Review: Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.


My review:

I have not had good luck with books this week.

After abandoning one (though its technically still on pause for now.), this one came up in my library hold queue and I dove in. Wasn't long, unfortunately, before I wanted to dive right back out again. It wasn't a long, overly wordy story, though, and I did want to find out how it would end, so I pushed on to the end.



The story premise is pretty good, if not altogether unique, with some similarities to Twilight but without the vampires (boy saves girl from nearly being crushed by a car, boy has staklerish tendencies, boy is keeping secrets, etc.) These Twilight ties aren't the reason I came away with a lot of meh when I was finished. My problem was that there wasn't a lot of consistency. It's a case of the author wanting to keep the reader guessing about whether or not boy is protecting girl or the creepy stalker. I'm all for mystery - but when consistant characterization suffers? End the mystery and pair the two up to fight the bad guy.


Ben was continually "don't touch me" all over the place, but then out of nowhere (and sometimes only a minute after that "don't touch" bark, he's reaching for her hand.) Cue me blinking and rereading to see if I got it right. I'm still trying to figure out the "trying too hard" part - where he'd hold on for too long and somehow hurt the person he was touching. I don't know if that element added anything other than confusion for anyone else, or just me.

It all just seemed like a lot of potential that was unrealized.

I think what kept me from connecting with these two is how long it took Camelia to accept Ben as the good guy. She's defending him to her friends, she admits she's scared, and then when he comes over all she can do is level accusations at him. Repeatedly. Kinda made the kissing hard to swallow, too. If she didn't trust him, thought he was the one behind the pictures and notes and calls, then kissing should be coming in last. On the same token, if she trusts him enough to be kissing him, stop accusing him of stalking another girl.

I'm still trying to decide if the best friend, Kimmie, was supposed to be cute, and maybe some found her that way. To me? She was just flat out annoying. I wanted to crawl into my Kindle with a roll of duct tape and silence her for good. Could very well be that I've read too many Mean Girls-based books lately, but any "friend" who constantly, and openly, mocks and derides the guy you like....probably needs to look the word friend up in the dictionary.

There are more books in this series, but for me, it ends here.

Previously in the Kindle Cave

Reviews:

Boundless (uber-squee)
Speechless (squee)
In the Band (squee)

Extraneous:
Previously in the Kindle Cave

Aborted reads:
Some Girls Bite Nothing against this book made it an aborted read - this one went down to my own Derpiness. I was returning my Kindle Library books...and returned this one instead of the one below it. And since I didn't like it enough to pay $13 for it at Amazon, I'm back at the end of the hold queue before I can finish.

Added to TBR:
Isle of Bones (Oh I made dolphin sounds when Tracey announced this one on Twitter....)
daynight (following Sab the Book Eater reading this one via Twitter, I had to add it to my list)
Deadly Little Secret (Found by accident during a library search and pounced.)
Saving June (Leapt onto the list right after I finished Speechless. Because it was that awesome.)

Current and Upcoming:
Everneath
Deadly Little Secret (both of these are upcoming because library books trump all in the rush to finish before they turn into pumpkins...)

And somewhere in there, I managed to get my 1000th page view. Group hug, everyone, and thanks for tuning in. <3

Check back next week. Same Kindletime, same Kindlestation...

Review: In the Band by Jean Haus

In the Band by Jean Haus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


When family problems push Riley Middleton into giving up a percussion scholarship in another state and attending college from home, her friends push her to try out for a local rock band. Of course, Riley makes the band. She rules at the drums. 

Riley soon finds out rock bands have a different dynamic than marching bands, especially when each of her male band mates has a major ego and is a major player. Two of them relentlessly flirt with her. The other—a dark, sexy rock god she can’t help being attracted to— is a total jerk and pushes her to quit. She becomes determined to ignore his rudeness and his hotness. Even if she was interested in jerks, a hook up would probably get her booted out of the ego-ridden band, and playing keeps her sane. Behind the drums, the world and its troubles evaporate. 

If she wants to stay in the band, Riley needs to ignore the growing sparks between her and her band enemy. But as she gets to know the man behind the stage persona, ignoring him proves to be more difficult than flowing through a time sig shift.


My review:

Cute story. Not a long read or a heavily involved plot. There's a good bit of angst, a good conflict between the two main characters, It's what I'd call a perfect beach or long-car-trip read.

I think one of the things that drew me the most (apart from Romeo and Riley, but I'll get to them) is the brilliant job the author did with the cycle of depression/enabling. It never starts out as a conscious decision - just one little choice after another until those decisions are habits. You make dinner one night, then the next, and a week later you're making dinner all the time and the depressed has one less reason to climb out.

As a depression sufferer, I'm always interested to see how other authors handle the subject and I have to say it was very, very well handled here. Riley's mom has her moments of robe-and-bed, but she's mostly functional. Especially with Riley picking up her slack. She's not a caricature of the disease but a very well-written sufferer. It was hard to watch her hit bottom, but necessary for her, and for Riley, to find that bottom so they could both begin to climb back out.

Romeo. Oh Romeo (sorry. had to.) He was such a complete and utter jerk. At first. Of course. I thought it was going to head in the direction of 'love turning him around' until the first time Jamie came to band practice. it was the first glimpse he gave us that the dick persona was just that. A costume he pulled on and zipped up. The reasons for it melted my heart just as they melted Riley's and made the times he put it back on again that much harder.

Riley I loved to pieces even when I wanted to shake her. I saw why she was doing what she was doing, I even understood why she was doing it. I still wanted to slap her upside the head for it. What I really loved was her reactions to music - to when she played, the longing when she heard the drumline, the bubble she was in when she was onstage. I didn't understand a lot of the terminology, but I could hear the sounds she described perfectly.

Fabulous story, well written characters, and makes me want to read more from this author sooner rather than later.

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless by Hannah Harrington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret

Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.

Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.

But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.


My review:

I read and reviewed a book called Impossible a week or so ago. It was about the downfall and rebirth of a mean girl...and I remember thinking the whole time that in just another chapter, the heroine would take one of her many realizations and start to be a better person. It never quite happened.

The exact opposite can be said for Speechless.

Chelsea is a delight. Unabashedly wrong at the beginning, happy on her little throne as second to the throne and feels perfectly justified in what she does, and doesn't do, to stay there. Which, of course, means time for the catalyst to change. In this case, a drunken mistake borne out of years of gossiping without remorse.

The results are devastating for everyone and Chelsea begins her vow. I think this is what I liked about this story the most. Maybe not wholly original, but very well played out. And a hell of a talent for the author to have her main character completely mute for nearly three quarters of the book and still manage to have her forge friendships, find reconciliation with who she was and who she wants to be.

She broke my heart as the little realizations hit her, and she won me over with her stoicism in the face of bullying and harassment by her former friends and there was one scene that actually had me cheering out loud. I loved the way she took each new eyeopener and grew from it.

I was a little leery on this one because I'm big on dialogue playing a big part of telling the story, but I have to say it. Despite the fact that Chelsea was mute, she still managed to tell her story, and explain her path.

Sam was. Sam was brilliant. Strong, secure, and openminded enough to see past the girl taking a vow of silence, the girl partly responsible for his best friend nearly being beaten to death. Then Asha. Oh Asha! I think she's my favorite secondary character in a very long time. I adored her to death and I'm still dying over the "knit her a muzzle" line.

Brilliant story and definitely going on the favorites shelf.

Review: Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Boundless by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfil her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.


My review:

Today I have the not-insurmountable task of reviewing the third book in a trilogy...spoiler free.

Possible, I'm sure, but it's not going to be easy.

*throat clears* Right then. Straight into it.

I stumbled onto Unearthly and remember only about five seconds passing from the end of that book until I was hitting up Google, looking (praying) for a sequel. Only to find that while one was planned, it was at least six months off.

I was a sad panda.

Then last January, the post-Christmas doldrums were wiped away for a brief time with Hallowed...and an ending that left me an even sadder panda.

Cue the past month and the run up to Boundless. Granted, it wasn't the insanity that was waiting for Breaking Dawn, or Mockingjay or even Harry Potter 7. I was still on pins and needles, though. I wanted things right for Clara after the loss of her mother, I wanted more about Sam, about her Father, about Jeffrey, about why Clara was so much more gifted than the others seemed to be, I wanted...(spoiler block) I wanted so many things.

All of which means, when the book arrived overnight on the 22nd and was waiting patiently for me on my Kindle...I immediately started reading (don't tell my boss.) I could only do so much and still put in a productive day, but I was sneaking pages on my iPhone app all day long. Then I got home, fed my family, and read until I was finished.

My husband asked me if everything was okay since I was so quiet. Thankfully, 20 years of marriage means all I had to say was "last book in the trilogy" and he understood fine. He knows how I get.

So, did I get what I wanted from the story?

All that and more.

Every question I had was answered. Loose ends were tied up just enough to leave me satisfied, but not so tightly that there isn't room to revisit this series at some later time, maybe years in the future.

The writing remains solid and descriptive without delving too incredibly deep into long exposition about the way the wind moves through the trees - it does what it needs to do. She sets the scene, and then lets the scene itself tell the story. The characters, their expressions, their actions, their words. It's a thrill when I find an author that knows, and embraces, the "show, don't tell" method of writing.

And God, did she ever show.

So much so, I've got a wicked book hangover going on and will probably reread the series now - start to finish - rather than pick up a new book.

I have to at least touch on the triangle. I spent years in the Harry Potter shipping war trenches as well as the Team Edward/Team Jacob madness. I don't so much steer away from books with triangles/boy choices now, but I am usually leery of them. I've had a few hits and some spectacular misses, some in which the ultimate choice has colored the whole series for me with the whole box of blare crayons.

That said, I think this instance was very well handled. There was no clear "good" or "bad" choice; all of them made mistakes, all of them thought they were doing what was right - for them and for others - and it was heartbreaking in so many ways that by the end, I think my heart was mostly superglue. And even then, she wasn't done with me. End result - satisfying.

For this book, and this series, the first 5+ star rating. The uber-squee.

View all my reviews

Previously in the Kindle Cave....

Reviews:

What Happens Next (squee)
Impossible (blarg)
Foretell (squee)

Extraneous:
Entangled Pimp Post

Aborted reads:
Hounded (Unfortunately not my thing. Nothing against the writing - because the guy's sarcasm is killer - but sometimes you just know that the book's not going to resonate with you. I may revisit someday.)

Added to TBR:
Til Death
Taste
Something Like Normal
The Twelfth Keeper
What's a Witch To Do

Current and Upcoming:
Some Girls Bite (which may be pre-empted by....)
Boundless (Waving Team Tucker flag while nervously gnawing on my nails)

Stay tuned next week. Same Kindletime, same Kindlestation...

Review: Foretell by Belle Malory

Foretell by Belle Malory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads summary:


If you could provide anyone with the path to their deepest, darkest desires, would you?

Estelle Spencer has no choice.

With just a simple touch of her hand, wishes and dreams are instantly fulfilled. Her voice speaks of its own accord, lighting the way to good fortune.

But not everyone’s fortunes are desirable.

For most of her life Estelle hides in fear, living as a recluse in her sister’s shadow. Until the day comes when her existence is remembered.

Forced into running, Estelle meets Rex, a Romanian gypsy, and the only person who can help her hide. Together they search for a way to end the curse that controls Estelle’s life.

Before she destroys the world.


My review:

I feel horrible for the amount of time this was on my Carousel and kept getting pushed back for shiny new books. Part of that is due to library holds coming at me fast and furious, but I'll own the other part. What I like to call literary ADD.

I digress. I read it, I loved it, I kicked myself for not reading it sooner.

The best part? In the land of 3-book, 5-book, n-book (series that never end) story arcs, it was very refreshing to see this book wrap as a duology. There was definitely more to Wanderlove than one book could handle but, to my mind, pushing this into another two, three or more books would turn it into more filler, less plot.

Okay. That wasn't the best part. The best part was Rex. And maybe Essie. And a box of markers. (No, I won't elaborate that because it could count as a spoiler and I really try to keep away from that.)

The story was tightly told, enough detail to set the scenes and keep you in the character's world but no long stretches of purple prose that go on forever. (I want to know that the curtains are blue...I don't care why.) It kept me engaged to the point I was sneaking away to read again and went to bed last night intending to read a chapter or two...then stayed up until 3 am because I had to finish it, I had to know.

Another thing I loved is that it steps away from the more "traditional" paranormal (vampires, witches, fae) and centers on gypsies and past lives. They have subtle abilities - seeing the future, innate lie detection - and the story does a good job of showing the good and bad sides of each. How gifts can be blessings and curses at the same time.

Essie broke my heart in the decisions she made, especially for the reasons she made them. When the full nature of her gift was revealed, and what she saw when it happened. I'll admit it, I was sniffling back tears.

And then Rex. Lordy. Who could think cleaning a scraped knee could be so...so...sigh. I'll admit he wasn't my favorite in Wanderlove and maybe that was why I was so tentative to start this. Boy was that put away quick. I daresay I almost like him *more* than Gabe now. Especially the picnic. And a few other moments I won't spoil here...because I'll not only spoil it, I'll start gushing about favorite moments in pure insane fangirl fashion and there are a *lot* of them. :)

In short, a beautiful duology; one I will most likely read again.