Early Review: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

 

Book: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond
Genre: Paranormal / Mystery

Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback

Publication Date: September 4th, 2012

Where Did I Get This Book: For Review, From Strange Chemistry
First Sentence: "The first time Miranda Blackwood checked the back of her closet for a portal to another world she was eleven."
Description: On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.

Miranda, a misfit girl from the island's most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can't dodge is each other.

Blackwood is a dark, witty coming of age story that combines America's oldest mystery with a thoroughly contemporary romance.

The concept behind Blackwood was genius. The vanishing of the settlers has been a mystery that people have been speculating about for hundreds of years. It’s one of the most famous mysteries in American history and is the perfect opportunity to spin an amazing paranormal tale- which is exactly what Bond does. Blackwood is packed full with excitement, mystery and general creepiness.

I loved both main characters (Miranda and Phillips). They both had such a determined spark that made them easy to fall in love with. Plus, they both possess the snarky gene, which happens to be one of my favorite qualities in characters.

The setup of the book confused me at times; mainly when the author would switch perspectives. Let me try and explain this. Every so often the author would switch perspectives to an unknown character; usually one of the missing people. These sections would be italicized and talked about random things, like going out with girls the night before, opening doors and eating donuts. Let’s just say I found it incredibly confusing. Not only do you not know who you are reading about, you don’t really know what you are reading about. It certainly threw me off and interrupted the flow of the story.

I also felt like the plotline got a little over ambitious as the book progressed. Things became entirely too complicated. I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys, but I felt like the author was pulling in all these different elements towards the end that weren’t all that necessary. It just ended up jumbling things in my head and making it difficult to focus on the key points of the story.

But, all in all, I found Blackwood to be terribly exciting. Sure, there were little faults with the book, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoyed it. I wanted, needed to know what was going to happen to Miranda and Phillips and that kept me turning the pages. I can forgive being slightly confused at times and the choppiness of the pacing because the story kept me wanting to read it.

Oh and one last thing I noted, it is mentioned in the book that Miranda's mom loved Blondie and her favorite Blondie song is Heartbreaker. I'm pretty sure there is no Blondie song called Heartbreaker - that's a Pat Benatar song. Could it be Heart of Glass?

Favorite Quotes:

Moms were psychic and evil.

Miranda's mom had taught her that while eyes were important, music was the real window to someone's soul.

His body trembled against hers. She held on, afraid that if she let go he'd be gone forever.

Miranda tore through the woods like a chupacabra chased her.

"You're eyes," she said, waving her hand next to her own. "I can tell when you aren't alone in there."

Letting other people have this much power over you is dangerous.

"No. We are our families. Both of us. We are the baggage twins. That much, I get."

"Bullfrak," Miranda said. "It's for power. If you're pretending this is about something else, even to yourself, then frak you, you delusional murdering excuse for a nutty professor."

"Morning, creepy people."

He touched it. He danced with her. He wanted her. She officially had devil cooties.

His forehead rested against her own. She expereinced a weird sensation - an eaiser time breathing, a harder time breathing.

 

Review: Snow Burn by Joel Arnold

Book: Snow Burn by Joel Arnold
Stand Alone or Series:  Stand Alone
Pages: 72

Genre: Suspense / Young Adult

Buy A Copy: Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
Publication Date: September 4th, 2010

How Did I Get This Book: Received from author, for review

First Line: “For the sake of argument let’s say – You’ve just escaped a sinking ship.”

Description: Seventeen-year old Tommy Connell knows he's in trouble when he goes winter camping with his friend Vince Nguyen without telling his folks. But when they're caught in a sudden blizzard, and the man they rescue from freezing to death turns out to be an escaped convict, Tommy's troubles are only beginning. Now Tommy and Vince must not only survive the blizzard, but also find a way to keep Quinn - who'll stop at nothing to stay out of prison - from killing them.

I haven't read that many suspense novels, but it is a genre that I enjoy. Snow Burn was a rather quick read that evoked a surprising amount of emotion and internal debate.

Both of the main characters (Tommy and Vince) are surprisingly well developed for a 70+ page story. True, they sometimes seem one-dimensional, but honestly, you cannot expect perfect characterization here. Like I said before, this is an extremely quick read and it is suppose to be a suspense novel. It simply would not work if the author was to drone on about the characters for pages at a time, it would mess up entire feel of the story.

The character of Tommy easy to relate to, I was the kid in high school that never really did anything. I wasn’t as extreme of a case as Tommy, but I definitely followed the rules. Tommy has lived an incredibly sheltered life and always does what he is told. He worries about everything and wants to spend his weekend of freedom in the safety of Vince's house. He wants to stay up all night, watch old scary movies and drink tons of pop. I would have been right there next to Tommy watching a horror movie marathon. No house parties in sight, no crazy shenanigans, nothing that could get me in a lot of trouble.That being said, I much preferred the character of Vince; Tommys best friend and partner in crime. He certainly isn’t perfect, in fact he is always the one to get the boys in trouble, but he is undeniably interesting.  There were plenty of times I wanted to smack him upside the head, but I was always waiting to see what he would do, or say next.

As far as the dialogue goes – it seemed realistic enough to me. It is what I always pictured teenage boys sounding like, right down to the hot mom comments.

There were a few elements of Snow Burn that I wasn’t crazy about. First of all, I wish Tommy would have shown a little bit of backbone. I do not know if teenage boys usually do things this – camping out in the dead of winter in a closed state park, but red flags were immediately going up for me. Tommy knew Vince’s plan was insane, but Vince easily talked him into it. I am sorry, nothing and no one would ever make me do something like that. Sure, I can see my seventeen year-old self being talked into a lot of things, but never something like that. If teenage boys are really that stupid, I really, truly fear for their safety and sanity.

Also, the suspense was rather slow to build.The story isn’t that long and the portion of it that really deals with the heavy stuff is rather short; the majority of the plot is build-up. Granted, I wouldn't say that the pacing was slow, I just would have preferred to have more action. 

Snow Burn is a story that makes you think. It makes you consider some extremely difficult questions about yourself. Nobody really knows how they would react in a situation like this – you can pretend you would always do the right thing, but you can’t really be sure.

 Favorite Quotes

“my B.S. detector was on heightened alert."

“The only way to overcome evil is through acts of goodness. Not through acts of revenge."

“My folks just didn’t seem to get that there was more to life than school, work, television and a good pot roast."

“The temperature dropped. The wind whistled through the trees. The snowflakes lost their charm, instead of being fat and lazy, they’d become tiny pellets that stung my cheeks.”

“My parents never bet me, never spanked me, hardly ever even gave me a time out. I watch too much TV. I still eat Peanut Butter Crunch for breakfast. I’ll pretend I’m sick at least three days a quarter just so I can stay in my pajamas all day long and read the newest Stephen King novel or watch moves on TCM. I am soft. I’ve always been soft.” 

“Sometimes you gotta take a few chances if life’s going to be worth living."

“The snow tried to pull us down. The wind tried to push us over. The branches of trees tried to beat us into submission. But we kept going. Soon, my body was on automatic pilot. It knew it had to keep moving, so it moved.”

Review & Giveaway: The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan

Today is my stop on the tour for The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan. She can been kind enough to provide a giveaway copy for one of you - the details for the giveaway can be found after the review!

Book: The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan
Pages: 192

Genre: Young Adult / Horror
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Publication Date: October 2nd, 2008

How Did I Get This Book: From Savita Kalhan & Melissa at I Swim For Oceans

Description:  Sam knows that he and his friend Lloyd made a colossal mistake when they accepted the ride home. They have ended up in a dark mansion in the middle of nowhere with man who means to harm them. But Sam doesn't know how to get them out. They were trapped, then separated. Now they are alone. Will either of them get out alive? This gripping and hypnotic thriller will have you reading late into the night.

We are so used to reading books about vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other fictional monsters that we tend to forget that people can be just as monstrous and horrifying. Kalhan conjures up such terrifying tale in The Long Weekend that it is impossible not to find yourself within the pages.

The book is not a lengthy one and the action begins almost immediately. As the reader, you can see the events unfolding before the boys, Sam and Lloyd begin to question anything. Like when watching a scary movie, I spent a great deal of time yelling at the character in the book, desperately hoping they could somehow hear my warnings. Do not get me wrong, the plot line was completely believable, that is why it is so utterly terrifying. I could completely see something like this happening, kids in general are entirely too trusting.

The character of Sam figures out something is wrong early on and begins a game of cat-and-mouse with his captor. He shows remarkable strength and resourcefulness as he tries to outrun and outwit the sick man who has taken them. It is very satisfying to see Sam’s progression to this state; he begins as sort of the sidekick to his friend Lloyd. Unfortunately, calm, cool and collected Lloyd, cracks early on and it is up to Sam to get them to safety.

I must say, this book was extremely difficult to put down. The sheer amount of emotions to pulls from you is staggering; it is tremendously hard to watch these boys go through the traumatic events. The writing style also greatly contributed to and impacted the overall creepy tone of the book. Kalhan uses short, almost choppy sentences to keep readers on the edge of their seats and inside the action.

This book will appeal to a wide range of readers because although the subject matter is extremely frightening, Kahlan never gets too graphic with things. Of course, she eludes to a number of different horrors, but never gets into too much detail. These touchy plot points will most likely go right over the younger readers heads.

If I had to describe The Long Weekend in one word it would be, “disturbing”. It is one of those books that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting to read more, but not wanting to at the same time. It pulls on your heartstrings and keeps your heart rate up; you cannot help but be affected by it.

Favorite Quotes

"Sam began to sob. He backed up, right  up to the bathroom doorway and listened to the steady beat of the slam, slam. What would he do when the man came in?"

"Grown-ups weren't afraid of the dark, and neither was Sam, usually. This was different. This was a different kind of darkness."

"Fear made you cold. It made you tremble. Anger made you hot. It made you want to hurt someone."

GIVEAWAY

Savita has been kind enough to provide a giveaway copy to one lucky reader! Please leave a comment below pertaining to the review or about the book The giveaway will end when the tour ends, on April 1st.

Review: Stay by Deb Caletti

Book:  Stay by Deb Caletti
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Pages: 313
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: April 19^th, 2011

How I Got This Book: ARC Tours at Good Golly Miss Holly

Description (From Goodreads): Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

Stay by Deb Caletti is a book that certainly makes an impact. This is one of those rare fictional treats that doesn’t feel the least bit fictional; it could be anybody’s story.  Clara is a character that anyone could know, she could easily be the girl next door, your friend or your cousin. 

Like the character of Clara, the story was very realistic to me. It was gritty and ugly at times but it was also lovely in places.  This isn’t a neat story; it doesn’t come wrapped up in a pretty bow. It’s a story about a stalker, but it is also a story about a teenage girl finding herself and maturing in all aspects of her life. Her relationship with her father is explored and questioned, and she finds herself having to come to terms with a great many things.

I don’t want to say that I enjoyed watching the story unfold, but I did. it was a bit like watching a car crash that you know is coming – you know it’s going to make you feel terrible, you know that witnessing it will change you forever, but you still can’t look away. I feel like Caletti did a marvelous job telling Clara’s story. In fact, I would say that the format was perfect; it’s actually quite a unique setup. 

The book is written completely from Clara’s perspective – she is writing her own story, looking back at the events of her life and trying to make sense of everything. She alternates between two time periods with each chapter – one before leaving Christian and one after leaving him. This format gives the reader an interesting perspective because you see Clara falling for Christian, but you immediately see the aftermath as well. My favorite part of the format though, would have to be the footnotes. The story is peppered with footnotes from Clara where she adds random tidbits about certain passages. It gave the story a very personal feel and at the same time it allows you to better understand her character.

Another point that I wanted to touch on was Caletti’s writing style. I feel like this is something that you are either going to absolutely love or hate. First of all, let me say that the narrative and writing style fit perfectly with Clara’s character. Her father is a writer and she is a self professed lover of words. Everything is very descriptive and there are tons and tons of extended metaphors. There are pages and pages of just Clara and her thoughts – her different takes on certain events. I must say it is extremely beautiful writing – but at times, it was just too much for me. I sometimes found it difficult to get through. Which is a pity, because even as I was reading it I knew how exquisite the writing was. I just feel that things dragged in certain spots – I wanted to keep piecing together the story, but Clara wanted to analyze a facial expression for 6 pages. 

That being said, I had a very difficult time giving this book a rating because it was so beautifully written. Unfortunately, at times it actually hindered my reading experience. This in turn caused to like a book that I would otherwise have loved. I want to be clear though, in saying that many of you will probably love the book for the exact same reason. It’s completely up to the reader’s discretion.

Review: Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus

Book: Shadow Hills (Anastasia Hopcus)
Stand-Alone or Series: Series

Pages: 388
Genre: Young Adult
Description (From Goodreads):

His love captivated her... his secrets might kill her.

Since her sister’s mysterious death, Persephone “Phe” Archer has been plagued by a series of disturbing dreams. Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Phe enrolls at Devenish Prep in Shadow Hills, Massachusetts—the subject of her sister’s final diary entry.

After stepping on campus, Phe immediately realizes that there’s something different about this place—an unexplained epidemic that decimated the town in the 1700s, an ancient and creepy cemetery, and gorgeous boy Zach—and somehow she’s connected to it all.

But the more questions she asks and the deeper she digs, the more entangled Phe becomes in the haunting past of Shadow Hills. Finding what links her to this town…might cost her her life.

Shadow Hills was an entirely enjoyable and exciting read. Hopcus developed a truly unique story that had me guessing until the end. This delightful book is a paranormal romance with no vampires, werewolves or shifters - "What!?" you ask, - it's shocking, I know. I guess you will just have to read it and find what exactly is going down in the crazy town of Shadow Hills.

It is so refreshing to read a YA Book that brings something new to the table. While some of the minor plot details were predictable at times, the overall story kept me on the edge of my seat. Because Hopcus created a cast of characters that possess new paranormal, shall we say traits; it is hard to make assumptions about the plot. It's a suspense story that is actually suspenseful - what a concept!

The characters, at least the main ones, are all beautifully written. Phe, our protagonist has an independent streak and often acts hastily. She puts herself in a number of compromising and frightening situations to try and obtain some answers to her questions about the mysterious town. When she first arrives, she forms a connection with a local boy, Zach. However, Zach's sister, Corrine is immediately apposed to their budding relationship, although her reasons are not clear to Phe. This is one of the reasons why Phe begins to dig deeper into the towns secrets. 

There is quite a few secondary characters in this story - including Phe's core group of friends at school and a handful of villains. I enjoyed all the secondary characters, but they aren't exactly unique. In fact, they are rather stereotypical for the boarding school book. You have a computer geek, a princess, a heartthrob and a stoner. However - I still took a liking to them. My favorites of the group were Adriana (the princess) and Brody (the stoner). Adriana is Phe's best friend at school and she is rather self centered. However she is tons of fun and provides a lot of entertainment. Brody is Zach's best friend and a townie. He lives on campus however, with his Guardian, Mr. Carr; a teacher at the school.

Like I said before, the story was wonderfully suspenseful. The pacing was perfect; nothing felt rushed, yet things still kept moving along. The plot was different enough that it kept me on my toes and actually provided a some surprises. I am looking forward to the next book, but I can't seem to find any word on when it is coming out. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it is soon!