Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Review: Shadowlands by Kate Brian

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Shadowlands
Kate Brian
Series: Shadowlands #1
Publication date: January 8th 2013
by Hyperion

 

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

*A copy was provided by Disney Hyperion for review purposes*

I was already a fan of Kate Brian, but I never expected to love this book THIS much. Her Private series is a guilty pleasure of mine. It may not be the next great American novel, but it’s a fun “mean-girls” type series with short installments that are filled with scandals, drama, and murder. When I went into Shadowlands, I expected something along the same lines but with a more thriller feel to it. What I got, was a complete mind-shattering plot that made me guess until the end (you have to understand how rare this is!), and left my adrenaline on high for hours afterwards. Seriously, what an intense ride!

“He’s never failed to finish a job before. Only one other victim escaped from him, and two weeks later he broke into her house and killed her entire family.”
-Quoted from the uncorrected proof 
 
We meet Rory in the most shocking of ways when she’s struggling against a murderer in the middle of the woods. Escaping means being put under witness protection after learning his notorious ways of getting away–without fail–for over a decade. As far as YA thrillers go, this is definitely one of the most intense I have yet to read. We’re taken on a tension-filled hide and seek game against a serial killer, one where not only do we fear every second knowing we haven’t seen the last of him, but the regular glances at his perspective shows us exactly how close he is to getting what he wants. This makes things especially terrifying. Not that bizarre fog and unexplained happenings in a creepy little isolated town aren’t enough.

This town they are sent to is an island of sorts, a vacation town where everything seems perfect, at least at first. Rory soon notices things are amiss, however, when she keeps spying one of the local guys constantly lurking around her. Then, people start disappearing. It’s a murder mystery inside a brilliantly befuddling mind game where I, personally, had NO idea what was happening. Some readers mentioned they had guessed the ending, but as someone who almost always predicts what’s going to happen, I was excited to have been blissfully ignorant until about 5 pages from the end. The answer we got had not even crossed my mind. That alone made me love this book. The ending itself: Excellent! It may not be a plot that authors haven’t attempted before, but none enraptured me as much as Brian did with Shadowlands. 

Seeing as it’s the beginning of the series leaves me wondering what Brian is planning for book 2. I imagine we’ll go deeper into the revelation, and get answers to lingering questions; all I know is that this chick *points at self* will not miss it! 

5 Hot Espressos

Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Posted by on 12/17/2012 • 27 Comments

SplinteredA.G. HowardPublication date: January 1st 2013by Amulet Books

 

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass…

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Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (34)

Posted by on 12/16/2012 • 41 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

First, I’m sure every single one of us has a broken heart this weekend. It’s impossible to even express how devastating it feels to hear about all these beautiful little kids’ lives that ended much too soon. My heart goes out to the families of these angels and everyone affected by his tragedy.

XPRESSO BOOK TOURS – OPEN FOR SIGN UP

-Book Blitz: Release by Nicole Hadaway -Blog Tour: The Crimson Hunt by Victoria H. Smith -Blog Tour: There Comes A Prophet by David Litwack -Cover Reveal: Dangerous by Suzannah Daniels-Cover Reveal: Wrecked by Alyssa…

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Fresh Batch (December 16th – 22nd)

Posted by on 12/15/2012 • 12 Comments

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

Flavor of the week: The Darkest Minds Alexandra Bracken Publication date: December 18th 2012  by Disney Hyperion  

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run,…

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Review: The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

Posted by on 12/14/2012 • 24 Comments

The Friday SocietyAdrienne KressPublication date:  December 6th 2012by Dial

 

An action-packed tale of gowns, guys, guns –and the heroines who use them all

Set in turn of the century London, The Friday Society follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician’s assistant. The three young women’s lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.

It’s up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder–and the crimes they believe may be connected to it–without calling too much attention to themselves.

Set in the past but with a…

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Review: Breed by Chase Novak

Posted by on 12/13/2012 • 17 Comments

BreedChase NovakPublication date: September 4th 2012by Mulholland Books 

 

Alex and Leslie Twisden lead charmed lives-fabulous jobs, a luxurious town house on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a passionate marriage. What they don’t have is a child, and as they try one infertility treatment after the next, yearning turns into obsession. As a last-ditch attempt to make their dream of parenthood come true, Alex and Leslie travel deep into Slovenia, where they submit to a painful and terrifying procedure that finally gives them what they so fervently desire . . . but with awful consequences.

Ten years later, cosseted and adored but living in a house of secrets, the twins Adam and Alice find themselves locked into their rooms every night, with sounds coming from their parents’ bedroom getting…

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Waiting on Wednesday (65)

Posted by on 12/12/2012 • 44 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:

Insomnia J.R. Johansson Release date: June 8th 2013 by Flux

It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to…

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Deck the Halls with Heven and Hell

Posted by on 12/11/2012 • 16 Comments

 Deck the Halls with Heven and Hell stops here today with a fabulous and amusing guest post by the very own Cambria Hebert, plus a pretty sweet giveaway!

Heven and Hell is Cambria’s YA series — I have read the first and one novella and really enjoyed both. Check out my review of Masquerade here! Guest Post by Cambria Hebert The year I was forced to be Sneaky.

Hey peeps!So glad to be here today as part of the Deck the Halls with Heven and Hell blog tour!! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway after the post!

So what are we going to be talking about today? In honor of Christmas, which is right around the corner, I want to share a Christmas mission with you. That’s right a…

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