode Island for a summer art program, to get away from her problems.  In reality she goes to Rhode Island to find out what really happened to missing teen Sasha Beckerman, because she has gotten obsessed with the case in the wake of some major family problems.  Her parents have been keeping a pretty big secret from Camelia and she finds out entirely by accident, when her Grandma calls the house looking for her Aunt Alexia.  It was understandable that Camelia was freaked out, upset and angry about the secret and what it meant for her personally.  My first WTF moment was when she went out of her way to hide it from Adam (her "boyfriend" - more on that later) and Kimmie & Wes (her two "best" friends who really are just there to play a part in all her drama).  Yeah, so she bottles it all in and is a dick to everyone.  Plus, she keeps taking Wes' car without his permission when he follows her to the art program and investigating the kidnapping on her own, with no help.  She has no self-preservation instincts and doesn't like to think ahead, just so you know.

     Probably my biggest issue with this book is the love triangle between Camelia, Adam and Ben - more specifically the resolution that Stolarz comes to after five books of angst and uncertainty.  The issues has always been that Ben and Adam are both seriously good guys, with no real asshole tendencies that allow Camelia to make an easy romantic decision.  Somehow in this book Adam becomes an insensitive asshole, who just wants Camelia to just get over her problems.  After all, she should be focusing on their relationship and never giving anything difficult in second life.  What the actual fuck???!!!  And then later in the book, while she's still stringing along Adam knowing it won't ever go anywhere, Camelia reunites with Ben and they get together.  This is less than an hour after finally deciding to cut Adam loose.  After all, he was only her back-up plan.  Also, the way she blew off her classes and assignments for the art program was really spastic.  She acted like a complete moron to her teachers, skipped most of her classes and overall just didn't give a flying fuck about actually doing, y'know, art.  Hence why the synopsis is so laughable!  

      Overall, the ending was predictable and all the plot twists were really uninspired.  The romance and reunion of Camelia and Ben was so sickly sweet and goopy it makes me gag just thinking back on it.  Camelia spent most of the book treating everyone like dirt, making stupid decisions and acting like a brat in general.  Not the worst book I'ver ever read, but if you're new to the series I'd say don't even bother reading it.  The "ending" (which gives more questions than real answers) will just piss you off.  The payoff wasn't really worth the effort.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Speak Nothing But The Truth

 

Expected Publication: September 26th, 2013

All The Truth That's In Me

By: Julie Berry

Viking Juvenile

9780670786152

 

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family. Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas. But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

 

Review

 

     Judith is as outcast in Roswell Station, with most of its inhabitants thinking she's dumb and covered by sin due to tragic events from two years ago.  She can speak, learn and feel just as she did before - the only difference now is that the boy she loves is ignoring her and she is missing half of her tongue, which her captor cut out of her mouth.  No one calls her by name anymore and her brother only addresses her as 'Worm.'  But when the town comes under attack, Judith must make a decision that will change things forever: retrieve her captor (who everyone in town believes to be dead) and possibly save everyone, or stay silent and watch everyone she cares about die.  But the fallout of playing the hero may be greater than Judith ever could have imagined.  With both good and bad consequences rearing their heads, she may be forced to finally tell the truth of what happened in the two years she was gone.  Can Judith speak out against  Lottie's murderer and clear her own name of evil?  Or will Judith be convicted of things she's innocent of?  Also, can she ever have another chance with Lucas, the boy she still loves with all her heart?

     From the cover and synopsis, I expected this book to be a contemporary fiction book along the lines of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  What I got instead was a historical fiction novel, set in the heart of America during the time of the Puritans and their unyielding beliefs/morals.  Judith is a sixteen year old girls who was kidnapped and sent back with half of her tongue cut out.  Unable to tell everyone what happened (and not eagerly willing to either, for reasons that become evident when the truth finally comes out at the end), they all assume that her virtue is gone and shun her, much like Old Order Amish used to shun their people who broke the rules and refused repentance.  Judith is denied even her basic humanity and the book is told in her letters to Lucas, the boy she has loved since childhood who no longer notices her.  This book was heart-wrenching, told with such emotion and hesitance on Judith's part.  Yet there was a deeper observation gained from the loss of her speech that lent something truly unique to the narration. 

     The journey of Judith from the start of this book to the finish is of a girl who has lost her very identity, struggling to regain some sense of self and independence along with it.  I loved the connection that grew between Judith and her brother, Darrell, was so wonderful in its reality.  They don't all of the sudden love and respect each other.  He still calls her names and they still fight.  But when Darrell gets wounded in the battle things slowly begin to change.  I especially love when Judith starts going to school with Darrell (even if she does have to deal with the creepy schoolmaster making advances on her cause he thinks she can't tell anyone).  Her friendship with Maria and their speech therapy were well done, helping Judith to understand that it wasn't wrong or evil for her to speak up for herself again.  Maria helps her realize her own strength.  The relationship with Lucas seemed really one-sided a lot of the time, probably mostly as an after-effect of the style of the narrative.  We see, hear, feel and overall experience things as Judith does.  We don't really get any outside points of view or experience perspectives in this one.  Judith's revelations at the end of the novel regarding her virtue and the identity of Lottie's killer weren't necessarily truly shocking to me as a reader, but her decision to tell the whole truth struck me as really brave, especially when they all want to punish her for crimes they're unsure of and for just being too different.  The transformation of Judith through the novel is something to behold and even with pacing that is awkward sometimes, this book is one of the best that I've read this year.  It will destroy you in ways that only a truly good book can.  I highly recommend this to readers who like historical fiction and aren't averse to intense subject matter.  Not for the faint of heart! :)

 

VERDICT:  4.75/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication is September 26th, 2013.*

Too Broken For Understanding

Expected Publication:  August 27th, 2013 (First Published: June 1st, 2012)

Broken
By: Elizabeth Pulford, & Angus Gomes (Illustrations)
Running Press Kids
ISBN-13:  9780762450046

Zara has one immediate and urgent goal, and it is to find her brother, Jem. She faces a few complications, though, not the least of which is searching for him in her subconscious while she is in a coma.
Zara’s coma has pulled her into the world of Jem’s favorite comic-book hero. But no matter how quickly Zara literally draws her own escape, she is taunted deeper into the fantastical darkness by the comic’s villain, Morven. All the while she is caught between the present with visits from friends and family in the hospital and the past by flashbacks of a traumatic event long ago forgotten.
The search for her brother may help Zara see the light, but in order to find him, she must face her innermost secrets first. In a multi-layered tale that intertwines comic-book/graphic novel elements with first-person narration, Elizabeth Pulford explores the dimensions of hope, love, loyalty, denial, and truth.

Review

     Zara is looking for her brother Jem, because she's lost him to his favorite comic book hero.  But unknown to herself, Zara's brother is dead and she's in a coma from the motorcycle accident that killed him.  Sorting through the traumatic events of her childhood and the recent mistakes of her life, Zara must wade through everything to get to the truth.  But inside the world of comics there are villains, who always do everything they can to stop the 'good guys' from winning.  Can her family and friends drawn her back into the land of the living, where she'll be forced to face the truth?  Or will Zara choose to keep looking for her brother and leave the land of the living for good?

     This book sounded a bit like an Australian version of If I Stay, only with a darker edge.  Even though I normally steer clear of Aussie YA lit because I just never seem to connect to it that well.  But being who I am, I dove right into it regardless of my initial misgivings.  I felt that this was a great premise, but it suffered from extremely poor execution.  The combination of the childhood kidnapping and it's total disconnect from the main plot about the accident that leaves Zara comatose was really confusing.  I felt like the author was trying to link the two, but they had NOTHING to do with each other so it made zero sense and was distracting.  The idea of Jem being lost in a comic book world was an interesting segue into illustration and allowed for a platform for Zara to work out her issues.  But it was jarring going back and forth between the fictional exploits in the comic world (mixed with her memories/subconscious), and the visits of her friends and family as they try to bring her out of the coma.  

     And I agree with another reviewer that I've seen who said they were frustrated with Zara's mission to find her brother.  It's not like we didn't know what happened to him since the beginning of the book and it makes her 'quest' seem that much more childish and annoying.  Also, the entire book is in flashbacks/one way dialogue.  It makes it kind of hard to build any real semblances of relationships between Zara and the other characters based on the present and not past events/interactions.  Overall, I felt like something was missing from the story that was crucial to me becoming invested in it.  I spent the majority skimming through disinterestedly.  This was not the book for me, but I'm sure there is someone out there who will love it.  I just wouldn't recommend it personally unless you feel some kind of unflagging desire to read it.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication is August 27th, 2013.**

The Girl Who Wouldn't Submit and Say 'Die'

 

Expected Publication:  June 11th, 2013 

The Girl Who Was Supposed To Die

By: April Henry

Henry Holt and Co.

ISBN-13:  9780805095418

 

“Take her out back and finish her off.”


She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.


In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

 

Review

 

     Cady wakes up in a place she doesn't recognize, not even knowing her own name.  But she's missing fingernails, has been beaten and hears two men arguing about killing her once and for all.  So she escapes to save her life, and it is very dangerous.  Once she's on the outside, Cady is taken under the wing of a mysterious teenage boy named Ty who gives her a place to stay and helps her hide from the people who come hunting her down.  But although Cady can run, she can't hide and time is running out for her and her family.  Can she protect herself, expose a secret conspiracy and save her family before it's too late?   I have read other books by April Henry before, my favorite of which was called Girl, Stolen and it starts out similar to this one.  I always wondered what would have happened if the main character, Cheyenne, in that book hadn't been blind.  The existence of Cady kind of answered that question for me as a reader!  She was a bad-ass, no question about that.  Even when she had no clue who she really was and thought she might have accidentally killed a man, Cady was determined to find answers and wouldn't let herself be caught.  The beginning and middle of the book are intense and kept me on the edge of my seat.  You discover everything as Cady does, so things come of as much as surprise to the reader as the characters.  I liked that Ty chose to risk himself to help the downtrodden girl in his line at McDonald's - and that he kept helping once he realized it was a life or death situation.  The action is very fast paced and the conclusion races toward you when reading it.  But I felt like the situation with "Aunt Lizzie" was glaringly obvious and definitely a step down from the subtler terrors of the book's beginning and middle.  Also, the introduction of the evil company working on *SPOILERS!!!* biological warfare was a bit much.  I mean, yeah, I could see an evil corporation torturing a teenager to get at her parent(s), but the CEO being involved reminded me of some campy cartoon villain.  "If it wasn't for those darn kids..."  I felt like things were wrapped up far too neatly at the end, with no true consequences (everyone lives and the bad guys are punished adequately, plus Cady gets the guy).  I did think that the reason Cady blocked everything out made complete sense though.  Overall, the plot was well drawn, the mystery was interesting and it was fairly decent in execution.  I just felt like there was some sloppiness near the end and that it became a little bit of a caricature of itself.

 

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via Netgalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is June 11th, 2013.*

Let Down Your Hair...

Expected Publication: February 12th, 2013

Rapunzel Untangled

By: Cindy C. Bennett

Cedar Fort, Inc.

ISBN-13: 9781462111565

Rapunzel is not your average teenager. 

For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is. 

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.

*SPOILER ALERT!*

Review

     Rapunzel is just a normal teenage girl.  If you ignore the fact that she's never left her house, lives locked in a tower, has hair fifteen feet long and her Mother thinks she will save the world someday.  But Gothel has also told Rapunzel that she has SCID - Severe Combined Immunodeficiency disorder which means that she will probably die if she goes outside the house.  Only supposed to use the computer for schoolwork, Rapunzel follows the rules to the letter until one day she stumbles onto Facebook and befriends a boy from the local high school.  When Fane begins to communicate with her, Rapunzel starts to realize just how much she's really been missing from the world outside.  As she questions the real reasons for why she's locked up and what the truth about her family is, Rapunzel gathers strength in realizing that she can have everything she's ever  wanted - if she can only break free!   Will Rapunzel be able to survive when the chilling truth is revealed?  This was an interesting concept - a modern retelling of Rapunzel, using Facebook as the outlet into the real world that introduces her to her 'prince' and liberates her.  I really enjoyed the fact that Rapunzel is not written as a stupid character, in an attempt to portray innocence.  The author showcases instead the naivness that her isolation has ingrained into her whole personality.  Fane was a fun, class clown type of guy and I was glad that he and Rapunzel's relationship was done so sweetly.  If he had been the least bit 'mature' about the situation in the typical ways, it would have turned creepy pretty fast.  Romantic moments between them were innocent, which was a a refreshing change, with how fast a lot of the YA book romances move nowadays.  The idea that Gothel is a deranged occultist was definitely not something I'd ever seen before (the immortality obsession in Tangled probably comes the closest).  The eventual showdown between Rapnuzel, Gothel and the cult leader felt more than a little over-dramatic and bordering on fantasy (which was a stark, obvious change from the rest of the book's realism).  Other than that hiccup in the inherent genre and pacing of the book, it was extremely well written.  My only other complaint would be the complete lack of resolution over the kidnapping with Rapunzel's real parents.  I was smiling almost the entire time I was reading and it was finished in almost one sitting.  I couldn't put it down.  Overall, this book was worth reading and fresh in the re-telling side of the fairy tale genre that keeps getting beaten like a dead horse.  At least this corpse was a horse of a different color.  I would recommend it to people like me who are huge fairy tale fans, but don't mind the modern age colliding with the classic tales.

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is February 12th, 2013.*

Finally, The One and Only Jennie Spring!

Expected Publication:  January 8th, 2013

Janie Face To Face (Janie Johnson # 5)

By: Caroline B. Cooney

Delacorte Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13:  9780385742061

In this riveting and emotional conclusion to the thriller-romance Janie series, that started with The Face on the Milk Carton, all will be revealed as readers find out if Janie and Reeve’s love has endured, and whether or not the person who brought Janie and her family so much emotional pain and suffering is brought to justice.

Review

       It has been two years since Janie Johnson discovered that her other Father, Frank Johnson, knew where her kidnapper (his biological daughter) was the entire time the FBI was looking for her and he was sending checks to support her.  Since stopping the support, dealing with Frank's failing health and Miranda's incompetence in a crisis situation, Janie has almost gotten past everything.  Janie is at college in New York, equidistant to visit both sets of parents.  She has made new friends who know nothing about her past as a kidnap victim and is finally able to breathe, standing on her own two feet.  Janie is gravitating towards her real parents, Jonathon and Donna Spring, and her siblings after fighting the reality of them since she found out about her kidnapping.  She is finally becoming Jennie Spring, after all the years of being Janie Jonhson.  But now there is a true-crime writer named Calvin Vinesett poking into the family's harsh past.  When someone betrays her to the writer, Janie is pushed back into boy-next-door Reeve's arms.  Happy as she is, Janie still hasn't heard the last of the writer and with him finding a way into her personal business, Hannah also grows closer than ever before.  Will Janie's kidnapper ruin her life once and for all, or will she finally get her happy ending?

       I, like many readers of the Face on the Milk Carton books, felt like What Janie Found left things far too unresolved.  I wanted to know whether Janie and Reeve would end up together, where she would go to college, whether or not she would ever really try to connect with the rest of the Spring family.  The most important unresolved question was whether mentally unstable Hannah would ever be caught and locked up.  All of these questions are answered and we finally get a window into Hannah's reasons for her actions.  She came across as unbelievably cunning in the final few chapters for someone who acts ridiculously childish and has zero reasoning skills for the majority of the book.  Then again, it did make sense in a very twisted way.  I liked the different POVs, letting us see what was happening with basically everyone.  I felt like we could have done without Sarah-Charlotte on that front though.  She was sort of extraneous as a character.  I like seeing where Stephen, Jodie, Brian and Brendan were and what they were doing.  The fact that Janie finally accepts her other family made me fist-pump in joy.  I loved that she became Jennie in the end, like she was always meant to be.  Overall, a great conclusion to a harrowing and heart-breaking series.  Thank you Ms. Cooney, for finally letting them be happy! :)

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

**I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is January 8th, 2013.**

Sparks Fly, When I'm Kissing You

Expected Publication: August 14th, 2012

Kissing Shakespeare

By: Pamela Mingle

Random House Children's Books

ISBN-13: 9780385741965

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school's staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide. 

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she'd like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he's a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen's really from. He wants Miranda use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will lost its greatest playwright. 

Miranda isn't convinced she's the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it's her only chance of getting back to the present and her "real" life. What Miranda doesn't bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

Review

   Miranda's parents are famous Shakespearean actors and she has always aspired to be an actor someday as well.  But she has always felt like she is inferior and talent-less compared to them.  After what she thinks is a disastrous performance  as Kate in 'Taming of the Shrew', Miranda is hiding backstage.  Then her fellow castmate Stephen Langford finds her and all Hell breaks loose.  It turns out that Stephen is not from this century and he takes Miranda back to the 16th century with him - so she can save Shakespeare. Or so Stephen says.  It turns out that to save him Stephen seems to think that Miranda needs to seduce him.  Apparently Shakespeare is considering joining the Jesuit priesthood, a dangerous occupation during Elizabeth I's reign.  It is a possible death sentence, which would deprive the world of Shakespeare's genius.  Therefore it's Miranda's job to tempt him out of that choice.  Can she manage to save Shakespeare, even if it means sacrificing herself?  Also, Miranda's heart is in danger of being captured, but not by the famous playwright...  This book has two of the things that I love the most - Shakespeare and time travel!  I loved smarmy time traveler, Stephen Langford who confuses Miranda as a girl of loose morals after watching too much 'Gossip Girl.'  Which leads him to think she's perfect for seducing Shakespeare.  It is interesting to see Elizabethan life portrayed including the Jesuit plight, because it's something I've personally never encountered and never expected to in a YA novel!  The description of the book makes it sound lighthearted and at times it is.  But there is a lot of underlying depth, including Stephen's tragic romantic past.  My main complaint would be Miranda's lack of individual thought.  She went along with Stephen's plans for her, even if it was with quite a fight.  Not to mention, she was a majorly spoiled brat.  If your biggest problem in life as a rich teenager is not being a great Shakespearean actor like Mommy and Daddy...well boo freaking hoo!  Also, her blase attitude about losing her virginity was truly annoying.  But by the end of the novel Miranda really showed some major character development and the conclusion to her romance with Stephen left me crying.  It was an enjoyable read, I love any book with time travel that is fairly well done and this one fits the bill.  I recommend to Shakespeare, romance and time travel fans who like a little humor mixed into their books.

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is August 14th, 2012.*

Dancing With Myself...

Expected Publication: August 21st, 2012

Beautiful Lies

By: Jessica Warman

Walker Children's

ISBN-13: 9780802723383

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins—so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they’ve lived with since their parents passed away, can’t tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong—especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself? Master storyteller Jessica Warman will keep readers guessing when everything they see—and everything they are told—suddenly becomes unreliable in this page-turning literary thriller.

Review

   Rachel and Alice are identical twins.  That's not so abnormal, right?  Except for the fact that they're so identical that their parents were the only ones able to tell them apart.  They shared a placenta and an amniotic sac, both surviving against all odds.  They have a connection to each other emotionally that most people view as impossible.  But ever since their parents died and they were sent to live with their Aunt and Uncle, they've grown further apart than either girl dreamed could happen.  Alice has become wild and unpredictable, leaving Rachel stuck being the responsible and boring twin that everyone depends on.  No one other than the twins knows about the times they've switched places.  Not until Rachel is kidnapped while pretending to be Alice.  Than Alice must use all of her wits to find out what has happened to her sister, before the kidnapper comes looking for the twin they meant to take the first time - her.  Can Alice save Rachel from the darkness she brought her into?  Was Rachel who she pretended to be or will Alice uncover unimaginable secrets?  The ending will come sooner or later and it will be something you never expected.  This book had me gripped from the beginning, with the psychic twin connection and the kidnapping mystery.  It was astounding to me that Alice could get away with pretending to be Rachel for so long with no one noticing.  I wasn't shocked that Rachel felt trapped by Alice's irresponsibility and was keeping secrets from her.  NO siblings tell each other everything - even identical twins as close as Alice and Rachel are.  I liked the inclusion of the family life while Alice was searching for Rachel.  Each of the family members - Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, handicapped Cousin - added something intrinsic to the plot and furthered the story or character development in some way.  That said, I was pretty disappointed in the way the book ended.  The true facts about Alice's boyfriend Robin were so cliched it was unbelievable at first that the author chose that direction to go in with that thread of story.  I did like the side story with the twins' friend Kimber, who had all sorts of family issues of her own.  The identity of the kidnapper was a similar situation - so obvious and cliched that it really pissed me off.  Also, outcome for the twins made me angry as well.  Seriously, that's how Jessica Warman is going to end such a suspenseful and original mystery/paranormal story?  Overall it was worth reading if you're a mystery fan and fascinated by twins.  Otherwise, it was unfortunately forgettable.

VERDICT:  

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is August 21st, 2012.*

In the Dead of Night Terrifying Things Happen...

Expected Publication: July 8th, 2012
Dead of Night (The Youngbloods # 2)
By: Lynn Viehl
Flux Books
ISBN-13:  9780738726465

True love . . . and an undying obsession
Catlyn Youngblood has a secret life. Despite being a natural-born vampire hunter like her two older brothers, Cat has fallen for Jesse--an ageless boy from a centuries-old vampire clan.
Cat's job cataloguing rare, mystical texts at a bookstore allows her to meet with Jesse alone every evening. But when girls who look disturbingly similar to Cat start disappearing from town, Cat and Jesse discover frightening clues to their whereabouts within the book collection. Together, they must stop a crazed man from realizing his dark scheme-- one that would claim Cat's life.

Review

   Catlyn Youngblood only recently moved to Lost Lake with her brothers, Trick and Gray, but the last few months have been eventful.  Cat found out that she is descended from Van Helsing and has special powers that allow her to hunt vampires - including some vampire blood in her family tree.  But that's the last thing she wants to do after falling in love with Jesse Raven, a mysterious teenage boy who along with his parents, doesn't age.  He is almost a vampire but not quite.  After Trick tries to make her forget the last few months and Jesse altogether with his mind control abilities, Cat plays along so she'll be free from suspicion and able to see Jesse in secret again.  To help this idea along, Cat gets a holday job cataloguing a rare, occult book collection of the town's recently deceased recluse.  But then girls begin disappearing from town under mysterious circumstances - girls who look almost exactly like Cat.  Is she going to be next?  What does the mysterious kidnapper hope to gain and how sinister can circumstances get before someone is almost lost forever?  This book was a good follow-up to the first of the series.  I enjoy the idea of Van Helsing's descendants and their supernatural powers.  Cat is just an average girl with a good family life and awesome brothers (even if it is sans parents) and this highly appeals to me.  I loved the subplot with the out of control horse, Rika, but even I (totally horse uneducated) could get what her problem was.  It took them way too long to figure that one out.  The whole 'deranged and on a quest for immortality' thing wasn't exactly new, but it was still entertaining.  Cat gets some more revelations about her powers and family history in this book.  My main complaint would be the lackluster romance between Cat and Jesse.  They verge on Edward/Bella, with the main difference being I like Cat and Jesses as individuals - they're just not that great together.  Their relationship is pretty boring and vanilla, because those are the traits they bring out in each other.  The rating for this book probably would have been a star lower, if not for Viehl's jaw-dropping, wall-punching cliffhanger.  It's something that was present at the end of the first book too.  I can't wait to see where it leads.  I would recommend this to readers who were intrigued by the first book.  Don't bypass it, or else you probably won't be sucked in at all to the plot and overall character shenanigans. 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is July 8th, 2012.*

Blood and Tears, My Sacrifice...

Published: September 20th, 2011
The Girl of Fire and Thorns
By: Rae Carson
Greenwillow Books
ISBN-13: 9780062026484



Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

Review

   This book is all about Elisa's journey from a fat, lazy, self-loathing young princess to a brave and strong young woman.  At the beginning of the novel we meet Elisa on her sixteenth birthday - also to be her wedding day to a man she has never met, King Alejandro.  She is to replace the wife he lost in childbirth years before and give power to his kingdom against the Inviernos, a warring race that is attacking his kingdom through the Godstone in her navel.  Elisa was blessed as a baby to be the one person in her century who carries the godstone, who is destined to do great things.  Most of the carriers die very young with nothing accomplished.  As with fantasy novels, things do not go according to plan quite so smoothly.  Elisa is introduced as a guest and told to keep their marriage a 'secret' for now.  Their traveling party is attacked on the way into the kingdom, forcing she and her maidservant to each kill a man.  Political machinations and court intrigue surround her.  She feels completely out of her element.  Then she is kidnapped by people from a village in the desert of the kingdom who are desperate for the 'power and blessing' the godstone is said to bring.  Elisa must become a warrior of mind and body if she is to survive and save her people from the Inviernos and the evil Animagus sorcerers.  I loved this book in so many ways!  It reminded me greatly of Tamora Pierce, but I lived inside this book in a way I've never been able to in hers.  Probably because Elisa was flawed and deeply human, so very relatable it astonished me at times.  Sometimes the ungainliness of the religious rules/codes, names of the peoples/kingdoms were distracting, but when a whole new world and its mythology are being created, that is bound to happen at times.  This book ended with some resolution but also lingering questions.  I cannot wait to see what Rae Carson has in store for the readers in the next book of the series.  Elisa definitely has more adventures left in her!

VERDICT: 4/5  Stars

*No money was exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores and online.*