Unspoken by: Sarah Rees Brennan

Unspoken by: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publication Date: September 11, 2012
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Format: e-ARC (Thanks Netgalley & Random House!)
Genre: Mystery, England, Romance, Magic
Series: #1 in The Lynburn Legacy
Page Count: 370
Author Website: Sarah Rees Brennan
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Summary from Goodreads:

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.
But all that changes when the Lynburns return.
The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

My Review:

I haven't read Sarah's Demons Lexicon Trilogy, but I might now! She writes with such wit and humor and realness. Unspoken was the best of mystery, secrets, and England, that I've seen in YA in a long time!

Unspoken hooked me from the first pages. Kami Glass has always wanted to be a reporter, revealing the juiciest stories and much as she's tried, there is nothing special to be found about her town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Or so she thinks. Just as school begins and Kami starts the school newspaper, the town's mysterious founding family, the Lynburns, return to town. All of the townspeople are wary around them. Naturally, this sparks Kami's curiosity, especially when she meets Ash Lynburn, the new boy at school.

Ever since Kami can remember, there has been a voice in her head of a boy named Jared. She was never alone with his presence in her mind, a constant comfort, even though she knew he wasn't real. Ash Lynburn has a brother named Jared. Coincidence? I think not. When Kami discovers that the voice in her head belongs to a very real person, she is overwhelmed with an onslaught of emotions; she doesn't know how to feel about it. Neither does Jared.

Soon after the Lynburns return, strange things start happening in Sorry-in-the-Vale. Everyone, including Kami's friends and parents, are telling her to stay away from Ash and Jared, that they are bad news, without explaining why. Her curiosity peaked, Kami begins spending more time with the boys and delving into the towns uncovered secrets, all the while stepping into a world that there will be no turning back from.

Kami's friend Angela, is one of my favorite "best friend" characters. She is brutally honest all the time and never holds back how she feels about anything. Now, I've seen these traits in characters before and it has been portrayed badly, but Sarah perfected Angela, I think.

There is definitely a love triangle in Unspoken, for those of you who don't like those. Personally, I usually like them and this one especially! There is so much complexity to Jared and Kami's relationship that she doesn't really know how to deal, but she knows that whatever she feels for him, it is strong. Ash is always right there for Kami, she doesn't have to worry about his voice inside her head and he is just there, without the issues she has with Jared. I cannot wait to see how this plays out in the next book!

There is a massive cliffhanger at the end of this book, so prepare yourself! Its all quite worth it, though. I absolutely recommend this!

Other books by Sarah Rees Brennan:

Review: Harbinger by: Sara Wilson Etienne

Harbinger by: Sara Wilson Etienne
Publication Date: February 2, 2012
Publisher: Putnam’s Sons BYR
Page Count: 309
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy, Dystopian
Cover Rating: 8/10
Buy the Book: Amazon
Author Website: Sara Wilson Etienne

Summary from Goodreads:

Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Creatures in this fast-paced thriller.
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.

My Review:

The cover is what drew me in to read Harbinger. Then, when I read the synopsis, I was hooked. Honestly, this book wasn’t at all what I expected it to be. It had a lot of great mystery that kept me flipping the pages, but I was just a bit disappointed with it when I finished.

Faye has had these hallucinations since she was a child and almost drowned, visions of tides of water cascading into her presence. Her parents have finally had enough and send her to Holbrook Academy, a school for teenagers with mental issues that sits secluded on a mysterious forested island.

There, she is introduced to her new “Family”, or the students she will be interacting with and getting to know throughout her time at Holbrook. Maya, Nami, Zach, Damion, and Kel al have very unique personalities and back stories that I enjoyed and laughed out loud reading. Kel, who Faye meets in solitary, is mysterious and seems to understand Faye in a way that nobody else ever has. So they naturally develop a relationship and a habit of sneaking out at night.

Sneaking out at night isn’t a good thing, though. Faye and the rest of her family wake up in bed every morning with their hands soaked with blood and strange symbols painted in blood on their floor. I was instantly curious about what this was all about. It was so strange and gave me that panging feeling you get when there’s a good mystery coming on.

However, as Harbinger progressed toward the end, I  was fairly disappointed with how it turned out. The story turned in a direction that wasn’t very intriguing at all. I can see it being an amazing story if it only went another way. If this book ends up being the first of a series, I can still see myself reading the second book just to see where it goes from the ending of Harbinger.

Official Rating:

Two and a half Un-Birthday Cakes

 

The Near Witch is Officially OUT in Paperback!

The Near Witch by: Victoria Schwab's paperback release date is today! Hurry on to the bookstore and snag a copy if you haven't read this epic YA mystery yet.


Summary from Goodreads:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. There are no strangers in the town of Near. These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger--a boy who seems to fade like smoke--appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true. The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know-- about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy. Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget.

You can buy the PB edition here . 

Review: I Hunt Killers by: Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by: Barry Lyga
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Jasper Dent #1
Page Count: 359
Format: Hardcover
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?
Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.
But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view.
And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.
In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

My Review:

What compelled me to read this book was Jasper (Jazz). I love stories with characters who have to prove that they aren't who everybody assumes they are. Also, there's the murder mystery. You will be in for an adventure when you pick this one up.

To Jasper Francis Dent, taking up the family business is nothing to be proud of. His father, Billy Dent, also known as the Artist and several other nicknames, is America's worst and most widely heard of, serial killer. Everybody in the small town of Lobo's Nod looks at Jazz as if he's a ticking time bomb and it's only a matter of time before he picks up where Billy left off before he was locked up.

When a woman's body turns up with signs Jasper is frighteningly familiar with, he decides that he can't just sit around when he knows there is another serial killer active in his town. So he decides that if the police won't believe him, he'll take things into his own hands. Someone is copying his dad's pattern and he's the only one who can catch the killer. But he discovers some chilling things about himself and his past along the way.

Be forewarned if you are squeamish that this book contains a fair share of disturbing scenes. It got to be a bit much for me once or twice, but it was tolerable to me most of the time.

Jazz's determination to see who's behind the killings was one of my favorite things about the story. It held the message that no matter what people say about you, if you really want to and are willing to do what it takes, you can prove them wrong.


With his loyal companion and best friend, Howie, Jazz sets out to learn the pattern of the serial killer who calls himself the Impressionist. Meanwhile, he's dealing with his senile grandmother and his own issues. As he becomes closer and closer to the crimes, he learns some things about himself that he'd rather leave in the dark. Howie and Connie, his girlfriend, know his heart and have faith that he can pull through.

I Hunt Killers is full of crime and mystery and personal discovery. I am highly looking forward to the second installment of Jasper Dent's journey!

Official Rating:



Three and a Half Un-Birthday Cakes!

    Other Books by Barry Lyga:

   

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by: Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by: Michelle Hodkin
Publication Date: September 27, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Page Count: 452
Series: #1 in Mara Dyer
Buy the Book: Amazon

 Summary from Goodreads:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.It can.She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.There is.She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.She's wrong.

My Review:

 Before reading this, I had heard all of the blogger and reader hype that said it was revolutionary and just flat out amazing. When I first read the summary, I didn't think much of it and thought it sounded like an overused plot theme. I was very wrong. Mara Dyer blew me away! It's almost strange how much I love this book. I found that it embodies the very best I've ever seen in YA literature. It's possible that I would recommend this to a complete stranger.

 It starts out in a kind of creepy way and hints a little bit of what happens later. Mara lost her friends when a building crashed and her family decides to move away. She thinks that maybe a new place will clear up all the blurriness of the night of her friends deaths. Little does she know, its only the beginning.

 Naturally, with a new place comes a new school. And with a new school comes new people. Enter Noah. Rumors about him fluttered around and made him out to be a total jerk. This is Mara's first impression as well but then she gets to see a side of him that nobody else really does. Noah, for sure, goes on my list of best male protagonists ever. He is arrogant and utterly sarcastic sometimes and then he's sweet. The relationship between Mara and Noah inspires me still in my own writing.


Death seems to be following Mara everywhere she goes. Is she going crazy? The more she discovers about herself and what she's capable of, the more crazy and terrified of herself she feels. All of the mystery had a sort of whimsical quality to it. Mara has dreams that slowly piece together what happened the night of the accident, which is kind of the linchpin of the whole story.

 Mysterious things kept happening around every corner and there wasn't a moment when I wasn't completely entranced. One thing that stood out in this book was that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't predict a thing. I really value when an author has the ability to make a book unpredictable.

 One thing I didn't like too much was the vagueness. It was clear that something was special about Mara but I got confused in certain parts. Overall, this book is one of my all time favorites. I cannot wait for the Evolution of Mara Dyer, coming to bookstores on October 23, 2012!

 

 Official Rating:



Five Un-Birthday Cakes!

Review: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

Darker Still by: Leanna Renee Hieber
Publication Date: November 8, 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Page Count: 317
Format: Paperback Original
Series: Magic Most Foul #1
Genre: Historical, Paranormal Romance, Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

I was obsessed. It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I'd ever seen--everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable...utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I've crossed over into his world within the painting, and I've seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked--bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.

My Review:


I have The Picture of Dorian Gray sitting on my shelf and I have yet to read it. Having read Darker Still, I must pick it up soon! I adored the similarity to the Oscar Wilde classic. Usually, I don't prefer books written in diary form, but this one is an exception. The action was replayed in Natalie's words as if it was actually happening right there so the diary form didn't deplete the action.

This setting is New York City in the 1800's. This is probably my favorite time and place pairing in historical fiction. The wonders and perils of the city were portrayed in a fully descriptive and magical way.

Natalie is the type of girl who doesn't fit in anywhere. Mostly it's because she is mute, or so she thinks. I thought that she was just different and fit in with a different crowd. She soon finds that out when she joins the company of Ms. Northe and the life-like painting of Lord Denbury.

I thought it was great for Natalie to be able to talk with the real Denbury and not have to worry about her muteness. This gave her the strength she needed in the outside world. All of the runes and ancient script in Darker Still was so marvelously creepy and intriguing!

When I started the book, I thought it was a standalone, but alas, it will have more books as it is a series. I am utterly excited about it! There were some great hints in this book about the content of the next.  I can't wait to see what comes next in Natalie and Jonathan Denbury's story!

Official Rating:

Four Un-Birthday Cakes!

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

New Girl by: Paige Harbison
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Page Count: 304
Format: e-ARC (Thanks NetGalley!)
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Challenge: 2012 YA Contemporary Challenge, 2012 YA Standalone Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

My Review:

When I picked  up this book, I truly had no idea how intense it would be. Filled with lust, envy, mystery, and jealousy, this book sucked me into its web of drama at Manderley Academy.

First of all, let me clarify that this book takes place mostly at a boarding school in New Hampshire. Before even reading the full synopsis, I knew that this would be a great book. Boarding schools always provide a certain inexplicable quality to books that I just can't get enough of.

The perspective switched between Becca and New Girl, Becca's being a year before New Girl's present year at Manderley. I loved how both girls were telling what happened to them at the same time of year. For instance, if New Girl was telling about a dance, so was Becca, only a year before. Before she went missing.

The mystery behind Becca's disappearance I found very intriguing. She had a terrible manipulative and impersonal attitude, but behind her shell was a person more complex than any one of her worshippers at Manderley ever could have imagined. She just got fed too much of popularity and it gained control over her actions. I was constantly wondering if she went missing on purpose to attract more popularity or if someone took her or worse.

New Girl was a frustrating read, but in the best way. The New Girl was always presumed by her peers to be trying to take Becca's place and be exactly like her. That wasn't her intention at all, of course, but people never showed any sign of knowing it. Especially Dana. She was bipolar or something was not right in her head. Not only did she blame New Girl incessantly for Becca's disappearance, she was always chanting songs in her sleep and furiously insisting that Becca was still out there.

From the beginning, I knew that Dana knew more than she was letting on. More than anything, this book was unpredictable. So much so, that I didn't dare predict what was to happen. There were new surprises around every corner and suspense galore!

Official Rating:

Four and a half Un-Birthday Cakes!



Review: Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

Still Waters by: Emma Carlson Berne
Publication Date: December 20, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Page Count: 212
Format: Paperback Original
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

Hannah can't wait to sneak off for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Colin. He's leaving for college soon, and Hannah wants their trip to the lake house to be one they'll never forget.

But once Hannah and Colin get there, things start to seem a bit...off. They can't find the town on any map. The house they are staying in looks as if someones been living there, even though it's been deserted for years. And Colin doesn't seem quite himself. As he grows more unstable, Hannah worries about Colin's dark side, and her own safety.
Nothing is as perfect as it seems, and what lies beneath may haunt her forever.

My Review:


I forewarn you that this book is one you won't want to read in the dark, when you are alone, or when it's completely silent around you. And most of all, in the middle of a storm. That being said, Still Waters was creepy, so creepy. Mysterious too, in the best way.


There really wasn't anything out of the ordinary in the first few chapters. Hannah's boyfriend, Colin, was leaving for Pratt University in a week and she had the idea of surprising him with a last minute trip to the Pine House that his family vacationed in when he was younger.


From the first mention of the Pine House, I  knew there was something off. Colin was acting all weird about it and I found myself frantically flipping pages to see what in the world was up with this place! And the town that surrounds the house is bizarre and eerily empty. It wasn't on any map. I got goosebumps several times when reading the descriptions of the woods and Pine House.


Hannah and Colin's relationship is the one of many people's dreams. She is the unpopular, seemingly plain girl, and he is the one with the girls swooning over him with his ever present camera. Things change, however, when they arrive at the house. Colin starts acting strange and it only gets worse.

Overall this book was terrifying in some parts and I had goosebumps practically the whole way through. I always give props to the author for being able to produce that reaction from an audience.

Is the eeriness of Pine House all in their heads, or is there more to it than just a cozy vacation home? Read it and find out!

Official Rating:

                                                    Three and a half Un-Birthday Cakes!

 

The Near Witch by: Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by: Victoria Schwab
Published: August 11, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Books CH
Page Count: 282
Format: ebook
Series: None
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

 If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

 But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

My Review:

     This book started off with Lexi seeing something strange outside her bedroom window, which I must say, was one of the best ways to hook me onto a mystery book. Instantly, a thousand questions sparked in my head and I just had to keep going at a rapid rate!
     The place where the main character, Lexi, lives is called Near but she doesn't live in the town, per say, more like the edge of it. The way she describes the moor seemed directly parallel to the mystery, in a way. The wind whispered over the hills and Lexi had something of a sixth sense to listen to it and hear its beckoning call.  That was a creepy element that I got all jittery about, which, of course, made it so much better!
     Lexi was so independent and determined to find out who or what was causing the children to go missing. She would stop at nothing, despite the how persistent everyone around her was that she shouldn't pursue something so dangerous.
     Then Cole enters the story. Really, that boy could be a mystery novel in himself. The way he spoke and held himself was intriguing to behold. There seemed to be an alternate meaning behind everything he said, always something hinting at his troubled past. He and Lexi pair up to set things right in Near and  as they delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the town, there relationship blossoms into romance at the same rate. The romance and mystery kind of intertwine into a really exciting relationship between Cole and Lexi.
    I kind of predicted some of what happened in the middle of the book, but it didn't lessen the amazement I felt when I read how it all played out. This book comes highly recommended from me, as it is a rare occurrence of jitter-inducing, creepy, romantic, gritty mystery in Young Adult literature.