Tag Archive for: Mystery

, ,

Summerlost

SummerlostTitle: Summerlost
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Contemporary, Middle Grade, Mystery
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 272
Reason Read: Utah Book Month
Rating:

My Thoughts

This is Ally Condie’s middle grade and contemporary debut and I really think she hit the bulls-eye with SUMMERLOST and discovered her niche in writing. I loved her Matched series, but there’s just something about this book. It was outstanding. The story is beautifully written. It’s such a great book about friendship, love, loss, and healing. It hit very close to home and is as if Ally wrote about my own feelings of grief regarding my mom’s passing. I highly recommend it for not only the intended audience but adults as well.

, ,

Cut Me Free

Cut Me FreeTitle: Cut Me Free
Author: J.R. Johansson
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult
Format: ARC
Pages: 320
Reason Read: Received for Review
Rating:

My Thoughts

When I first heard about CUT ME FREE, I was worried it would be too hard to read because it was about child abuse. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. I’m so glad I did because I absolutely loved it. The story, writing, everything about it was phenomenal. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The story was so intense. I wanted to finish it as soon as I started reading it.

Johansson wrote this story in a way so that it wasn’t too graphic, but it still got the pain and sadness across. She also brought some hope into the story so it wasn’t all depressing. And, at the same time, she wrote believable characters that made you feel what they felt.

I felt so many emotions. I was so sad for Piper, Sam, and Sanda. I was horrified that people could do this and think it was okay. I’m angry that people do this and I was scared that something would happen again. Finally, I was relieved when Piper and Sanda found each other.

Piper was a great character. I loved reading her perspective. It was truthful and hesitant. Because she didn’t have a normal upbringing she questioned herself and her motives. I also loved Cam. I loved that he took an interest in Piper and he could tell that she was scared and didn’t trust anyone. I loved that he pushed her, but not too hard because he knew she needed time to heal.

, , ,

Virals

ViralsTitle: Virals
Author: Kathy Reichs, Brendan Reichs
Series: Virals #1
Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Pages: 454
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’m really glad I decided to read VIRALS. It was quite enjoyable. The mystery was fun and I liked the sci-fi element added to the series. I liked the characters–they were fun and believable. I only wished there was more romance.

I’ve never read a book written by two different authors (that I know of anyway). I was curious if the story would flow right or if I could tell when the authors switched. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no disconnection between their writing. The story and novel felt fluid and written by one person, which helped keep me in the story.

At this point, I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

,

Alice In Everville

Alice In EvervilleTitle: Alice in Everville
Author: S.C. Langgle
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult
Format: Kindle
Pages: 180
Reason Read: Received for Review
Rating:

My Thoughts

Even though ALICE IN EVERVILLE was self-published, I was excited to read it. The premise sounded like so much fun, but the execution wasn’t done well at all. The story and writing were lacking in so many areas, but most particularly in character and story development. It felt more like a rough draft than a finished story.

I didn’t feel the urgency and time crunch Alice felt about deciphering Sylvie Plate’s code in her poems. The story felt really contrived and the allusions lacked subtlety. It took me out of the story because I kept rolling my eyes.

, ,

With A Name Like Love

With A Name Like LoveTitle: With a Name Like Love
Author: Tess Hilmo
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Mystery
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 250
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’m glad I was finally able to read WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE. It’s a very heart-warming story about love, family, and friendship. I really grew to love the characters. I loved Ollie and most of her family. I also really loved Jimmy and felt for him with the circumstances he and his mother were in. It was fun to watch the two develop a friendship, figure things out, and come up with a way to fix what was going on.

The story doesn’t focus on racism, which you might expect taking place in Arkansas in the 1950s. Racism was there a little bit, but most of all, the story showed all forms of bigotry and hate, especially associated with things or people that were different from the way people thought they should be. It showed how bigotry and hate clouded them from seeing or even wanting to see the truth.

What I loved most of all about the book was the message of love. I really enjoyed the religious undertones as well and I also loved that the religious message wasn’t in-your-face preachy. It was just used to help propel the story forward and illustrate that love can conquer anything if you let it into your heart.