Monday, December 10, 2012

Review: All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen

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All the Broken Pieces
Cindi Madsen
Publication date: December 11th 2012
by Entangled Teen

 

What if your life wasn’t your own?

Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.

Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?

*A copy was provided by Entangled Publishing for review purposes*
All the Broken Pieces reminded me a little of Slated which I had just read recently, though this one is a more contemporary, and we get answers! Reading two similar books so close together is bound to provoke comparisons, and I think because I was craving for answers that we never got in Slated, I enjoyed this stand-alone a lot more than I might have otherwise. This is not to say that the book is bad–on the contrary, its mind boggling nature sucked me in until the very end, but the ending itself, as well as some plausibility issues I had with the whole story, does make it a lower end 4 stars.

We have a girl who wakes up in a hospital with zero memories of her life, as soon as she’s awake her parents pack up and leave to start over in a new town. All the while, Liv is trying to find out who she is, and in not long, what her parents are hiding from her. The mystery of it all is what keeps this book alive, no question. We get just enough bizarre visions and sporadic memories to leave us completely baffled. I would try to piece it all together, when another brick would be thrown out of nowhere to halt any and all theories I might have had. I was thrilled by this alone as I flew through this novel at wicked speeds. This leads us to the ending; every mystery will either break or make its readership during the final verdict. What we find out at the conclusion is unquestionably fascinating and unpredictable, yet I can’t help but wonder at the believability of not only the final explanation, but everything leading up to it. We do live in a world where information is openly available even in the smallest of towns, after all. This is as far as I can go without spoilers. All in all, the ending is satisfactory, though not especially memorable.

Charming when he wants to be, Spencer also comes with his own secrets and mysteries to add onto the already large pile. I enjoyed how it played into the romance, making him at once someone you want to trust, and someone you feel you can’t. While the romance is not necessarily original in its foreseeable nature, I found Spencer incredibly sweet and their relationship is one of the most realistic aspects of this novel.

Since the main focus of this book is the mystery, reviewing it in greater detail becomes impossible without giving away answers–which I refuse to do. As previously mentioned, if you’re a fan of Slated by Teri Terry, or books that love to play with your mind, I’m just about certain you will devour this one just as eagerly!

4 Hot Espressos
This post is a part of All the Broken Pieces Blog Tour
 
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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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24 Responses to “Review: All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen”

  1. Book Whales

    I’m not a fan of the cover but I love the plot. I haven’t read Slated yet. Thanks for the great review 😀 I really want to read this book now.

    -Dannielle

  2. Amy

    I have this coming up very soon!! I am glad that it was able to keep you guessing since you tend to be very perceptive like I am. I think I will really enjoy this one too. I just recently read her other book Demons of the Sun and thought her writing was fantastic, so I am looking forward to this one.

  3. Christina

    The covers even have a little in common. I really don’t like this cover, and, though you make it sound pretty good, unless I see more enthusiastic reviews, I’m probably not going to bother. :/

    Huh, I’m super curious about the ending now. But…still probably won’t bother. Good try, though, Giselle! You almost got me!

  7. Nick

    All the Broken Pieces sounds very intriguing! I need to give this book a shot when it comes out. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much. Plus, a book that answers your questions is a always a good book! Mystery books are my favorite and this book seems to have a good mystery.
    Great review as always, Giselle! 🙂
    Thanks for not spoiling the read for us!

    P.S I had to delete my earlier comment because it was lame! 😛 I repeated myself like a 100 times!

  10. kimbacaffeinate

    This sounds interesting and I have Slated in my review pile. I am noticing a trend with these broken covers not sure I like it. I do like a good mystery and am glad you enjoyed it.

  11. Jen (A Reading Daydreamer)

    This one sounds great! I love myself a good mystery, and All the Broken Pieces seems like it would be perfect for me. Although the ending wasn’t very memorable, at least it was decent, right? Wonderful review, Giselle! Thanks for being honest.

  13. Renae

    Ah, comas are so creepy! And there really seems to be a recent wave of new books dealing with comas. It’s such a fascinating concept; the things that happen inside your brain while its comatose are still unexplained. And I really love the idea of a story about a girl struggling to move on after a coma. And a mystery aspect, too—very cool!

  15. Jesse Burgoyne

    I’ve been so interested in this book. I haven’t read Slated yet so I have no idea about any comparisons, but I’m glad to hear that there are answers in this book. There’s nothing worse than having to wait over the course of multiple books for a mystery to be resolved. Not that it’s a bad thing, but can get frustrating!

    Jesse @ Pretty in Fiction

  20. Silverlight

    I love a good mystery especially the ones that throw you for a loop, you know you have the whole thing pegged out then slam –monkey wrench– makes me love the book even more!

  21. Jennifer Messerschmidt

    I love mysteries especially when they are unpredictable and bricks are just being thrown everywhere! A big fan of memory loss and mind tricks in books as well. Might have to check this out after all cause you have me super curious about what is really going on and what her parents are hiding.

  22. Alexa

    I always find myself fascinated with books that lead me on a crazy chase as I inch towards the conclusion! This sounds like it would be pretty interesting to read, and I LOVE that it kept you guessing.

  23. Lalaine

    oh wow that cover *gasps* I love it! Glad that you enjoyed this one, I think I will enjoy this as much as you did. I actually havent seen this one yet but i will be adding this on my list. Great review Giselle x