Posts By: Giselle

Monday, September 24, 2012

Review: Confessions of a Murder Suspect

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Confessions of a Murder Suspect
James Patterson
Series: Teen Detective Series, #1
Publication date: September 24th 2012
by Little, Brown and Company

 

On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel knows just three things: 1) She was the last person to see her parents alive. 2) The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three siblings. 3) She can’t trust anyone–maybe not even herself. Having grown up under Malcolm and Maud’s intense perfectionist demands, no child comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents’ affairs is a dangerous-and revealing-game. Who knows what the Angels are truly capable of?

*A copy was provided by Hachette Book Group Canada for review purposes*

As an avid reader I’ve obviously been familiar with James Patterson, but I had yet to try one of his books. I decided to take the plunge with this new one of his that lured with me talks of dark secrets, murders, and teen detectives. While I can’t compare it with his other works, I ended up feeling very satisfied with it. He has an easy to read writing style with incredibly short chapters that makes it almost impossible to put it down since “Just one more chapter” would only take another few minutes (or seconds in some cases).

What I noticed and found uniquely compelling right away, is how the narrator –Tandy–talks directly to us–the reader. It feel very personal; she’s addressing me and telling me her story. I understood and cared for her more than I would have otherwise, I’m certain, seeing how eccentric she is. Because this family, they’re… special. In every sense of the word. Their parents–before they were found dead, that is–brings discipline to a whole new level; punishments take the form of standing on one’s head reciting landmarks in Bhutan… in the Dzongkha national language. Yeah… anyone? Then, we have a whole troupe of brothers and sisters who seem to be a little too smart, too strong, too robotic, adding in a mystery of what the heck they are. Anger issues also makes appearances, turning every single one of these family members a suspect. If this isn’t enough, the drama they’re involved in belongs on some mutated Jerry Springer episode. Entertainment? Check!

Entertainment and mystery goes hand in hand in James Patterson’s newest series. Confessions of a Murder Suspect, as the name entails, deals with a murder first hand, but it also involves mysteries regarding the family’s past, their parents dealings, in addition to a few others that makes its appearance within this novel, to be looked into further in the next installments. I had a great time making up theories, trying to figure out what kind of freaky skeletons were in their closets. While I found some parts fascinating, I can’t say the big reveal at the end was especially mind blowing. After speculating wildly on their parents murders, what actually happened is a little… unexciting, but I can’t say it was a complete let down either. For a quick, fun read, I was kept thoroughly entertained from start to finish and that’s exactly what I was hoping for when I turned the first page of this novel. After everything, an astonishing ending would have simply been the icing on the cake, so it’s a little unfortunate, but it’s not a deal breaker.

Peculiar family dynamics, unusual characters, and intriguing mysteries turn this book into a fun filled, exceptionally quick read. I am off to order James’ first Maximum Ride novel as we speak!

4 Hot Espressos

Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (22)

Posted by on 09/23/2012 • 51 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

Happy Fall! I can’t believe summer flew by so fast! I’ve even started seeing Christmas stuff out in stores O.O So… this week. Well, have you SEEN all the giveaways I have open? All of my blogoversary ones end this week and I’m really excited to start picking winners! Make sure you all have you entries in – find them here! Every post was open for exactly 2 weeks so every day this week I will be picking winners. Aside from giveaways, don’t miss all the awesome cover reveals that happened this week! I do…

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Review & Giveaway: Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Posted by on 09/22/2012 • 35 Comments

NerveJeanne RyanPublication date: September 13th 2012by Dial Books

 

A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it’s exhilarating–Vee and Ian’s fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they’re directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they’re playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

*A copy was provided by Penguin…

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Fresh Batch (September 23rd – 29th)

Posted by on 09/22/2012 • 24 Comments

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

Alice in ZombielandGena ShowalterPublication date: September 25th 2012by Harlequin Teen

 

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys,…

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Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Posted by on 09/21/2012 • 32 Comments

The DivinersLibba BraySeries: Diviners, #1Publication date: September 18th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.”When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could…

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Review: Yesterday by CK Kelly Martin

Posted by on 09/20/2012 • 33 Comments

YesterdayCK Kelly MartinPublication date: September 25th 2012by Random House

 

THEN: The formation of the UNA, the high threat of eco-terrorism, the mammoth rates of unemployment and subsequent escape into a world of virtual reality are things any student can read about in their 21st century textbooks and part of the normal background noise to Freya Kallas’s life. Until that world starts to crumble.

NOW: It’s 1985. Freya Kallas has just moved across the world and into a new life. On the outside, she fits in at her new high school, but Freya feels nothing but removed. Her mother blames it on the grief over her father’s death, but how does that explain the headaches and why do her memories feel so foggy? When Freya lays eyes on…

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Waiting on Wednesday (53)

Posted by on 09/19/2012 • 42 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:

Doll Bones Holly Black Release date: May, 2013by Margaret K. McElderry Books  

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy…

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Review: The Raven Boys

Posted by on 09/18/2012 • 41 Comments

The Raven BoysMaggie Stiefvater Series: Raven Cycle #1Publication date: September 18th 2012by Scholastic Press

 

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only…

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