She Was the Quiet One, by Michele Campbell ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Boarding Schools, Hazing, Murder Mystery, Psychological Suspense, Statutory Rape, Twins

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now 

352 Pages

Synopsis: When twin sisters Rose and Bel Enright enroll in The Odell School, a prestigious New Hampshire boarding school, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. But the sisters could not be more different. The school brings out a rivalry between them that few ever knew existed. And the school itself has a dark underbelly: of privileged kids running unchecked and uninhibited; of rituals and traditions that are more sinister than they seem; of wealth and entitlement that can only lead  to disaster.

For Sarah Donovan, wife of an ambitious teacher who is determined to rise through the ranks, Odell seems like the best thing that could happen to their small family. But how well does she really know her husband? What lengths will he go to achieve his goals? And when one dark night ends in murder, who is guilty, who know the truth, and who has been in on it all along? SHE WAS THE QUIET ONE. Because murderers are almost never who you expect.

Have you ever finished a book and thought “I should have hated this!” but instead, reluctantly found yourself enjoying it immensely? That’s exactly how I felt during and after reading She Was the Quiet One.

There are plenty of books with the creepy New England boarding school setting, but I have a weakness for them, so that’s what first attracted me to this book. The chapters alternate between twin sisters Bel and Rose Enright, and Sarah Donovan, the wife of the charismatic and ambitious Heath Donovan, The Donovans are teachers, student advisors, and dorm heads of Moreland Hall, a dorm with a bad reputation and which has had to deal with a few scandals in its history. Interspersed are police interviews with various characters after the murder. In the beginning I was a little nervous because I didn’t like any of the characters except for Sarah. The twins are polar opposites of each other. Bel is the rebellious one who tends to always fall in with the wrong crowd. She’s a follower who will do anything in order to be accepted by the popular crowd. Rose is the quiet studious one but she comes across as judgemental and sanctimonious most of the time. Both girls annoyed me immensely in the beginning but I suspect that Michele Campbell intends that. As the story progresses, both sisters become a bit more empathetic. Sarah, I liked from the beginning and she is the character I connected with the most. When the book first starts it seems like this is the perfect couple with two adorable children, but it’s soon revealed that Heath, once a promising new novelist, was involved in a scandal himself, and these new positions at Odell Academy are a new beginning for the family. Sarah does everything to support her husband’s ambitions, but she’s not blind to his weaknesses either and I felt for her as she struggled. 

The story itself is not one of those twisty thrillers that keep you guessing, although there were a couple of surprises that I didn’t see coming. But even with its predictability, the story was still fun with its drama, secrets, betrayal, and murder. While I figured out who the murderer was before the second half of the book, I still enjoyed watching how events unfolded. And the epilogue was a clever addition that brings everything to a satisfying close.

She Was the Quiet One, is a fast-paced read that’s perfect for the beach or bringing on vacation. While it’s an adult fiction novel, older teens will also enjoy it. 

Damage Done ~ by Amanda Panitch – 4.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Suspense, School Shootings, Thriller, Twins, YA Fiction

 I received this ebook from NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: 22 minutes separate Julia Venn’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.

Now that she’s Lucy Black, she’s able to begin again. And her fresh start has attracted one of the most popular guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy’s forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely behind. 

One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning…

To call this debut novel creepy and disturbing doesn’t even begin to cover it. It’s insanely twisted and shoved me completely outside my comfort zone. 

The story begins as Julia, now known as Lucy, is trying to fit in at a new school. She and her parents have moved to get away from the negative publicity and harassment following the conviction of her twin brother Ryan who committed a horrific act of school violence, leaving a teacher and several classmates, including her boyfriend and her best friend, dead. Lucy is the sole survivor but has large gaps in her memory regarding the events of that day. While what truly happened is foreshadowed, how the truth is eventually revealed is completely shocking. 

Lucy/Julia isn’t a likeable character right from the start. She has no problem lying and manipulating people and events to suit her needs. The terrible crime of her brother follows Lucy no matter where she goes, but you don’t discover her exact role in it until the end of the book. Through her eyes you see the development of a sociopath, which is truly frightening. Because the narrative is mostly told from her perspective, it adds another layer of suspense since she’s not exactly trustworthy.

While Lucy is unforgettable, the secondary characters could have used some more development, particularly the parents. I found myself wanting to know so much more about them, but unfortunately they’re fairly two-dimensional and don’t really add anything to the story. This is a shame, because in a thriller such as this, I would have liked to have seen more of how their parenting effected the twins development. 

The pacing never slows down, and while the ending wasn’t a complete surprise, there’s an incredible twist to it that left me shaken and disconcerted which doesn’t happen too often. 

Damage Done is not a book I’d recommend to anyone under the age of fourteen due to the mature themes as well as some pretty graphic and disturbing scenes. In a world where school shootings have unfortunately become commonplace, Amanda Panitch tells a fascinating and thrilling tale of one of these senseless tragedies and the repercussions on the shooter’s family. 

Sisters of Blood and Spirit ~ By Kady Cross – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Ghost Stories, Horror, Paranormal, Twins, YA Fiction

  This e-ARC was provided to me by NetGalley and Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 3/31/15

Lark and Wren Noble are not your average twins. Lark is living, but Wren died at birth, and she only exists through her sister. It’s hard enough being a teenager, but when when you have a dead sister tagging along and at times taking over your your body, well, you become something of an outcast. Lark finally decides it would be easier to join Wren in the Shadow Lands, but her suicide attempt is thwarted by a classmate and instead she winds up at New Devon’ s mental hospital. Newly released, she’s approached by her savior and a small group of classmates who have been marked for death by a malevolent spirit, and now both Lark and Wren may be their only hope of surviving.

I’m a huge fan of The Steampunk Chronicles series by Kady Cross, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Sisters of Blood and Spirit. I can now say this is completely different than her other books and it’s a unique take on the paranormal. The worldbuilding is intriguing, although I wish there had been more included about the Shadow Lands. The plot was fast paced and exciting with plenty of chills and thrills. It actually reminded me of the tv show Supernatural with it’s references to “meat-suits” and it’s rules regarding iron and salt. I kept imagining Lark and Dean teaming up. I loved Lark who is a mix of snarkiness and vulnerability. Because of her treatment at the hands of her classmates and even her parents, she finds it very hard to trust people, and it was nice seeing her attitude thaw as the story progressed. Wren was an interesting character whose personality is the polar opposite of her sister’s and she serves as a counterbalance to her sister’s aloofness. At the same time sweet Wren also has a dark side which saves her from being too perfect. This is just touched upon, which brings me what I found problematic after finishing. I’m assuming this is the first book in what will be a series, but I wish there had been a little more regarding the sisters connection and their abilities. Was there anything in their family history to explain this? Also, the descriptions of the Shadow Lands were great, but I think it’s mysteries could have been explored a little more. To be perfectly fair, the book is under 300 pages, so there’s only so much that could be included. Hopefully the missing pieces will be part of the next book. 

The Third Twin ~ by CJ Omololu – 2.5 Stars

Tags

Adoption, Mysteries, Thrillers, Twins, YA Fiction

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Delacorte in exchange for an honest review.

Adopted twins Alexa and Ava created an imaginary third sister when they were children to blame things on. At seventeen, they now take turns masquerading as”Alicia” in order to date cute boys who they don’t otherwise consider suitable dating material. Now one of the boys has turned up dead. Lexi wants to immediately stop the game, but Ava insists that as long as they follow the rules they established, everything will work out. When a second boy is murdered, DNA evidence and surveillance videos point to one suspect, Alicia. On the run from police, Lexi has to discover the truth before another boy is killed. To her horror she is faced with the possibility that either Ava is a killer, or Alicia actually exists.

After reading the summary, if you’re thinking this sounds like Pretty Little Liars, you’d be right on the money. I actually kept picturing the twins as the actress Lucy Hale who plays Aria in ABC Family’s PLLs. (Please don’t ask me how I know this!) I’m going to get the negatives out of the way. The twins, who basically won the adoption lottery when they were left on the doorstep of an extremely successful man, are snobs. For example, one of the guys that they deem “unsuitable” is because he plays in a band. Really? They’re also a bit ditzy. Despite Lexi being a candidate for Stanford, they lie to the police to cover-up a fake identity, while looming over them is the bigger threat of being arrested for murder. That’s just one of many implausible things that happen throughout the course of the book. But, despite the flaws, the story kept my attention, and although I thought I had figured out the basic premise behind the identity of the killer, the author managed to surprise me. I think teens in the 14 – 15 year range would enjoy this thriller. Anyone older I think will find The Third Twin to be a little too light on plot and character development.