I chose to read this book because the summary made it sound unusual. I'm always on the lookout for something unique and different, and this book definitely fit the bill!
Jane liv...
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I chose to read this book because the summary made it sound unusual. I'm always on the lookout for something unique and different, and this book definitely fit the bill!
Jane lives with her brother and father (plus some staff) in a weird old house. Her mother is mostly away from home, and not allowed to interact with them when she visits. The author includes a lot of character information, especially about Jane, and I enjoyed gradually getting to know her better as I read the story. Learning more about the other major characters helped me understand them and get more invested in their relationships with Jane.
All seems fairly straightforward until Jane finds something she shouldn't have, and some truly strange things start happening. I won't say more about them, as I think the reader will enjoy this more if you don't know what to expect. I loved every bit of it, and couldn't wait to see what unusual thing would turn up next, and how it would help Jane learn more about her family and its history.
So many surprises, and unique things both large and small, combine to make this one of the most unusual and fabulous books I've read in a while.
Also, bonus points for Brutus, the gardener's pet rat.
I'll admit it; when I first started reading this book, I thought it was going to be a typical teen romance where a girl (Ella) falls in love with her best friend's guy. This is co...
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I'll admit it; when I first started reading this book, I thought it was going to be a typical teen romance where a girl (Ella) falls in love with her best friend's guy. This is complicated by the fact that her best friend recently died in a car accident during which Ella was driving. And yes, it IS that. But it's also so much more.
I did enjoy the romance. Both Ella and Sawyer were realistic teenage characters, and each was provided with a detailed background/family history, as well as a distinct personality. I absolutely believed the attraction, plus the growing feelings as both teens tried to cope with Hayley's death. They both felt guilty about the attraction, given their mutual relationship to Hayley, but were both powerless to fight it.
Things got dicey when Sawyer started exhibiting some control-freak tendencies towards Ella. That's when I thought I had everything figured out and knew exactly where the story was going. I won't share those thoughts, as I was COMPLETELY WRONG, and I don't want to give away any spoilers.
Suffice it to say, this book provides a nice, refreshing love story. It also provides a dark look at physical abuse and its after-effects, and a bit of mystery as the reader gradually learns more about what really happened the night Hayley died. (Ella was also injured in the accident, and doesn't remember anything at first, so we find answers along with her.)
In the end, I was satisfied with the conclusion, and enjoyed imagining what the future looked like for the characters after the end of the story.
I highly recommend this exciting, twisty thriller! At its heart are two wealthy brothers (Robbie and Trevor) who everyone thinks can get away with anything, including murder. Give...
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I highly recommend this exciting, twisty thriller! At its heart are two wealthy brothers (Robbie and Trevor) who everyone thinks can get away with anything, including murder. Given that each young man has had a recent girlfriend who died under "mysterious circumstances", they just may be right.
Now Robbie has his sights set on new-girl Lauren. Lauren has come to the area for a new start, and is trying to leave her past behind her and make a good future for herself. Dating Robbie was supposed to be fun, not too serious, and certainly not dangerous. When Lauren stumbles across a clue that points to the last girlfriend's death being "not-so-accidental", she realizes she has a problem.
The author has created a twisty narrative with plenty of clues and teen investigations. Lauren has to figure out what's going on with no real ability to trust anyone...because she has no way to know who is actually IN ON everything with the killer.
I appreciated the depth the author managed to give each of the major characters, even while offering some of them up as potential murder suspects. Lauren, Robbie, Maura, Lex, John, and Ainsley were all well-crafted, realistic teens. I also appreciated that the level of teen partying, drinking, and drug use was true-to-life. So often, teen-centric novels tend to portray these things at over-the-top levels; this one got it right!
The slowly evolving relationships, both friendships and romantic, were well-written. By the end, I felt that Lauren had established true, lasting friendships with several other characters. There were some interesting parent/child dynamics as well, particularly between Lauren and her mother.
As an added bonus, Lauren and most of the other female characters were varsity soccer players. I especially enjoyed this, as I'm a soccer mom myself. The practices, games, and Senior Night celebration all rang true and brought back memories!
As for the final reveal of the killer....I thought it was a bit abrupt. Also, I didn't think enough clues were provided to point to this person. While I DID believe that this individual was behind the crimes, I would have liked a bit more lead-up before Lauren figured it out.
Still, a 5-star read, and I look forward to more from this talented author!
"The Last Murder at the End of the World" is a gripping post-apocalyptic murder mystery. It's also though-provoking, incredibly well-plotted, and entirely unique.
The murder in ...
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"The Last Murder at the End of the World" is a gripping post-apocalyptic murder mystery. It's also though-provoking, incredibly well-plotted, and entirely unique.
The murder in question occurs in an unusual version of the "locked room" scenario...the last survivors of a deadly-fog-apocalypse are living on an isolated island, so the suspect pool is obviously limited. To make things more challenging for the investigator (Emory), everyone's memories of the night of the crime have been wiped, including her own. Just in case the stakes weren't high enough...if Emory can't solve the murder and make sure the killer is executed in just under two days, the fog will cover the island, killing everyone, and thereby ending human life on earth.
Within those parameters, Emory begins her investigation. Unlike most of the island's inhabitants, she's curious and willing to ask hard questions. However, given that LITERALLY nobody is able to remember anything, she has her work cut out for her. As she progresses through whatever leads she can find, she raises as may new questions as she answers, all in a high-stakes race against the clock.
Author Stuart Turton skillfully weaves character backstories and glimpses of the onset of the apocalypse with Emory's investigation so that the reader fills in their own blanks about the past at the same time as Emory's blanks in her memory and what actually happened. There's a lot to uncover and figure out, and not everyone (or everything) is as it appears. To avoid spoilers, I won't say more, but PLEASE read this one for some surprising revelations!
You'll leave this story with a complete understanding of what actually happened on the night in question. However, you'll also leave with a lot of things to think about. I wish I could share a few of them here but.....the questions themselves would be spoiler-ish. (If you're planning to read this one, which I highly recommend, try to go in without reading any more about it. You'll enjoy it much more if you have less of an idea what to expect.)
5 slices of perfect Provolone! (Also a nominee for my Top 10 books of 2024!)
"The Changing Man" by Tomi Oyemakinde is an excellent debut novel! It has everything: private high school drama, mysterious happenings, a school-centric urban legend (or is it?), ...
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"The Changing Man" by Tomi Oyemakinde is an excellent debut novel! It has everything: private high school drama, mysterious happenings, a school-centric urban legend (or is it?), and some great twists!
First, I really enjoyed the main character of Ife. She seemed very realistic, and I liked getting to know her as she struggled to maintain her own identity at a posh private school. She's a scholarship student, and didn't easily fit in with the wealthier/lazier students. I liked how she met and bonded with other scholarship kids, and how their friendships grew. Ife, Ben, and Bijal were all well-written and seemed like true individuals. I've seen other reviews mention that some of the students acted and spoke as if they were younger, but I attributed much of that to the fact that many of these are sheltered rich kids with little experience in the real world.
The mystery/urban legend plot was definitely a slow build, which I enjoyed. Much of the early part of the book is spent on Ife getting accustomed to her new school, but there are subtle hints of eerie things to come all along. Once the creepy events started ramping up, I was invested enough in the characters to really care about the outcome.
And yes, there is a twist! I didn't see it coming, and love it when a book manages to surprise me. I won't say more so you can try to figure it out as you read and (hopefully) be as surprised as I was!
Jane liv...
Jane lives with her brother and father (plus some staff) in a weird old house. Her mother is mostly away from home, and not allowed to interact with them when she visits. The author includes a lot of character information, especially about Jane, and I enjoyed gradually getting to know her better as I read the story. Learning more about the other major characters helped me understand them and get more invested in their relationships with Jane.
All seems fairly straightforward until Jane finds something she shouldn't have, and some truly strange things start happening. I won't say more about them, as I think the reader will enjoy this more if you don't know what to expect. I loved every bit of it, and couldn't wait to see what unusual thing would turn up next, and how it would help Jane learn more about her family and its history.
So many surprises, and unique things both large and small, combine to make this one of the most unusual and fabulous books I've read in a while.
Also, bonus points for Brutus, the gardener's pet rat.
I did enjoy the romance. Both Ella and Sawyer were realistic teenage characters, and each was provided with a detailed background/family history, as well as a distinct personality. I absolutely believed the attraction, plus the growing feelings as both teens tried to cope with Hayley's death. They both felt guilty about the attraction, given their mutual relationship to Hayley, but were both powerless to fight it.
Things got dicey when Sawyer started exhibiting some control-freak tendencies towards Ella. That's when I thought I had everything figured out and knew exactly where the story was going. I won't share those thoughts, as I was COMPLETELY WRONG, and I don't want to give away any spoilers.
Suffice it to say, this book provides a nice, refreshing love story. It also provides a dark look at physical abuse and its after-effects, and a bit of mystery as the reader gradually learns more about what really happened the night Hayley died. (Ella was also injured in the accident, and doesn't remember anything at first, so we find answers along with her.)
In the end, I was satisfied with the conclusion, and enjoyed imagining what the future looked like for the characters after the end of the story.
Five slices of sharp cheddar-jack!
Now Robbie has his sights set on new-girl Lauren. Lauren has come to the area for a new start, and is trying to leave her past behind her and make a good future for herself. Dating Robbie was supposed to be fun, not too serious, and certainly not dangerous. When Lauren stumbles across a clue that points to the last girlfriend's death being "not-so-accidental", she realizes she has a problem.
The author has created a twisty narrative with plenty of clues and teen investigations. Lauren has to figure out what's going on with no real ability to trust anyone...because she has no way to know who is actually IN ON everything with the killer.
I appreciated the depth the author managed to give each of the major characters, even while offering some of them up as potential murder suspects. Lauren, Robbie, Maura, Lex, John, and Ainsley were all well-crafted, realistic teens. I also appreciated that the level of teen partying, drinking, and drug use was true-to-life. So often, teen-centric novels tend to portray these things at over-the-top levels; this one got it right!
The slowly evolving relationships, both friendships and romantic, were well-written. By the end, I felt that Lauren had established true, lasting friendships with several other characters. There were some interesting parent/child dynamics as well, particularly between Lauren and her mother.
As an added bonus, Lauren and most of the other female characters were varsity soccer players. I especially enjoyed this, as I'm a soccer mom myself. The practices, games, and Senior Night celebration all rang true and brought back memories!
As for the final reveal of the killer....I thought it was a bit abrupt. Also, I didn't think enough clues were provided to point to this person. While I DID believe that this individual was behind the crimes, I would have liked a bit more lead-up before Lauren figured it out.
Still, a 5-star read, and I look forward to more from this talented author!
The murder in ...
The murder in question occurs in an unusual version of the "locked room" scenario...the last survivors of a deadly-fog-apocalypse are living on an isolated island, so the suspect pool is obviously limited. To make things more challenging for the investigator (Emory), everyone's memories of the night of the crime have been wiped, including her own. Just in case the stakes weren't high enough...if Emory can't solve the murder and make sure the killer is executed in just under two days, the fog will cover the island, killing everyone, and thereby ending human life on earth.
Within those parameters, Emory begins her investigation. Unlike most of the island's inhabitants, she's curious and willing to ask hard questions. However, given that LITERALLY nobody is able to remember anything, she has her work cut out for her. As she progresses through whatever leads she can find, she raises as may new questions as she answers, all in a high-stakes race against the clock.
Author Stuart Turton skillfully weaves character backstories and glimpses of the onset of the apocalypse with Emory's investigation so that the reader fills in their own blanks about the past at the same time as Emory's blanks in her memory and what actually happened. There's a lot to uncover and figure out, and not everyone (or everything) is as it appears. To avoid spoilers, I won't say more, but PLEASE read this one for some surprising revelations!
You'll leave this story with a complete understanding of what actually happened on the night in question. However, you'll also leave with a lot of things to think about. I wish I could share a few of them here but.....the questions themselves would be spoiler-ish. (If you're planning to read this one, which I highly recommend, try to go in without reading any more about it. You'll enjoy it much more if you have less of an idea what to expect.)
5 slices of perfect Provolone! (Also a nominee for my Top 10 books of 2024!)
First, I really enjoyed the main character of Ife. She seemed very realistic, and I liked getting to know her as she struggled to maintain her own identity at a posh private school. She's a scholarship student, and didn't easily fit in with the wealthier/lazier students. I liked how she met and bonded with other scholarship kids, and how their friendships grew. Ife, Ben, and Bijal were all well-written and seemed like true individuals. I've seen other reviews mention that some of the students acted and spoke as if they were younger, but I attributed much of that to the fact that many of these are sheltered rich kids with little experience in the real world.
The mystery/urban legend plot was definitely a slow build, which I enjoyed. Much of the early part of the book is spent on Ife getting accustomed to her new school, but there are subtle hints of eerie things to come all along. Once the creepy events started ramping up, I was invested enough in the characters to really care about the outcome.
And yes, there is a twist! I didn't see it coming, and love it when a book manages to surprise me. I won't say more so you can try to figure it out as you read and (hopefully) be as surprised as I was!
Definitely 5 chunks of spicy cheddar jack!