Book Review #788 - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts.

There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard. But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.

My Rating: 3/5

I picked this book up in 2017 and DNF'd it not far into it which I am glad I did because reading it for the 2018 Spookathon was the perfect time to read a book like this.

This is my second Neil Gaiman book - the first being Coraline and I have so many of his others on my TBR so it definitely will not be my last.

This book is primarily set in a very old cemetery where a toddler finds himself after a man murdered his whole family. He is then brought up by his adopted ghost parents.

There were also famous ghosts present such as Victor Hugo and Harry Truman which along with all the other non-famous ghosts acted as a family for Nobody Owens (Bod). 

Book Review #748 - Bone Key (Supernatural #3) by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America . . . and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean are headed for Key West, Florida, home to Hemingway, hurricanes, and a whole lot of demons. The tropical town has so many ghouls on the loose that one of its main moneymakers has long been a series of ghost tours. But the tours are no more, not since one of the guides was found dead of an apparent heart attack . . . his face frozen in mid-scream. No one knows what horrors he saw, but the Winchester brothers are about to find out.

Soon they'll be face-to-face with the ghosts of the island's most infamous residents, demons with a hidden agenda, and a mysterious ancient power looking for revenge. It's up to Sam and Dean to save the citizens of Key West . . . before the beautiful island is reduced to nothing more than a pile of bones.

My Rating: 3/5

This book is set in mid-season 3 right in the middle of the Sam/Ruby storyline as well as Dean's quest to get out of his deal with the crossroads demon. Both of these storylines are mentioned heavily throughout the book.

The characterizations of Sam and Dean is always the main issue I have with these Supernatural books, and this one was no different. First of all there was mentioned of the boys smelling on more than one occasion which I thought was weird, especially as it wasn't done in the humorous way like it likely would have been had this issue ever been raised on the show.

Secondly, Dean was portrayed as a sleazy manwhore and it had none of the humor or lightheartedness the show uses when approaching this side to Dean. I could go on but these were the main two I had issues with.

There were so many secondary characters in this book, more so than you would see in any episode of Supernatural and this unfortunately takes time away from Sam and Dean which I have found is a common problem with these books.

Book Review #628 - Nevermore (Supernatural #1) by Keith R.A. DeCandido

My Rating: 3/5


Source: Bought


Goodreads











Twenty years ago they lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it. 

Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker's haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an '80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that's bizarre even by New York City standards, it's the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe's horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don't rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore.

I had relatively low expectations for this book. The fact that this is not a novelisation of an episode, but an original Supernatural story set between episodes gave me hope though.

The book starts off very promising with two college guys getting murdered. It soon becomes very commercialised.

The main issue I had with this book was the amount of depth put into things that didn't influence anything. There was so much description of the music that Dean liked which I found incredibly boring.

I wouldn't say that Sam and Dean were perfectly portrayed, they were kind of one dimensional versions of themselves.

There were two separate stories going on. One with a banshee at a friend of a friends house and then someone trying to resurrect Edgar Allan Poe.

I liked both of these stories, but I felt like they didn't go that well together and made the plot seem rather messy.

I loved the setting of the Bronx as it is obviously an area that the author loves and knows well.

Book Review #624 - Hourglass (Evernight #3) by Claudia Gray

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas. 

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at its hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option. Soon Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can't escape her destiny. Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything... but can it survive what's to come?

This is the third book in the Evernight series and is the sequel to Evernight and Stargazer. 

Given the way Stargazer ended, I am really glad I had this book ready to read. 

This book starts right where the last one left off - right in the middle of a war between the vampires and the vampires most feared vampire hunters - The Black Cross. 

This book contained A LOT of major plot twists which is why this has to be my favourite book of the series so far. The fates of both Bianca and Lucas take complete changes. 

There was a bit of suspense in this book from whether Bianca could keep her vampire nature a secret from the vampire hunters she was seeking refuge from to whether Bianca could prevent her unwanted change into a full vampire. 

I missed the setting of Evernight as I loved that there was always some new surprises there to be uncovered. 

I loved Charity as the antagonist. I would like to know more of her back story though.

Book Review #622 - Stargazer (Evernight #2) by Claudia Gray

My Rating:4/5


Source: Bought


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads

The vampire in me was closer to the surface... 

Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of all—vampires. Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them.

But Bianca fell in love with Lucas—a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.

Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross—or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies.

Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning....

I read Evernight some time ago now (in fact I think it was one of the first ever reviews I posted here on my blog back in 2011) and so I re-read it before diving into this one. 

Evernight is such an intriguing setting.It gives off the feeling that it holds so many secrets and mysteries that are just waiting to be discovered. 

My favourite aspect of this book is that we got introduced to the Black Cross - the vampire hunters that have taunted the vampires of Evernight for centuries. 

More of Lucas's back story was also revealed and that ties in with the introduction of the Black Cross.

Bianca annoyed me a little in this book especially the way she treated her parents. I know that she was upset that they were not honest with her but I really loved their relationship in the first book and so I felt more sorry for her parents than for her when she decide to run off with Lucas.  I found her actions rather immature. 

Book Review #557 - Existence (Existence #1) by Abbi Glines

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

My Rating: 3/5

I read this book on my iPad in less than a day. The main reason why I finished it so quickly was because it had long chapters and I hate stopping mid-chapter. 

I loved the paranormal element in this book. Even though I have read plenty of books about the ability to see spirits this book presented that idea in a totally unique way. This is the aspect I am most interested in seeing developing throughout the rest of the series. 

The biggest problem I had with this book was the characters. They were all bland and without real personalities. The relationships between them were too rushed especially the romantic ones. 

Dank was the character that I felt the least connected to. Next to nothing about him is known until the end of the book and it felt unrealistic that Pagan would be completely in love with a guy she knows nothing about. 

I loved that this book was quite short as I was able to read it very quickly but I also feel like the length is the reason why I found so many flaws with it. Had it been longer then characters and their relationships could have been developed further. 

Given the way the book ended I am definitely going to be looking out for the sequel. 

Book Review #554 - Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell

We're waiting for you to come and play. Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone. But they left something behind...Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins. Brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lilias with a fear of bones and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there's her other cousin. The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn't be there. The girl that died.

My Rating: 4/5

I read this book on my iPad and it took me about a month to read. If I had read this in physical format I probably would have finished it in an hour or so. 

This book was very engaging, suspenseful and had a cliff-hanger at the end of just about every chapter making it a quick and easy read. 

The descriptions of settings, characters and the Frozen Charlotte dolls themselves were a little vague and I would have loved some more depth in this area. 

Book Review #524 - The Last Echo (The Body Finder #3) by Kimberly Derting

In the end, all that’s left is an echo.

Before, Violet's morbid ability to sense the dead led her to uncover dark murders and long-buried secrets in her small town. Now that she's working with a special investigative team, Violet hopes she can help even more people - whether by saving a life or catching a killer.

Although she's relieved to finally be honest about what she can do, her instant connection with her mysterious partner, Rafe, is both confusing and unsettling, and their unique bond creates tension with her boyfriend, Jay. When she discovers the body of a college student murdered by "the collector," Violet refuses to give up on the case. With her own relationship on the line, Violet doesn't realize that the serial killer is looking to add to his collection and that she may have caught his eye. Will the life Violet has to save be her own?

My Rating: 3.5/5

This book is the sequel to The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead. 

I liked this book significantly less than the first two. It just felt like an entirely different book altogether. 

In the first two books, Violet's ability was used by chance and was the sole focus of both books. In this book however, Violet actively uses her ability and the focus is more on the special unit within the police force which Violet is the newest member of. 

The special unit that Violet joins reminded me of The Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. 

I liked that new characters such as Rafe and the others Violet works with had more development but I didn't like how others such as Jay and Chelsea were almost non-existent. 

The chapters from the collector's perspective were my favourite part of the book as I found it really chilling. 

The ending was suspenseful and I wasn't able to put the book down during that portion. 

I am looking forward to reading the last book now given the consequences of the way this book ended, however, I did not like how this book eluded to the possibility of a love triangle. 

Book Review #517 - Shiver the Whole Night Through by Darragh McManus

After months of bullying and romantic heartbreak, seventeen-year-old Aidan Flood feels just about ready to end it all. But when he wakes up one morning to find that local beauty and town sweetheart Sláine McAuley actually has, he discovers a new sense of purpose, and becomes determined to find out what happened to her. The town is happy to put it down to suicide, but then one night Aidan gets a message, scratched in ice on his bedroom window: 'I didn't kill myself.' Who is contacting him? And if Sláine didn't end her own life... who did?

My Rating: 3/5 

I received this book for review from The Five Mile Press. 

This book is set in Ireland and so a lot of the characters had Irish names and whilst I just pronounced them my own way to save myself confusion I did appreciate the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book. 

This book was rather slow and drawn out. At around 300 pages it could have perhaps been a little shorter in length. 

I live in one of the hottest places on Earth that rarely even gets rain so I have never experienced snow so I really enjoyed the way the author depicted the snow in a very descriptive manner.  

I would have liked there to have been more dialogue. There were long portions of this book that were simply Aidan's ramblings. 

The mystery element was the slowest to develop and I would have liked more suspense to go with it. 

Book Review #452 - Say Her Name by James Dawson

Roberta 'Bobbie' Rowe is not the kind of person who believes in ghosts. A Halloween dare at her ridiculously spooky boarding school is no big deal, especially when her best friend Naya and cute local boy Caine agree to join in too. They are ordered to summon the legendary ghost of 'Bloody Mary': say her name five times in front of a candlelit mirror, and she shall appear... But, surprise surprise, nothing happens. Or does it?

Next morning, Bobbie finds a message on her bathroom mirror... five days... but what does it mean? And who left it there? Things get increasingly weird and more terrifying for Bobbie and Naya, until it becomes all too clear that Bloody Mary was indeed called from the afterlife that night, and she is definitely not a friendly ghost. Bobbie, Naya and Caine are now in a race against time before their five days are up and Mary comes for them, as she has come for countless others before...

My Rating: 4/5

I received this book for review from Five Mile Press.

The tale of Bloody Mary is well known throughout pop culture, but it receives a new fresh and captivating twist in this book.

The plot was definitely what I loved most about this book. It was very suspenseful and chilling and had enough plot twists along the way to keep it interesting.

The romance was not as heavily portrayed as others in the YA genre which was something that I really enjoyed as it created a greater emphasis on the plot.

I also loved the historical elements involved in the plot especially with the school and its students.

The writing style was very honest and gave life to very genuine and likeable characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood. 

Book Review #417 - Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

Colette Iselin is excited to go to Paris on a class trip. She’ll get to soak up the beauty and culture, and maybe even learn something about her family’s French roots.

But a series of gruesome murders are taking place across the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours museums and palaces, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks suspiciously like Marie Antoinette.



Colette knows her popular, status-obsessed friends won’t believe her, so she seeks out the help of a charming French boy. Together, they uncover a shocking secret involving a dark, hidden history. When Colette realizes she herself may hold the key to the mystery, her own life is suddenly in danger . . .

My Rating: 4.5/5

I received this book for review from Scholastic Australia.

This book combined a lot of things that I love in books - unique settings, strong historical element and paranormal activity.

From the very little I knew about Marie Antoinette before reading I could tell that this book was extensively researched and made me interested in learning more about her.

The romance in this book was a little lacking. This was not something that bothered me that much but I just felt that the relationship between Jules and Colette was underdeveloped.

The whole idea of the Secret of the Key was my favourite part of the book.

Hannah was the most annoying character in the book. I spent the majority of the book wishing that Colette and Pilar would stand up to her and stop letting her manipulate them.

There were parts of this book that reminded me of The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson so if you liked that I would recommend reading this.

Book Review #382 - Asylum by Madeleine Roux

 

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

 

 

My Rating: 4.5/5

 

 

This book has drawn a lot of comparisons with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which I have not read. 

 

 

I know there have been very mixed reviews about this book, people who had high expectations for it were let down. I only picked this book up from the library because of the cover and actually knew very little about it before reading so my expectations were non-existent.

 

 

This book wasn't exactly fast paced, in fact it was a little slow in plot development and got bogged down in detail at times, but there was also something about it that made it impossible for me to put it down.

 

 

I didn't find this book to be anywhere near as creepy or scary as I think was intended. The pictures included were a nice touch to the story and helped add to the creep factor.

 

 

The characters were all very different from one another, and at times didn't really gel together. Dan was the only character that had any kind of development. Jordan went missing for large portions of the book and I felt no connection between Dan and Abby.

 

Book Review #347 - The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humour, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

 

 

My Rating: 4.5

 

 

Given that I have an interest in history and am somewhat of an anglophile I was probably always going to love this book, but I was still surprised by how much I did.

 

 

Maureen Johnson is no new author to me, in fact I have read most of her other novels. This is probably my favourite of her books so far.

 

 

The only thing that kind of annoyed me, was the constant explaining of British things. As an Australian I thought that our cultures were similar enough for me to comprehend without the constant explanations.

 

 

This book pretty much had everything - action, suspense, mystery, romance and I could go on. The romance aspect was not as major as the other themes which I liked.

 

 

All the characters were well developed and had intriguing personalities.

 

 

The whole Jack the Ripper aspect was what initially drew my interest to this book and I thought that this helped it incorporate history into the story.

 

Book Review #325 - Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

 

 

 

My Rating: 3/5

 

 

 

This was a book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for sometime. I had pretty high expectations for it, and it just didn't meet them at all.

 

 

First of all, it was nowhere near as creepy as I thought it was going to be. I didn't find it creepy at all. Someone who scares easily would probably love this book.

 

 

The characters were okay, but I felt like they were only half developed. Cas had some great one liners, but overall I didn't really care for him at all.

 

 

I really did like the idea of Cas hunting down ghosts and releasing them but felt like this could have been explored a lot deeper.

 

 

I didn't really like the whole witchcraft aspect to it. I felt like the book was going in a certain direction with ghosts,and then the witchcraft part took the story in a completely different direction.

 

 

The ending is the only reason why I am intending to pick up the sequel, as it was a decent cliff-hanger.  

Book Review #316 - Seventeen & Gone by Nova Ren Suma

Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common – they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And… is she next?

As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel. Then a brush with death lands her in the hospital and a shocking truth emerges, changing everything

.

 

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I received this book for review from Hardie Grant Egmont.

 

 

 

Given how much I loved the authors previous book Imaginary Girls I had really high expectations for this book. I really did enjoy this book, but I felt like the ending let it down.

 

 

Lauren was an interesting character. Although she seemed distanced from the other characters and her narration was at times very confusing.

 

 

Like with Imaginary Girls, the setting was the highlight of the book for me. I was described so well that I could picture it with great clarity.

Book Review #304 - Phoenix (Beautiful Dead #4) by Eden Maguire

Darina is in denial. Even after all she’s been through, the Beautiful Dead can’t be real. They must be a figment of her grief-stricken imagination. But visions of Phoenix and Hunter prove otherwise and soon she’s drawn back to Foxton, to the barn, to Phoenix - where they have, what may just be, their final reunion.

It’s the moment they’ve been dreading - time to solve Phoenix’s mystery. Everything has been building to this but Darina knows that revealing the true circumstances of Phoenix’s death will lead to their final parting. With this impossible mixture of emotions, Darina begins to unscramble the facts, but she’s up against mounting obstacles: the distraction of Hunter’s personal mystery, Phoenix’s returning father, threats of gang violence and conspiracies to blur and block the truth.

With time pressure mounting and the risk of Phoenix being sent back into unending limbo, Darina puts herself in danger, and so the mystery of the Beautiful Dead builds into a heart-breaking climax ...

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

This whole series has been building up to this book. Phoenix's death has been mentioned numerous times over the previous three books and so I was really interested in seeing how it ends.

 

 

As I have previously stated in my reviews of the previous three books, the characters are not my favourite. I just never seemed to connect with them at all.

 

 

I found this book to be pretty predictable. I predicted the two big plot twists before they happened.

 

 

This is still probably my favourite book of the series by far, I thought that there was a lot more depth with the mystery and with the character development.

Book Review #301 - The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

 

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

 

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

 

 

I have had this book on loan from the library for close to a year and finally decided to read it.

 

 

Brie was a character that I didn't like to begin with, but gradually came to connect with her in the second half of the book where I felt like she really matured.

 

 

Now that I have finished reading the book I can say that I thought the plot was really unique and interesting. Although, whilst I was reading it I had no idea where it was going.

 

 

I liked the inclusion of the dog Hamloaf, and how he was the only remaining connection with her old life.

Book Review #294 - Summer (Beautiful Dead #3) by Eden Maguire

 

Six months have passed since the last Ellerton teenager died, but Darina is still traumatized by the stabbing of her own beloved Phoenix. But there's work to be done as Darina must now turn her attention to the shooting of Summer Madison - the beautiful and gifted, singer-song-writer with a heart of gold. It's been nearly a year since the random shooting in a shopping mall caused Summer's meaningless death.

 

Summer left behind recordings of her wonderful songs and a deep sadness amongst high school friends. Now Darina must act as Summerās agent to track down the psychotic killer in a clear search for justice. With the sound of Summer's music constantly playing inside Darina's head, recalling the wonderful months when she was alive and performing her first gigs, Darina, Phoenix and the Beautiful Dead are determined to catch the crazed killer. And all the while Darinaās love for Phoenix continues to beat ...

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

This book is slightly different to the previous two books as Darina was more involved in the actual death part not just the solving part.

 

 

Summer was less involved that I thought she would be considering the book is named after her.

 

 

Darina is a pretty frustrating character. From the way she treats other characters to the way she pines after Phoenix her dead boyfriend. Also when she finds out the truth about Brandon and her car she doesn't even care.

 

 

I liked the mystery aspect again with the book as I did with the previous books but I wanted there to be a greater emphasis on it. It was good how there were never any real suspects until the truth was revealed.

Book Review #289 - Arizona (Beautiful Dead #2) by Eden Maguire

 

There's been no sign of the Beautiful Dead for weeks. Darina achingly misses Phoenix all over again. But surely he will return with the rest of the Beautiful Dead as so much still remains unresolved. It's been ten months since Arizona drowned in Hartmann Lake. Suicide, it would seem. But something doesn't add up.

 

Drowning herself in a hidden - away lake does not sound like strong, confident, Arizona: Ellerton High School's high-maintenance drama queen. Darina needs to help Arizona the way she helped Jonas. But time is running out...

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

This is the second book in the Beautiful Dead series and is the sequel to Jonas.

 

 

I liked this book equally as much as Jonas. I didn't think that the two books were all that different from one another.

 

 

As for the character, I still haven't completely warmed up to Darina yet but I did like her more than I did in the first book.

 

 

I am really enjoying this series because it has a really unique paranormal aspect whilst also combining with interesting mystery. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Book Review #287 - Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

 

Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer's Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.

But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.

Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried....

 

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

 

 

I have been wanting to read this book for a while now and had relatively high expectations for it.

 

 

The only other book I had previously read by the author was Wake which was a book that I had mixed opinions about. I had similar opinions about this book.

 

 

Whilst it was a very interesting story, I never once felt scared or the creepiness which the cover would suggest.

 

 

Because the story is told in third person it felt like there was a barrier between me and the characters at times. Kendall was kind of boring with not much personality.

 

 

I didn't care for the romance aspect at all. It just seemed that Kendall only realised she didn't love Nico when he disappeared, but then used Nico's disappearance as an excuse not to be with Jacian.

 

 

The whole mystery aspect was the most intersting part for me although I would have liked more depth with it. I felt like it all happened at the end of the book instead of being paced out.