Monthly Archives:: February 2013

Friday, February 15, 2013

Review: The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

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The Murmurings
Carly Anne West
Genre: YA Thriller
Publication date: March 5th 2013
by Simon Pulse

A teen girl starts hearing the same voices that drove her sister to commit suicide in this creepy, suspenseful novel.

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….

*A copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for review*

 

This cover…

…She is looking into my soul!! *rocks back and forth*

This cover is going to give any reader the expectation of a major creep-fest, and it does start out pretty fantastic on that front, hooking you from the first few pages. It’s bizarre and freaky, the MC seeing things from the corner of her eye and hearing unwelcome mutterings. It definitely gave me the heeby-jeebies. Along the way, however, I did feel like the book veered a little too off course for me, trapped in a web of Takers, Seers, and other explanations behind the story. There was also the lack of character development that stopped me from being one hundred percent immersed into it all. Furthermore, the romance is one I did not care for. I feel the book would have been better off without it. If I based it just on the creepy, though, it would be getting a 4!

As far as characters go, I liked Sophie well enough–although I did forget her name within minutes of finishing the book. To me she’s what I consider a surface character. She’s good for the story, she fills her role, but there isn’t much more to her. With this superficial personality I don’t feel like I really got to know her. In turn, this affected the romance in the book even further I’m quite sure, which is a part I didn’t particularly enjoy either. The way they meet and “connect”, the way they interact, even the way they kiss it all felt out of place. I’m not sure if it was my impatience towards wanting to move along and get more creepy happenings, but I don’t even understand how they got to be together. Suddenly, he was just there. Then poof, we’ve got a romantic subplot. Even though it wasn’t an insta-love in the sense that they were madly in love within days, the connection and the chemistry missed its mark for me.

Oh the murmurings! Whispers and strange mutterings, unable to understand what’s being said, feeling breath on your neck, mirrors that start to shimmer and move like liquid, seeing something from the corner of your eye; this is all pretty disturbing. I have to give props for this book’s creepy factor. While it wasn’t as constant as I was hoping due to the story kind of wandering off, this book has some great spine-chilling moments that gives its reader a bit of a rush. Those were my favorite parts hands down, and the way it’s played out in the plot is interesting enough with a unique way about it. It’s different from what I was expecting, though, it being a lore rather than unexplained phenomenon messing with your mind–which you gotta admit is much funner. Either way, a creepy book is what we have, it’s just unfortunate there isn’t much more to it than that.

For fans of thrillers, The Murmurings brings us an ominous mental institution with questionable doctors, and patients who are suffering a terrible curse. Its potential was bigger than its execution, had it had stronger characters and a tighter plot, but the book is great for an entertainingly eerie read.
 

3 Hot Espressos

Book Girls Don’t Cry: The Bad Boy!

Posted by on 02/14/2013 • 74 Comments

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don’t Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don’t miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:   Thanks to Mel of The Daily Prophecy for suggesting this week’s topic!

The Bad Boy: When Bad… Is Too Bad

Has anyone else noticed a trend this past year? A Bad Boy trend? You know, the bad boys that are literally jerkfaces that you want to slap rather than swoon like we’re meant to be doing? I know I have, and this lady *points at self* is not biting!

Don’t get me wrong. I love the bad boy type, the one who gets rough and gritty (get your heads out of the gutter now!!), but, and this is…

Waiting on Wednesday (73)

Posted by on 02/13/2013 • 26 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine  and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  My pick this week:

The Waking Dark Robin Wasserman Genre: YA Horror Release date: September 10th 2013by Knopf Books for Young Readers

They called it the killing day. Twelve people dead, all in the space of a few hours. Five murderers: neighbors, relatives, friends. All of them so normal. All of them seemingly harmless. All of them now dead by their own hand . . . except one. And that one has no answers to offer the shattered town. She doesn’t even know why she killed—or whether she’ll do it again.

Something is waking in the sleepy town of Oleander’s, Kansas—something dark and hungry that lives…

Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Posted by on 02/12/2013 • 31 Comments

para·nor·mal: adj. not scientifically explainable : supernatural -Merriam-Webster

Meet Addison, or preferably Addie; Clairvoyant Divergent. Addie has the unique and thought-provoking ability of being able to see both sides of the coin. In other words, when she has a decision to make, she can see the future of each choice and pick the one that’s best. Fascinating, no? But what happens when you don’t want either future you foresee? This plot revolves around Addie’s venture into two futures after she was asked to pick between staying in the paranormal compound, or going with her dad in the normal world.

Told in dual reality perspective, reality one keeps us in the compound where life with abilities is the norm. From telekinesis to lie detectors, living with knowing someone may currently…

Review: Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye

Posted by on 02/11/2013 • 19 Comments

Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye Shari A. Brady Genre: YA Contemporary Publication date: June 11th 2012

Before my older sister Francesca died, I worked at the bakery and wrote songs, but now I write lists. Lists like ten reasons why it’s my fault Francesca’s dead, or five reasons why I should try and win Howie back, or one reason why I need to stop lying to everyone, including myself.

Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye is an extraordinary novel about one family’s struggle to make sense of their world after losing a family member to addiction. Through sixteen-year-old Carmella’s eyes, we witness the courage and strength it takes to overcome the consequences of grief, guilt and co-dependency. WIth conviction and determination, Carmella shows us what can happen when…

Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four Tour Kick-off + Giveaway

Posted by on 02/11/2013 • 1 Comment

Today I’m kicking off the Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four blog tour that will run from Feb 11th to Feb 23rd! Let me introduce the book, show you a sneak peek, and you can enter the fabulous tour grand prize!

Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four Nya Jade Series: A Shapers Novel #1 Publication date: October 30th 2012by Dreamwell Publishing

The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .

Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double…

Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (42)

Posted by on 02/10/2013 • 60 Comments

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week. This week at Xpresso Reads

Howdy! So we just got one heck of a major snowstorm! I survived!! Though I’m pretty much trapped in my house! O.O Yep, fun times. Ok so–are you from or close enough to get to Boston? Because if so, mark your calendars for August 17th! Me and Amy of Book Loving Mom are planning a book blogger meet-up dinner and bookswap. If you’re interested, join the event’s Facebook Group! Lastly, don’t miss the latest giveaway on the blog to win a copy of Quantum Drop!

New at Xpresso Book Tours

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Fresh Batch (February 10th – 16th)

Posted by on 02/09/2013 • 11 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Pivot Point Kasie West Series: Pivot Point #1Publication date: February 12th 2013by HarperTeen

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known….