The Last Good Girl (Anna Curtis #5) ~ By Allison Leotta – 4.5 Stars

Tags

"Rape Culture", Adult Fiction, College Life, Legal Thriller, Legal Thrillers, Mystery

Thank you NetGalley and Touchstone for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Synopsis: Emma a freshman at a Michigan university, has gone missing. She was last seen leaving a bar near Sigma Pi, the prestigious and secretive fraternity known on campus as “the rape factory”. The main suspect is Dylan Brooks, the son of the most powerful politician in the state. But so far the only clues are pieced-together surveillance footage of Emma leaving the bar that night…and Dylan running after her.

Anna Curtis is on the car when she discovers the video diary Emma kept over her first few month of college, exposing the history she had with Dylan–and accusing him of rape before she disappeared.

Emma’s disappearance gets media attention and support from Title IX activists across the country, but Anna’s investigation hits a wall. Now Anna is looking for something, anything she can use to find Emma alive. But without a body or any physical evidence, she’s under threat from people who tell her to thin hard before she ruins the name of an “innocent young man”. Inspired by real-life stories, The Last Good Girl shines a light on campus rape and the powerful emotional dynamics that affect the families of the men and women on both sides.

After requesting this book from NetGalley I did some research and discovered that the story is loosely based on actual events which took place at a Connecticut college. I also found out that Allison Leotta used to be a federal prosecutor of sex crimes, which got me really excited because while The Last Good Girl is technically fiction, it’s written by someone who’s been at the front lines of this continuing battle. I don’t know how things are in other countries, but here in the U.S. campus rape is a huge problem at colleges and universities despite legal protections like Title IX which forbids sex-based discrimination in education having been put into place. Cable news channel CNN aired The Hunting Ground last year which examined the “rape culture” on campuses and Lady Gaga and Diane Warren co-wrote the Oscar nominated song “Til It Happens To You” for the documentary. While people and politicians argue over how prevalent campus rape actually is, and whether colleges are doing enough to protect their students, one thing is abundantly clear: one rape is too many! I’m going to be honest here and admit that I’m fairly passionate about this topic because when I was in college a little over a decade ago a friend of mine was given the date rape drug Rohypnol and sexually assaulted after attending a party. The perpetrators were never enough to justice and after a few months she quit school. Sadly, this isn’t one of this those stories that are one in a million. So, back to this incredibly well-written story. It alternates between Anna’s third person perspective and video logs Emma had made stating everything that happened to her. This was sheer genius because you “see” Emma’s excruciating ordeal up until her disappearance, while at the same time you watch the U.S. federal prosecutor Anna Curtis and FBI agent Samantha Randazzo do everything they can to uncover the truth and hopefully save Emily. All of the characters are really strong here, but Emily is the one who really stands out. This girl refuses to be a victim and never backs down from trying to have her attacker brought to justice. If I have one criticism it’s that I did think the response of the college authorities, particularly Emily’s father who is the president, was a tiny bit over-the-top. Part of the real life problem is school officials unwillingness to do anything, but there are also plenty of schools now that do take action. The ending was a complete shock to me and to be honest I’m not sure how I feel about it. It was unexpected that’s for sure. It’s obvious that Allison Leotta makes good use of her knowledge and legal expertise in crafting this tightly woven legal thriller. The Last Good Girl is a chilling and brutal tale that will keep you glued to its pages right up until the end. It’s definitely made me want to go back and read the previous books in the Anna Curtis series. 

Girl About Town ~ By Adam Shankman & Laura L. Sullivan – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Hollywood, Mystery, Romance, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Atheneum for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Now too long ago, Lucille O’Malley was living in a tenement in New York. Now she’s Lulu Kelly, Hollywood’s newest It Girl. She may be a star, but she worries that her past will catch up with her. Back in New York she witnessed a Mafia murder, and this glamorous New life in Tinseltown is payment for her silence. 

Dashing Freddie van Der Waals, the only son of a New York tycoon, was a playboy with the world at his feet. But when he discovered how his corrupt  father really made the family fortune, Freddie abandoned his billions and became a vagabond. He travels the country in search of redemption and a new identity, but his father will stop at nothing to bring him home.

When fate brings Lulu and Freddie together, sparks fly–and gunshots follow. Suddenly Lulu finds herself framed for attempted murder. Together, she and Freddie set out to clear her name. But can they escape their pasts and finally find the Hollywood ending they long for?

According to the blurb put out by Simon & Schuster the collaborative team of film producer/director and coauthor Laura Sullivan were inspired to write this novel, by Nick and Nora Charles and old-style Hollywood glamour. In some ways Girl About Town does a perfect job capturing that essence, by the two main characters, Lulu and Freddie are virtually nothing more than cardboard cutouts which takes some of the sparkle out of what at times is a witty romantic comedy and mystery. To put it kindly, they’re both sweet but a bit ditzy, particularly Lulu. Neither of them really think before they act, which accounts for at least half of the problems they encounter. The narrative is split between them and this doesn’t allow for much in the way of character development. What does save this novel is the setting which draws you right into 1930s Hollywood with a scheming gossip columnist, stars leading scandalous secret lives, and beautifully described parties at Pickfair. There was some delicious name-dropping but it never got so that it was over-the-top. This was the part of the story that captured my attention. The mystery is interesting and had me second-guessing more than once as to the identity of the villain.

Reading this was like watching an old Hollywood movie, so in that respect this novel is a success. I just wish the authors had spent a little more time fleshing out their hero and heroine. In the end I think Girl Around Town is a charming and fluffy tale that will especially appeal to teens and fans of historical fiction and the glamour of old Hollywood.

The May Queen Murders ~ By Sarah Jude – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Horror, LGBT Relationships, Mystery, Southern Gothic, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Synopsis: Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night.

Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care–she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other–or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

Based on the synopsis I was really excited about reading The May Queen Murders. I thought it was going to be a modern day southern gothic. While it definitely had that flavor, there were a few flaws that kept this from being a perfect read for me. The first concerns the relationship between Ivy and her cousin Heather which is at the heart of this story. Ivy is a sweet girl whose love for her cousin borders on adoration. While it’s obvious that Heather returns that love, she tends to take Ivy for granted. Before her disappearance Heather is yearning to leave Rowan’s Glen, but she takes her feelings out on Ivy and it’s difficult to feel any sympathy for her. I liked Ivy but I found myself wishing she was a little more assertive with her cousin. Once Heather goes missing though, Ivy is determined to discover what happened, even if it puts her life in jeopardy. Frankly, I wasn’t able to completely buy into this abrupt change in personality even keeping in mind her devotion to Heather. Ivy has always let superstition rule her actions, yet suddenly she’s ignoring all these “signs” that previously would have sent her fleeing in the other direction. There was also the question of whether she had visions or not. This was brought up with some dreams she had, but it was never fully explored. And finally, although Ivy was likable, there’s nothing really that stands out about her. I feel the same about her family and love interest. There’s nothing really that makes any of them memorable. What I did like about this novel was the setting. I thought Sarah Jude did a wonderful job creating and describing life in the Missouri Ozarks. She even manages to make it diverse by having Ivy’s mother be Mexican, and including a LGBT relationship. The mystery was also interesting and it kept me guessing throughout the book. The only issue I had with it was that there were way too many reveals in the end. There were no less than three murderous villains, which to me just wasn’t believable in this tiny community.

Overall, The May Queen Murders wasn’t a bad read. While I thought the characters were bland, I think many teens would overlook this flaw and focus on the mystery. Because of some extremely graphic passages which even made me a little queasy, and a couple of sexual scenes, I wouldn’t recommend this to young teens. Otherwise it’s a creepy tale that many YA horror fans will enjoy.

The Lie Tree ~ By Frances Hardinge – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Mystery, Victorian Era

Thank you NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is modest and well mannered–a proper young lady who knows her place. But inside, Faith is burning with questions and curiousity. She keeps sharp watch of her surroundings and, therefore, knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing –like the real reason her family fled Kent to the close-knit island of Vane. And that her father’s death was no accident.

In pursuit of revenge and justice for the father she idolizes, Faith hunts through his possessions, where she discovers a strange tree. A tree that only bears fruit when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit in turn, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father’s murder. Or it might lure the murderer directly to Faith herself, for lies–like fires, wild and crackling–quickly take on a life of their own.

I’ve been a fan of Frances Hardinge’s since her first book Fly By Night was published in 2005 and it was an enormous success with the Mother Daughter Book Group that I hosted at my library. Since then I’ve learned one thing when picking up a book by this well-respected author: expect the unexpected. She excels at crafting unique and charming stories with menacing undertones, and The Lie Tree is no different. It’s a complex narrative of interwoven storylines that are bleak, terrifying, mysterious, and lovely. Faith is a wonderful character you can’t help but be captivated by. At thirteen during the Victorian Age, she’s no longer considered a child, yet neither is she a woman. A confusing time for any young lady. But when you add in her complicated relationship with her parents, well, things get even more murky. At the heart of the novel is Faith’s devotion to her father which continues after his death. To be perfectly honest, given the rather dismissive and neglectful way he treated her when he was alive, her loyalty was by turns perplexing and admirable. Possessing a mind of keen intelligence Faith also chafes at the restrictions placed on females by Victorian society. She wishes nothing more than to follow in her father’s scientific footsteps, yet she realizes she will have a long and difficult road ahead of her before she can attain her dream. The mystery is fascinating and in a way is reminiscent of Hamlet. While I wasn’t surprised at the identity of the murderer, that didn’t make the plot any less compelling. The fantasy elements surrounding the Lie Tree and its dangerous fruit, doesn’t really come into play until the second half of the book, but it adds in another layer which further explores society norms. The Lie Tree technically falls under the broad heading of children’s literature, but I would also say it’s akin to classics like Anne of Green Gables and To Kill a Mockingbird that feature non-adult characters yet still are wildly appealing to those who have long since left their childhood behind. It’s a story that will appeal to fans of historical fiction whether they’re thirteen or thirty-plus. It’s an exquisite tale that shouldn’t be missed!

True Born (The True Born Trilogy #1) ~ By L.E. Sterling – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Teen for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Synopsis: Welcome to Dominion City.

After the great Plague descended, the world population was decimated…and their genetics damaged beyond repair. 

The Lasters wait hopelessly for their genes to self-destruct. The Splicers pay for expensive treatments that might prolong their lives. The plague-resistant True Borns are as mysterious as they are feared…

And then there’s Lucy Fox and her identical twin sister Margot. After endless tests, no one wants to reveal what they are.

When Margot disappears, a desperate Lucy has no choice but to put her faith in the True Borns, led by the charismatic Nolan Storm and the beautiful but deadly Jared Price. As Lucy and the True Borns set out to rescue her sister, they stumble upon a vast conspiracy stretching from Dominion’s street preachers to shady Russian tycoons. But why target the Fox sisters?

As they say in Dominion, it’s in the blood.

If I’m going to be completely honest, it was the cover of True Born that drew me in. Those of you who have been visiting me for a while know I have a weakness in this regard. Sometimes it’s worked out for me and other times it hasn’t. Happily this is one of the times that what lies within definitely lives up to the cover. The story starts off a little slowly, but it doesn’t take long for the pace to pick up. The narrative is told in Lucy’s voice which makes everything that unfolds quite personal. She’s a character that many will be able to relate to. Despite her growing up rich and sheltered, Lucy is very much aware of the suffering going on beyond her privileged world. The biggest strength of the book lies with the unique bond shared between Lucy and her twin, Margot. They are so close it even transcends the relationships most twins share. There’s the beginning of a romance between Lucy and True Born Jared Price, but it’s just in it’s beginning stages. They actually spend most of the book snarking at each other but it never gets annoying. Also absolutely fascinating is the enigmatic Nolan Storm. He’s the leader of a faction of the True Borns, and how obviously cares about the girls, but his true motivations remain unclear. The world-building is complex, but never confusing. Sterling has taken the idea of the plague story and given it a whole new twist. It’s actually a mix of dystopian fiction with fantasy. It even has the intriguing mystery of who Lucy and Margot are. Are they Lasters, Splicers, True Borns, or something entirely new that no one has seen before. Sterling also does a wonderful job creating a world close to extinction. She brings in many social issues that we’re dealing with in the here and now: the growing divide between the rich and the poor, environmental pollution, and religious fanaticism. True Born is an exciting beginning to this new trilogy. Fans of dystopian fiction and fantasy should definitely check it out! 

R.I.P. Prince Rogers Nelson ~ June 7th, 1958 – April 21st, 2016

Tags

Music Icons, Prince Rogers Nelson

Unbelievably another musical genius has died. I loved Prince’s music as a teen and he got me through some bad times including the death of my dad in 1982. He was truly a poetic artist, and with his loss along with David Bowie earlier this year there’s a void in the music world which will never be filled.

There are so many incredible songs to choose from: “1999”, “Little Red Corvette”,  “When Doves Cry”, “I Wanna Be Your Lover”, “Rasberry Beret”,”Kiss”, “Purple Rain”… I’m going to go with the lyrics from “Lets Go Crazy” because I think it’s fitting for such sad news.

Dearly beloved

We are gathered here today

To get through this thing called life

Electric word life

It means forever and that’s a mighty long time

But I’m here to tell you

There’s something else

The after world

A world of never-ending happiness

You can always see the sun, day or night

So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills

You know the one,Dr.Everything’ll Be Alright

Instead of asking him how much of your time is left

Ask him how much of your mind, baby

‘Cause in this life

Things are much harder than in the after world

In this life

You’re on your own…

And here’s what he had to say in a recent interview regarding his talent:

I’m no different to anyone. Yes I have fame and wealth and talent, but I certainly don’t consider myself better than anyone who has no fame, wealth or talent. People fascinate me. They’re amazing! Life fascinates me! And I’m no more fascinated by my own life than by anyone else’s

As a longtime fan I want to say thank you Prince. Thank you for creating such incredible music that reached out to millions of people throughout the world and touched all of our hearts.

This is what it sounds like. When doves cry.

Sleeping Giants ~ By Sylvain Neuvel -3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Alien Life, Science Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 26th, 2016

Synopsis: A girl named m ed Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down at something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved–its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted, theories floated, then rejected

But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery–and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?

This debut novel is told for the most part through conversations between an unamed interviewer and the book’s other characters. Interspersed throughout the story are newspaper articles, government memos, and the journal entries of the main characters. In one way it’s a clever and creative format, although fans of World War Z and Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff may initially have a case of deja vu. Reading it made me feel as though I was putting together a puzzle much in the way the characters were putting together the mysterious robot. The format also allowed the pace to move quickly and it only took me a couple of days to breeze through it. There’s even a nice little tie-in to Greek mythology. The problem I ran into was that I never got a sense of who the main characters were. I think this is partly because the narrative tells you what’s happened rather than shows you. These huge events take place, but you never see them. You’re only told about them afterward through the journal entries and the interview sessions. This was so frustrating because although I found the story interesting, I had this feeling of disconnect right up to its intriguing cliffhanger ending. I’ve heard  Sleeping Giants has already been picked up by Sony for adaptation to the big screen so there’s a lot of people out there who like it. I can’t even say I disliked it. I was just hoping for more.

Bright Blaze of Magic (Black Blade #3) ~ By Jennifer Estep – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Urban Fantasy, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 26th, 2016

Synopsis: Bad Things Always Come In Threes…

As a thief, I’m good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls. 

Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families–and kill every last Sinclair. What they don’t know is that I’m on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I’ve got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting by my side…

I’m always anxious when I come to the last book in a series or trilogy. I’ve been burned too many times by disappointing finales. But with a brilliant writer such as Jennifer Estep, I needn’t have worried because Bright Blaze of Magic is a nearly perfect conclusion to the Black Blade trilogy.

First of all there’s the characters. Lila is everything you want to see in a heroine. She’s courageous, intelligent, stubborn, compassionate, and devoted to her family and friends. She even has an addiction to bacon which I can totally relate to. Her actions and personality have remained consistent throughout the books and I didn’t think I could love her any more until this last book.  The romance between her and Devon is so incredibly sweet. It’s developed over the course of the three books so it’s not a case of insta-love thank God! There’s also very little angst or drama between them. Instead these are two people who love, support and respect each other. The rest of the characters are also richly drawn with Felix and Deah being my favorites. Deah actually gives Lila a run for her money as she continues to be torn between loyalty to her father Victor (who’s the villain of the story) and her love for Felix, as well as the growing realization of how truly evil Victor really is. Her story is every bit as compelling as Lila’s. And finally, there’s Victor Draconi who is one of the nastiest antagonists I’ve ever read. He’s arrogant, cold-hearted, and completely merciless, yet in an odd way I find I’m going to miss him as well. I think that’s a testament to how talented a writer Estep is. As in the first two books, the world-building is just fantastic. What I really appreciate is how Estep is able to further bring to life the magic and grittiness of the town of Cloudburst Falls without slowing the pace down one iota. Even with monsters like enormous snakes called coppercrushers, I’d still like to live there. The plot is nearly perfect except for one glitch. There’s a scene where Victor puts his diabolical plan into motion. Everyone knows what his plan is and that the implementation of it is imminent, yet somehow no one is prepared. No one arms themselves so it’s basically a massacre. They all know how power-hungry Victor is, so for him to catch them unawares just isn’t believable.

Otherwise, Bright Blaze of Magic is a wonderful ending to a fantastic trilogy where everything just clicks. I’m torn between feeling like this:

and this:

I know all you bookworms will understand. It’s always difficult saying goodbye to a world and it’s characters that you’ve grown so fond of. I would recommend The Black Blades trilogy to, well, everyone. It’s a fine example of why YA fiction is so popular not just with teens but adults.

Golden Boys ~ By Sonya Hartnett – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Alcoholism, Child Abuse, Coming of Age Stories, Dysfunctional Families, YA Fiction

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: With their father there’s always a catch…

Colt Jenson and his younger brother Bastian, have moved to a new, working-class suburb. The Jensens are different. Their father, Rex, showers them with gifts–toys, bikes, all that glitters most–and makes them the envy of the neighborhood.

To Freya Kiley and the other local kids, the Jensens are a family out of a movie, and Rex a hero–successful, attentive, attractive, always there to lend a hand. But to Colt he’s an impossible figure in a different way: unbearable, suffocating. Has Colt got Rex wrong, or has he seen something in his father that will destroy their fragile new lives?

Golden Boys is a tale of two very dysfunctional families, seen through the eyes of their children. The story takes place in Australia during the late 1970s or early 1980s. This isn’t a book that is action packed from beginning to end. Yet while the pacing is slow, especially in the beginning, that doesn’t make the narrative any less compelling. Seeing the events that unfold from the perspective of the children, makes an already disquieting story deeply personal. Sonya Hartnett deftly captures that childlike innocence we all had at some point. I think the strongest passages are from Freya and Colt who are the oldest, and are both put in the unspeakable position of staying quiet about their fathers’ actions or revealing secrets long kept hidden. Nothing that happens is too graphically told, which in a way makes it even more menacing. It’s also a reminder that sometimes monsters need not be supernatural in nature, and that they can hide behind the most ordinary and benign of facades. None of the adults walk away from this smelling like roses. Both fathers are despicable and vile, and the mothers are your stereotypical enablers. This might have been a problem but in the end it’s not because the children are so brilliantly written, and after all, in the end this is their story. The only reason why I haven’t given this 5 stars is because I hated the ending. I thought it was much too abrupt and it left me a bit frustrated. Overall though I found Golden Boys to be a hauntingly beautiful and evocative novel and I think it would be a perfect pick for a teen or adult book discussion group. It’s an unsettling story that will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished.

 

Dawn of the Flame Sea (A Flame Sea Novella) ~ By Jean Johnson – 2.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, High Fantasy

Thank you NetGalley and Intermix for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 19th, 2016

Synopsis: They call themselves The Fae Ril, or Fair Traders. Elfin-like beings capable of wielding sophisticated forms of magic, they travel between universes exploring new worlds and establishing settlements for their people to live peacefully among the locals.

The humans of the White Sands tribe, refugees fleeing from powerful enemies, see the Fae as potential invaders stealing their newfound natural resources. Jintaya, the leader of the Fae travelers, manages to forge an alliance, promising to trade skills and knowledge–magical and otherwise–to build a lasting community.

But the Circle Fire Tribe has no desire to share those rich valleys and ravines with the people they’ve hunted to near extinction–or the supposed deities they worship…

Although this is a relatively short book, it took me the better part of a week to plow through it. I think part of the problem was that Jean Johnson focused most of her attention on world-building and almost nothing on character development. There are many characters to try to keep track of between the Fae and members of the different tribes, but they all blended into one another. I finished this just a couple of days ago, yet if asked I couldn’t name one single person who stood out to me. The other problem is there’s nothing new here that sets this story apart from the legions of other high fantasy stories out there. I also have to be honest and say I wasn’t fond of the time period, which if I had had to hazard a guess, was around the Bronze Age. This however is purely a case of personal preference. I was never really able to get into Jean Auel’s bestselling Earth’s Children series either. I loved Johnson’s Sons of Destiny series which had incredible world-building and characters you couldn’t help but get attached to but sadly, Dawn of the Flame Sea didn’t have that same spark of originality and excitement. There are at least two more books coming out in this series, but I don’t think I’ll be trying them. While this didn’t work for me, if you are a fan of fantasy and like stories centered around the Fae, please don’t let me discourage you from trying it. You may very well wind up enjoying it far more than I did.