Book Review: Shattered Dreams

Title: Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

Release Date: Dec. 6, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Pages: 352 pages
Genre: Paranormal Thriller
Source: Publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads Summary: Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn’t as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She is special. She sees visions, and for those she’s seen, it’s already too late. 

Trinity arrives on her aunt’s doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she’s seen.

But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica’s disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She is kind-of dating Jessica’s ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario.

Nothing prepares Trinity for the dark odyssey that ensues while searching for Jessica, including the surprising romance she finds with Chase, or the shocking truths she learns, not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her.

I expected Shattered Dreams to be similar to other paranormal thrillers I read and loved including The Body Finder and Clarity, two books about girls with paranormal abilities who use them to solve a crime. Shattered Dreams was more about Trinity finding out about her own paranormal abilities than about the crime and instead of thrilling, this book is confusing and disappointing.

The school’s resident mean girl/head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing after she plays a prank on Trinity and so Trinity becomes the primary suspect. It does not help that Trinity and Chase, Jessica’s ex-boyfriend, start dating immediately after Jessica goes missing. Trinity has dreams where she sees Jessica being held captive and when she tells the police, it pretty much seals her fate as the suspect.

There are a couple of things that I liked about this book. Trinity’s aunt is an awesome character. She is loving, nurturing and involved in Trinity’s life. I’m tired of YA novels where teens live on their own like adults with no parental involvement so this was refreshing. I also love how the city of New Orleans is described. The post-Katrina beauty and desolation of the place is almost like a secondary character. The setting is very well written.

Unfortunately, there was more bad to this novel than good. Trinity spends most of the novel trying to figure out who she is, her abilities and get more info on her parents. The mystery of Jessica’s kidnapping gets pushed to the background for a big part of the novel and I was much more interested in solving the kidnapping than I was about Trinity’s past. 

Trinity’s character (or Chase’s for that matter) is never fully developed. In a few instances, Trinity seems spunky and stands up for herself, but most of the time, she is running away for stressful situations. The idea that they start a relationship while his ex is still missing has its own issues that I won’t even go into. After they start dating, Trinity and Chase fall for each other very quickly but when they have an argument, she runs away and ends up dancing inappropriately in a club with one guy and kissing another, all on the same day!

The writing is also a bit weird and overly dramatic with Trinity feeling like she is being punched in the gut after receiving some important piece of information or that her heart is being sliced out of her when she should have only been nervous or anticipating something. Trinity also feels betrayed. A lot. And yells “I trusted you!” A lot. There are also some paranormal events that were never explained and just seem to be forgotten by all involved as the story wore on.

While I like the idea behind this story, the execution leaves much to be desired. I probably won’t be picking up the other books in this series.

Content: Kissing, profanity, underage drinking and violence.

My Rating: Disappointing

Book Review: The Name of the Star

Title: The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson

Release Date: Sept. 29, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 372 pages
Genre: Paranormal, Thriller
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary: The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

The more paranormal thrillers I read, the more I love them and The Name of the Star is a really good paranormal thriller! Maureen Johnson puts a southern American girl in modern London and successfully manages to invoke all the gothic creepiness you would expect from a story about Jack the Ripper.

Rory is a great character, a girl from Louisiana who is attending an elite London boarding school for her senior year. Rory is quirky and her descriptions of her family and hometown are funny and entertaining. I love the secondary characters, especially Rory’s friends Jazza, Jerome, Boo, Stephen and Callum. I also love Johnson’s descriptions of London and especially Boo’s cockney accent. I wish I were better about audio books, I would have loved to hear this story through a narrator.

The first portion of the book deals with Rory getting settled into her new school and making friends while Ripper terror reigns over London. There is a turning point in the novel where the paranormal elements take over and the book becomes vastly different. The twist in the story works very well.   

While there is romance in the book, it is not the central focus and more of a side story. I love this because when I read this, I was in the mood for a thriller (not a paranormal romance) and thriller is what I got. Thankfully, The Name of the Star also lacks most of the other juvenile high school drama that boarding school books are known for.

The Name of the Star is a really well written story. It is creepy, fast paced and thrilling. When I finished the book, I wanted to spend more time in this world with these characters, so I am happy that this is the first book in a series. The Name of the Star also throws a huge twist at the end that has me anxious to get my hands on the next book! 

Content: Kissing, underage drinking, some gory descriptions and violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

Book Review: Variant

Title: Variant by Robison Wells

Release Date: Oct. 4, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction
Source: Publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads Summary: Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life. He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive. Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

I’ve been reading a few really good ‘boy books’ (written by male authors featuring male main characters) lately and Variant is definitely one of them.

Variant has a certain Lord of the Flies feel to it only as far as both books involve a group of young people who are stuck in an isolated situation where their efforts to form a society produce interesting results. Make no mistake, Maxfield Academy is no deserted island, it’s a really nice boarding school that offers its students many luxuries except the most important of all, freedom. Additionally, the school dictates all their activities and has strict rules that are enforced through a horrendous punishment and reward system. In short, the place is a nightmare, a pretty prison where the threat of death looms constantly the students.

Variant is an original addition to the YA thrillers out there and I really enjoyed it. I could not wait to find out who or what was behind the school’s existence and what its ultimate purpose was. I love that Variant has two sets of villains: the school itself and the kids who run it. While I can’t describe Benson Fisher as a typical nice guy, I liked him. He is a foster kid that is rough around the edges but ultimately, very strong willed and exactly what the other kids need in order to see just how wrong things at the school are.

While I classified Variant as a ‘boy book,’ it’s a book that will appeal to everyone who loves a great thriller with a nice dose of science fiction. YA books tend to be a bit predictable but there are some awesome plot twists in Variant that I did not see coming. Fast paced, action paced, suspenseful and so exciting, Variant ends in a heck of a cliffhanger. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Content: Kissing, mild swearing, heavy violence.

My Rating: Really Good!

Dark Eden Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway!

Welcome to the official Dark Eden blog tour! Halloween is just around the corner and to celebrate the publication of Dark Eden, available everywhere November 1st, this month author Patrick Carman will be visiting blogs to share spooky guest posts and sneak peeks from his brand new book and app. I reviewed this book and loved it, you can check out my review here.

Welcome, Patrick! You are undoubtedly the innovator in multi-media/interactive novels and I love the DARK EDEN app! Why does DARK EDEN work so well with multi-media?
Thank you! The truth is, I never know how the multimedia aspect of a project is going to work until I get pretty deep into the woods (publisher cringes). I wrote DARK EDEN twice –once as a straight up book, again as an immersive multimedia app – and then re-wrote the app as we moved through development. Many things come into play: what the app will look like and how it will operate, hiring actors, editing scenes, recording audio diaries – there’s just so much that goes into these things. Along the way my team helps me make the right choices, many of which are made only days before sections of the app go live. We’re dialing this thing in right down to the last second!

What led you to start developing stories in this non-traditional way?
School visits top the list of reasons why some of my projects include multimedia. I’ve visited over 1,300 schools in the past decade, and every year students get more and more distracted. It’s a highly entertaining world they live in, and for a lot of readers, they need a lifeline back to books. Projects like DARK EDEN are designed to blend in with the technological world many teens have become immersed in. My hope is that DARK EDEN is an opportunity for some of our most jaded readers to build some confidence about reading, then move on to a more traditional book.

I read that there will be an enhanced e-book version of DARK EDEN for Nook and Kindle. Will the e-book experience differ from reading the printed book in conjunction with using the DARK EDEN app?
Actually, the DARK EDEN book is a total stand-alone and does not interact with the app version. DARK EDEN (both the printed novel and the ebook) is designed for a traditional reader, words only (and some amazing illustrations). The app is the same story told in a multimedia format (words, videos, maps, audio diaries). The Nook will have the full app version of DARKEDEN. The enhanced ebook will include around seven of the 100+ multimedia elements, and some other exclusive content at the end.

What other projects are you working on at this time?
DARK EDEN 2: Eve of Destruction! Also, a teen trilogy I’m not at liberty to talk about yet, and the second FLOORS book, my current middle-grade series for Scholastic. And if you want something really different, check out www.315stories.com, the short story re-imagined for modern teens.

I am so happy to hear that there will be a sequel to DARK EDEN! In honor of Halloween, tell us your best/scariest Halloween memory.
We used to play this old record on a turntable with all kinds of scary Halloween sounds, then hand out candy and terrify all the kids who came by. We were moderately famous for it in our old 1970’s neighborhood. That was some fun!

Thank you, Patrick. Sounds like you guys definitely had the cool Halloween house on the block!

About the book:

When Will Besting approaches Fort Eden for the first time, he knows something isn't right. With more terrifying secrets at every turn he discovers a hidden fear deep inside himself, a dark mystery a thousand years in the making, and the unexpected girl of his dreams. But can he save everyone from the dangers of Fort Eden before it's too late?

Do you dare to face your fears? Take the Dark Eden Fear Test. Follow Patrick Carman on Twitter. Visit the Official Dark Eden Website.

Be sure to check out all the stops on the Dark Eden blog tour

October 3rd: The Bookish Brunette

October 4th: The Reader Bee

October 5th: Novel Novice

October 6th: The Bookworms

October 7th: Girls in the Stacks

October 10th: Between the Pages

October 11th: Dark Readers

October 12th: Letters Inside Out

October 13th: The Book Faery

October 14th: Books Complete Me

October 17th: Two Chicks on Books

October 18th: Starry Sky Books

October 19th: Great Imaginations

October 20th: Once Upon a Twilight

October 21st: Me, My Shelf and I

October 24th: Fiktshun

October 25th: PageTurners

October 26th: Icey Books

October 27th: Truly Bookish

October 28th: Stuck in Books

Ready to win a copy of this awesome book and fabulous swag? As a part of my Halloween Queens Book Giveaway week, one grand prize winner will receive: an ARC of Dark Eden, one “Fear is the Cure” t-shirt, a lanyard, one copy of The Fear Test CD ROM and a bookmark. Nine additional winners will receive one copy of The Fear Test CD Rom! That’s 10 winners you guys! To enter, just follow the Rafflecopter instructions and good luck.

Book Review: Dark Eden

As a part of the Halloween Queens Book Giveaway week, I am doing a review of the awesome YA thriller, Dark Eden by Patrick Carman. Stop by tomorrow for the next stop on the Dark Eden blog tour. I will be interviewing Patrick and you can enter to win an ARC of of the book!

Title: Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Release Date: Nov. 1, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction
Source: Publisher

Goodreads Summary: Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Everyone has fears, right? Imagine having phobias so debilitating, they prevent you from living a normal life, doing things that most people take for granted. For the seven teens who are sent to Fort Eden (a sort of rehab for people with severe phobias), therapy to has failed them and this is their last chance to be cured.

The entire story is told from Will Besting’s perspective and he is a great main character. Even though Will is quirky, Patrick Carman writes these little details that make the character so endearing and well rounded. I love the way Will depends on his recorder and listens to everything, preferring audio over video, choosing sounds over words. While we don’t spend a lot of time with the other characters, we get to know them through Will.

Carman does an excellent job of building suspense throughout the book. I was on the edge of my seat to know what all the character’s fears were and exactly how Rainsford was curing them. I’m happy to say that I was a good girl and restrained myself from peeking at the end of the book while still in the middle of it and I was rewarded with the cool way the story unfolded. I don’t want to give too much away because experiencing Dark Eden’s mystery as it unfolds is a huge part of enjoying the novel.

Dark Eden is original, thrilling, suspenseful and an all around enjoyable read. While I recommend it for anyone who likes a really good YA thriller, I especially recommend it for reluctant readers. Another thing I love about this book, no cliffhanger! This book could totally stand alone even though I would love another book in the series.

Content: Kissing, some scary imagery. 

My Rating: Really Good!

Check out the Dark Eden book trailer:

Waiting on Wednesday – The Book of Blood and Shadow

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: April 10, 2012
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Summary: One girl is determined to find the truth and avenge the dead. It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also--according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone--a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

The Book of Blood and Shadow sounds fantastic and wonderfully different from the YA books I have been reading recently. Love the cover and the reflection of Prague in her eye. I requested this from NetGalley and am really hoping that I get approved for it. What are you guys waiting on?

Dark Eden Trailer and App

Title: Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
Release Date: Nov 1, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books

Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

Not only does Dark Eden sound like a thrilling and exciting read, but you can also enhance the reading experience throughout a downloadable app that enriches the elements of the traditional story. I downloaded the app to my iPad yesterday and it’s really fun. It also makes me really excited to read the book! Download The Arrival, the first free episode, available through the Dark Eden mobile app in the the Apple/iOS App Store and the Android Market.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publish Date: Feb. 2012
Genre: Thriller

Goodreads Summary: When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn’t expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she’s going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she’s come home. She’s even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she’s the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can’t trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her—and the rest of the world too.

Rich, compelling writing will keep the pages turning in this riveting and tautly told psychological thriller.

The cover of this book is gorgeous and I love paranormal thrillers! What books are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choices are:

Title: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Genre: Dystopia

Goodreads Summary: Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—nicknamed The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms eventually will. In this dystopia, even the very air she breathes could kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild, dangerous—a savage. He’s also her only hope. Perry needs Aria, too. She alone holds the key to his redemption. And their unlikely alliance will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Title: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: Jan. 24, 2012
Genre: Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Title: Slide by Jill Hathaway
Publisher: Blazer + Bray for HarperCollins
Publish Date: March 27, 2012
Genre: Thriller, Paranormal

Goodreads Summary: Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

HarperCollins released their Winter 2012 children’s catalog with some amazing books, these are just a few of them. Hallowed is the sequel to Unearthly, the only angel book that I have absolutely loved. Under the Never Sky and Slide sound and look awesome, can’t wait to read them. What books are you waiting on?

Book Review: Clarity

Title and Author: Clarity by Kim Harrington
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Pages: 242 pages
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Library

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth? This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats. Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift. And a curse. When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case - but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother - who has supernatural gifts of his own - becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Clarity is the perfect mix of paranormal and murder mystery. I have only read a few books like this, most notably The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting, but Clarity is by far my favorite. The paranormal aspects of the story never overwhelm and are done very well.

Clare lives with her mother and brother and together they run a psychic family business. Everyone in Clare’s family has a different psychic ability, which is really cool. They are a very close knit family and protective of each other which is also cool. I loved trying to figure it out who the murderer was right along with the characters.

The characters are well written and Clare is very likable. There is a bit of a love triangle. Both Justin and Gabriel would be a good match for Clare but even though he cheated on her, I am very much Team Justin.

Clarity is an enjoyable and quick read. The book does not end with a cliffhanger but you definitely want more from the author and the characters. I am very excited to read the sequel, Perception, which is scheduled to be released in March of next year. Quick note to parents: Clare's brother Perry is very promiscuous and during some of Clare’s visions, she sees people having sex which may not be appropriate for younger teens.

Content: Profanity, kissing, sexual situations, violence.