Posts Tagged: Carol M. Tanzman

Friday, August 03, 2012

Review: Circle of Silence by Carol M Tanzman

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Circle of Silence 
Carol M. Tanzman
Series: WiHi, #2
Publication date: July 24th 2012
by Harlequin Teen

 

THE BIGGEST STORY OF MY LIFE COULD BE HOW IT ENDS It’s my turn to run a “Campus News” crew, and I’ve put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flagpole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda or initiation secrets-until a student lands in the hospital under “strange” circumstances.

I “will” blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt…or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don’t trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is “not” important to this story.)

But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera, or a victim in the top story of the newscast…be sure to watch “Campus News” at 9:00 a.m. this Friday.

*A copy was provided by Harlequin Teen for review purposes*
As an avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, and after really enjoying Carol’s other novel, DancergirlCircle of Silence‘s companion–, this one has been high on my anticipated reads of the year. Regardless of me giving it a 3-star rating, I did truly enjoy it, where it lost its flair on me is on a more individual standpoint which may not be of concern for most readers.

For one, I felt very distant from out protagonist, Valerie. The journalism aspect is interesting, but I felt like some of the decisions she makes are too high stake for a small school news report, as if she thought she was working for CBS and it was expected of her to put her own life on the line. I also found she missed a few clues that, to me at least, were incredibly evident. Consequently, I put this mystery together not far from the half way mark, which inadvertently made the rest of the clues even more obvious. So naturally, I wasn’t kept as captivated by the suspense of the mystery as I was hoping, which, in the end, turned out to be anticlimactic for me. Nonetheless, it didn’t make it uneventful. I was still intrigued by MP — the secret society — and what they were planning next. I was especially delighted to see them share their point-of-view; while keeping their identities hidden, we’re given an inside look at their intentions and schemings inside chapters in their perspective. I also enjoyed the dark, dreary tone throughout that progressively got creepier, not to mention a heck of a lot more serious.

Although never the focal point, there’s a fairly big romantic undertone in the story. We’ve got Valerie’s ex who cheated and now trying to mend his broken relationship, and Valerie’s not sure he can be trusted again. I liked how Jagger was portrayed; even though he’s a cheater and I should hate him for it, he’s not trying to justify his actions, but rather show that he’s remorseful and made a mistake. Plus, it was fun to see Valerie make him work for it. I won’t say that I got any butterflies, but it’s a cute and sweet romance that gives a good distraction from the more sombre notes.

An entertaining mystery with a good amount of thrill and chill, despite my not getting blown-away, I would still definitely recommend it for fans of the genre. 

3 Hot Espressos
The WiHi series:
Note: these are companion novels and can be read as stand-alones or out of order

Circle of Silence Tour Stop

Posted by on 07/30/2012 • 63 Comments

Today I have the fabulous Carol Tanzman over the blog for Circle of Seilence’s Blog Tour. I previously enjoyed her other novel, dancergirl – find my review here – and stay tuned for my review of Circle of Silence later this week! For today’s post, I have an interview with Carol, along with a pretty awesome giveaway 😉

Circle of Silence Carol M. TanzmanPublication date: July 24th 2012by Harlequin Teen

 

THE BIGGEST STORY OF MY LIFE COULD BE HOW IT ENDS It’s my turn to run a “Campus News” crew, and I’ve put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school….

Cover Reveal: Circle of Silence, Sapphire Blue, Shadowfell & Knee Deep

Posted by on 02/12/2012 • 20 Comments

Circle of Silence(WiHi series #2)Carol M. TanzmanRelease date: August 2012by Harlequin Teen

Add it to your Goodreads

THE BIGGEST STORY

OF MY LIFE

COULD BE HOW IT ENDS

It’s my turn to run a Campus News crew, and I’ve put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flag pole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda, or initiation secrets—until a student lands in the hospital under strange circumstances.

I will blow this story…

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…