Author: Anna (Page 38 of 48)

Blood of My Blood (Jasper Dent #3)
by Barry Lyga
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Jazz Dent has never been closer to catching his father.

And beyond Billy? Something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.

From acclaimed author Barry Lyga comes the shocking conclusion to the bestselling I Hunt Killer trilogy

These days, we reviewers are often asked how we choose our ratings. For the sake of transparency, I’m going to let you enter my brain a few minutes. Don’t be scared, as I already said, I don’t always bite. Nothing that I recall, anyway.

Creeped out yet? Good.

► Let’s strike an average, shall we?

▣ You don’t say! Thriller and surprise factor : ★★★ – Although I did guess some parts of the big scheme (ME! The thriller dumb!) I stayed blind on several things (What? You really thought I would see it coming like some other reviewers? Huh-ho, nope, I’m not that good). Above all that, it can seem strange for a thriller but in my opinion, in my experience as a reader flowing through this book, I just didn’t care at all of what I could guess, because that wasn’t the point. What interested me was seeing the characters – Jazz, Billy, Connie, Hughes, even – and following them to see how far they would go to succeed in their quests. Can we lose a piece of ourselves when we take a decision? Do our actions define what we are? Or is it more complicated than that? Tell me? Who gets to make that call? Who gets to choose where are the boundaries between bad and evil? Are we either good or bad? Really?

▣ Rollercoaster of emotions : ★★★★★ – Because my mood was shifting every second, either making it difficult to breath or warming my heart – Get in gear for the super-charged thrill.

▣ Humor me, because I like it : ★★ – Because there weren’t as many funny strikes as the other twos. See below ↓

▣ Darker than dark : ★★★★★ – Because I have now at my disposal a whole bunch of serial killer tips. Of course that’s creepy, what do you think?

▣ Let’s ride through this action-packed hunt : ★★★★★ – Because no dull moment here. No boring passages. At all.

▣ Chelsea *Peril Please* scale™ : ★★★★ – Because we come across some epic moments – how can we recognize them? Well, now, holding my breath and yelling in my living room was certainly an indication, I’m almost sure of it.

▣ There’s no such thing as a good cop : ★★ – Because man, they’re fucking stupid. Trust me on this. From the beginning of the series, that’s the main flaw, I have to admit. Now, did it bother me? *whisper* Not at all, I must confess. Take it or leave it.

▣ I do love me some *Fangirling* about Jazz : ★★★★★ – Because. Just because. I’m so picturing myself sticking my tongue at you. Sorry about that.

▣ Overall rating : ★★★★★, duh, because I never knew how to calculate an average. Don’t tell my pupils, though.

► And finally, 5 stars because let’s face it, a book can be flawed as hell, yet if we’re enjoying every. fucking. moment in it, how could we rate it lower than 5 stars?

Do you know how? Because I don’t, and I won’t.

PS : I chose to not include quotes, because in my opinion, every one of them can be spoilery. Yeah, I can be nice like that. You’re welcome.

Game (Jasper Dent #2)
by Barry Lyga
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Billy grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent.

In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz’s door asking for help, he can’t say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple–and its police force–running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer’s murderous game.

♠ I have to admit it : although I was sure that I Hunt Killers was almost perfect, that was far from the truth. Because I knew nothing. Indeed contrary to many readers, Game was so damn better than the first for me. ♠

▒ I thought I was hooked in I hunt killers ▒

It was nothing compared to what I felt here, my heart bouncing and bouncing, enthralled, captivated, caught in the story from page one, my mood quickly shifting from laughter to tears to anguish. This alternating in my feels? That’s what makes these books so special to me despite their flaws, despite the irregular pacing sometimes, despite the fact Jasper’s involvement by the police can appear highly unbelievable. I don’t care.

▒ I thought I was attached to these characters ▒

Truth being told, I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I felt then? Interest, yes, need to learn more, of course, but here? HERE? While going back and forth between the different POV (mostly Jazz, Howie and Connie’s) my affection for them reached an all new level.

▨ Jazz first. Oh, Jazz. What an infuriating yet moving bastard. I can’t help but love him, even if his patronizing behavior towards the cops put me on the verge to roll my eyes at some points. Indeed although he learnt a great amount of serial killer tips while growing up, being Billy Dent’s kid and all, I must admit that the unfathomable depths of his knowledge flirts with the Gary Sue side sometimes. There. I said it. Anyway – What can explain how much I’m drawn to him? His manipulative behavior? His brooding personality? His tortured yet incredibly endearing self? I don’t really know, but the fact is, I adore him. Period.

“The truth – the real answer – was that he wanted to say but didn’t : This is what it feels like to be one of you. This is what it feels like to be vulnerable. And weak. And merely human.
This is what it feels like to be a prospect.”

▨ Connie, who I loved hearing the thoughts, fierce and strong-minded as always. Yes she makes mistakes and yes she lands herself in danger, she does fucking dumb things at time… yet there wasn’t one moment when I couldn’t understand her (even if… I wouldn’t act this way). She’s Jasper Dent’s girlfriend for fucksake, of course she’s going to want to investigate, duh.

▨ Howie, little (sic) Howie whose comments made me burst of laughing more than once.

▨ Gramma – can I say? She’s properly awful, racist, delusional, yet I can’t say I didn’t enjoy her hateful rants. I mean, look at this! Isn’t it precious?

“They sent spies,” Gramma wet on, her voice a hush, “and they look like one man, but they can split in two, then four, and so on. I’ve seen it before. During the war. It’s a Communist trick and they taught it to the Democrats so that they could take our guns. I would have fought them off, but they already made the shotgun disappear.”

Yeah, right.

▒ I thought the plot was interesting ▒

Oh, man, we reached a new level here too. I thought I was stupid with thrillers before? I never, even once, guessed something here, and spent hours drowning under water as the clues were passing above me. Talk about a Sherlock. What a bad cop I would have been. *shiver*

Let’s go on the obvious side of things, shall we? This book is a game, and you’re gonna be played. Forget The Nod, forget the State sheriff …

” Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

… Welcome the Big Apple, its cops, its dark alleyways, its propensity to hide everybody in the shadows of anonymity –

“See this thing I drink from? I give it the label of “cup,” and so what? See this thing I cover my body with? I give it the label of “shirt,” and so what? See this thing I have opened to the darkening sky, allowing beautiful moonlight to shine within? I give it the label of “Jerome Herrigton,” and so what?”

Its cruelty and its atrocity, too, while we follow this killer whose murders can be seen as processes by which people are converted to objects. Denaturalized, denied of their rights to be called humans. Negated.

What is it that makes us human being?

“It’s great, Lana,” Jazz said enthusiastically. “I’ve seen the Statue of Liberty, and I’m also tracking a guy who takes people’s eyes, cuts off their dicks, and – on two occasions – leaves their guts in a KFC bucket. It’s awesome.”

I know, I KNOW, ew. Just EWW. I’m warning you that we come across some gruesome scenes here, with descriptions of dismemberment, explanations of how to remove an eye (grapefruit spoon – you’re welcome) and even if I can’t say that I was really scared, you need to prepare yourself to see, to feel the tension growing and growing and growing… until you’re barely breathing and – DON’T YOU DARE –

Why, thank you, Barry Lyga, for this awful cliffhanger! That was so nice of you!

Now, let me melt on the floor after this fucking (non)ending. Wait – who am I kidding? I’m going to start Blood of my Blood right now.

PS : I wanted to throw a little thank you here for that particular quote which managed to make me laugh when worry was eating me :

“The TV chattered. Someone said, “I was like, she is, like, so bitchy and, like, without any reason, you know?”

Ah, Reality TV shows. Always here when needed. ← Now, that’s irony.

Warning : Never, ever read the blurb of book 3, because they explain what happens at the end of this one^^ #SillyGR