Posts Categorized: Review

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

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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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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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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Review: Death and the Girl Next Door

Posted by on 09/10/2012 • 29 Comments

Death and the Girl Next DoorDarynda JonesSeries: Darklight, #1Publication date: October 2nd 2012by St. Martin’s Press

 

Ten years ago, Lorelei’s parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on.

High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be.  Until the day the school’s designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it,  standing outside her house in the dark, night after night.  Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school.  Cameron and Jared instantly despise…

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Review & Interview: What’s Left Of Me

Posted by on 09/07/2012 • 21 Comments

Xpresso Reads welcomes the What’s Left of Me Blog Tour on the blog today which is hosted by HarperCollins Children’s Books. I have my review along with a great interview with the fabulous Kat Zhang!

What’s Left of MeKat ZhangSeries: The Hybrid Chronicles, #1Publication date: September 18th 2012by HarperCollins

 

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared…

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Review: Fang Girl by Helen Keeble

Posted by on 09/06/2012 • 31 Comments

Fang Girl Helen Keeble Publication date: September 11th 2012 by Harper Teen

 

Things That Are Destroying Jane Greene’s Undead Social Life Before It Can Even Begin:

1) A twelve-year-old brother who’s convinced she’s a zombie.2) Parents who are begging her to turn them into vampires.3) The pet goldfish she accidentally turns instead.4) Weird superpowers that let her rip the heads off of every other vampire she meets.(Sounds cool, but it doesn’t win you many friends.)5) A pyschotic vampire creator who’s using her to carry out a plan for world domination.

And finally:6) A seriously ripped vampire hunter who either wants to stake her or make out with her. Not sure which.

Being an undead, eternally pasty fifteen-year-old isn’t quite the sexy, brooding, angst-fest Jane always imagined….

Helen Keeble’s…

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