This is a bind up of two books called Walk of the Spirits and Shadow Mirror. I did not find these to be as good as her Unseen series but they were good enough to read through both of them.
Walk of the Spirits
In this story we have Miranda who just survived hurricane Katrina and has moved to another town called St. Yvette and discovers that she has special talents to see, help and speak to the dead. At first she is pretty unsettled over this whole affair but gradually is able to handle things and help those on the other side who have lost their way. In the midst of this she makes some great friends who try their best to help her while they put together a project called Walk of the spirits for school. They learn a lot more about Miranda's abilities and who she is supposed to help.
I think that this story is more plot driven with some good bits of history thrown in. It had a good tale to tell but I felt like it lacked depth and did not have enough action or excitement. I think it could have been so much more than it was. The love triangle in this story Between Gage, Miranda and Etienne just felt odd to me, kind of off. It did not seem like any of them really wanted to fight for anyone which made it feel pretty unrealistic and really kind of non existent.
The cast of characters were pretty good, with plenty of protagonists, but it lacked antagonists. I feel like a good story needs both good and bad characters to be successful. However, my favorite character ended up being Roo. She is quite the girl. She is strong, vocal, and sometimes annoying, but she knows what she wants and she is not afraid to speak her mind. It really bothered me that there were no villains in this book and I think it would have been so much better with bad guys running amuck.
I rated this first story 3 stars because it flowed pretty well, and I feel there was enough to keep my interest and to continue on to the next story in the bind up.
Shadow Mirror
In this story we have all of the same characters plus a couple new ones, but still no villains of any kind. This one I felt was better than Walk of the Spirtis. It has more action and excitement and still more plot driven than character driven. Miranda discovers new spirits that she needs to help by way of mirrors and a plantation called Belle Chandelle.
I liked the premise of this story much more than the first story. I think it flowed better and had a better, more exciting tale to tell. A lot more was going on in this one and it had a creepier air to the story. I do like how the story carried over from the other one and improved in doing so. It felt a bit more realistic.
The characters were pretty much the same although they did grow a little bit. I still think it would have been better if we would have had a villain of some sort in the story. The love triangle was still quite dull until more towards the end of the book, so it is not very memorable at all. I feel like the characters were just playing each other, and not just the ones in the love triangle.
I rated this story a 4 star based on the excitement of the plot which gives my overall rating of the book a 3.5 stars. If you want a YA ghost story than this is probably good for you, but if you want a believable creepy tale you might need to try something else like her Unseen Series which I feel is much better than this one.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Trauma - Graham Masterton - 3 stars
This book was nothing like I thought it would be and that was a little disappointing. I was expecting a good, chilling, paranormal horror story as he usually writes, but it was more a mystery with a small paranormal element. The book was still pretty good and still engaging. I also found that it was very fluid and easy to read.
In this story we have Bonnie Winter who cleans up the crime scenes once they have been searched and evidence has been collected. She has all the best cleaning agents to make a scene seem almost normal again. Bonnie starts to find things becoming a bit odd among some of these horrific, chilling scenes, something is amiss when she starts to discover black caterpillars on the scene and she tries to figure things out.
When I read the synopsis of the story it seemed like a really good premise but I felt it was a some what predictable. I thought though that it would still be ok as long as it was a good solid paranormal horror. It wasn't exactly what I had expected it to be and I think it could have been so much more than it was. It was not boring by any means but it lacked depth and excitement.
I did not like the characters very much in this story at all, including Bonnie. I found that they could have been developed so much better than they were. It was hard to connect to any of them. Bonnie went through a lot with her job, and then also on the home front with her husband Duke and son, Ray. It seemed like nobody really cared about that and it was about what Bonnie could do for them, and then Bonnie would just go along and say everything was just fine. She was weak natured lot of the time and then other times she wasn't. I got mixed vibes where she was concerned, she just did not seem to be very solid.
I am still going to give this book a 3 star because it as actually a quick fun read that anyone who likes paranormal, mysteries or even urban legends could still probably enjoy.
In this story we have Bonnie Winter who cleans up the crime scenes once they have been searched and evidence has been collected. She has all the best cleaning agents to make a scene seem almost normal again. Bonnie starts to find things becoming a bit odd among some of these horrific, chilling scenes, something is amiss when she starts to discover black caterpillars on the scene and she tries to figure things out.
When I read the synopsis of the story it seemed like a really good premise but I felt it was a some what predictable. I thought though that it would still be ok as long as it was a good solid paranormal horror. It wasn't exactly what I had expected it to be and I think it could have been so much more than it was. It was not boring by any means but it lacked depth and excitement.
I did not like the characters very much in this story at all, including Bonnie. I found that they could have been developed so much better than they were. It was hard to connect to any of them. Bonnie went through a lot with her job, and then also on the home front with her husband Duke and son, Ray. It seemed like nobody really cared about that and it was about what Bonnie could do for them, and then Bonnie would just go along and say everything was just fine. She was weak natured lot of the time and then other times she wasn't. I got mixed vibes where she was concerned, she just did not seem to be very solid.
I am still going to give this book a 3 star because it as actually a quick fun read that anyone who likes paranormal, mysteries or even urban legends could still probably enjoy.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Dolores Claiborne - Stephen King - 4.5 stars
This was the first book I chose to read for the Spookfest Read-A-Thon and one of the few I have not read of Stephen King's works. Let me first say that this is not a horror book as I first thought it would be come from Stephen King. It is, in a way, a mix of historical fiction and mystery. I loved that and I have to say that it was very engaging, very fluid and easy to read. King tells a very powerful tale with this book.
In this book we have a woman named Delores Claiborne whose husband died 30 years ago, and is now being questioned for the death of Vera Donovan, a woman that she worked for as a housekeeper. This story is her account of the time spent with Ms. Donovan up till her death. Since the people of Little Tall Island have been waiting for 30 years to find out what really happened when her husband had died, she felt she had no choice but tell everything she knew and give her own testimony to these events.
I really enjoyed this story a lot but I did have a couple of issues with the book itself. I did not enjoy the style of writing for this one because it was wrote in a way that Dolores was flashbacking as she shared her account of everything to Andy Bissette, the detective handling this case. So there was not much dialogue to the story. Thankfully it did not hinder the fluidity all that much. Also there were no chapters to this book so really no markers or divisions in the story at all. Other than that I loved the premise of the story, the imagery and the characters. I also loved the historical elements to the book as well. Taking us back to the 1960's where women were not really viewed as the stronger sex and had to be 'taught' certain lessons in their homes and kept in line. Hard to believe things were like that and I think King did well with bringing these issues to light.
I really found that I loved Delores, and to me she is one of the most unforgettable ok King' characters. She did not live a simple life at all. She had a drunk as a husband and she had to work hard her entire life just to make ends met. She makes horrifying discoveries within her family and has to deal with that as well. Despite these issues she deals with, she is still very strong. She also learned from mistakes, she stood up for herself and her children, and she told it how it was most times. She had a great love for her children, and had great family values until things would go a bit far and then she was hell on wheels. I find that she was probably the only character that I really liked in this story even if her actions were sometimes questionable.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of history, mystery and a little thriller thrown in. Stephen King is so diverse I am convinced that he can write anything and this book is sure to please just about anyone. I am giving this book a 4.5 stars.
In this book we have a woman named Delores Claiborne whose husband died 30 years ago, and is now being questioned for the death of Vera Donovan, a woman that she worked for as a housekeeper. This story is her account of the time spent with Ms. Donovan up till her death. Since the people of Little Tall Island have been waiting for 30 years to find out what really happened when her husband had died, she felt she had no choice but tell everything she knew and give her own testimony to these events.
I really enjoyed this story a lot but I did have a couple of issues with the book itself. I did not enjoy the style of writing for this one because it was wrote in a way that Dolores was flashbacking as she shared her account of everything to Andy Bissette, the detective handling this case. So there was not much dialogue to the story. Thankfully it did not hinder the fluidity all that much. Also there were no chapters to this book so really no markers or divisions in the story at all. Other than that I loved the premise of the story, the imagery and the characters. I also loved the historical elements to the book as well. Taking us back to the 1960's where women were not really viewed as the stronger sex and had to be 'taught' certain lessons in their homes and kept in line. Hard to believe things were like that and I think King did well with bringing these issues to light.
I really found that I loved Delores, and to me she is one of the most unforgettable ok King' characters. She did not live a simple life at all. She had a drunk as a husband and she had to work hard her entire life just to make ends met. She makes horrifying discoveries within her family and has to deal with that as well. Despite these issues she deals with, she is still very strong. She also learned from mistakes, she stood up for herself and her children, and she told it how it was most times. She had a great love for her children, and had great family values until things would go a bit far and then she was hell on wheels. I find that she was probably the only character that I really liked in this story even if her actions were sometimes questionable.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of history, mystery and a little thriller thrown in. Stephen King is so diverse I am convinced that he can write anything and this book is sure to please just about anyone. I am giving this book a 4.5 stars.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Chocolate Covered Forbidden Fruit - Trista Russell - 4 stars
I was really not sure about reading this book because it is way out of my comfort zone, but I decided that I would just go with it and give it a try. I have to say that the book was well written, engaging and it flowed very well. I thought it was easy to understand and was quite enjoyable. I am glad that I decided to go ahead and finally read it.
In this book we follow a girl named Thalia Tyree and her near obsession with the Pastor Isaac Flack, who just happens to be her best friends dad. So this is pretty much a story about her life, her ups and downs, in and outs, failures, mistakes and accomplishments. She also gets herself into some pretty sticky situations. She goes on a vacation with her friends to Daytona Beach, things get a little wild and stuff happen while they are there. There is some dark content to this book that I did not expect at all, and of course a few 'sexy times' as well.
I really like Thalia a lot and the fact that readers watch her grow throughout the story. At first I was not to sure about her and did not like her all that much. But she grew on me pretty quickly through all of her mistakes and short comings. There are a lot of interesting characters to sort through in this story, most of them are very likable and then there are a couple that I would prefer to shoot, but they make great, believable villains.
This book presents a pretty powerful message and also had a lot of different elements such as religion, romance, love, darkness, and recklessness and it really made the story more interesting to me and presented some unexpected events. I found that it also made the story unpredictable and that is always good.
I recommend this to anyone as long as you can handle some darker issues and a few rather descriptive sex scenes. I think this is a pretty decent read since the story is more about Thalia maturing and making some bad decisions along the way and how she deals with some rather severe issues in her life.
In this book we follow a girl named Thalia Tyree and her near obsession with the Pastor Isaac Flack, who just happens to be her best friends dad. So this is pretty much a story about her life, her ups and downs, in and outs, failures, mistakes and accomplishments. She also gets herself into some pretty sticky situations. She goes on a vacation with her friends to Daytona Beach, things get a little wild and stuff happen while they are there. There is some dark content to this book that I did not expect at all, and of course a few 'sexy times' as well.
I really like Thalia a lot and the fact that readers watch her grow throughout the story. At first I was not to sure about her and did not like her all that much. But she grew on me pretty quickly through all of her mistakes and short comings. There are a lot of interesting characters to sort through in this story, most of them are very likable and then there are a couple that I would prefer to shoot, but they make great, believable villains.
This book presents a pretty powerful message and also had a lot of different elements such as religion, romance, love, darkness, and recklessness and it really made the story more interesting to me and presented some unexpected events. I found that it also made the story unpredictable and that is always good.
I recommend this to anyone as long as you can handle some darker issues and a few rather descriptive sex scenes. I think this is a pretty decent read since the story is more about Thalia maturing and making some bad decisions along the way and how she deals with some rather severe issues in her life.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Iron Daughter - Julie Kagawa - 4.5 stars
I am reading this series for a read along with friends. One of the concerns I had for the series was that they would not get increasingly better than the last because I had been told that book 1 was the best of them. This is book 2 in the series and I liked it even more than the first one and that made me very happy. The only real issue I had was trying to figure out why the book was titled The Iron Daughter. I guess I had expected in some weird way she would instead end up being Iron fey rather than the Summer Princess, daughter of Oberon. I fel like that was left wide open.
After the death of Machina and the rescue of Ethan, Meghan's brother, she now becomes a prisoner of the Winter Queen. Fighting feelings that she has for Ash, the son of the Winter Queen, and getting increasingly tired of being in Faery, she must decide what her next move will be as she finds herself thrown into the middle of a war between kingdoms. She must learn who she can and can not trust.
One thing I love in this series is the world building and the imagery used to do that. I think the world building has improved so much from the first book. All the details of the world are brought to the reader's attention and you cant help but find yourself there among the creatures, the characters, and all the magic of the world. This series could definitely be among the greatest of fairy tales.
I find that the characters grow so much more in this installment which is what I was hoping would happen. Old characters come back to the story and new ones are introduced. Among my favorites are of course Meghan, who is no longer whiny, Ash, Puck, and surprisingly the Ironhorse who I actually fell in love with in this story. The villains are much more villainous and the readers will absolutely love to hate them.
I really think the Author took this in the right direction and I am so excited to continue on with this story and jump back into this world of magic and intrigue. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone who loves any genre. This book gets a 4.5 star from me.
After the death of Machina and the rescue of Ethan, Meghan's brother, she now becomes a prisoner of the Winter Queen. Fighting feelings that she has for Ash, the son of the Winter Queen, and getting increasingly tired of being in Faery, she must decide what her next move will be as she finds herself thrown into the middle of a war between kingdoms. She must learn who she can and can not trust.
One thing I love in this series is the world building and the imagery used to do that. I think the world building has improved so much from the first book. All the details of the world are brought to the reader's attention and you cant help but find yourself there among the creatures, the characters, and all the magic of the world. This series could definitely be among the greatest of fairy tales.
I find that the characters grow so much more in this installment which is what I was hoping would happen. Old characters come back to the story and new ones are introduced. Among my favorites are of course Meghan, who is no longer whiny, Ash, Puck, and surprisingly the Ironhorse who I actually fell in love with in this story. The villains are much more villainous and the readers will absolutely love to hate them.
I really think the Author took this in the right direction and I am so excited to continue on with this story and jump back into this world of magic and intrigue. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone who loves any genre. This book gets a 4.5 star from me.
Monday, October 20, 2014
The Haunted House - an original poem
Ok so awhile ago I wrote this Halloween poem and I decided to put it to some creepy Halloween sounds and Music. So I am sharing the link. Here ya go, enjoy!
The Haunted House
The Haunted House
Friday, October 17, 2014
Blue is for Nightmares - Laurie Faria Stolarz - 3.5 stars
I have had this book for awhile and finally decided to pick it up hoping that it would be a nice creepy book for the Halloween. And it really was a creepy book and I enjoyed it. This is a first time read for me with this author and after reading this book, I will continue on with the series.
In this book we have Stacie who is a practicing Wiccan. She and her friends attends a prep school. She has many nightmares each night warning her that her friend Drea is in danger and will ultimately be killed. Stacie must try to decipher these nightmares and save her friend before it is too late to do so.
This book was pretty fast paced and easy to read and understand. I liked the whole prep school mystery themed plot that this story is based on. There is also some pretty good imagery in this book that allows the readers to place themselves in the story, but also, on the same account I found it to be just a little predictable at times.
The only character I really liked was Stacie. I think she was pretty strong but then again I think she was weak at the hands of her friends wanting to do things that pleased them. I found that her friends were kind of cruel when it came to Stacie. They did not know what kind of friend they had in her and that bothered me. They would get into a funk or a disagreement and take it out on her. So I ended up not connecting to them and not even liking them. I was at a point of wishing Drea would just get killed anyway.
I feel like this book was more plot driven than character driven. I would have liked to have seen better developed characters, but with it being a first book I am hoping the author develops them more throughout the series. I am giving this book a 3.5 star rating, had I liked the characters I would have rated it higher. I still recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or even boarding school stories. I do look forward to the rest of the series.
In this book we have Stacie who is a practicing Wiccan. She and her friends attends a prep school. She has many nightmares each night warning her that her friend Drea is in danger and will ultimately be killed. Stacie must try to decipher these nightmares and save her friend before it is too late to do so.
This book was pretty fast paced and easy to read and understand. I liked the whole prep school mystery themed plot that this story is based on. There is also some pretty good imagery in this book that allows the readers to place themselves in the story, but also, on the same account I found it to be just a little predictable at times.
The only character I really liked was Stacie. I think she was pretty strong but then again I think she was weak at the hands of her friends wanting to do things that pleased them. I found that her friends were kind of cruel when it came to Stacie. They did not know what kind of friend they had in her and that bothered me. They would get into a funk or a disagreement and take it out on her. So I ended up not connecting to them and not even liking them. I was at a point of wishing Drea would just get killed anyway.
I feel like this book was more plot driven than character driven. I would have liked to have seen better developed characters, but with it being a first book I am hoping the author develops them more throughout the series. I am giving this book a 3.5 star rating, had I liked the characters I would have rated it higher. I still recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or even boarding school stories. I do look forward to the rest of the series.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Between the Lines - Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer - 4 stars
This is the first time read for me with this Author. I have had several of her books for quite awhile and I finally decided to pick this one up. I have to say that I am so glad I did. I also thought that it was pretty amazing that this was the idea of the Author's teenage daughter. It was such a pleasure to get immersed into the pages of this beautiful fairy tale. It has actually been a long time since I have read anything remotely close to a fairy tale, so this book was indeed very refreshing and definitely very engaging.
In this story we have Delilah who is pretty much a loner. She has a father who really does not care about her and has started a new life with a new family. She is not a part of the popular crowd in school and gets picked on. She has one friend who she shares everything with. But when that is not enough she immerses herself into a fairy tale that she has read over and over. She discovers that the characters in the story are real and she falls in love with the Prince. The story goes on from there.
One thing that I thought was brilliant about this story was the perspectives. We of course have the perspectives of Prince Oliver and Delilah, but also you get the fairy tale as the fairy tale was written. So you are getting two separate stories in one book and I really liked that. I felt like I was experiencing both worlds at the same time, but without the confusion you would suspect would go along with that. It made me think that the Author should create the pseudo name Jessamyn Jacobs and write the original fairy tale as it was created for this book.
I love the characters in this story. I think they were well created and thought out. I think they are very easy to connect to. None of them have perfect lives, in fact I feel like they wanted to live different lives. Even though Oliver is a character in Delilah's favorite fairy tale, he still appears to be very real and believable. I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book they were a joy to get to know and love.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves Jodi Picoult, or even loves a good fairy tale. I dont think it could really disappoint anyone. I am rating this book a solid 4 stars.
In this story we have Delilah who is pretty much a loner. She has a father who really does not care about her and has started a new life with a new family. She is not a part of the popular crowd in school and gets picked on. She has one friend who she shares everything with. But when that is not enough she immerses herself into a fairy tale that she has read over and over. She discovers that the characters in the story are real and she falls in love with the Prince. The story goes on from there.
One thing that I thought was brilliant about this story was the perspectives. We of course have the perspectives of Prince Oliver and Delilah, but also you get the fairy tale as the fairy tale was written. So you are getting two separate stories in one book and I really liked that. I felt like I was experiencing both worlds at the same time, but without the confusion you would suspect would go along with that. It made me think that the Author should create the pseudo name Jessamyn Jacobs and write the original fairy tale as it was created for this book.
I love the characters in this story. I think they were well created and thought out. I think they are very easy to connect to. None of them have perfect lives, in fact I feel like they wanted to live different lives. Even though Oliver is a character in Delilah's favorite fairy tale, he still appears to be very real and believable. I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book they were a joy to get to know and love.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves Jodi Picoult, or even loves a good fairy tale. I dont think it could really disappoint anyone. I am rating this book a solid 4 stars.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
One Rainy Night - Richard Laymon - 4 stars
Been a long time since I have read a Laymon book so this was certainly a pleasure to embark upon. As I have said before as far as Laymon's stuff goes, you either like him or you don't. I happen to like most of his stuff. He writes with a dark, dry, almost humorous at times with grotesque/horror elements thrown in.
In this book we start out with a murder of a black teen, he was burned to death. Shortly after the investigation starts, a storm comes to the town of Bixby and with comes a black rain. The rain causes people to go crazy with murder and cannibalism if they are caught out in it. The townspeople of Bixby who have not been affected are forced to fight for their lives.
This is definitely wrote in Laymon style. Lot of gore, sex, murder and the like and done up with imaginative, vivid and grotesque imagery. So much so that the images refuse to leave the mind once the story is over. The scenes in this one really were quite graphic. So keep that in mind if you are planning on reading this.
The characters are like they usually are in a Laymon book, quite simple and non descriptive which really does not allow readers to connect with the characters of any of his books. They are not all that believable or realistic, but it is almost ok because this is really just his style of writing. You come to expect the more you read his stuff. Almost all of his books are plot driven, and the time is put into that instead of the characters.
I thought the premise of this story was pretty awesome and per normal the book flowed very well no matter how over the top it might or might not get. If you like Laymon but have not yet read this one that you really must try it out. This book is not for the faint of heart, so if you don't like horror books then this is probably not a book for you.
In this book we start out with a murder of a black teen, he was burned to death. Shortly after the investigation starts, a storm comes to the town of Bixby and with comes a black rain. The rain causes people to go crazy with murder and cannibalism if they are caught out in it. The townspeople of Bixby who have not been affected are forced to fight for their lives.
This is definitely wrote in Laymon style. Lot of gore, sex, murder and the like and done up with imaginative, vivid and grotesque imagery. So much so that the images refuse to leave the mind once the story is over. The scenes in this one really were quite graphic. So keep that in mind if you are planning on reading this.
The characters are like they usually are in a Laymon book, quite simple and non descriptive which really does not allow readers to connect with the characters of any of his books. They are not all that believable or realistic, but it is almost ok because this is really just his style of writing. You come to expect the more you read his stuff. Almost all of his books are plot driven, and the time is put into that instead of the characters.
I thought the premise of this story was pretty awesome and per normal the book flowed very well no matter how over the top it might or might not get. If you like Laymon but have not yet read this one that you really must try it out. This book is not for the faint of heart, so if you don't like horror books then this is probably not a book for you.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Before I go to Sleep - S.J. Watson - 4 stars
I wanted to read this book once I discovered that the movie was going to be released soon. I have had it for awhile and finally started a buddy read and got to it. I am so glad that I did. I have to say for a Debut novel it was fantastic, very engaging and a little crazy at times as well. I was completely immersed in the story from beginning to end.
In this story we have Chris who has had a bad accident which caused her to have amnesia. She could not retain new memories or even remember those from her past. Everyday she struggled and went through the same thing, not knowing who she was or who her husband Ben was, having to learn it all over every time she woke up. Then she was contacted by Dr. Nash, who told her that that had been working on her memory. He had told her to keep a journal, to write everything down that happened and everything she could remember. She decided to keep her visits with Dr. Nash and her new journal a secret from Ben because she did not totally trust him yet. Eventually she began to remember bits and pieces of her life.
I loved the premise of this book which reminded me of the movie 50 First dates only this was a thriller rather than a chick lit. It was wrote mostly as a if you were reading her journal, and when there was change of perspective it was not confusing and I thought it flowed very well. I found that this book made me really think and ask a ton of questions. I did not know who was trustworthy and who was not. I found that I would have done a few things differently had I been Chris. So many thoughts in motion for this book.
As far as characters go I did not really like any of them except for Chris. I felt they all had too many secrets which made it hard to connect to anyone. But I think it was the authors intent to write them exactly that way, to his readers question everything. I do think they were created pretty decently. I have to say that I loved being inside of Chris's head. I had an urge to try and help her figure things out because she had just as many questions as I had.
IMO I think this was definitely more plot driven than character driven, but I think the premise of the story was strong enough to carry it through and make the story quite enjoyable. There was also a pretty good twist in the book that I did not expect at all, but it made complete sense to me when it was made clear to me. I would recommend this book to just about anyone, especially those who love a real good psychological thriller. A solid 4 star rating from me.
In this story we have Chris who has had a bad accident which caused her to have amnesia. She could not retain new memories or even remember those from her past. Everyday she struggled and went through the same thing, not knowing who she was or who her husband Ben was, having to learn it all over every time she woke up. Then she was contacted by Dr. Nash, who told her that that had been working on her memory. He had told her to keep a journal, to write everything down that happened and everything she could remember. She decided to keep her visits with Dr. Nash and her new journal a secret from Ben because she did not totally trust him yet. Eventually she began to remember bits and pieces of her life.
I loved the premise of this book which reminded me of the movie 50 First dates only this was a thriller rather than a chick lit. It was wrote mostly as a if you were reading her journal, and when there was change of perspective it was not confusing and I thought it flowed very well. I found that this book made me really think and ask a ton of questions. I did not know who was trustworthy and who was not. I found that I would have done a few things differently had I been Chris. So many thoughts in motion for this book.
As far as characters go I did not really like any of them except for Chris. I felt they all had too many secrets which made it hard to connect to anyone. But I think it was the authors intent to write them exactly that way, to his readers question everything. I do think they were created pretty decently. I have to say that I loved being inside of Chris's head. I had an urge to try and help her figure things out because she had just as many questions as I had.
IMO I think this was definitely more plot driven than character driven, but I think the premise of the story was strong enough to carry it through and make the story quite enjoyable. There was also a pretty good twist in the book that I did not expect at all, but it made complete sense to me when it was made clear to me. I would recommend this book to just about anyone, especially those who love a real good psychological thriller. A solid 4 star rating from me.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Afraid to Die - Lisa Jackson - 5 stars
This is the fourth book in the 'to die' series. And I have to say I have loved every single book in this series so far. With each installment, the stories just get better and better. I don't think I can really choose a favorite between the ones I have read so far. They are all equally good in story telling, writing, imagery and character development.
In this installment there is another psycho serial killer, again targeting women in Grizzly Falls, again in the ice cold temperatures of Montana. This time our villain freezes the women in blocks of ice and then he carefully chisels away and creates, in his mind, a work of art. He then places them around the town in unorthodox settings where they will be sure to be discovered most often by the towns people themselves.
As I have said before I love the imagery I find in anything Jackson writes. It has such a way that I am totally engaged and immersed in the story. I feel as though I know the area as if I lived there myself, and the people who are involved are personal friends of mine. Every detail brings every aspect of the story to life.
The characters, Alvarez and Pescoli, are my favorite detectives thus far. They are so completely different from one another, and somehow they fit together perfectly. Both of these women have some very personal issues in their pasts that has left them pretty scarred while still dealing with present issues as well. I feel like this makes them far more believable and realistic. It allows the readers to be able to connect to them so much easier.
I love how the villains in these stories are brought to the readers. Believable, yet shocking at the same time. Jackson allows readers inside the heads of her villains at different times in the story. Readers get to see what makes these guys tick first hand. I like having the different perspectives that the author writes in, it makes the story more exciting for me. I also love how the author leads her readers along a path that makes it impossible not to try and figure things out. In most cases my ideas get shut down pretty quickly steering me in another direction. And I love that, I love the chase, the mystery and trying to figure it out.
If you love Mystery and have not read any Lisa Jackson, then you definitely should. I don't think you will be disappointed.
In this installment there is another psycho serial killer, again targeting women in Grizzly Falls, again in the ice cold temperatures of Montana. This time our villain freezes the women in blocks of ice and then he carefully chisels away and creates, in his mind, a work of art. He then places them around the town in unorthodox settings where they will be sure to be discovered most often by the towns people themselves.
As I have said before I love the imagery I find in anything Jackson writes. It has such a way that I am totally engaged and immersed in the story. I feel as though I know the area as if I lived there myself, and the people who are involved are personal friends of mine. Every detail brings every aspect of the story to life.
The characters, Alvarez and Pescoli, are my favorite detectives thus far. They are so completely different from one another, and somehow they fit together perfectly. Both of these women have some very personal issues in their pasts that has left them pretty scarred while still dealing with present issues as well. I feel like this makes them far more believable and realistic. It allows the readers to be able to connect to them so much easier.
I love how the villains in these stories are brought to the readers. Believable, yet shocking at the same time. Jackson allows readers inside the heads of her villains at different times in the story. Readers get to see what makes these guys tick first hand. I like having the different perspectives that the author writes in, it makes the story more exciting for me. I also love how the author leads her readers along a path that makes it impossible not to try and figure things out. In most cases my ideas get shut down pretty quickly steering me in another direction. And I love that, I love the chase, the mystery and trying to figure it out.
If you love Mystery and have not read any Lisa Jackson, then you definitely should. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Code Zero - Jonathan Maberry - 5 stars
I waited a couple of months to read this installment of the Joe Ledger series. I find that if I wait I don't forget much of the previous book because they are way too memorable for that. So I finally decided to get cracking on book 6 as a buddy read with a couple of friends. I have to say, it was definitely time to read it. This one is by far my favorite of the bunch. And if I could rate it 10 stars I would.
This one is a sequel to Patient zero, you got it, the zombies are back. The team has to shut them down, and their leader. She calls herself Mother Night. She is one heck of a Super Villain. She wreaks havoc all over the world spreading bio warfare everywhere she goes along with her small group of followers like she is having a party and she invited the whole world.
This book was packed with heart stopping action and excitement at the turn of every page. I was totally immersed in this story. The imagery, plot, ideas, and characters were all amazing. I loved how Maberry wrote Mother Night in all her glory and viciousness. I also found myself figuring things out and then going back and doubting my previous ideas. Maberry knows how to keep his readers on their toes, not to mention the edge of their seats.
The characters of course are my favorite part of this series. They are developed beautifully, none are created as perfect individuals. All of them are flawed with their own demons which in turn pushes them to keep on fighting for the greater good. My favorite of course is Joe, and through this series I just love him more and more. One of things I like the best about Joe and his team is that no matter the subject they always puts in 100% towards everything, their job, their friends, the team and the task at hand. And with each effort the scars get bigger and bigger and I find that it make him and the team more realistic and believable.
I can't recommend this book enough, this whole series. I think everyone should read it because there is something for everyone to enjoy. Trust me when I say I don't like books on politics, or terrorism, or war, but if Maberry can write something like this in a way that can make me enjoy reading about all of it, then he has something great going on.
Don't battle with Monsters, lest you become a monster.
This one is a sequel to Patient zero, you got it, the zombies are back. The team has to shut them down, and their leader. She calls herself Mother Night. She is one heck of a Super Villain. She wreaks havoc all over the world spreading bio warfare everywhere she goes along with her small group of followers like she is having a party and she invited the whole world.
This book was packed with heart stopping action and excitement at the turn of every page. I was totally immersed in this story. The imagery, plot, ideas, and characters were all amazing. I loved how Maberry wrote Mother Night in all her glory and viciousness. I also found myself figuring things out and then going back and doubting my previous ideas. Maberry knows how to keep his readers on their toes, not to mention the edge of their seats.
The characters of course are my favorite part of this series. They are developed beautifully, none are created as perfect individuals. All of them are flawed with their own demons which in turn pushes them to keep on fighting for the greater good. My favorite of course is Joe, and through this series I just love him more and more. One of things I like the best about Joe and his team is that no matter the subject they always puts in 100% towards everything, their job, their friends, the team and the task at hand. And with each effort the scars get bigger and bigger and I find that it make him and the team more realistic and believable.
I can't recommend this book enough, this whole series. I think everyone should read it because there is something for everyone to enjoy. Trust me when I say I don't like books on politics, or terrorism, or war, but if Maberry can write something like this in a way that can make me enjoy reading about all of it, then he has something great going on.
Don't battle with Monsters, lest you become a monster.
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