Book Review: Caraval

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Released: January 31st, 2017
Read: February 2017
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Format: Hardcover, 407 pages
Series: Caraval 1

Description from Goodreads:

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world . . . 

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.


Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Review:

Holy crap this book knocked my socks off. Big time. The world that Garber painted was so real and so vivid, you could literally taste the magic in the air. I loved this book from start to finish, and it really didn't have that "boring" intro part that plagues so many YA novels today. From the beginning, I could sense that this a book, singular in it's brilliance. I thought that it was so intriguing, and I loved the characters! All of the characters felt so round, and were fully developed, it seemed that there was no line where the characters began, and their stories ended. It was seamless to say the least. Plus the plot was one of the best I've read in a good long while. It kept me guessing, and the twists and turns that it took were really hard to follow (but in a really great way!). I was kept on my toes, and I loved that there was so much to soak up. I couldn't put this book down, and I'm pretty sure I read it in a manner of two days. Plus the romance in the novel was so adorable! I really thought that it was a nice touch to the plot. In all honesty, I simply cannot wait for the sequel to drop! 

Favourite Quote:

"She imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out.” 

― Stephanie Garber, Caraval

Rating:

9.5/10 Stars

Reccomended for people who enjoy: mystery, romance, magic, fantasy, mind games, the carnival

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: Wax

Wax by Gina Damico

Released: August 2, 2016

Read: August 2016

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Format: ARC, 368 pages

Series: Stand-alone

Description on Goodreads:

    Paraffin, Vermont, is known the world over as home to the Grosholtz Candle Factory. But behind the sunny retail space bursting with overwhelming scents and homemade fudge, seventeen-year-old Poppy Palladino discovers something dark and unsettling: a back room filled with dozens of startlingly life-like wax sculptures, crafted by one very strange old lady. Poppy hightails it home, only to be shocked when one of the figures—a teenage boy who doesn’t seem to know what he is—jumps naked and screaming out of the trunk of her car. She tries to return him to the candle factory, but before she can, a fire destroys the mysterious workshop—and the old woman is nowhere to be seen.

    With the help of the wax boy, who answers to the name Dud, Poppy resolves to find out who was behind the fire. But in the course of her investigation, she discovers that things in Paraffin aren’t always as they seem, that the Grosholtz Candle Factory isn’t as pure as its reputation—and that some of the townspeople she’s known her entire life may not be as human as they once were. In fact, they’re starting to look a little . . . waxy. Can Poppy and Dud extinguish the evil that's taking hold of their town before it’s too late?

Review:

     Wax by Gina Damico is a comedic thriller about wax sculptures, stardom and immortality. The main character, Poppy, is a strong-willed aspiring actress and singer who is beyond perky and optimistic. Maybe a little TOO perky at times. With The List in hand, she could rule the world... in an organized fashion of course. The other characters, Jill, Dud, Blake, Connor, Jesus and even Greg, have something special about them: little quirks and opinions and actions that make them who they are. Greg has his ice cream jokes, Connor has his cape, and Jesus has his need to take things into his own hands. All of these traits lead to a wildly hilarious and fun novel. 

    As events passed a few discoveries were predictable, but the way the author announced and dealt with the issues was entirely new to me. Wax is a nice summer or light read that will keep you entertained and laughing until the last page. 

Favourite Quotes:

• "The machine told me to scan my coupons, so I did. Then it beeped. Then it scolded me. Then it stopped talking altogether and decided to have an existential crisis instead."
• " Good question, Dud! A gym quiz is a thing that should not be. Because the height of a basketball hoop is a piece of knowledge that will NEVER ASSIST ME IN MY DAILY LIFE." 

Rating: 7/10

Recommended if you like: contemporaries with slight fantasy, high school drama, the movie House of Wax (but this is waaaaaay more of a comedy). 

Keep flipping pages,

Lauren

Book Review: Replica

Replica by Lauren Oliver

Released: October 4, 2016

Read: September 2016

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: ARC, 544 pages

Series: Replica #1

Description on Goodreads:
    Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. 'A sickly child', her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father's connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she's always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father's name seems inextricably linked to it.
    Amidst the frenzy outside the institute's walls, Lyra - or number 24 as she is known as at Haven - and a fellow experimental subject known only as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing , they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven's purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever... 

Review: 

    When I started this book, I had two main theories:

1. Lyra was a clone version of Gemma. So when Gemma was born, her parents allowed Haven to extract part of her DNA and implant it into a willing mother to create Model 24.

2. Gemma herself was also a clone, and that's why she has heart problems (because the clones are still not perfected). She's called Frankenstein not for the reasons Gemma believes, but because she's unnatural and was created instead of born, just like Frankenstein. 

    Obviously I'm not going to say what happened with my theories, if one of them was true or if they were both failures. But I like the way it turned out. 

    Replica  by Lauren Oliver is not like other books. For one, the main plot is told through two different perspectives, each a separate story, that ends the same way. But the POV switch isn't every chapter or every three chapters. When holding a physical copy of the novel, let's say with Lyra's side on top, you could read until about halfway through the novel, and then the printing is upside down. If you reverse the book (as in physically flip it over), you could read Gemma's side of the story until halfway through the book where you yet again hit where the printing is upside down. It's literally two stories in one. 

    Now because of the two stories in one, you can read it many different ways:

1. All of one story and then all of the other.

2. One chapter of one story then one chapter of the other.

3. Like #2, but instead of only chapter by chapter, you could read multiple chapters of each at a time before switching. 

    As it turns out, I read three chapters of each before flipping, with the exception of reading a few extra chapters of one of them when I got distracted. It's really interesting that Lauren Oliver wrote Replica this way. I mean, it's never been done before and it can change the way you view the book by reading it a different way.
    The content itself I have a back and forth opinion on. I like the idea of the novel, the whole description, but the way it was written was kind of bland to me. I was left anticipating a huge revelation throughout the entire novel, but that feeling was never satisfied. I mean, come on, shouldn't all books end with a bang? Overall, it was worth reading, but I hope the sequel can grab (and hold on to) my attention. 

Favourite Quotes:

• "On very still nights sometimes we can hear them chanting, calling for us to die." -Lyra
• "Monsters, they call us. Demons. Sometimes, on sleepless nights, we wonder if they're right."   -Lyra
• "All the words she could ever want: words to stuff herself on until she was full, until her eyes burst." -Lyra
• "She wanted to say: We don't exist. She wanted to say: We have no choice. But even as she reached for the words, the cord tethering her thoughts snapped, and she was bobbing, wordless, mindless, into the dark." -Lyra
• "She didn't know what she was waiting for or looking for anymore. Only that out there, in the real world, there were no answers- nothing but vastness and things she'd never seen in real life and experiences she couldn't understand and strangers who didn't know what she was and would hate her if they did." -Lyra
• "Something leapt to life in her chest, a force beyond the guilt and the fear. It was like she'd been living in a cartoon, in two dimensions, her whole life, and had just fought free of the page." -Gemma
• "And in that second she knew, she truly understood, what Pete had said to her outside. Monsters weren't made, at least not by birth or fate or circumstance. Monsters chose to be monsters. That was the only terrible birth, the kind that happened again and again, every day."      -Gemma
• "All these people on their way to something, on their way from something. All these stories and lives, all of them orbiting temporarily around the same parking lot before spinning away from one another again." -Gemma

Rating: 6/10

Recommended if you like: fantasy, fiction, Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy, mystery 

Keep flipping pages,

Lauren 

Book Review: I Am Princess X

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
(with art by Kali Ciesemier)

Released: May 26th, 2015

Read: August 2016

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Format: Hardcover, 232 pages

Series: n/a

Description from GoodReads: Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.
   Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.
   Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window.
   Princess X?
   When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon - her best friend, Libby, who lives.

Review: This book was so good! Oh man I could talk about this book for ages! I mean, a book told partially through comics? A YA novel without romance? Girl power off the charts? This book has it all!
   It's pretty short, but honestly it could've been pulled out a little longer. I wouldn't have minded another hundred pages or so. The clues to unraveling the mystery were very well written and it kept me interested until the very end.
   May, while being pretty generic, is still a nice character. She can handle herself, and is constantly helpful and faithful to Libby throughout the book. Not to mention, she has relatable issues like forgetting to charge her laptop in crucial moments, and over-analysing things.
   Libby, who we only really see in the last few chapters is wonderfully clever, and seems to be a nice match for May.
   Oh and I forgot to mention, the art is amazing.

Quotable Quotes:
"Which meant he had about eight weeks to pull something amazing out of his butt. His butt was not being terribly helpful."
"I’d eat some pizza, if anybody decided to order one. You know. Hypothetically."
"She was a decent storyteller, but a crap liar, for all the sense that made."

Rating: 11/10

Read if You Liked: the Mysterious Benedict Society, Pretty Little Liars, Wildwood

Optimistically yours, Ola <3

Book Review: Vango

Vango: Between Sky and Earth by Timothée de Fombelle

Released: October 14, 2014

Read: July 2016

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Format: Hardcover, 432 pages

Series: Vango #1

Description from Goodreads:  A breathless adventure from international award winner Timothée de Fombelle charts a desperate search for identity across the vast expanses of Europe.
   In a world between wars, a young man on the cusp of taking priestly vows is suddenly made a fugitive. Fleeing the accusations of police who blame him for a murder, as well as more sinister forces with darker intentions, Vango attempts to trace the secrets of his shrouded past and prove his innocence before all is lost. As he crisscrosses the continent via train, boat, and even the Graf Zeppelin airship, his adventures take him from Parisian rooftops to Mediterranean islands to Scottish forests. A mysterious, unforgettable, and romantic protagonist, Vango tells a thrilling story sure to captivate lovers of daring escapades and subversive heroes.

Review: This book is a piece of art, and that only partially includes the cover. The characters are beautifully intertwined, and the way new clues are introduced make you discovered them.
  Vango is a paranoid almost-priest being chased by multiple people and countries. When have you ever heard a plot summary like that? Throughout the novel, the hunt is told from many, many interesting perspectives, and across many, many different countries. Oh boy, don't get me started on the well-crafted romance. A better love story than Romeo and Juliet (which honestly, is pretty easy to do). Vango and Ethel are madly in love but haven't seen each other since the summer they spent on the Graf Zeppelin. Ah, it's amazing.
   I was hooked from the very first, very confusing chapter, but the end left me wanting more from this novel. Not in an incomplete storytelling way, but in a "There better be a second book!!" way.
   The only issue with this book is that it's a bit slow sometimes. If you want non-stop, adrenaline high action from every scene, this is not your book. It's more of a slow thriller, and it's worth it, but it isn't high speed.

Quotable Quotes:
-"'I'm claustrophobic.''Nice to meet you! I'm paranoid.'"
-"'The shot has gone under my rib, Boulard my boy, so it must have been the shortest one who fired.' Even his final sigh was a police investigation."
-"Perhaps it was because of his wife that Pippo the farmer dreamt of becoming a sailor. There are certain people on this earth who make you want to sail very far away, and above all for a very long time."

Rating: 10/10

Read if You Liked: the 1930s in Europe, art, Paris, there are no books that I've read like this, the Leviathan (?)

Optimistically yours,
Ola

Book Review: The Third Twin

The Third Twin by CJ Omololu

Released: February 24, 2015

Read: April 2016

Publisher: Delacorte

Format: Paperback, 326 pages

Series: Stand-alone

Description on Goodreads:

    When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia's guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything. The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they'd never, ever be with in real life.

    Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect: Alicia. The girl who doesn't exist. As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer…or Alicia is real. 

Review:
    This novel left me speechless. Okay, not literally; I was screaming and couldn't stop grinning. With bodies piling higher by the day, and the suspect list narrowing, I couldn't put it down. The main characters, Lexi and Ava, although naïve at times, were very well written, and had very different personalities, which I like about twins. Ava was the out-there, social, party-all-the-time fashioniesta, while Lexi was the overachieving, anti-social book nerd. This contrast shows you that if people paid attention, they would be able to tell the difference between them. It's weird that even some of the people close to them couldn't tell.
    Okay, I don't want to give anything away, but I was completely shocked when I realized who Lexi was suppose to be with. I mean, come on, the person I liked was killed out of nowhere! I didn't think he was actually going to die in the end!
    And finally, I didn't see the murderer coming, although I usually do. That's one of the top reasons why this book was so amazing. I didn't understand how this person could be in so many places at once, and how he/she could be taking selfies of Lexi/Ava if the murderer wasn't one of them (and I'm not saying the murder actually is or isn't one of them). 

Favourite Quotes:

• " Ava's the beauty and I'm the brains, and it always amazes me when people can't tell us apart." 

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommended if you like: murder, mystery, crime, thriller, twins, flings, high school parties

Keep flipping pages,

Lauren 

What about Wednesday: Best Mysteries

Hey, y'all!
    Today we felt like we needed a little diversity from the other What about Wednesdays we've done, and we wanted to reach out to the readers out there who live for the thrill of all that is mysteries. Without further ado, here are each of our top three recommendations for Best Mysteries!




Ola's Picks:
1. Ten by Gretchen McNeil
2. The Compound by S A Bodeen
3. This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel



Mari's Picks:
1.The Diviners by Libba Bray
2.A Spy in the House by Y.S.Lee
3.Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs



Lauren's Picks:
1. The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy
2. Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
3. The Third Twin by C.J. Omololu




We hope you take our recommendations into consideration when you pick out your next whodunit!

-The trusty, always there, blog that lives life page by exhilarating page

Double Review: Riders

Riders by Veronica Rossi

Released: February 16, 2016

Publisher: Tor Teen

Format: ARC, 368 pages

Description on Goodreads:

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?

Lauren's thoughts

Read: February 2016

Review:
    Veronica Rossi has outdone herself with this timeless retelling of the classic four horsemen legend. The novel was oddly staged, letting you know right from the start that they failed, but that didn't stop me from diving right in.
    The idea that each horseman had to die before becoming a horseman, and that the way they die is related to their powers, was extremely cool. It gave me a sense of everything tying together and that each of them was an equal part of a well oiled machine. The exception was Daryn of course. She herself was a part of this 'machine' even though she was more of the mastermind behind everything. She was a complex character that knew more than she let on, and was strong even when she didn't have to be.
    What I really enjoyed about this book was the constant plot twists and the ever-rolling action. Even the way everyone met was action packed! I mean, seriously, meeting another horseman at an audition? So creative, I would never have thought of that. The adventure, continuous threat of danger and non-stop hilarity kept me on the edge of my seat, and I can not wait to read the fabulous sequel when it releases.

Favourite Quotes: 

• " If there was one thing I understood, it was that grief was an opponent you didn't play fair with. You did whatever it took to not let it beat you. You fought dirty against grief, period."
• " I don't think that incident necessarily defines you as bad. I think it makes you human. And I believe you would have stopped yourself. I think that's what makes a person good. Not that you make mistakes, but that you recognize them. You feel remorse for them. You want to correct them and do better."

Rating: 9/10

Ola's thoughts

Read: February 2016

Review: This book was great! It begun slowly, but eerily and it introduced the characters in a way that I haven't seen in a while, maybe ever.
   The plot was a little confusing as the four horsemen of the apocalypse were evil in the original stories, so why were they good here? My favourite theory is that they were sent by the devil, but at this point it's unclear.
   There's a lot of masculinity. Like a lot. You may not notice it the first time you read it, or maybe you do. Female characters are either mysterious and difficult, or evil. Even the names are really masculine! But the horsemen are nice, and their back stories tie in well to their powers and personalities. I liked them.
   If you skip over that, the fight and action scenes are confusing and difficult to follow (but that might just be me). The whole ending bit? It's been months since I read it, and I'm still confused.
   Altogether it's pretty good, and I'm looking forward to where they take it next.

Favourite Quotes:

• "Everything was awesome, now that I wasn't in the mental clutches of a demon."
• "My team - an actor, a drunk, and a sociopath - didn't exactly inspire confidence."

Rating: 8/10

Recommended if you like: the four horsemen, fantasy, mystery, small semi-there romances, comedies, action/adventure, supernatural beings, demons, life or death situations, horses

Your friends at the Autumn Bookshelf

Book Review: The Killing Jar

The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth

Released: January 12, 2016

Read: December 2015

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Format: ARC, 352 pages

Description on GoodReads: 

“I try not to think about it, what I did to that boy.”

Seventeen-year-old Kenna Marsden has a secret.

She’s haunted by a violent tragedy she can’t explain. Kenna’s past has kept people—even her own mother—at a distance for years. Just when she finds a friend who loves her and life begins to improve, she’s plunged into a new nightmare. Her mom and twin sister are attacked, and the dark powers Kenna has struggled to suppress awaken with a vengeance.

On the heels of the assault, Kenna is exiled to a nearby commune, known as Eclipse, to live with a relative she never knew she had. There, she discovers an extraordinary new way of life as she learns who she really is, and the wonders she’s capable of. For the first time, she starts to feel like she belongs somewhere. That her terrible secret makes her beautiful and strong, not dangerous. But the longer she stays at Eclipse, the more she senses there is something malignant lurking underneath it all. And she begins to suspect that her new family has sinister plans for her…

Review:
   The Killing Jar was nothing like I expected it would be. It completely took me by surprise. When I first saw the cover, I have to admit, I thought it would be a typical love story with a twist. Oh, I was sooo wrong.
Constantly battling her inner demons and pushing her emotions to the side, Kenna had a troubled childhood. She couldn't fully enjoy any situation and was always at risk of killing someone. She had to grow up by the time she was ten, and take care of not only herself, but her twin sister who was dying from many different conditions. Her family life was a mess; between barely knowing her mother and the chance of her sister falling dead at any moment. It's details like these that set the stage for a fantastic novel.
   As soon as Kenna arrived in Eclipse, I knew something weird was going on there. How was Anya, Kenna's mom, so familiar with the town? Why didn't they want visitors there? What were they hiding? Why did Jennifer Bosworth describe everyone with a wide age-range?
   All my questions were answered in the end, but slowly, over time, which made me all the more intrigued in finishing the book. I haven't read anything that compelling in what has felt like ages, and I am extremely glad that I had the chance to read this novel. 

Favourite Quote:

• "I walk the world alone without fear." -Jennifer Bosworth

Rating: 9/10

Recommended if you like: thriller, murder scenes, mystery, supernatural (I mean beings, not the TV show, even though you can still read the book if you do ;) ), music, aliens

A recipe for disaster,

Lauren

Book Review: The Diviners

             The Diviners by Libba Bray

Release date: September 8, 2012
Read: February 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover, 529 pages

Description from Goodreads:
   Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.
   Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.
   As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Review: Normally, I don't go for the really creepy, and paranormal books. Add the fact that it's set in the 1920's, and you are in for a really scary ride.

Now I don't want to scare you away from the book, however it's not for the faint of heart. I think I first realized this during the introduction. It begins at a party with a Ouija board. A OUIJA BOARD! I think any normal person would see that it's only going to go downhill from there.

Like I said before, I'm not the creepy book type of gal. But this book kept me hooked. I literally couldn't stop reading. It took a while to hit the action, as Bray did a lot of character building on Evie (the main character). Once it hit, it was awesome. Every twisty turn was refreshingly original, and I never felt bored.

Although, I wish that we could have seen a little more of New York City in the 20's. The whole story stayed in one area, so I think had we traveled a little further, the story would have had even more depth to it. All in all, it was a great book, and I can't wait to read the next one!


Favorite Quote: “Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones.” ― Libba Bray, The Diviners


(Not gonna lie, this was one of the creepiest parts of the book)

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommended to people who like: horror, paranormal, supernatural, YA, romance, exciting, thriller, mystery




Happy Reading,


Mari

Book Review: Secret Diamond Sisters

Taken from Goodreads

Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow

Released: February 24th, 2014
Read: August, 2015

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Format: Paperback, 382 pages

Description taken from Goodreads:
   Savannah. Courtney. Peyton. The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad—a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite. Suddenly the Strip's most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past.

Review: This was definitely a book that I've never read before. It had a very unique story line, and the idea was definitely original, and that was what grabbed me. What I loved the most was the attention Madow had. When she was describing the casinos and clubs that the girls visited, you  actually felt as if you were there. And when she was describing the various outfits, you could see the very fabrics that they were wearing. However, the characters were not as rounded as they could've been, and they felt, at times, flat. I felt as if she could've delved a little harder into Peyton's character especially, and told more about what made her act this way. However, the plot was intriguing, so I will definitely read the sequel!

Favorite quotes: "“For Courtney’s whole life, seeing the world had only been a dream, but now, as Adrian Diamond’s daughter, it could be a reality.” 
― Michelle Madow, The Secret Diamond Sisters

   “The people who say New York never sleeps must have never visited Las Vegas.” 
― Michelle Madow, The Secret Diamond Sisters

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Recommended for people who like: Gossip Girl-type stories, gossip, intrigue, romance, fashion

Happy Reading,

Mari 

Book Review: Killer Instinct

www.goodreads.com

Killer Instinct by S.E.Green

                                                                 

  Release Date: May 6th, 2014

  Read: July 2015

  Publisher: Simon Pulse

  Format: Hardcover, 288 pages

Description taken from Goodreads  
            She’s not evil, but she has certain... urges.

Lane is a typical teenager. Loving family. Good grades. Afterschool job at the local animal hospital. Martial arts enthusiast. But her secret obsession is studying serial killers. She understands them, knows what makes them tick. Why? Because she might be one herself. Lane channels her dark impulses by hunting criminals—delivering justice when the law fails. The vigilantism stops shy of murder. But with each visceral rush the line of self-control blurs. And then a young preschool teacher goes missing. Only to return... in parts.

When Lane excitedly gets involved in the hunt for “the Decapitator,” the vicious serial murderer that has come to her hometown, she gets dangerously caught up in a web of lies about her birth dad and her own dark past. And once the Decapitator contacts Lane directly, Lane knows she is no longer invisible or safe. Now she needs to use her unique talents to find the true killer’s identity before she—or someone she loves—becomes the next victim...

Review: Going into this book, I'll admit I was a little skeptical. I wasn't sure how the book would play out. However I'm glad I gave it a try. What I found was a wonderful novel. I really loved Lane as a character, and she's very unique, compared to most of the heroines we read about today. I also loved how although she can't connect to humans, she has a special bond with animals. The way she interacts with the dogs at the shelter she works at, hints at the fact that she actually does have some empathy after all. I haven't read the sequel, but I really can't wait! I want to read more about Lane, and how she continues to cope with with the fact that she may be a psychopath! The twists and turns that this novel takes are gripping, and you won't be able to put it down!

Quotes: "Hacking someone apart with a knife is an interesting way to grieve the loss of a loved one"
-Killer Instinct by S.E.Green, page 97

Rating: 4/5 stars

Recommended for people who love: Dexter, YA fiction, thriller, mysteries, crime solving, powerful females

Happy reading, 

Mari