Book Review: Deadly Cool

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren’t enough, now he’s depending on Hartley to clear his name.

But as much as Hartley wouldn’t mind seeing him squirm, she knows he’s innocent, and she’s the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school’s resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer’s next victim.

A friend recommended Deadly Cool to me late last year, so it was a good I sat on for a while. I had a false start at the very beginning of the year, where I read the first chapter but then got distracted. Then, later, I picked it up again and found myself completely engrossed in the story.

First, the plot was really a lot of fun. I love a good mystery--especially in YA--and Gemma Halliday pulled this one off really well.

The premise of the story involves Hartley going to confront her allegedly cheating boyfriend, Josh, but instead finds the dead body of the girl he was supposed to be cheating on her with. While she believes Josh to be a cheater, she doesn't believe him to be a killer, and so, despite the state of their relationship, she sets out to prove Josh is not a killer.

The storytelling felt very tight and plausible. I didn't feel like the story went out to the way to create red herrings or create unnecessary mystery. It was done in such a way that you might expect of a few determined high schoolers.

Also, while I had my suspicions about the killer, I didn't know who it was immediately, and when the killer was revealed, it was a satisfying reveal. Too many mysteries involve the killer being some obscure character that was never really involved in the story. I'm glad to say that wasn't the case here.

Second, the characters were really enjoyable. I liked Hartley right off the bat. She's sassy, snarky and smart. Her voice was really what made the story so fantastic for me. She was also a sympathetic character. She's stuck in the middle of a situation that is less than desirable. There's a lot of stress to be had from it, but she keeps on trucking.

Her best friend Sam was a good supporting character. She was the kind of best friend I'd want to have with me if I were investigating a murder. She was also great for lightening up some of those more tense moments.

Chase, aside from being an apparent bad boy, was an interesting character. There's a bit of a mysterious air to him that I really liked. He also has some mad skills that proved to be quite useful. Also, he's hot.

Overall, I thought the story was a very satisfying (and quick!) read. I never felt bored or like parts of it dragged out. I was disappointed when I came to the end of the book, though, because I was ready for more. I will most definitely be checking out the next book, Social Suicide, very soon.

Book Review: Always Watching

This daughter of a rock star has it all until murder crashes her world.

The exciting and suspenseful Rayne Tour series features sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor, on tour with her mothers popular band. Shaley lives in a whirlwind of backstage secrets, hotels, and limos. With beauty and fame of her own, Shaley wants for nothing except the one thing she cant have.

During a concert, sixteen-year-old Shaley OConnor stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage. Is Tom Hutchens death connected to her? Frightening messages arrive. Paparazzi stalk Shaley. Her private nightmare is displayed for all to see. Where is God at a time like this?

As the clock runs out, Shaley must find Toms killerbefore he strikes again.

Always Watching begins with Shaley O'Connor traveling on tour with her mother's band, Rayne, and looking forward to a visit from her best friend, Brittany. Then everything is turned upside down. Tom, her mother's makeup artist and Shaley's closet friend on tour, has been murdered.
I really enjoyed story. The tour setting was something new and fun. It's rooted in reality, but something outside the every day norm. I also enjoyed that the story revolves around Shaley, who is the daughter of a celebrity and has become something of a celebrity by proxy, rather than a celebrity herself. Given her unusual lifestyle, I found her to be pretty grounded. There were the bratty moments that are to be expected of a teenager, both due to the amount of stress and shock she's experienced and also because of feelings of jealousy/resentment toward her mother's career.

I enjoyed the plot. It was very fast-paced, taking place over the course of only a few days. It never felt like it lagged along because there was something always happening. I also liked the switch off from Shaley's point of view to seeing through the eyes of a killer. I also thought that the reveal of the killer was pretty good too. There were a lot of players mentioned throughout the story, and I didn't feel like any one person stood out as the obvious culprit.

As this is the first book in the series, there was some set up for the next book; namely the mystery of Shaley's dad. I'm intrigued to see how that pans out since Rayne, Shaley's mother, doesn't like to talk about him while Shaley longs to know more about the man she's never met.

However, I did have a few issues with the book. The first being that Tom is killed so early in the book, and though Shaley's grief is clear, I would have liked to have learned more about him. Also, we discover some things about Tom after he's been murdered that I found to be rather creepy. At first, I wondered if it was true, or if it was a distraction tactic by the killer, but later it seems to be confirmed to be true. Considering that, I feel like there should have been a bigger reaction on, at least, Shaley's part.

I also didn't care for the shopping the day after Tom's murder. I'm sure it was meant to help take her mind off of what was happening, but it just felt really insensitive since she claimed to care so much for her friend.

I'm also somewhat confused as to why this book is considered Christian Fiction. I have no problem with the genre itself, but it feels like a bit of a stretch to label a novel Christian Fiction just because one religious character discusses her faith in God and says some prayers. Perhaps, more will come of it later, which is fine, but, instead of really adding to the story, those scenes actually seemed somewhat contrived.

Overall, though, this was a quick, enjoyable mystery, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the series very soon.

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Occasionally I'll read one of those books that leaves my thoughts totally muddled when it comes to trying to write a review. This is one of those books, so instead I've just made a small list of the key points.

1. This is by far my favorite John Green novel. I also think it's his best writing thus far. When I found out the story was told from the point of view of a 16-year-old girl, I was somewhat nervous, I'll admit, but I had no need to worry.

2. I laughed often. If you do not laugh while reading this book, you simply have no sense of humor. Example of said humor:

Me: “I refuse to attend Support Group.”
Mom: “One of the symptoms of depression is disinterest in activities.”
Me: “Please just let me watch America’s Next Top Model. It’s an activity.”
Mom: “Television is a passivity.”
Me: “Ugh, Mom, please.”
Mom: “Hazel, you’re a teenager. You’re not a little kid anymore. You need to make friends, get out of the house, and live your life.”
Me: “If you want me to be a teenager, don’t send me to Support Group. Buy me a fake ID so I can go to clubs, drink vodka, and take pot.”
Mom: “You don’t take pot, for starters.”
Me: “See, that’s the kind of thing I’d know if you got me a fake ID.”
Mom: “You’re going to Support Group.”
Me: “UGGGGGGGGGGGGG.”
Mom: “Hazel, you deserve a life.”
- page 7

3. I cried. And you will likely cry. So have tissues handy. This books deals with death and dying. That being said, I never actually felt as if I was reading a novel filled with doom and gloom. For all the humor, I think the heavy can be found in equal measure.

4. Hazel Grace Lancaster. She is made of awesome. Often, when reading an novel from the point of view of a female character, I find myself frustrated at some point, but I never felt that frustration with Hazel. She was just so honest.

5. Augustus Waters. He's hot and he knows it, but he's also such an amazingly sweet guy. It was very hard not to fall in love with him right along with Hazel.

I know this list doesn't really say much for the plot of the story, but I think it's just one of those books that has to be read so you can see for yourself, but I cannot adequately articulate just how much I adore this novel.

Book Review: I Hunt Killers

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

I Hunt Killers is a wild, wild ride. I devoured this book in no time because I didn't want to put it down.

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is handsome and charming. He know hows to manipulate people to get what he wants, how to spot the weakest person in a crowd and how to blend in. After all, his father is the world's worst serial killer.

The story begins four years after Jasper's father, Billy Dent, has been caught and sent away to prison when Jasper's sleepy little town is shaken once again by a new series of murders. Intrigued by the crime scene, Jasper inserts himself in the investigation and uses the years of knowledge Billy Dent bestowed upon him throughout Jasper's childhood to help capture the killer.

I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with this novel. For as dark and gory as it was with a good mystery, it also had it's light, funny moments.

For me, the characters really made the story.

Jasper is a conflicted teenager. His father groomed him to follow in his footsteps, and Jasper is haunted by the past as well as fears for who he may become in the future. Despite his issues, Jasper is likable. I think his narrative really worked well for the story. His offhand musings and clinical remarks were both eerie and easing.

His girlfriend, Connie, and best friend, Howie, were a good counter to Jasper's sometimes dark and brooding moods. His grandmother was crazy, alternating between hilarious and horrible. The sheriff, G. William, seemed like a competent officer of the law as well as very caring and almost fatherly when it came to Jasper. Also, Jasper's father was also very present throughout the story both in Jasper's mind and memory, and he was absolutely terrifying.

The hunt for the killer was, as I said earlier, a wild ride. I had my suspicions pretty early on, but, despite guessing right, the ending had a great twist that left me longing for an immediate sequel.

Book Reviews: Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that's sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she's mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.

Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She's forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn't enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What's a nice undead girl to do?

After reading Driving Mr. Dead (which I probably should have read last), I knew I had to read more of Molly Harper's novels. As with Driving Mr. Dead, the story takes place in the universe where vampires have been outed to the living.

The protagonist, Jane Jameson, is a former librarian who is turned after being shot because she's mistaken for a wild animal by a drunk hunter. This is, of course, after a few too many drinks at Shenanigans after being fired from her library job. Luckily, Gabriel Nightengale, who Jane was chatting with at Shenanigans, was following her to see to if she made it home alright showed up and changed her from the dying to the undead.

As devastating as being turned into a vampire should be (and is), Jane takes it in stride, and, generally, wherever Jane goes, hilarity and mayhem ensue.

I absolutely loved this story. I often have a hard time with stories that are meant to be humorous because it feels forced into the story, but Molly Harper had me chuckling often and genuinely throughout the story. Her way of telling a story lends itself to the humor peppered throughout.

Also, her characters are all, if not likable, quite memorable.

Jane's family is both ridiculous, annoying and amusing. Her aunt Jetty, a ghost, who has been hanging around the house she left to Jane is awesome. She seemed to be that kindred spirit in a family where Jane often feels like a misfit. Regaining a relationship with her deceased aunt is probably one of the better parts of Jane's new undead status.

Jane's mother, sister and grandmother, on the other hand, are enough to leave a person banging their head against the wall. Jane's dad is more sympathetic to Jane even if he may not understand her all of the time.

Zeb, Jane's best friend, is also an enjoyable character. You can see why he and Jane would be best friends, and his character also adds an interesting side story to the book. I'm looking forward to more of that in future books.

I liked Gabriel, but I feel like there's more to be learned about him in future books. He seems like a good guy, but there's still a lot of mystery to him that I'd like to unravel.

And, also, Dick Chaney is possibly my favorite character in the book. Not only is he named Dick Chaney (it was his name before the former vice presidents!) he's just a hilarious character.

All in all, I'm really looking forward to reading the next book of the series because Molly Harper has set up an interesting world full of great characters that I can't wait to revisit.

In My Mailbox #1

This is my very first In My Mailbox post, so I'm very excited! I set a goal for myself early in the year to read more books from the library, and that's where all of my books this week came from (even the one I bought)!

Library

Audio

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (Amazon | Goodreads)

Print

Blood On My Hands by Todd Strasser (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Night She Disappeared by April Henry (Amazon | Goodreads)
Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser (Amazon | Goodreads)

Bought

Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning (Amazon | Goodreads)


In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Book Review: The Night She Disappeared

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part time as a delivery girl at Pete’s Pizza. One night, Kayla—another delivery girl—goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Gabie can’t move beyond the fact that Kayla’s fate was really meant for her, and she becomes obsessed with finding Kayla. She teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete’s. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn’t dead—and to find her before she is.

 

On the night when Gabie normally delivered pizzas for Pete's a man called to order a pizza to be delivered to an address that didn't exist. Before ordering he asked about the girl in the Mini Cooper, but instead of Gabie, Kayla was sent out for the delivery. And she never came back.

When I read the synopsis for the novel, I was intrigued, so I picked it up at the library. However, I've been trying to figure out how and what I wanted to say about this book since I finished reading it because my feelings are a bit mixed. As far as the writing goes, I enjoyed the storytelling, and while I thought the plot had a lot of promise and it was a fast paced read, something about it just left me unsatisfied.

The novel skips around to various characters, but Drew--the boy who took the order and sent Kayla out on the delivery--and Gabie--the girl who was supposed to be working that night--are the most predominant characters. While I liked them both and could understand their confusion and guilt about Kayla's disappearance, I never really felt like I connected with them or any of the other characters.

As much as I enjoyed seeing different aspects of the novel, I almost wonder if the story would have been better if we weren't privy to all of those sides of the story. The glimpses of Kayla throughout the story did add a sense of desperation to the story, but I think the story might have been more suspenseful without the parts from her kidnapper's point of view. Sometimes I think the unknown is more gripping than knowing something the other characters don't. I also found the police to be quite frustrating and incompetent.

However, I did enjoy some of the non-traditional ways of storytelling, such as 911 transcripts, police interviews and newspaper clippings. Those helped to move the story along and glean useful information. I also liked that the story was tracked by how many days Kayla was missing.

I think, without a doubt, April Henry can tell a compelling story, but The Night She Disappeared just didn't quite do it for me. However, I will be checking out more of her work in the future.