Book Review #697 - The Shining (The Shining #1) by Stephen King

Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

My Rating: 4/5

This is my third Stephen King novel and it's definitely my favourite so far (with the other two being Carrie and Salem's Lot).

This book was completely different than what I was expecting. I did not expect the protagonist to be a five year old boy, even though I did love him in that role.

I found the setting of the story to be the main element in the whole thrilling nature of the book. Not only is the Torrence family alone in a very old, isolated and haunted hotel but a huge snow storm causes them to become even more isolated.

Family is an important theme in this book especially between father and son. Danny idolizes his father Jack but Jack hasn't always treated Danny well in the past, especially when he gets drunk.

Flashbacks show that Jack had a similar relationship with his own father.

I really liked the supernatural element in this story. Danny has the ability to hear people's thoughts and at times see the future. This ability is called "the shining". 

This ability and Danny's young age make him very vulnerable and innocent which makes me think he probably needed a life time of therapy following the way the book ended.

When the family move to the isolated hotel where Jack finds employment, Danny's ability becomes stronger as the hotel makes all three of them suffer bouts of insanity. 

I'm not sure how I feel about Jack. He wasn't a very nice person to begin with and the hotel made him worse. The flashbacks to where he was drunk and the way he treated Wendy and Danny make him unlikable. 

The book wasn't as thrilling as I thought it was going to be but it did have a number of hair raising moments. I can definitely see why Joey Tribbiani felt the need to put this book in the freezer.

Book Review #608 - The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters

My Rating: 2.5/5


Source: Book Club


Buy: The Book Depository


Goodreads



When Lieutenant Charles Acland is flown home from Iraq with serious head injuries, he faces not only permanent disfigurement but also an apparent change to his previously outgoing personality. After his injuries prevent his return to the army, he cuts all ties with his former life and moves to London. 


I read this book for a Book Club that my mum and I decided to join. This was the book we had to read for November 2015. 

Minette Walters was an author that I had not previously heard of, but as she is well known within the crime genre, I had expected to enjoy this book a lot more than what I did. 

The book starts off really slowly and never fully recovers from that. 

The characters were not very likable especially Charles himself. The secondary characters were highly stereotyped. 

The nature of Charles' disability allowed for him to be an unreliable narrator which made him more mysterious. Throughout the entire book it was obvious he was hiding something - although that something was rather underwhelming. 

Around chapter ten, the book finally picked up a bit and the plot unraveled further. 

I found that towards the end I was looking forward to finishing it more so I could start another book rather than wanting to discover who the murderer was. 

Overall, I found this book slow, boring and dissatisfying. 

Book Review #562 - Hacked by Tracy Alexander

My Rating: 3/5


Source: Scholastic Australia


Buy: Book Depository


Goodreads





Dan had been diagnosed as ADHD as a child. He quite liked the ritalin, but then he got into computers, and for his parents a geek was better than something feral. It was hard to remember when the genuine hacking started; but free phone credit was the first illicit, tangible "real-life" results of a hack, though not the last.

 

By the time Dan is contacted online by "Angel," he is eager for the challenge laid before him - creating tricky bits of code. But Dan begins to suspect that something more nefarious may be planned for his code than he thought. He will have to decide what truly matters more - protecting his anonymity and freedom or preventing a deadly terror attack ...

It took me a seriously long time to read this book and I read it in two parts, months apart. 

The first portion of the book was fast paced. It introduced the characters and the hacking ability of the protagonist Dan, which was surprisingly easy to understand. 

The book slows down considerably in the middle and this is where my bookmark lived for a few months. 

It was during this period that I found Dan quite irritating and immature (he is quite unbelievably 16 years old). He couldn't make up his mind whether to turn himself over to the Police or not after one of his hacks goes way too far and his indecisiveness took way too long. 

I really liked the thrilling suspense of it all. The American Government were the main antagonists (other than Angel, Dan's hacking rival) in this book which I thought was rather unique. 

The romance in this book felt out of place and I think this was mainly because I had to keep reminding myself that these characters were 16 years old and not much younger as they seemed. 

The writing style was rather basic and for that reason I would recommend this book for middle grade readers rather than young adults. 

Book Review #560 - Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

My Rating: 4/5 

Source: Bought

Buy: TBD

Goodreads

Britt Phieffer has never been that adventurous, but that's about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces best friend, Korbie, to take a trip with her and go trekking through the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming.

But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded they seek shelter in a cabin, and find two knights in shining armour, Shaun and Mason, who are also hiding out.

But all is not as it seems, and Britt quickly discovers that the guys are there for reasons other than hiking…dangerous reasons that mean they need to get off the mountain, fast. In exchange for her life, Britt is forced to guide them down, and as they set out on a harrowing journey through the cold and snow, Britt realizes the only way to get out of this alive is to pretend she is on their side. 

But playing nice is hard, especially when Britt is unsure whether Mason, gorgeous and sexy, is the enemy or an ally. And as she begins to lose track of who is in control it is only a matter of time before things turn deadly…

I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book before I even knew what it was about. Once I read the synopsis I knew I was going to love it as I love survivalist type stories. 

It took me a while to warm up to the protagonist Britt. There is a thin line between confidence and arrogance and Britt crossed it throughout especially in the first portion of the book. 

The plot was enthralling although a little predictable and transparent at times. 

I didn't understand the 'friendship' between Britt and Korbie. I would have liked more closure between them at the end. 

The romance in this book was a unique element as Britt was constantly questioning who she could trust. 

Calvin was the most intriguing character for me in this book. If you've read the book the reason is quite obvious. 

I loved how this book was told through a mixture of past and present as it gave a greater insight into the characters and their relationships with one another. 

Overall I would say that this book met my expectations without exceeding them. I would recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read as this book is entirely unique. 

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 #529 - The Island (The Island #1) by Jen Minkman

I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.

Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers. 

If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.

I have never seen one.

Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.

But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?

Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?

My Rating: 2/5

This novella was completely different to any other dystopian story I have ever read. 

This book didn't have a dystopian setting which was the main difference as it is set on a remote island. 

I've only gotten around to watching 2 Star Wars films and know next to nothing about them so a lot of the references to them went way over my head. 

The ending was obvious from the second I understood the very first Star Wars reference. 

Overall I really enjoyed this book/novella and like how developed the story and characters were considering the short length. It was a unique take on the dystopian genre whilst adding it's own pop-culture twist. 

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 #523 - Desires of the Dead (Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally, she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

My Rating: 4/5.5

This book is the sequel to The Body Finder which I read just under 3 months ago. 

I don't think I liked this book as much as the first but I definitely still enjoyed it. 

I loved the inclusion of new characters who were able to immediately involve themselves in the plot and were also able to blend well with the existing characters. 

Jay annoyed me for the first portion of the book. I didn't like how he would treat Violet like she was more his sister or friend rather than his girlfriend and then get angry when she wasn't able to communicate with him. 

Because the beginning of the book mainly deals with Jay and Violet's relationship, the whole mystery and key plot elements were a little slow to arise. 

Chelsea is such a loud and dominant character. She is definitely my favourite of all of the other secondary characters. I would love to have a chapter or anything really from her perspective. 

This book perfectly sets up the third book, The Last Echo with Violet thinking of releasing her life long secret with the knowledge of others with similar secrets. 

Book Review #501 - The Body Finder (The Body Finder #1) by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the 16 year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend, she is more disturbed by her 'power' to sense dead bodies - or at least those that have been murdered.

My Rating: 4.5/5

The basic premise of this book reminded me of the adult fiction book I read a few years ago Grave Sight. I liked how this book put its own unique twist on this though.

The first half of the book mainly deals with Violet's apparent unrequited feelings towards her childhood friend Jay.The only part of this that irritated me was the unrealistic nature of just about every girl in their school throwing themselves at him.

I loved this book though. It wasn't overly suspenseful but it did blend the small amounts of suspense with the romance really well.

The secondary characters weren't that memorable. For example, apart from Chelsea I cannot remember any of Violet's other friends' names.

The romance in this book was more believable and realistic than in most other YA books.

I would have liked more character development of the serial killer. I think this could have added some suspense to the story.

Book Review #490 - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Who are you?

What have we done to each other?

These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.

So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?

My Rating: 5/5

This is not usually the kind of book that I would find myself reading but with the hype over it and the fact that I want to see the movie while it is still in the cinema now seemed like a better time than any to pick it up.

From the moment I started reading it I found it incredibly gripping and addictive. I am a fast reader, but I read this book insanely fast even for my standards.

This book is told from husband and wife dual perspectives. Amy goes missing and her husband Nick is the only suspect. We hear from Nick as he deals with police interviews and negative public reaction etc. With Amy's chapters we get an insight into her life and marriage leading up to her disappearance through her diary entries.

Nick and Amy were both heavily flawed characters. In fact neither of them were very likeable. They were a couple that really brought out the worst in the other.

This book is told in three parts which are hard to go into detail about each one with giving away considerable spoilers.

For the first part I couldn't work out whether Nick was guilty or innocent. The second part begins with the books main plot twist and is where the book picks up pace.

I found the ending a little underwhelming and would have liked there to have been more justice and revenge involved.

Overall I am looking forward to seeing the film adaptation and to reading Gillian Flynn's other novels as I really enjoyed her writing style.

SPOILER - The scariest part about this book is that there are real psychos like Amy around in everyday life.

Book Review #486 - Wickedpedia (Point Horror) by Chris van Etten

Cole and Greg love playing practical jokes through Wikipedia. They edit key articles and watch their classmates crash and burn giving oral reports on historical figures like Genghis Khan, the first female astronaut on Jupiter. So after the star soccer player steals Cole's girlfriend, the boys take their revenge by creating a Wikipedia page for him, an entry full of outlandish information including details about his bizarre death on the soccer field.

It's all in good fun, until the soccer player is killed in a freak accident . . . just as Cole and Greg predicted. The uneasy boys vow to leave Wikipedia alone but someone continues to edit articles about classmates dying in gruesome ways . . . and those entries start to come true as well.

To his horror, Cole soon discovers that someone has created a Wikipedia page for him, and included a date of death. He has one week to figure out who's behind the murders, or else he's set to meet a pretty grisly end.

My Rating: 3/5

I received this book for review from Scholastic Australia.

I found this to be a pretty slow read. This was not necessarily a negative thing - it just took me longer to read than I had expected.

This book reminded me heavily of the Goosebumps books from my childhood.

Throughout the book I kept thinking of how well this book would work as a Pretty Little Liars type drama so I wasn't surprised when I read the author biography and discovered the author is also a television writer.

The writing style was a little choppy. The main issue was the execution. There were just small details that needed more tying together.

Overall, I found this book to be unique, entertaining and thrilling. Horror is definitely a genre I need to read more of.

Book Review #484 - Seven Up (Stephanie Plum #7) by Janet Evanovich

BLOWN UP

All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he's still got a knack for slipping out of sight--and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie's garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie's friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He'll give Stephanie all the help she needs--if she gives him everything he wants...

MESSED UP

As if things weren't complicated enough, Stephanie's just discovered her Grandma Mazur's own unmentionable alliance with Eddie. Add a series of unnerving break-ins, not to mention the bombshell revelation leveled by Stephanie's estranged sister, and Stephanie's ready for some good news. Unfortunately, a marriage proposal from Joe Morelli, the love of her life, isn't quite cutting it. And now--murder, a randy paramour, a wily mobster, death threats, extortion, and a triple kidnapping aside--Stephanie's really got the urge to run for her life...

My Rating: 4/5

This is the seventh book in the Stephanie Plum Series. I love how in incorporates the series numbers into the titles so it is obvious what order the books are in.

The situations Stephanie gets herself into and the randomness of the people she meets is just hilarious. As long as they keep being this funny, I will continue to read whatever amount of books that are published.

The romance in this book starts getting serious with Morelli pushing for marriage. I am like Stephanie though, I can't decide between Morelli and Ranger. I think Stephanie and Ranger would be good together but it is hard to overlook the history she has with Morelli.

Just when you think Stephanie's family couldn't get any more dysfunctional, her 'perfect' sister turns up unexpected with her daughter who thinks she is a horse.

Grandma Mazur wasn't as involved in this book as she has been in the previous books but the inclusion of Mooner made up for it in terms of humour.

Book Review #479 - We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honouree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

My Rating: 4.5/5

I read this book the same day I bought it. Given that I already had 1000 unread books shows how eager I was to read this as I had heard so many positive things about it.

The main characters were all from wealthy families except one so it was interesting to read about their lavish lifestyles. 

The minor characters such as the aunties and the younger cousins could have been more incorporated into the story. This would have at least prevented me from frequently looking at the family tree. 

The family dynamics were fascinating to read about. Plot wise, I didn't really know where this book was heading even though I predicted 75% of the ending I was still blown away by the finish. 

The writing style was a little choppy but I found that it didn't take me long to get used to it.  

Book Review #470 - The Back Door of Midnight (Dark Secrets #5) by Elizabeth Chandler

Anna O'Neill knows her family is a little crazy. But when she goes to visit her aunt and uncle for the summer and learns that her uncle's charred body has been found, her life reaches a new level of insanity. According to the local town gossip, all the O'Neill women are psychic or psychotic, and with her erratic aunt's 'psychic' abilities, exaggerated by grief, making her more unstable than ever, perhaps even dangerous, Anna is struggling to pick up the pieces and establish any sense of normality. Anna desperately wants to trust Zack, the cute boy next door, but it seems even he might know more than he's letting on. But when Anna starts to feel an unexplainable pull to the site of her uncle's murder, she begins to believe that maybe her family's supernatural gifts are real after all. Torn between loyalty and suspicion, Anna is certain of only one thing; she must discover who killed her uncle before she ends up in ashes herself...

My Rating: 4/5

Based on the quality of the first four books in this underrated series, I had pretty high expectations for this book. It definitely met them though because this was my favourite book in the series.

I loved the perfect blend of mysteriousness and suspense whilst also having a darker paranormal undertone.

The protagonist not only had to work out the mysterious nature of her uncle's death but also had to uncover the secrets surrounding her identity.

Like with the previous books in this series, I was unable to predict who the murderer was before it was revealed.

Book Review #438 - Stolen: A Letter to my Captor by Lucy Christopher

Gemma, 16, is on layover at Bangkok Airport, en route with her parents to a vacation in Vietnam. She steps away for just a second, to get a cup of coffee. Ty - rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar - pays for Gemma's drink. And drugs it. They talk. Their hands touch. And before Gemma knows what's happening, Ty takes her. Steals her away. The unknowing object of a long obsession, Gemma has been kidnapped by her stalker and brought to the desolate Australian Outback.

My Rating: 5/5

This is a very hard book to write a review about simply because my thoughts about it are all over the place. 

The plot was very unique, suspenseful and always engaging. This is my second Lucy Christopher book and I really love her writing style. 

What I loved most about this book is the way Gemma's narration plays with your head. Because she goes through Stockholm Syndrome, the reader does as well. 

Ty was a character that I loved whilst reading because he was so likeable and it was easy to feel sorry for him as he had such a certain vulnerability about him. 

I found that once I finished reading that I could see how what Ty did was so wrong and I found it a little scary that I wasn't able to think that clearly about him whilst reading. 

The setting of Australia was something that surprised me. I didn't expect to feel such an emotional connection with it. 

Not only is the book set for the most part in my country, it is also set in my state and at the very end it is set in my city so I found that really relateable in that regard. 

Book Review #392 - The Skull in The Wood by Sandra Greaves

 

Deep on Dartmoor, cousins Matt and Tilda discover a skull. And from that moment black things happen. Birds and animals turn bad, and there's talk of the return of an old curse.

 

 

My Rating: 4/5

 

 

I received this book for review from Chicken House for Scholastic.

 

 

Like all books that are set on a moor, this book was very atmospheric. From the opening chapter, everything was very vividly described.

 

 

The story is told mainly from Matt and Tilda's perspectives with the occasional chapter from Kitty who is Tilda's younger sister.

 

 

Both Matt and Tilda hated each other, and so I didn't really like either of the characters. In Tilda's chapters, Matt was annoying and in Matt's chapters Tilda was too whiny.

 

 

The plot was well paced but definitely peaked in the last few chapters as this where the majority of the action occurred.

 

 

Given that this book would probably most likely be classified as horror, there is a lot of family aspects to it. Matt's parents are in the middle of a divorce, and his mum is already looking to remarry. Plus his and Tilda's mothers have a heavy influence on the story behind the curse.

Book Review #370 - Carrie by Stephen King

The story of misfit high-school girl, Carrie White, who gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Repressed by a domineering, ultra-religious mother and tormented by her peers at school, her efforts to fit in lead to a dramatic confrontation during the senior prom.

My Rating: 3/5

I vaguely remember reading this book in my early teens. This is the first Stephen King novel I have read. Given that this is also his first published work, I have decided to read his other books in order.

This book was quite different to what I had been expecting. I thought it would have contained more horror, gore and suspense. It also had a stronger paranormal element to it than I had expected.

The main reason why I only gave this book a 3 star rating was because of the amount of points of view. There were just way too many for a book of under 200 pages.

The first half of the book was really fast paced, and then it rapidly slowed down in the second half. The peak of the action was in more towards the middle of the book which was different.

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 #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.