April, 2014

"Singing the Last Song (After the Explosion)" by Jane B. Night         

Birdie Louis feels adrift.  Her parents and brother have all died and she joins a band.  Traveling the US, the band sings protest songs against WWIII.  At the same time, Birdie's sister-in-law is part of a secret movement trying to find a solution to save the world.  What they come up with, is terrifying.         

I really enjoyed this book.  It has an interesting premise and world.  I would love to read more stories set in this world, especially the time in the caves.  Perhaps a series of short stories would show this well.  The characters were interesting and dynamic.  My heart bled for Birdie and her band mates.  Overall, highly recommended.

"Caged Warrior" by Alan Lawrence Sitomer         

McCutcheon is a mixed martial arts cage fighter.  Only 16, he is pushed into the world by his unscrupulous father.  His sister, Gemma, gives McCutcheon a reason to reach for more.  When he is given the opportunity to join a prestigious high school, his father and the Priest (mafia-type organization) kidnap Gemma, forcing him back in the cage.         

I wasn't really sure that I would like this book.  But I thought McCutcheon had depth and was really well developed.  I doubt I will read the sequel, I don't know that it can have as much character and tension as this book did.  Overall, this is a great book for young adults, teenagers, etc.  Highly recommended

"Dark Metropolis" by Jaclyn Dolamore          

Thea's mom is slowly going insane.  Bound to her husband, she insists that he is not dead.  Forced to make a living, Thea works at the glamorous Telephone Club.  One night, Freddy comes in and they are instantly attracted to one another.  Nan, Thea's best friend vanishes, Thea's Mom is taken to a mental institute and she is left alone.         

The story alternates between a few different viewpoints.  I don't want to give any of the book away, so I won't go into more detail.  Although this was an interesting story, I felt that the characters were lacking.  I typically do not like all powerful, unique, one-of-a kind magical creatures stories, and this book was no exception.  I wanted to know more about the magic system and world government and felt that the author could have given us more information.  Overall, this wasn't a bad book, I just wanted more.

"The Rules for Breaking" by Ashley Elston         

This is a sequel to "The Rules for Disappearing."  After leaving the witness protection program, Anna, her boyfriend and little sister are kidnapped by Thomas.  Taken to an old abandoned property in New Orleans, Anna must find a way to escape, before any of them are killed.     nbsp;   I thought the beginning of the book was rather slow, but it really picked up once the kids were kidnapped.  Overall, this was an interesting story with lots of twists and turns.  Highly recommended.

"Written in Red" by Anne Bishop         

Meg, a blood prophet, sees the future when her skin is cut.  Escaping from confinement, where her gift was sold for profit, Meg finds her way to the Courtyard, a haven for the others.  The others are shape shifters, a race hugely feared by humans.         

Anne Bishop is my favorite author but I have to admit that I was disappointed with this book.  It seems like she keeps using the same helpless but uniquely powerful type of female lead and the same overprotective male characters who are inexplicably drawn to the female.  The story itself moved slowly and seemed to go nowhere.

"Kitty Genovese" by Kevin Cook         

Murdered outside of her New York apartment, Kitty Genovese made headlines because none of her neighbors called the police.  I thought this book was just awful.  The author wrote more about the culture of the time and current events than Kitty.  To describe her murder, he copy and pasted a newspaper article.  I thought this book was a complete letdown.

"Fifty Years in Polygamy:  Big Secrets & Little White Lies" by Kristyn Decker         

Kristyn recounts her lie growing up in a polygamist sect.  Like many polygamist stories, her shows the struggle between breaking free from an oppressive society and the fear of eternal damnation.  At times, this book felt a little long, as if it was moving slowly.  However, I imagine that is how Kristyn felt trapped within her religion.  Overall, a well written book, one that shows the reader what it is like to grow up in a non-traditional society.

"Tabula Rasa" by Kristen Lippert-Martin         

When Sarah is undergoing a process to destroy her memory, the power goes off and someone shoves three pills into her hand along with a cryptic note to take the pills exactly 24 hours apart.  Unable to remember who she is, or why she is here, she takes one of the pills.  Hours later, the hospital complex is overrun with mercenaries who are looking for her.  Escaping into the snow, she meets up with a computer hacker, one who is working to steal the hospitals secrets.         

Overall, this was an interesting concept and the characters were fascinating.  I particularly enjoyed learning about the facility as the story unraveled.  I think teenagers will highly enjoy this book.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

"Fifty Years After Kitty Genovese" by Seedman & Hellman         

I had a hard time with this book.  I thought that it was poorly written.  The entire thing read like a (rather boring) introduction.  Overall, this is not something I would re-read or recommend.

"Ember Island" by Kimberley Freeman         

This book alternates between two stories, that of Tilly Kirkland set in 1891 and Nina, a famous writer in the present day.  After being tricked into a marriage, Tilly quickly realizes that her husband has no intention of honoring his vows to her.  In fact, he took her grandfather's money in order to repair his disastrous finances and is plotting with his mistress to kill her.  In an unfortunate accident, her husband and mistress are caught in the house when it catches on fire. Terrified, Tilly runs as far away as  she can, to Ember Island, off the coast of Australia.  Taking the position of governess, she comes to fall in love with the prison warden and his precocious daughter Nell.  In the present day, Nina is struggling with writers block and has gone to Ember Island to get away from everyone and try and focus on her writing.  There, she discovers parts of her grandmother Nina's diaries stuck in the walls.

I'm not quite sure what to think of this book.  I did not particularly like Nina.  I thought she was extremely whinny and ungrateful about her sudden fame and wealth.  I liked Tilly at first, but as the book progressed I thought she was more a caricature than a real person.  The only character I really liked was Nell, and there just wasn't enough of her throughout the story.  Overall, not a book I will re-read, but I might pick up another book by this author.

"The Body In the Woods" by April Henry         

Alexis, Nick and Ruby volunteer for the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team.  On their first outing, they are teamed up to find an autistic man lost in the park/woods.  Instead, they find a body of a teenage girl.  Ruby, is an intellectual, and obsessed with crime scenes, serial killers and all things forensic.  Nick is an insecure teenager who I constantly trying to impress those around him.  Alexis has spent her entire life hiding her mom's mental illness from the world.         

Overall, I thought this was an interesting story.  I think teenagers will really enjoy it.  At times, the characters came off as a bit stereotypical.  I also thought that the killer's point of view gave away too much of the mystery too quickly.  I look forward to reading more books from this author.