ARC Review: You Don't Know My Name by Kristin Orlando

Title: You Don't Know My Name Series: Black Angel Chronicles Written by: Kristen Orlando Published: January 10, 2017 by Swoon Reads (Macmillan) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Fighter. Faker. Student. Spy. Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan. Now Reagan must decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she’s always wanted? And does she even have a choice?

**** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ****

I really should have written this review immediately after finishing the book because now I am in that dreaded situation where I do not remember much of what happened. I do remember however that I was excited to read this book and that unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.

One of my biggest frustrations with this book was with the plot development and pacing. It’s marketed as a spy novel, which had me very excited because I love a good spy story. Unfortunately with this book, that aspect of the story didn’t even happen until the last third of the book. I mean I was very much into that part when it finally kicked in but I seriously could have done without the entire first half. And honestly by the time I got to the second half, which was the half I enjoyed, I ended up just skimming because I just wasn’t engaged at that point. I get that books have to have some exposition and establish the relationships but I just felt like this book took all of that too far.

Speaking of relationships, the first half was nothing but a romance. And it wasn’t even a good romance. It was supposed to be a friends to more sort of thing but I just didn’t buy it. I mean I am a cold-hearted romancephobe so it does take a lot to impress when it comes to romances. Maybe if you are into those kinds of reads you will be perfectly happy with the direction of this book. I however found to be a little cliche and instead of adding to the story it took me out of things completely.

As far as the characters go I thought they were fine but not completely memorable. Reagan and her family were interesting. I like the idea of elite government agents raising their daughter to take in the family business. And I respected Reagan for the dilemma she faced in deciding if it was what was best for her. But I just didn’t feel much connection between the family. It makes sense. I mean her parents weren’t around much for her, but still. When serious moments hit they didn’t have the same weight because I wasn’t as connected to the characters. Honestly, the one I liked the most was probably Sam. I wanted to learn more about her. What’s her story? Give me that book.

Unfortunately this book was kind of a disappointment for me. It did have a good spy story but it took entirely to long to get to the good stuff and at that point I wasn’t as engaged as I would have liked to be.

I give You Don't Know My Name by Kristen Orlando 7.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Bypass. I would recommend this book to fans of YA romances if you are interested in books about spies. But if you are looking for a twisty spy thriller you are going to have to look elsewhere.

Have you read You Don't Know My Name? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada Blog Tour and Giveaway

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

This Mortal Coil
by Emily Suvada
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: November 7th 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction



Links: Goodreads - Amazon -  B&N -  Book Depository -  iBooks -  Kobo -  IndieBound -

Synopsis:

In this gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Cat must use her gene-hac king skills to decode her late father ’ s message concealing a vaccine to a horrifying plague.

Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.

That’s no surprise, since Cat ’ s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.

When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been ki lled, Cat ’ s instincts tell her it ’ s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat ’ s help to release it and save the human race.

Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much ca n she even trust herself?

I really wanted to love this book. It had so much promise and I was so excited to read it. But unfortunately it never quite delivered on that promise. It was an okay read but I just didn’t love it.

The one really good thing about this book was the world. It was a fantastic science fiction world. You can absolutely tell that the author is a scientist. And if she’s not she sure did her research. If she is, she sure did her research. There are some really elaborate and intricate parts of this world that give it a heavy science fiction feel to it. But there are also some really good dystopian parts of this world. It’s one of those books where society is basically in chaos because of a virus. I love when my dystopia keeps the sci-do feel and I appreciated that about this book. It was an interesting and engaging world.

That being said, I didn’t totally love the world building. There was a lot to this world. A lot of different concepts and technology. Whole that’s a good thing it did make for a world building that kind had to tell you instead of show you what was going on. It definitely had a bad case of the info dumps. Especially in the beginning of the book. I like a complex world but if you’re going to have to explain everything it is going to take me out of the book and impact my enjoyment. Unfortunately that is what happened here.

I think the complexity problem all extended into the plot as well. I never thought there would come a day that I thought a plot was too complex but that day is today. Because there was seriously just too going on here. At times it felt like it was just manufactured conflict to make things intense. While at other times it felt like the big moments weren’t given the amount of time needed for it to sink in. It just moved from point to point so quickly that nothing was really hitting in the way I wanted it. Like even when huge reveals and surprises came around. I was surprised and invested, but then we just moved on to the next thing. By the end of the book I kind of stopped caring a little bit because I just couldn’t devote any more attention to the plot I knew was just going to move on in a few pages anyway.

But I do think a lot of the book was redeemed by the characters. There were some very interesting and complex characters here. Most of you probably know I like my characters dark and odious. That is exactly what I found here. Like most good dystopia there are shady pseudo-government agencies, splinter groups branded as terrorists, and plenty of people whose true allegiance you don’t really know. It made for some fun reveals and character twists. But thankfully the one character who I was rooting for was the main character of Catarina. She was a good main character in that she was determined and smart but still vulnerable. Bad things kept happening to her and you didn’t want them to. She was really likable and made me keep reading. All the characters is what made me keep reading. I wanted to know where they stood in the end.

All in all this was an okay read. I honestly think it was just entirely too complex. If the world was toned down a little bit, the plot was given enough time to percolate, and the characters were given time to develop it would have been great.

I give This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada 7.5 out of 10 stars

 

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow/Bypass. I would recommend this to fans of YA dystopia with a heavy science fiction element. It’s not the best of the genre that I’ve read but I think fans looking for one more book like that will like it.

Have you read This Mortal Coil? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Favorite Quotes

 

"A breeze dances through the knee-high grass, sweeping in across the water, carrying the cries of the pigeon, the chill of the evening, and the rich deep scent of the forest." (e-ARC p.7)

 

"Like, despite the apocalypse, I'm somehow supposed to be pretty. It feels stupid even thinking about it, but I still find myself tilting my head back and forth in the light from the naked bulb overhead, searching for an angle that makes me look good." (e-ARC p. 64)

 

"Most people are afraid of the guy with the gun, but the person they should be afraid of is the one with the genkit cable. It's software that runs the show in this world, not hardware. People like you are always in control." (e-ARC p.81)

 

"We live in evil times, Catarina. Sometimes we need to embrace that to survive." (e-ARC p. 242)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Emily Suvada was born and raised in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. She previously worked as a data scientist, and still spends hours writing algorithms to perform tasks which would only take minutes to complete on her own. When not writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen. She currently lives in Portland, OR, with her husband.

FOLLOW THE TOUR:

 

• 1 Copy of This Mortal Coil by EMily Suvada
• US Only

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13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough Blog Tour Review and Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK:

13 Minutes
by Sarah Pinborough
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: October 3rd 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Fiction



Links: Goodreads - Amazon -  B&N -  Book Depository -  iBooks -  Kobo -  IndieBound -

Synopsis: "Mean Girls for the Instagram age." --The Times (London) 
The New York Times bestselling author known for her thrilling twists is back: 

They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart. Natasha doesn't remember how she ended up in the icy water that night, but she does know this--it wasn't an accident, and she wasn't suicidal. Her two closest friends are acting strangely, and Natasha turns to Becca, the best friend she dumped years before when she got popular, to help her figure out what happened.

Natasha's sure that her friends love her. But does that mean they didn't try to kill her?

13 Minutes is a psychological thriller with a killer twist from the #1 internationally bestselling author Sarah Pinborough.

Wow, this was a really good thriller. It totally sounded like a book that was up my alley and I am so glad I got to be a part of the blog tour for it to be able to read this one. It had an atmosphere full of mystery, complex and odious characters, and a plot with tons of surprises.

I love me a good YA mystery and this one is the perfect example of what I love about them. First of all it had an atmosphere that was full of mystery and suspense. This is one of those mysteries where you really are not sure what is going on until the very end when it is all revealed which made for a totally engrossing book. When I got down to reading it, I did not want to stop because I needed to find out what was going to happen.

This is also on of those YA Mysteries and thrillers that relies heavily on the drama of high school. It's not uncommon to have a book compared to Mean Girls and I always take that with a grain of salt, but I definitely feel like this one had some aspects of that movie. It focused a lot on the girls and their relationships, or lack there of. The super popular girls have this total frenemies vibe which made for some interesting aspect of the mystery, plus it gave the book this subtle theme of friendship, bullying, and what it means to be a good friend. The themes totally added a lot to the general feel of the book and was just one more reason why I really liked this thriller.

All of this of course made for really dark and complex characters. This is a book which is full of really terrible people. Nobody is perfect and everyone has some kind of secret. Which is what I love in Mysteries and thrillers. I love awful characters, especially if they are sympathetic. And they were definitely sympathetic here. You understood their motivations and weirdly rooted for them even when they were doing bad things because it was so entertaining. Plus it worked so well in a book like this. What also worked really well was switching perspectives. Most of the book alternated between Tasha, who died for 13 minutes after ending up in a freezing near cold river, and Becca who is her old best friend who she turns to for help trying to figure out what happened. Both characters were complex and interesting. I'm sure which one I found the most interesting to be entirely honest and that's not very common with these kinds of books. But they both added so much to the overall story.

Speaking of that overall story, this plot was one that was full of surprises. I pride myself at being really good at solving mysteries and this one I did not see coming. But that's what this book did so well, there was always another shoe to drop. I was prepared to say that the pacing was a little weird because it wrapped stuff up too early, and then it surprised me again. Although I will say, the beginning was a little slow. It is the kind of book that very slowly builds to something and it definitely did. I read the last half of this book in a day because I could not put it down. It was that thrilling.

All in all, this was a really good mystery that had a thriller feel to it. It had a great atmosphere full of mystery, complex themes about friendship, dark and complex characters, and a thrilling plot.

I give 13 Minutes by Sara Pinborough 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. I really enjoyed this book. It was a fantastic thriller and I think fans of YA Mysteries should definitely check it out. If you are looking for a book full of twists and turns with terrible characters than this is the book for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Sarah Pinborough is a critically acclaimed adult and YA author based in London.

Sarah was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story and also the 2010 and 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and she has four times been short-listed for Best Novel. She is also a screenwriter who has written for the BBC and has several original television projects in development.

Her next novel, Behind Her Eyes, coming for HarperFiction in the UK and Flatiron in the US (January 2017) has sold in nearly 20 territories worldwide and is a dark thriller about rela-tionships with a kicker of a twist. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahpinborough

FOLLOW THE TOUR:

 

• 1 ARC of 13 MINUTES by Sarah Pinborough
• US Only

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The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook: Review and Giveaway

About the Book:  Title: THE HANGING GIRL Author: Eileen Cook Pub. Date: October 3, 2017 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Pages: 320 Formats: Hardcover, eBook Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads Synopsis:   Skye Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl. It’s no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has some insider knowledge. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life. But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want and she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.

My Review:

I loved With, Malice the author's last thriller and so I was so excited to read her next book. And I definitely was not disappointed by this book. It was a really good read with an atmospheric setting with a good mystery and complex characters.

One of the things that I liked most about this book was the setting. For one thing The Hanging Girl has a small town setting, something that I love when it comes to mysteries. It's the kind of location that lends it self well to a mystery because everyone knows everyone and is in their business. Plus it had this really great subtle fantasy feel to it that made it the perfect read for fall. There was no real magic here but there was enough atmosphere to give the book the perfect amount of mystery and wonder. I really enjoyed that.

But the best part for me was the plot development and mystery. I am such a plot driven reader and I really need a strongly engaging plot to keep me engaged and I definitely found that here. I would say that they book and the mystery was split into three sections. In the end of each third there is a twist, the first one which caught me completely off guard. That's right, a third of the way in there is a fantastic plot twist. It might seem from the outset that the book reveals things too quickly, and I would be the first person to say that, but it doesn't get in the way of enjoying the book. In fact it has the opposite effect and made want to keep reading. It made for an incredibly engrossing read that had me wanting to find out what the twists were going to lead two. I did however find the final twist a little bit obvious but I still really enjoyed it. Eileen Cook is really good at throwing her readers for a loop and she definitely did that here.

I also enjoyed the characters here. I feel like Cook does a fantastic job of writing characters that are complex and odious. So many of these characters are doing terrible things for the right reason, or maybe for the wrong reason, but they are still incredibly sympathetic. There are some really terrible characters in this book but I still found my self rooting for them. But the person I rooted for the most was of course Skye. She is one of those characters who wanted to get out of her small town and do more with her life but wasn't sure how to do that. I really identified with her and her struggle in that way. When things went badly for here I was nervous for what that would mean and when things went well I was really happy for her. Cook succeeded in developing characters who were sympathetic in spite of, or maybe because of their mistakes and the mistakes of people around them.

The Hanging Girl is a really fast read. It's only about 320 and because of how engrossing the mystery is I flew through it. I didn't expect to finish it as quickly as I did. With everything that is going on with my life I thought I would have to spend the weekend reading it but I really could not put it down. I finished the book in a few days. Now I do think that maybe that is the book is a little bit more simple than I expected. I didn't find the ending a bit rushed. It seemed like there wasn't really enough attention spent on the big finish and with a book that had great twists throughout I expected the ending to hit just as hard and it didn't. But on the whole that didn't impact my feelings of the book.

The Hanging Girl is a fantastic book with a atmospheric small town setting, a plot full of twists and mystery, and complex and sympathetic characters. It was the perfect fall read for fans of thrillers or anyone looking for a good YA mystery.

I give The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook 8.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. If you enjoyed With Malice than I would definitely recommend the author's second thriller. I liked that one more but this is still a really fantastic thriller full of surprises that fans of YA mysteries and thrillers should check out.

About Eileen: 

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in eight different languages. Her books have been optioned for film and TV. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Her newest book, WITH MALICE, will be out in June 2016. She’s an instructor/mentor with the Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio Program. You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two very naughty dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram 

Giveaway Details:  

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE HANGING GIRL, US Only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:
9/25/2017- Falling For YA - Interview
9/26/2017- My Thoughts Literally - Review
9/27/2017- Novel Novice - Guest Post
9/28/2017- A Dream Within A Dream - Review
9/29/2017- BookHounds YA - Interview

Week Two:
10/2/2017- books and photographs - Review
10/3/2017- Wandering Bark Books - Guest Post
10/4/2017- JustAddaWord - Review
10/5/2017- a GREAT read - Review
10/6/2017- Jump Into Books - Review

ARC Review: Odd and True by Cat WInters

Title: Odd and True Written by: Cat Winters Published: September 12, 2017 by Amulet Books (Abrams) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Trudchen grew up hearing Odette’s stories of their monster-slaying mother and a magician’s curse. But now that Tru’s older, she’s starting to wonder if her older sister’s tales were just comforting lies, especially because there’s nothing fantastic about her own life—permanently disabled and in constant pain from childhood polio. In 1909, after a two-year absence, Od reappears with a suitcase supposedly full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters on their way to attack her. But it’s Od who seems haunted by something. And when the sisters’ search for their mother leads them to a face-off with the Leeds Devil, a nightmarish beast that’s wreaking havoc in the Mid-Atlantic states, Tru discovers the peculiar possibility that she and her sister—despite their dark pasts and ordinary appearances—might, indeed, have magic after all.

**** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher at ALA and via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ****

I read my first Cat Winters book last year and loved it. Since the I have been wanting to read more of her books. So when I saw this one at ALA I of course picked up a copy. And I loved it. It was a great historical fiction with a supernatural and mystery flair to it.

I like my historical fiction to take real historical events and add fictional people to it. That's what this book does. The setting of the book was atmospheric and engaging. Cat Winter's does this era so well and absolutely allows the reader to immerse themselves in the historical setting. It takes us to the early 20th century and explored plenty of different themes of the time for young women. For the most part however I would say that these elements were subtle. I appreciated that it didn't try to hard to explain and explore what things were like for women who didn't fit into the social conventions. But it still did just that.

I think maybe this was because much of the focus of the book was actually focused on the Jersey Devil or Leeds Devil as it was know. It took on a great historical fantasy feel as it involved mythology and fantastical creatures. And even though this was the bulk of the plot it too wasn't too overwhelming either. It gave it all this realistic feel that the Devil and all the other monsters were in fact possible. I honestly didn't think they were going to be. I don't want to say too much but I loved the way they handled this. It made for a good balance between history and mythology which I really appreciated.

But that wasn't the only aspect to the plot of this book. There was also I really subtle mystery. It wasn't anything that you really try to solve, it was just one more thing about the book that kept me reading. It added a lot of atmosphere and interest to the book. This was one of those narratives where you get past and present to learn how the characters got to be where they were and how they are the way they are. It all unfolded in an interesting way but this was also my main criticism. We have multiple perspectives and multiple settings and time periods which made things a little hard to keep straight. I liked the way it unfolded but I wish there was more of a distinct feel between each section.

What made up for that however were the characters. The real heart of this book was in the relationship between the sisters. I loved the relationship for Od and Tru. They had so much respect and love for one another. They very easily could have had a protector and protected relationship but it goes deeper than that. Yes, Od takes care of Tru but in the end they realize that they need each other to be at their best and I loved that. It was just another great theme about the book.

But the characters in general were really likable and complex. Cat Winters does a great job in developing strong female characters. And you can look at this book and think that we are talking kickass female heroines chopping off heads and taking names but that is not what you will find in this book. Instead you will find intelligent and strong-willed women who don't allow their weaknesses to get the best of them. In this book we alternate perspectives between Od and Tru and I liked that. It gave the book and characters a lot of depth. And honestly I really liked both Od and Tru. I thought it would be for different reasons but in the end they both had kind of tragic backstories and were stronger for it. I liked them both so much that I can't say which one I liked more and that's not very common for me. But the author really did a great job with the writing complex and likable characters.

All in all Odd & True was a good historical fiction novel. It had an engaging historical setting, plenty of mystery and fantasy to create a great atmosphere, and complex and likable characters. I really enjoyed it.

I give Odd and True by Cat Winters 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. I would definitely recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed and think it is a good fall read for people who aren't necessarily fans of horror. Although I think it's far from Cat's most complex work. If you are looking for a YA historical fantasy check this one out.

Have you read Odd and True? What did you think? leave me a comment with your thoughts.Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken

Title: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding Series: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding #1 Written by: Alexandra Bracken Published: September 5, 2017 by Disney-Hyperion (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: "I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness." Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history — that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper's great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made — and then broke — a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, four-thousand-year-old Alastor isn't exactly the forgiving type. The fiend has reawakened with one purpose — to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his future without a side of eternal servitude, thanks. Little does Prosper know, the malefactor's control over his body grows stronger with each passing night, and there's a lot Alastor isn't telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexandra Bracken comes a tale of betrayal and revenge, of old hurts passed down from generation to generation. Can you ever fully right a wrong, ever truly escape your history? Or will Prosper and Alastor be doomed to repeat it?

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and at ALA in an exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I'm a big fan of Alexandra Bracken so when I heard she was writing a middle grade fantasy set in Mew England with historical elements I knew I needed to read it. And I definitely enjoyed this one.

I don't read a ton of middle grade but every once in awhile I like to read one. They usually have a very particular tone to them. They're a little more lighthearted than the YA I read and a little sillier sometimes. This one was definitely lighthearted but not all that silly. It was a fun and fast read that I definitely enjoyed. It had some classic Alex feel with a middle grade flare.

It also had a really great setting and atmosphere that is perfect for fall. I love books set in New England, especially those that take place in fall. And Alex does a great job of establishing this setting. Not only could I imagine the fancier historical town of Redhood, but Salem definitely came alive in this book. It's been a few years since I visited Salem but I could see the town in my mind. From the bookstore on Essex, to the clapboard style homes on the water, to the witches everywhere. This is Salem and I loved being able to explore it again in this book.

And while the actual setting was fantastic, the fantasy elements of the book were really good as well. When dealing with Salem you of course have to have witches, and there definitely were witches in this book. But there were more than that, there's of course the demon or malefactor, which was really cool and interesting, and a few other interesting magical creatures (shout out to Toad!). Because this was a middle grade novel, the magic was definitely more fun and lighthearted than I'm used to. But honestly, I was totally okay with that. I like my magical systems to have specific rules and this one definitely did. It was interesting and it was engaging.

As for the plot and pacing however, I didn't totally love it. There is a lot of mystery to this book, which I did appreciate. I mean it even managed to surprise me at one point even though I did figure out one of the big twist. Plus it does unfold in an interesting way but it was a little bit on the basic side for me. Sometimes it just felt like we weren't given enough information and other times it felt like too much information. I know this is the first book in a series so it's bound to feel like the story isn't over, but it kind of felt incomplete to me. There was definitely a cliffhanger and while I get it, I didn't really appreciate that. I'm okay with a desire for what comes next when a book is over but I want to feel like there was a resolution to that story not that it's half of a complete story.

As for the characters, I thought they were pretty good. I liked the main character of Prosper, he was a pretty good protagonist. There were some trophy elements that were used to make him likable but I'll forgive a middle grade for that because honestly, it worked. He was likable. I appreciated how much he cares about his family and was doing whatever he could to help them. Plus his snark to Alastor was top notch. As for the rest of the characters, I thought that most of them were really odious. They waked that fine line between good and bad, doing bad things for good reason of vice versa. They all had strong motivations which rooted them all in a lot depth which made them all the more enjoyable.

On the whole this was a fast and fun read. It had a great setting that is perfect for Halloween and fall, a plot with plenty of mystery and adventure, and likable characters. I'm not a big reader of middle grade but I still enjoyed it.

I give The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken 8 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it. If you are looking for a fun fall read for a teen or middle grade reader in your life, definitely give this one a try. And it's out today so definitely make your way to a bookstore near you for it.

Have you read The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Sleeper by Mackenzie Cadenhead

Title: Sleeper Written by: Mackenzie Cadenhead Published: August 1, 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: As if surviving high school wasn’t hard enough, Sarah Reyes suffers from REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, a parasomnia that causes her to physically act out her dreams. When she almost snaps her friend’s neck at a sleepover, Sarah and her nocturnal habits are thrust into the spotlight and she becomes a social pariah, complete with public humiliation.  When an experimental drug comes onto the market that promises nighttime normalcy, Sarah agrees to participate in the trial. At first, she seems to be cured. Then the side effects kick in. Why does a guy from her nightmare show up at school? Are the eerily similar dreams she’s sharing with her classmates’ coincidence or of her making? Is she losing her mind or does this drug offer way more than sleep?

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I really wanted to like this book. It sounds like a fantastic idea. When I first heard about it I thought it would be totally up my alley as an interesting combination of things I love. But in execution I really did not enjoy it. It had some of the worst things about some of my favorite things.

I never thought that this would be a bad thing, but this book reminded me a lot of Heathers. I love Heathers, it's a dark comedy with a good revenge story. This book however didn't hit me in the same way that Heathers does. It definitely has that revenge angle. In the very beginning the main character is ousted from the popular cliche because of something that she can't control. A main part of the book is her getting back at those for turning on her. You do feel a little bit of empathy for here but you don't feel the same sense of justice that you get with Heathers. You also don't have the humor or, honestly, the heart. I feel like this book took some of the worst things from Heathers and ignored the best.

I think maybe the biggest thing that prevented me from connecting to the revenge plotline was the characters. For one thing, I never really connected with the main character. Yes, you feel a little bit of empathy for her alienation but not enough for me. She's just not a very good heroine in my opinion. I don't need my main characters to be kicking ass and taking names (in fact I often dislike that), but I do need them to take control of their storylines. This girl did not do that. She let other people talk her into basically everything, and even in the big climax it was someone else who figured out how to defeat the villain. How am I supposed to get behind a hero who is characterized in this way? I wasn't able to.

As for the secondary characters it was much of the same thing. I didn't connect with them. Probably the best example of this with the male lead. I really hated him. There were definite Heathers vibes with him but just as the MC lacked the heart of Veronica Sawyer, Wes has none of the charm of J.D. I never understood why Sarah liked him and let her talk him into going on this revenge plot. He was just a massive jerk and I wanted him gone. And as the book went on it just got worse. Plus the romance here was so frustrating. It was Twilight-esque in the way the characters interacted. I'm not a fan of a lot of romances but this one definitely didn't come close to winning me over.

The one thing I did like however was the world of this book. It was definitely a unique and interesting world. The idea of a drug being used to help people invade dreams was definitely a cool concept. I really liked seeing the characters invade others dreamscapes and what happened when they were in there. It had this cool sci-fi invasion of the body snatchers feel to it. Although I do wish there was more explanation of some of the aspects of the world. There was a little bit of that later in the book but I could have used it in the beginning when everything was being established.

When I started reading this book, it did pull me in but unfortunately it let me go very quickly. It's not a very long book and despite the fact that I read it basically every day it still took me a week to finish it. I thought I was going to breeze through it in a couple of days but I didn't do that. It really dragged. In fact I really only finished it because I skimmed through the last quarter of the book in about a day. I just wanted it to be over. And that is never a good thing when you are reading a book.

I give Sleeper by Mackenzie Cadenhead 6 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Bypass. I really just did not enjoy this book. It had a lot of promise and an interesting concept and a compelling world but with characters I did not connect with and a plot that was missing some of the charm and interest I was hoping for.

Have you read Sleeper? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!