Review: The Escape

The Escape
Author: Hannah Jayne
Publication Date: July 7th 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

When two boys walk into the woods, and one comes out covered in blood, what would you believe?
Fletcher and Adam venture into the woods for an afternoon hike, but when day turns into night and neither boy returns, their town is thrown into turmoil. Avery, the detective's daughter, is the one to find Fletcher—dishelved, disoriented, and covered in blood. He has no memory of what happened, but Avery can't shake the feeling that something's off. When Adam's body is finally found, Avery is determined to uncover the truth. But if she stands by her gut, and Fletcher, is she standing by a friend, or a murderer? The answer might cost her her life

I officially think I need to step away from thrillers/psychological thrillers for a while, because I think I'm at the point where I've read so many they all seem to be running on the same formula. That's not to say The Escape wasn't good-because it is-but makes it more predictable-which it was-but I'll go more into that in a minute. 

Review: Mind Games

Mind Games
Author: Teri Terry
Publication Date: March 5th 2015
Publisher: Orchard Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Luna is a no-hoper with a secret: in a world of illusion, she can see what is real. But can she see the truth before it is too late?

Luna has always been able to exist in virtual and real worlds at the same time, a secret she is warned to keep. She hides her ability by being a Refuser: excluded by choice from the virtual spheres others inhabit. But when she is singled out for testing, she can’t hide any longer.

The safest thing to do would be to fail, to go back to a dead-end life, no future. But Luna is starting to hope for something better, and hope is a dangerous thing

Mind Games is very imaginative-and for me, unique, since I haven't read one like it before-I'm not going to discredit that, but that was the only main good thing I liked about it. I didn't hate it,  it was pretty interesting, so that kept me reading, but there's something quite...off about it, that I can't put my finger on. Overall, I had a few issues with it.

Review: A Wicked Thing

A Wicked Thing
Author: Rhiannon Thomas
Publication Date: February 24th 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of Sleeping Beauty and what happens after happily ever after.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept.

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.

A Wicked Thing is a perfectly okay book. The characters are okay. The writing is okay. The whole feel of a fairytale is good. But for me, that's all it was. Not great. Not bad. But good. Good. That's where the problem lies. There were a lot of doors that were open during the story that were never really closed, and if it would've taken one of those open doors and ran with it, I think it would've made it a lot stronger than it was, because I felt like it didn't go anywhere as such. Stuck in the palace. The Queen spewing some commands and lies at her. Aurora complaining and bitching in her head but nodding and acting like the doll they tell her to be. Sneaking out at night. Next day. Stuck in the palace. The Queen spewing some commands and lies at her. Aurora complaining and bitching in her head but nodding and acting like the doll they tell her to be. Sneaking out at night. How entertaining.

Review: Spiders

 
Spiders
Author: Tom Hoyle
Publication Date: November 6th 2014        
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

From the author of Thirteen: a fast-paced thriller for teens set in a world where ordinary kids are confronted by evil.

Adam may have survived once, but a cult still has him in its sights. And this time he may not escape with his life...

Abbie's dad is an undercover agent, tasked with exposing dangerous cults. He's normally able to maintain his distance, but this time Abbie's worried he's in too deep.

Megan was sure she and Adam were safe, but now he's gone missing on a school ski trip in Scotland and she's the only one who can help him . . .

The web is closing in around them . . .

Spiders is hard to review, though I knew what it was about I was still confused, it's written in third person so we have a range of different perspectives that it's a jumble of just names at first and never one for long to get comfortable with until the ball started rolling.

Review: This is How it Ends

 

 
This is How it Ends
Author: Jen Nadol
Publication Date: October 7th 2014        
Publisher: Simon Pulse
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

If you could see the future, would you want to? After the disturbing visions Riley and his friends see turn out to be more than hallucinations, fate takes a dangerous twist in this dark and suspenseful page-turner.

Riley and his friends are gearing up for their senior year by spending one last night hanging out in the woods, drinking a few beers, and playing Truth or Dare. But what starts out as a good time turns sinister when they find a mysterious pair of binoculars. Those who dare to look through them see strange visions, which they brush off as hallucinations. Why else would Riley see himself in bed with his best friend’s girlfriend—a girl he’s had a secret crush on for years?

In the weeks that follow, the visions begin to come true...including a gruesome murder. One of Riley’s closest friends is now the prime suspect. But who is the murderer? Have Riley and his friends really seen the future through those mysterious binoculars? And what if they are powerless to change the course of events?

I wanted This is How it Ends to be something different, and it certainly had the elements to make it something different, it was right there. But the part that would've made it different was on the backburner and paved its way to drama instead.

Now, the element of the binoculars and what the represented would've been great, if it went into it more. Which, you'd think it would, but in fact, they only made a brief appearance in the beginning and was a while again before they were used. More talked about than anything, but nothing really helpful, everytime it was brought up it felt like we were walking in circles. I thought it would integrate into the story a lot better than it  did, we spend the whole book wondering what the hell they really are, what they can do, if anything of it is real. We have some hints along the way, but nothing you'd really pick up on, and by the time you got to the big revelation it just felt rushed and fell flat. It didn't seem plausible because you didn't get a chance to really understand. The whole thing felt long-winded into the build up, and just didn't live up to it.

Review: House of Ivy & Sorrow

House of Ivy & Sorrow
Author:  Natalie Whipple

Publication Date: April 15th 2014
~A copy was provided by HarperTeen and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~

 

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Josephine Hemlock has spent the last 10 years hiding from the Curse that killed her mother. But when a mysterious man arrives at her ivy-covered, magic-fortified home, it’s clear her mother’s killer has finally come to destroy the rest of the Hemlock bloodline. Before Jo can even think about fighting back, she must figure out who she’s fighting in the first place. The more truth Jo uncovers, the deeper she falls into witchcraft darker than she ever imagined. Trapped and running out of time, she begins to wonder if the very Curse that killed her mother is the only way to save everyone she loves.

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I was pleasantly surprised with The House of Ivy and Sorrow, after Transparency, which let's say, I hated didn't really like all that much. Probably since it was being compared to X-Men, and it didn't even come close, and I'm very protective of X-Men. It's serious, okay?  And since The House of Ivy and Sorrow had nothing to even remotely to do with that, what the hell?

And I enjoyed it. (I know.)

Review: Anything to Have You

Anything to Have You
Author:  Paige Harbison

Publication Date:  January 28th 2014                    

~A copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys.

Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.

Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means

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While I did enjoy Anything to Have You, there was something just...off about it for me, that I don't even know what it was, but I did enjoy it, though if some of the characters had their way, I wouldn't have.