Blood Of My Blood~Barry Lyga | Review

Title: Blood of My Blood (Jasper Dent #3)
Author: Barry Lyga
Genre: YA Suspense/Thriller
Length: 468 Pages
Publication: September 2014
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

At the end of Game, Jazz was bleeding to death in an abandoned warehouse with two corpses for company, Howie was bleeding out on Jazz's floor, and Connie had been captured by none other than Billy Dent himself. Now Jazz must go on the run, relying only on himself, and face down all of the demons from his past in order to bring Billy down once and for all. And is the Crow King really Billy or is Jazz in for even more surprises?

Review

This novel was a great conclusion to the trilogy. Jazz is forced to face down his demons, determining once and for all if he's a killer or not. His path is sad, tragic even. While he's isolated from Connie and Howie he becomes darker, more brooding. He also faces his worst nightmares and is forced to confront them head on. 

Connie shows us her signature sass in this novel. Even while in Billy's clutches Connie isn't just a little girl. Is she afraid? Sure. Does she want to beg for her life? Who wouldn't. But does she fight and run? Yes, yes she does. And while she's not as actively involved in the events of this novel as she was in the last, she does play a key role. 

Howie is the ever clever sidekick once more, not willing to throw away his friendship with Jazz even when things start looking very bad. Their bond is one of the great things about these novels. Jazz is careful with Howie because of his physical limitations. He protects Howie. And Howie does the same for him. It really is a beautiful friendship. 

Billy and Ugly J are as sick and twisted as ever. The games they like to play with people and other killers is disturbing. And their ability to evade police capture is top notch. 

So this novel is not as action packed as I would have liked, but it has some great moments. The ending is not nice and sugary as some might like, but it was beautiful because it was more realistic. At the end of the day, we're the ones that decide who we are. Sure nature and nurture have something to play in our lives, but that doesn't define us. And we get to see Jazz face his nature, his nurture, and determine for himself what path he wants to walk. 

Overall I really enjoy this novel and this series. It's not the most suspenseful. You can often see what's going to happen well in advance, but I feel like the story is more about experiencing Jazz's reactions to these events and not being surprised yourself. I definitely look forward to reading more Barry Lyga novels in the future. 

Until next time. Enjoy the end of 2014!

Courtney

Tuesday Talks | Re-Reading Books

Tuesday talks is a weekly meme hosted by Janie and Janelle. You can find the goodreads group here if you want to join in the fun or see who is participating.

Re-Reading and Favorite Re-Reads

In general I don't re-read a lot of novels. I guess I always have something new to read, so re-reading has never been a thing for me. I can usually remember a story line really well too, so it's like reliving everything over. Don't get me wrong, that can be really fun, but sometimes it's nice to experience new things. 

I have re-read some novels. Usually it's been several years since my first reading. Here are some of the novels I have re-read.

• All seven Harry Potter novels. I've read the first six between three and five times each. The seventh one I've only read twice (within a month of its release). I may re-read these one day...I want to, I just don't have the time.
• The Hobbit-I after seeing the fist movie (I still haven't seen either of the next two), I re-read the book. I must say, I enjoy the novel more. It's a great little read. Short too (less than 300 pages!). 
• Ella Enchanted-I've read this book several times. Every couple of years since the first time I've read it I pick this book back up. I don't really know what it is about this book that I like. I just really enjoy it. Don't watch the movie though. I can't stand the movie.
• The Icemark Chronicles-I read the first two novels years ago, but for some reason never read the third one. I recently re-read the first two and finished with the third. I really enjoyed them the second time around. My memory was jogged as I read and I always knew what was coming next, but they were fun nonetheless.
• Pride and Prejudice-I love re-reading my favorite classics! I want to read all six Austen novels in a month sometime. Soon hopefully. It would be so interesting to compare them after reading them back to back. I enjoyed every single one of them. I've only re-read Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility though.

I can't think of any other re-reads off the top of my head. I generally just get into a new series or novel and skim old ones when I feel like it. There are a couple that I will be re-reading soon. The main one I want to mention is the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu. I am hosting a read along starting Jan first if you want to participate! You can find our group here.

So, do you re-read novels? If so tell me in the comments which ones are your favorites and why!

As always, you can find me on YouTube, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Until next time.

Courtney

See Them Run~Stacy Green | Review

Title: See Them Run (Lucy Kendall #2)
Author: Stacy Green
Genre: Suspense/Thriller/Mystery
Length:  304 Pages
Publication: December 2014
My Rating: 4/5 Stars






I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis

While helping the police find Kailey Richardson, Lucy delved into the world of child sex trafficking. Now she's bent on bringing down a local ring of traffickers who operate out of high society businesses. When one of the women involved is found murdered Lucy is the prime suspect. In order to clear her name and bring down the trafficking ring Lucy must confront the darkness that resides inside of her. With Chris by her side and unwilling to let her slip any further into the dark void, she fights to stay ahead of the game, constantly worried she's falling behind. 

Review

This book was just as captivating, dark, and hopeful as the last. It made my heart race, ache, love, and hate. All on one page. Go read it. Right now.

Ever since Mother Mary, (Chris and Justin's murdering mother), escaped their clutches in the first installment, Lucy has turned her attention to a local ring of child sex traffickers. Chris is bent on keeping her out of prison and on tracking down his dear mother to inflict some Lucy Kendal justice. Chris is worried that the path Lucy is headed down will be her undoing-the ring is far too big for one person to take on their own. He constantly tries to derail her, reminding her of the promise she made to track down Mother Mary, but remains by her side through it all. 

Lucy infiltrates a salon she and Chris have determined is involved with the sex trafficking ring right there in Philadelphia. When Lucy steals Sarah (the owner's) phone for information, Sarah confronts her and she tells her she knows all about the trafficking. Shortly after, Sarah is found murdered-gruesomely-and Lucy becomes the prime suspect. Now Todd Beckett-the man who simultaneously suspects, respects, and likes Lucy-is on her trail again. This time, however, his hand is being forced by someone else. 

To crack this case Lucy will have to go deep, deeper than she's ever gone before, and dark. She will be forced to embrace the darkness within her and hope it doesn't consume her completely. But those around her aren't going to let her slip too far, if they can stop her.

One of the things I love most about these books is the characterization. Lucy is strong, selfish, selfless, complicated, everything you could say about a person. She has flaws-lots of them. I really appreciate the fact that we see her face some of the darkness, question it even, and try to come to terms with what she's done and what she's still doing. We see the fear she has of herself and the things she might do, things she never really thought herself capable of doing. There are no clear cut answers for Lucy, we don't get anything nicely wrapped up and I'm pretty sure we never will. Life isn't a pretty package. Lucy has flaws. Deeply rooted and festering flaws. She does crazy, illegal stuff. She starts to see herself as a monster, even when she thinks what she's doing is right. She's just so real. It's very nice to have this in a character when I've read so many others lately that lacked her complexity. 

The rest of the characters are phenomenally written. We get to see all the favorites from the previous novel. Chris continues to grow in this novel and his attachment to Lucy is fascinating. Their relationship is complicated, but gives the story a solid grounding. I don't feel like the novels could function without Chris playing the part he plays. We don't see Kelly as much, but we do get some time with her. I feel like their is a lot of room for character development and story lines with Kelly and I'm sure we will get some of them in future installments. Justin makes only a few brief appearances, but we do get some insight into his new life and how he's adjusting. I think we'll be seeing more of him. And Todd is around-of course. I find his character very interesting and I love his and Lucy's interactions. I feel like we don't really have a lot of back story on Todd and there are many ways he could further grow and be used in the series. 

All of the street kids and pimps we encounter we wonderfully created. These novels deal with very real, very dark subject matter and the way the characters are written helps bring the story to life. It's not just a novel to get lost in, but one that requires deeper thought. And of course there is a mystery in trying to figure out the real killer and who is behind the sex ring. It all kept me on the edge of my seat. 

My main drawback with the novels and their story line is the plausibility of what Lucy is doing and how she's getting away with it. Chris, while very smart, cannot be the only person capable of figuring out Lucy's secret. Yes, Todd has his suspicions, but why hasn't he figured it out for himself yet. And maybe some of that has to do with the fact that those who suspect just truly don't want to know. And overall this is not a huge deal for me. The rest of the story and Lucy's struggles more than make up for these holes. 

While dark and often deep this novel reads very quickly and I had a hard time putting it down. And it's not too dark, there are always moments of sunshine that brighten the story up. Definitely recommend this one if you like the genre. It's thought provoking and original. An excellent start to a series. I am eagerly awaiting the third book.

You can also find me on YouTube, Goodreads, and Twitter. 

Until next time, friends. Happy reading!

Courtney   

Isla and the Happily Ever After~Stephanie Perkins | Review

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After (#3)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 Pages
Publication: August 2014
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

Isla has had a crush on Josh since their freshman year of high school. Unfortunately, Isla has never been able to have a full conversation with Josh. During the summer before their senior year, Isla and Josh meet unexpectedly at a cafe in New York. Three months later, the two meet again at school. This time Isla isn't the only one with a crush.

Just as the two are falling in love they are unexpectedly separated. Now their love is tested with time and space. Each of them has to face their own insecurities and try to save the future they had planned together. 

Review

This novel might have possibly been my favorite of Perkins' three novel series. I'm having a hard time deciding whether I like this one or Lola and the Boy Next Door more. What I love about this one is that Isla is so easy to relate to. Obviously that differs from person to person, but I find myself to be most like Isla in reference to the three girls. She's smart, shy, secluded, insecure. She's pretty much everything I've been in my life. So many of her struggles felt almost too close to me, it was almost painful to read at times. 

I also really like that Isla and Josh had already be introduced through Anna and the French Kiss. Isla was not in that novel much, but it set up her crush on Josh. And Josh played quite a role in that novel. I really liked him from the beginning. And while some may say that this story was too much like insta-love, I disagree. Yes it moved very quickly, but Isla and Josh already knew each other to some extent and both of them already had crushes on each other long before they started going out. So while their relationship progressed rather quickly, I didn't find it over the top or annoying. In fact, they are by far my favorite of Perkins' couples. 

I also really enjoy the fact that there is not some over the top love triangle in this one. There is Isla and there is Josh. The end. Even mentions of Rashmi don't compare to the annoying love triangles in the previous two novels. The couple obviously faces some challenges, but one of those is not the fact that one of them already has a boy/girl friend. 

Kurt was a nice addition to the story, though he never played a very large part. He and Isla were cute together and I loved the way they loved each other. Hattie was also interesting. I wish we had gotten some more time with both Isla and Josh's families. It would have been nice to see more of their lives where parents and siblings were concerned, but most coming of age type stories tend to down play parents, so this was expected. 

Out of all three of Perkins' novels I found the characterization here the best. Isla, Josh and all the minor characters made sense and never randomly changed for no known reason. In both the previous novels I felt that the characters broke character toward the ends of the novels, here I didn't feel that way. Isla, Josh, and the rest felt the same the entire way through. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that this is the latter of the works and Perkins' skills have improved. 

In the end all three stories from the three novels were tied together. The interconnectedness of the stories is a nice touch. I like that the books are not a series in the sense that I'm used to thinking about a series, but are still connected. It's a nice addition to the individual stories. 

The main problem I had with this novel was the fact that Rashmi never appeared. I just felt like she played such a large role in Anna just to completely disappear. It would have been nice for Isla to confront some of her insecurities where Rashmi was concerned. I just feel like she should have been there in the end. Her absence just seemed odd to me.

Overall I found this novel very enjoyable. Anyone who enjoys contemporary romance would likely enjoy this. 

You can find me on YouTube, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Until next time,

Courtney       

Lola And The Boy Next Door~Stephanie Perkins | Review

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door (#2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 338 Pages
Publication: September 2011
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Brief Synopsis

Two years ago Lola's heart was broken by Cricket, the boy next door. Then Cricket disappeared and she hasn't seen or talked to him since. And she's happy. She's seventeen and has Max, the best boyfriend ever. She's in love. He is the one. She knows he is.  They will run away together someday. She'll be a designer by day and at night his band will play for packed stadiums.

Then Cricket moves back in next door and Lola is torn, her old feelings begin to resurface, and Max becomes distant. Lola finds herself constantly drawn to Cricket-who seems to accept her for who she is-but doesn't want to let Max go. She loves him. Doesn't she?

Review

This novel follows Anna and the French Kiss. They are not actually a series, but the three novels, (these two and the conclusion), are all connected in some way. Anna and Etienne are actually quite a prevalent presence in this novel. I expected them to appear briefly and was surprised by how much time they were actually in the novel. 

I enjoyed this novel a great deal more than I enjoyed Anna. I found Anna to be a faster read, but Lola to be much more enjoyable. Both only took a few hours to read. So, let's get to the main points I liked and didn't like.

The characters were easy to relate to in this novel and I often felt like they were people I might know. Lola, while quirky, is easy to understand and relate with. My main problem with Lola as a character is that her strengths and weaknesses seemed to contradict each other occasionally. Overall she was likable. Cricket was great (much better than Etienne, in my opinion). He's the kind of boy every girl dreams of having next door. Maybe not as bold as most girls would dream of, but cute and fun either way.

Lola's parents (her dads and even Norah) played important roles in this novel, which was a nice change from Anna, where the parents were pretty nonexistent. Lola complained about her dads making her check in with them while she was with Max, but honestly, he was twenty-two. I'm pretty sure it was normal for them to want her to check in with them. That was one of the things that made it real seeming I guess.

Which brings me to Max. I actually kind of liked his character. I think he was rather poorly written, but would have been very interesting otherwise. I think this is the spot where Perkins' writing and technique fall somewhat flat. She introduces these characters with lots of potential, as obstacles that the main love story must cross, but then just throws the characters away after a while. And by throws them away I mean that they stop showing the same development they had in the beginning. Yeah, the situation with Max, Lola, and Cricket was awkward, but this character was all over the place after only a few chapters. I felt like I had a good handle on him and then he just started morphing into something else that was never really explained and didn't feel right. The Max situation could have definitely been better.

Lola's struggles and insecurities were more understandable than I felt Anna's were in the first novel. While I don't like the entire progression of the story with Max, I do enjoy this love story more than Anna and Etienne's. One thing that improves this one is that we're in Lola's head and Lola is the one with two guys, not one of two girls. I also loved that Cricket kept pushing her away when she would get too close. Read my review of Anna for more thoughts on that story and you might see why I prefer this one. 

Overall this story was very enjoyable. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romances in general, but this one was cute and while over the top in portions, wasn't nauseatingly irksome. Worth a read, even if you didn't enjoy Anna that much. 

You can find me on YouTube, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Your book loving friend,

Courtney        

Tuesday Talks | Reading One Book or Several

Tuesday Talks is a weekly discussion board hosted by Janie and Janelle. You can find the goodreads group here.

How Many Books Do You Read At Once?

 

So the topic for today's discussion is all about reading! (shocking, isn't it?) How many books do I read at a time? Well, funny you should ask. If you had asked me this question a month and a half ago, my answer would have quick, clear, and precise. One.

That, however, is well in the past. Since then I have become an avid reviewer and purchased a kindle (though I will always prefer the physical book). Now I find myself reading multiple books at once. Usually I will have one or two going on my kindle and another physical copy. It also depends on my mood. I've been somewhat restless the past month and find myself wanting to get into other things.

While I have been reading multiple books, I tend to have a main focus. Sometimes one book will sit for a while without much attention while I finish another (maybe two or three others), but I do get back to them. And usually they turn out to be very enjoyable once I get back to them.

One thing I love about reading one book at a time is that you are able to get engulfed in the world of that novel. If you read multiples, you have to be able to switch between the different worlds and stories. Surprisingly, I haven't found this as distracting as I thought I might. It also makes a difference what the books are. If you read all the same genre at once, that gets confusing. Reading several genres together makes it easy to switch worlds. You can also compare writing styles as you go. Sometimes that is helpful and harmful.

So, while I like getting immersed in one novel, I actually enjoy having a few going at once as well. I never thought I would say those words. And technically I guess I've written them, not said them. Anyway, what do you enjoy? Reading one novel or several?

You can find me on YouTube, Goodreads, and Twitter.

Until next time.

Courtney

All Good Deeds~Stacy Green | Review

Title: All Good Deeds (Lucy Kendall #1)
Author: Stacy Green
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Length: 310 Pages
Publication: September 2014
My Rating: 4/5 Stars







I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Brief Synopsis

After working for a decade as a Child Protective Services case worker, Lucy Kendall has seen too much of the dark side of the world. After witnessing the systems failure for too many children, Lucy embraces her own dark side. Now, working as a vigilante with some clever sidekicks who carry their own baggage, Lucy gets caught up in a case that involves a missing child and the men that were part of her first case. Lucy must confront her own demons if she is going to help save the missing child in time.

Review

This novel was dark, gritty, and crushing. The writing is beautiful and I found myself pulled into the novel from the first sentence: "I'm not a killer." There are so many things that made this novel enjoyable despite its dark subject matter. In fact, the dark subject matter might be part of what makes it so readable. The issues raised throughout this novel are ones that we should be facing head on, but that are generally ignored by society as a whole. 

Lucy's first case involved Justin, a kid she thought was being abused but was unable to have removed from his parents. When, shortly after their meeting, Justin murdered another child, the real cracks started to appear in Lucy's plan to rid the world of filth. Now, ten years later, Justin has been released. Lucy believes that he cannot be redeemed. That's the final straw for her mental psyche. Now she deals out her own brand of justice, usually a highly concentrated vial of cyanide. 

When Kailey, a little girl in Justin's neighborhood goes missing, Lucy is convinced he's the one behind the kidnapping. The biggest issue she faces now is Todd, Justin's older brother who is also the head detective on the case. Todd also has his own suspicions about Lucy's "extracurricular activities". There's also the problem of Chris, the man who knows too much about Lucy and her deadly deeds. He also claims to be a sociopath who murders to rid the world of scum as she does, but lurking in his eyes is a brand of empathy that no sociopath could ever feel.

The interactions of these characters is what makes the story really enjoyable. Lucy is strong, complicated, and not flighty like so many other leading women I've read about recently. She has a dark past and questions her decisions the entire novel. She also faces her own selfishness in many instances. Her gut reactions are not always accurate and sometimes she overlooks the obvious, but that makes her human. Definitely a character you can relate to in some way.

Todd and Chris are also very interesting characters and their interactions with Lucy are very well written and believable. We don't learn a whole lot about Todd (he's Justin's half brother and now a detective) and I really hope we get to see more of him in future novels. Chris is revealed slowly, a new layer revealed every few chapters as the story progresses. 

This story managed to keep me guessing as it went along. The final conclusion was not obvious to me from the beginning, though I'm sure there were clues. Justin was an interesting character and I always felt that there had to be more to his story. Seeing that story unfold was heartbreaking in so many ways.

This novel deals with very real, very dark, very twisted aspects of humanity. As I said before, that might be one reason it is so readable, at least for me. It makes you want to help change the world, not in the way that Lucy does, but somehow. There is definitely more to be developed through more novels and I am very excited to read them. 

The novel, while dark, is not overly dark. The subject matter is a very heavy topic, but is written and handled in such a way through well developed characters that it's not an overwhelmingly depressing read. In fact, it gives hope. I look forward to the future stories following Lucy and her endeavors to help children who need protection. 

You can find me on YouTube, Goodreads, and Twitter. 

Until next time. 

Courtney