Book Review #680 - Chasing Alliecat by Rebecca Fjelland Davis

Dumped with relatives in a small Minnesota town for the summer, Sadie Lester is relying on her mountain bike to save her from total boredom. Then she meets Allie, a spiky-haired off-road mountain biker who's training for a major race. Allie leads Sadie and Joe, a cute fellow cyclist, up and down Mount Kato, and the three become close friends. But the exhilarating rush comes to a halt when they find a priest in the woods, badly beaten and near death. After calling for help, Allie disappears from their lives.

As they search for Allie and try to find out why she left so suddenly, Sadie and Joe discover more about Allie's past, including her connection to the priest. Only on the day of the big race does Sadie finally learn the complete, startling truth about Allie--and the terrible secret that forced her into hiding.

My Rating: 3/5

I decided to pick up this book because I felt like reading a contemporary novel, and the synopsis of this one intrigued me. 

The synopsis to me eluded to an entirely different plot, but I found I still enjoyed the one that was actually presented. 

I loved the setting in this novel. The woods that Sadie, Joe and Allie explore on an almost daily basis throughout almost seemed like a character itself at times, it was that well described. 

The only issue I had with this book is that to me Sadie and Joe seemed much younger than what they were supposed to be and I think this was largely due to their dialogue. It was for this reason that I didn't see the plot twist coming at all because of how dark it was. 

Mountain biking plays a huge role in this book and whilst I am usually a fan of sporting novels, mountain biking is not really a sport that interests me. I did enjoy the amount I learnt about it though. 

Overall, this was a really enthralling read. I was rather disappointed there was no real mystery element that the synopsis eluded to but the story was interesting enough anyway. 

Book Review #679 - The Dark Divine (The Dark Divine #1) by Bree Despain

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

My Rating: 4/5

I went into this book knowing it was a paranormal romance book, but I did not know what the paranormal aspect was. 

Werewolves were the very last paranormal creatures that I had been expecting. The book felt very much almost like a contemporary novel at first and then the fantasy very slowly took over. 

I loved that the werewolves weren't just suddenly thrown at us. There was a whole story of the history of this unique breed of werewolf before it was completely revealed. 

The romance felt rather 'insta-love' in that I didn't feel like enough of their past was revealed to get the feeling that they were reconnecting rather than meeting for the first time. 

I loved the family dynamics in this book and how close they were all with one another. The father being a pastor who simply wanted to please not only his family the entire town added a whole other dynamic to this.

The twist at the end was completely unexpected and really sealed the book for me and persuaded me to pick up the sequel. 

Book Review #678 - Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

"Dead girl walking”, the boys say in the halls.

"Tell us your secret”, the girls whisper, one toilet to another.

I am that girl.

I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.

I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

My Rating: 3.5/5

This is my second Laurie Halse Anderson book with the first being Speak. 

Both books are similar in that they deal with mental illness. With Speak it was selective mutism whereas Wintergirls dealt with anorexia and bulimia. 

I found the protagonist Lia very frustrating at times. I felt like she was full of excuses of why she is the way she is, when really she just needed to be honest with herself.

 

Anorexia is a subject I know nothing about and after reading this book I still don't feel like I know that much about it. 

I didn't like how this book always seemed to go off into different tangents. The hallucinations, although probably realistic due to Lia starving herself and her 'brain shrinking' but I thought they were a little over the top. 

Lia's sister Emma was my favourite character. She was the only character in the ENTIRE book who was seemingly not damaged in some way. 

I feel like I didn't really have the emotional understanding to completely love this book. I felt sorry for Lia but mostly I felt frustrated that she would do that to herself.