Saturday, November 12, 2011

Review: Fury by Shirley Marr

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Fury
Shirley Marr
Released May 1st, 2011
by Black Dog Books

Goodreads / Purchase

Let me tell you my story.
Not just the facts I know you want to hear.
If I’m going to tell you my story,
I’m telling it my way.

Strap yourself in…
Eliza Boans has everything.
A big house.
A great education.
A bright future.

So why is she sitting in a police station confessing to murder?

After waiting 3 months for my copy of Fury to arrive from the other side of the world, I couldn’t wait any longer and just had to dig into it. I was introduced to Aussie authors by my dear Goodreads friends and the premise of this one fascinated me. Reading it again now, though, I realize it doesn’t really tell us anything at all – except that it’s bound to be excellent! I mean – just read it!

So as you saw, we have Eliza who’s telling us her story of how and why she’s committed murder, but the bigger mystery throughout the book is who has she actually murdered? We’re going into her story, meeting all of her friends and wondering for each one if they’re the future victim. I had an incredible time with this because I love dishing out theories and trying to figure it out. I can tell you that I did figure out half of it, but the other half completely took me by surprise! Which does not happen very often anymore.

Eliza lives in a neighborhood that is rather lavish. Everyone is a doctor, lawyer or a CEO. Elaborate houses with snobby children. And Eliza is the snobbiest of them all! She’s stubborn and domineering, and while these are usually personality traits that don’t mesh well with me, somehow this author makes it work. I think it’s mostly due to the fact that Eliza is the narrator. We get through the story while being inside her head. So we see that despite her high-and-mighty behaviour, she’s not spiteful. She cares for her friends and she’s never downright mean to anyone, unless, of course, they deserve it. The way she acts is just a way of life for her. The neighborhood is very exclusive and most of them stay away from the “outside world”. It was a bit strange to me at first- their behaviour and peculiar ways- but I got accustomed to it quickly.

Don’t expect this to be a mindless read: We’re thrown from past to present quite a bit; since she’s telling her story to the police. There are a couple of times where it’s not clear if the sequence is taking place in the present or the future. So a bit of confusion settles in. But it does get cleared up as the story progresses. By the end, everything makes complete sense and once the victim is revealed, it’s  fun to rehash the whole thing again in your mind. Even though I wish we would have been left with a more foreseeable future, the ambiguous ending was surprisingly satisfying. I think because it was so atypical. The whole book is very unconventional. And I truly enjoyed it!

*If you’re looking for a copy of Fury outside of Australia, the only affordable place to get it is on FishpondWorld.com (free shipping), however be prepared to wait a while!

4 Hot Espressos

Fresh Batch (Nov 13th-Nov 19th)

Posted by on 11/12/2011 • 5 Comments

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

Destined

Jessie Harrell Goodreads / Purchase 

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she’s come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.

Check for my…

Fresh Batch (Nov 13th-Nov 19th)

Posted by on 11/12/2011 • 0 Comments

Exclusively titled by Giselle, Fresh Batch features some of the hottest releases this upcoming week. Flavour of the week:

Destined

Jessie Harrell Goodreads / Purchase 

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she’s come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.

Check for my review on…

Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Posted by on 11/11/2011 • 14 Comments

RoomEmma DonoghueReleased September 13t, 2010by Little, Brown & Company

Goodreads / Purchase

To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It’s where he was born, it’s where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it’s the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack’s curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.

Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating–a story of unconquerable love in harrowing…

Review: dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

Posted by on 11/10/2011 • 22 Comments

dancergirlCarol M. TanzmanRelease date: November 15th, 2011by Harlequin Teen

Goodreads / Purchase

Ever feel like someone’s watching you? Me, too. But lately it’s been happening in my room.When I’m alone.

A friend posted a video of me dancing online, and now I’m no longer Alicia Ruffino. I’m dancergirl. And suddenly it’s like me against the world—everyone’s got opinions.My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he’s acting weird. And some stalker isn’t content to just watch anymore.Ali. Dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you’ve seen me online, I’ve trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose way more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life.

 *A copy was…

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

Posted by on 11/09/2011 • 125 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:

                                    Cursed                                     Jennifer L. Armentrout

                                    Release date: September 18th, 2012

Dying sucks–and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things–including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden’s adopted father, a man she’s…

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Posted by on 11/08/2011 • 29 Comments

The PledgeKimberly DertingRelease Date: November 15th, 2011by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Goodreads / Purchase

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before . . . and…

Dusty Reads (7)

Posted by on 11/08/2011 • 26 Comments

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme, hosted here, featuring a book that has been sitting unread on our home shelf for some time. To participate, add your link at the bottom.  If you wish, you can grab the button and find more information here.

My pick this week: The Iron King (Iron Fey, #1) Julie Kagawa Released February 1st, 2010 by Harlequin Teen Goodreads / Purchase

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan…