Shallow Graves by Kaci Wallace

Its about a girl name Breezy, that wakes up in a shallow grave without no memory about what happened within that year she has been missing or why she is in the grave. All she does know is that she is dead, well... undead, with a dead man at her feet, and a few memories of what happened before she woke up which was the last party she went to before she disappeared and of the slap she gotten that caused her to leave the party.

During the book you are on edge because you discover that the world is a lot more scary and darker than ever. You follow Breezy as she tries to discover what she is now, her powers she know has, who killed her, and her trying to stay alive over the different challenges that she now faces. Breezy meets a few people who are also creatures or some would say monsters but she learns that just because you aren't human doesn't make you a monster.

Personally, I really enjoyed the book. It gives you monsters, drama, action, and horror. I honestly thought I possibly might not like it but I was happily wrong. Definitely for the fans of horror, supernatural creatures, and suspense.  





-HLR

April 11th 2016

The Third Twin by CJ Omololu

Having an identical twin sounds like a lot of fun, especially when you think about all of the hi-jinx you can't away with. It's a lot of fun until people die and you look exactly like the killer.

Ava and Lexi are identical twins. Alicia is their made-up triplet they've created so that they can date guys when they're just looking for a little bit of fun. It's all fun and games until one guy gets a little too hands with Lexi while she's pretending to be Alicia. Although she wants to put an end to "Alicia," Ava is having too much fun. When guys that Alicia has dated, though, start turning up dead, it's not so much fun, especially when Lexi becomes the prime suspect. While she knows she didn't do it and she knows that Alicia isn't real, the only explanation is that Ava killed these people. Is it possible that her sister really is a killer, or is there something else going on?

The novel starts off a little bit slow in building the suspense, but once the situation develops and the stakes are raised, it become a roller coaster ride as Lexi tries to prove her innocence and protect the people she cares about. The book has its twists and surprises. Some teen mysteries can be a little over the top in plausibility, but I think this novel does a good job of toeing the line without going over. It is definitely worth the read if you're looking for a suspenseful murder mystery. 
MMK

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

All Britt wanted to do was have a great spring break hiking in the mountains with her best friend Korbie and forget about her break-up with Calvin. When she learns that Calvin is going on the trip as a chaperone - since he’s Korbie’s older brother - she’s torn between making him pay for breaking her heart and considering a reconciliation. Before they make it to their cabin in the mountains, however, they are hit by a massive blizzard and forced to abandon their car on the side of the road. Britt and Korbie manage to find shelter with two hikers, but it’s not the salvation they’d been hoping for. Shaun and Mason need to get off the mountain, and Britt is the one to help them. She knows that they’re hiding something, and she slowly begins to realize that they might be connected to the disappearances and deaths of three women in these mountains. Now all she cares about is her own survival and the hope that resourceful Calvin would come to her rescue. It doesn’t help her situation when one of her kidnappers turns out to be the opposite of what she things. Can she trust him or not?

This novel is a romantic suspense novel. Given the whole hostage situation, that makes it a little bit of a Stockholm Syndrome novel, although I think that there is some degree of truth behind her feelings for one of the kidnappers. He does genuinely help her throughout the novel and extreme situations do tend to lead to extreme feelings (at least that’s what seems to happen in novels). Whether or not a relationship between them would work in the real world, it makes for entertaining fiction. In terms of the suspense, I figured it out halfway through the novel, but I’ve been accused of thinking too much when I read, so maybe the big reveal will be more surprising for another reader. Even knowing what was going to happen, the novel was still enjoyable. There are enough turns in their journey to keep things interesting and the reader wondering how they’ll get out of this situation.

Overall, this was a satisfying novel. There’s enough to keep you going to the end as you hope everything works out for these characters and justice is served.

MMK

This is W.A.R. by Lisa & Laura Roecker

(Soho Press, Inc.)

Willa Ames-Rowan is dead. After climbing into a boat with James Gregory, she is dead. Everyone knows he killed her but since the Gregory family, specifically James’s grandfather the Captain runs the town and the Hawthorne Lake Country Club, no one dares say so. The Gregory family is great at throwing money at their problems to make them go away. Willa’s best friends: Lina, Sloane, Rose & Madge now seek to destroy the Gregory family, not just James but his reckless brother Trip too. They start a war…

Feeling mixed on this book. I was hoping for some more suspense than you really get from it. A few chapters in you know who really killed Willa, it was just too clear. The most frustrating thing is when the girls got together to start their plans for revenge, never did they go over what happened that night to each of them. That would have saved them so much trouble and would have ultimately saved them from some really dumb plans to “destroy” the family. What is beyond dumb is that Madge knows who the real killer is but lets the girl keep thinking its James. Money is thrown around like nothing. The girls are supposed to front $25,000 to enter this war against the Gregory family. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that these teen girls can get a hold of $25,000 without parent permission or interference, insert eye roll here. The author gave the girls each part in the book to sort of dive into who they were. The most likeable characters, in my opinion, are Lina and Sloane. I think they embody and say things that are very relatable for teen girls, but they also grow to accept themselves which is always a good message. The best I can say about this book is that if you like soap operas, this is for you. You’ll get frustrated at characters for not doing the obvious thing and you have the made for TV drama of the scandals at the rich country club.

AB

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

Everyone probably has that one person they'd like to kill and this book addresses that desire. Through the eyes of a teenage serial killer, this novel deals with the struggles of being a murderer.

Kit seems like a normal London teenager, but she's really the city's notorious serial killer known as the "Perfect Killer." She's been raised to be a murderer since she was child in order to take over for her mother who had also been a murderer. They receive letters in a secret mailbox from people requesting the death of certain people, and it is Kit's job to answer those letters. After she murders them, she leaves the letter behind as her signature. She's lead to believe that "Nothing is right, nothing is wrong," so she's not doing anything wrong by killing these people. When a letter arrives asking for the murder of a schoolmate, she befriends the victim and starts to make decisions that have her question what she's been raised to do.

This novel has an interesting premise because I'm sure we've all thought about one person we'd like to see killed. This book just takes it a step further and finds a person to make those wishes come true. For the most part the victim has wronged the writer in one way or another, so it's not like they're entirely innocent, right? The fact that it is a teenage girl makes it a smidge hard to believe, but if she's been trained to do this since she was a child, maybe it is a bit more believable. The novel makes Kit this complex character. For the most part she is just a cold blooded killer, she doesn't really try to justify what she's doing. But then she murders without a letter and starts to question everything. I don't know that she necessarily grows throughout this novel, but the author does a good job of getting into the head of someone who sees nothing wrong with murder and believes the people need her.

This was an enjoyable book. It is an easy read that draws you into the world of a teenage murderer.
MMK

You Know What You Have To Do by Bonnie Shimko

This novel, while enjoyable and a quick read, seems to miss its potential. It has a great storyline, but it focuses more on the mundane rather than the intriguing.

Mary-Magdalene (aka Maggie or Mare) has this problem where she hears an evil voice in her head that tells her to kill people. The throbbing headache that accompanies the voice makes it so that the only thing she can do to alleviate the problem is to listen to the voice. When the novel starts, she has already killed one person. However, he was beating up his wife and Maggie's friend, so in a way, she was doing them a favor. While Maggie is dealing with this voice, she deals with typical high school things - like a boy who likes her but to whom she doesn't return the feelings, a best friend who is suddenly beautiful and more popular than Maggie will be, and the opportunity to finally get her driver's license. Throughout the book, Maggie tries to cope with the voice and life in general.

As I write the summary for the book, I struggle to create the appeal that the book jacket created because overall, the voices in her head were not as prevalent as I was led to believe - which is where the story faltered. Most of the book felt like Maggie dealing with being a teenager. She's going to therapy and is more concerned with the hotness of her therapist than doing anything to get better. True, admitting you've killed people because the voices told you to do it is basically asking to get locked up, but she seemed so desperate to get help you want to scream at her to actually do something about it. Maggie is more concerned about getting caught than bothered by the fact that she killed people. So are we supposed to feel sorry for her - which you do a good portion of the book - or is she just as bad as the voice in her head? But then, like I said, that whole dilemma seems at times secondary to life in general. Come the end of the book, when tragedy strikes and Maggie ends up in a psychiatric ward, it has nothing to do with her actual issue and it never even comes up until the end of her stay. Then the book ends and you're left wondering if she's embracing this issue or what. During at least one point in the novel (although I'm sure it was more than once) I completely forgot she had this voice issue. Then it comes back at the end and you're simply left wondering why the book didn't start here. This book could very well have been like a teenage Dexter, but that excitement gets muddled with the mundane life of a teenager. The suspense simply wasn't constant.

This book had a lot of potential. It had a great concept that drew me in, but it wasn't built up enough and you're left feeling "meh" about the book.
MMK

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

When the story takes place in an abandoned asylum, you're almost insured a creepy story and this novel doesn't let you down. If the story alone isn't enough to give you chills, the novel also has photos from real asylums that add that little extra creep factor.

Dan Crawford is excited about attending the New Hampshire College Prep summer program. It's a chance to take classes he's interested in and an opportunity to meet new friends, like Abby and Jordan who he instantly bonds with. His first day, though, he finds a creepy picture of a man with his eyes scratched out in his dresser drawer. After being told there are more pictures like that in the "off limits" section of their dorm, Dan decides it's time to investigate their dormitory, which was originally an insane asylum. With the help of Abby and Jordan, they discover the warden's office and a number of disturbing photos. Initially creeped out, the three leave, but things aren't quite right when Dan starts receiving mysterious notes and troubling nightmares as if he is a part of the asylum. Upon further investigation, Dan discovers that the asylum once held a serial killer named The Sculptor. When a student is murdered and posed - just like the Sculptor had done to his victims - Dan begins to wonder if the serial killer is still around or if something more nefarious is going on in the dorm. It also doesn't help that Dan is prone to blackouts, which start to make him look like a suspect as more people are attacked and a connection between him and the original asylum is discovered.

This book did not disappoint in the creepy factor. The photos were a nice touch to the story. Between developing the characters, there is a nice, steady build up of suspense. The things that happen to Dan and the people around him makes you wonder if they're all being affected by the asylum and each going a little crazy.

A sequel to this novel is coming out around August 2014. It will be interesting to see where the story goes because this novel ends with a pull to come back. Asylum is definitely worth the read.
MMK

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

                                                           (Book cover by Ian Sanderson, Getty Images)

Oleander, Kansas, where life is as compelling as the scenery, is shook up after five of it's residents go on separate killing sprees. 

Daniel is lonely boy who is trying to be the best father figure to his younger brother Milo, since their own father is a drunk street preacher ranting about the end of times since their mother passed. 

Jule is a "Prevette", the last name synonymous with the trailer trash, meth producing family that live near the swamps but she does her best to stay out of trouble and out of sight. 

Cass is a girl dreaming of the day she leaves for college and for good, because as she believes she is better than Oleander and most of the people living there. Despite having a mild dislike for children, she babysits to earn money to one day make her escape.

Jeremiah West is a handsome football player, trying to keep his relationship with Nick completely under wraps, because if the people of Oleander knew, it would destroy his family.

Ellie is a born again Christian, doing her best to reject old temptations and spread the Word, which takes on an entire new level when she believes to hear God speaking to her directly. 

These five survivors of the killings are haunted about what could have caused some of Oleander's residents to kill, more so once a destructive tornado plows through, leaving the town to rebuild. This seemingly disparate group of teens find themselves facing the darkness that is responsible for the town deteriorating while fighting for answers and for their lives. 

 I recommend this book to anyone that loves thrilling, horror & mystery novels or even loves shows like The Walking Dead. It's written from each one of the characters perspective which it keeps it moving at a good pace, as I was half way through it before I even noticed. Jule was my favorite character, simply because she gets underdog status given her family and living situation, and I always root for the underdog. Each character has shining moments though, and anyone can find themselves relating to one or all. The book certainly does deal with killing and other dark topics, so it is very raw and intense so be warned if that is not your cup of tea. Despite all the intensity, overall this book is really hopeful and full of characters with a fighting spirit.  There's so much more to the mystery that I can't mention  without spoiling it for anyone, but it is certainly worth reading to find out.

A.B.

The Sin-Eater's Confession - Ilsa J. Bick

Ben's senior year of high school was no cake walk.  He volunteers at the ER on weekends, taking university classes during the week, runs to stay in shape for track, and is under a lot of pressure from his mom to get into a really good college.  His dad, the police chief, is hard on him but not as much as his mom.  Toward the end of Ben's junior year, Del Lange the star quarter-back of the football team was killed in a head on collision after prom.  Ben was there in the hospital ER saw him die.  That summer Ben helps out Mr. Lange and his other son Jimmy on their farm.  Jimmy and Ben become like brothers over the summer.  When school starts up Ben only comes over a few times a week.  On the second Saturday in October Mr. Lange barges into the barn and tells Ben to never come back to the farm.  Jimmy submitted photos he took of various people to a photo magazine for a contest.  Jimmy won second place and one of the photos is of Ben laying on a bale of hay with his shirt off.  The picture is very suggestive and it is revealed that Jimmy is gay and has feelings for Ben.  Ben stays away from the Lange farm and doesn't have much contact with Jimmy at school.  A rumor starts around school that Ben is also gay, which his isn't.  Ben and his friends quell the rumor.  The next week Ben decides to go and talk to Jimmy at Cuppa Joy the local coffee place run by Pastor John.  Everyone gives him the evil eye when he comes in and Pastor John tells him to leave and take his sinful thoughts with him.  Jimmy meets Ben in the back and tells him he needs help submitting an application and photographs.  Ben says no to helping Jimmy.  The next day he wakes up around four pm and calls into the ER and then goes out driving that night.  Close to seven pm Ben decides to go and help Jimmy out.  As he pulls into the parking lot around back he sees Jimmy being taken away in a van.  Ben follows the van and then the people into the woods where he sees Jimmy murdered.  All Ben can do is run away and keep what he saw to himself.  A few days later Ben discovers Jimmy's body in the park.  He takes the memory card from Jimmy's phone and the memory card the pictures are on.  Ben then goes home and acts like he didn't see anything.  A few hours later Ben's dad gets a call saying the body of Jimmy has been found. 

This was a very good book and the story was well told.  I liked the reflective nature of it too.  We as humans question decisions all the time, and ask ourselves if anything could have been done differently.  Sometimes things can't be changed and we live with the consequences for the rest of our lives.  Other times amends can be made even if a few years have gone by.  Don't let the title and cover fool you.  I thought it was a zombie book when I first saw the title before I read the inside cover. 

T.B. 4/27/13

Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Willa lives with her mother, stepfather, and two stepsisters. She's happy in her life, even though she's aware of certain advantages her stepsisters have that she doesn't given their wealthy mother. None of that seems to matter when Willa's father, whom she hasn't seen since she was four, disappears after murdering his family. Fearful that he might come after her, the bonds of her blended family get tested. When the threat is over, Willa begins a journey to discover what it means to be connected to a man capable of killing his family and how that will affect the family she's grown up with.

This book was an enjoyable and quick read. It digs deep into family connections - the ones from blood and the ones created out of love. Most of this book is about Willa returning to her father's hometown, the town her mother desperately tried to escape. Willa goes out of duty to the dead sisters she never knew about in search of meaning behind what happened and how it affects her. Some of the legalise in terms of inheritance seemed really confusing and not entirely realistic if you ask me, but I'm not a lawyer so maybe it is all legitimate. It helps wrap up some issues later on in the novel, so whatever works (this is fiction after all). The characters are complex without being developed enough. Because the novel goes so quickly, it almost feels as if there isn't enough time for the more complex relationships to develop and get resolved, like the relationships between her and her stepsisters. Even with Willa, the writer throws in a certain self-destructive behavior at the beginning and end of the novel and seems to forget about it in the middle. Even the resolution of that problem seems too easy. Everything seems to get wrapped up in a neat bow at the end when there are clearly still issues these characters need to deal with.

The book is good, but it didn't send me over the moon. It definitely could have delved deeper into family dynamics. In the end, it is a decent book but not entirely memorable.
MMK