Tag: Mystery (Page 10 of 19)

BOOK REVIEW: Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch

September 1, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Pines (Wayward Pines #1)
by Blake Crouch
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

2013 International Thriller Award Nominee

The international runaway bestseller is now a Major Television Event from executive producer M. Night Shyamalan, starring Matt Dillon and premiering May 14th on FOX.

“Where’d you live before Wayward Pines?”

“I’ve always lived here.”
“You’ve never left this town?” Ethan asked.
“You can’t leave,” the boy said.
“Why?”
“You just can’t.”
“I don’t accept that.”
“That’s why you’re going to die.”

Not too long ago, it feels like yesterday, really, I saw a television commercial for a show called Wayward Pines. It was utterly compelling and drew me in every time the commercial aired. I never got around to watching it, I never really catch TV shows unless they’re re-runs of my all time favorites, so I kind of forgot about it….and Oh. My. Gosh….am I glad I did.

The final strands of horizontal sunlight were striking the cliffs at his back, and he turned around and took a moment to stop and watch the glow fade away.
When the light was gone, the rock turned instantly to the color of blued steel.
And the nature of it changed.
It was still beautiful.
But more remote.
Indifferent.

I was totally blind when I went into this, not really knowing what I was getting myself into. There were only three things I knew: 1. It is addicting. 2. The sentences are kind of fragmented, sending a message of nonchalance, simplicity, and rushed situations for our main character-Which I loved. And 3). We were in the mind of an unreliable narrator-Which I also loved. And honestly…that’s all anyone needs to know.

“Thanks for your help, and your concern,” he said, pressing G three times until the button illuminated, “but I think I got it figured out.”
“What?”
“It’s this town that’s wrong.”

Who wants to read a book that is totally spoiled for you? Okay, okay, if it’s a severe love triangle or I think a main character may be in danger of dying, I might do a little reconnaissance to see how it happens, who they end up with, or what the situation might be. Hey! Don’t judge! I just don’t want to be devastated, so sue me. But all in all, especially in these types of thrillers, which I am SO TOTALLY IN THE MOOD FOR, I like the idea that I know next to nothing about these stories.

…All he wanted to do was to curl up in a bed in a dark room. Sleep off the pain. The confusion. And the base emotion underlying it all that was getting harder and harder to ignore.
Terror.
The strengthening sense that something was very, very wrong.

I will give you a little to go off of, though. Our main character, Ethan…he’s not what you would call an upstanding guy. He’s not a bad dude, per se, but he definitely has had some shaky behavior and indiscretions in his past. And, for the first time in as long as I can remember, this aspect didn’t bother me. Maybe it was his loyalty and fierce love now, in this moment, but, for whatever reason, I loved him.

Are you losing your mind?
You tell me.
I can’t.
Why?
Because I am you.

I loved his determination, his iron-clad will, his unwillingness to believe the bull shit he was obviously being fed….I loved his reactions to this freaky as fuck town he landed in. He’s confused and alone, and everyone is hell bent on calling him crazy, saying he’s delusional, that everyone in town is happy and why don’t you try and make a life of it here? It’s so nice! Why don’t you have your ID or wallet?? Are you lying to us, Mr. Burke? How dare you do such a thing! Needless to say I’m already finished with book two-Yeah, I love this series that much.

The scream could only be compared to human suffering or terror. Like a hyena or a banshee. Coyotes at their maddest. The mythologized Rebel Yell. High and thin. Fragile. Terrible. And on some level, humming under the surface like buried electrical cables, was a dim awareness that this wasn’t the first time he’d heard it.

Chilling and grotesque, Ethan is stuck in a town with virtually no way out…and no answers. Continually running in circles and trying to find answers-each one more spine-tingling than the last-Ethan is going out of his mind. Cloaked in an eerie atmosphere that you can’t help but to fall in love with, I guarantee this could be your next page turner. I wish I could say more, but that’s not in the spirit of this book, so I’ll be blunt: While depraved and intentionally mysterious, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. And, while not for everyone, anyone who loves a good thriller and a man determined to win-at any cost-will likely find great enjoyment out of this book. I hope that these measly words will be enough to influence you to give this one a chance. Easy. Dark. Manipulative. What more could a girl ask for?

**************************************

Epic. Absolutely, positively epic. Chilling.

This series will be the end of me. Bad. Ass.

Review to come 🙂

BOOK REVIEW – The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3) by Blake Crouch

August 30, 2015 / Anna

The Last Town (Wayward Pines #3)
by Blake Crouch
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Absolutely NOT.

► How many series made you want to read each book back to back? How often are you willing to accept the flaws as they are and still treasure the story you read? In my reading experience, it’s a rarity.

WARNING : I won’t spoil the series for you, but DO NOT read the blurb of this third book, otherwise you’d find unsolicited information. You don’t want to do that, trust me.

① When you read a book, you need a ending that :
A. ~~wraps everything up~~
B. ~~lets some loose ends~~
C. I don’t know, I don’t care this is crazy!!! Love it love it LOVE IT!

[embracing the madness]

② Do you need to understand all the characters’ intention?
A. ~~of course yes~~
B. I don’t understand the question : you mean that they must act coherently at any time? Why?
C. ~~no I don’t give a damn~~

③ As for the pacing, you expect:
A. a fast-paced, action-packed page-turner where pausing to breathe is – really – overrated
B. ~~a slow and insightful story with many descriptions of stuff as clothes, food, furniture…~~

④ You love your main characters :
A. ~~fundamentally good, I can’t deal with unlikeable characters~~
B. ~~[insert evil laugh] what was the question?~~
C. Realistic characters as in : neither fully bad nor good but complex

⑤ Among these possible sources of annoyance, which one is a lesser evil in your opinion?
A. ~~to be frozen to death by boredom~~
B. to wander clueless and accept to suspend your disbelief sometimes
C. ~~to predict every one of the outcomes~~

⑥ What would you say about your favorite characters?
A. ~~They smirk and stare and glare. But they’re so fucking HAWT.~~
B. ~~They’re so wise and clever that you could quote them as a rule of life. Actually, you do.~~
C. They fuck up. They make mistakes. They doubt. They fear. They live.

Now, a subsidiary question :

► After reading this book, you thought that something was useless and annoying. What was it?
A. the love-triangle
B. the love-triangle
C. the love-triangle

(Don’t worry though, it doesn’t last long at all and makes sense)

Ps. Many reviews explained perfectly why this series is filled with plot holes and inaccuracies and I can’t say that they’re wrong. However, I enjoyed every moment and I would still recommend these books in a heartbeat.

Actual rating for this book : 3.5 stars
Rating for the series as a whole : 4 stars

BOOK REVIEW – Wayward (Wayward Pines #2) by Blake Crouch

August 29, 2015 / Anna

Wayward (Wayward Pines #2)
by Blake Crouch
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Again, NO. Don't read it.

These books are like thrillers on crack, and again the story pulled me in from the very first page. So. Much. Win.

First of all, what you need to know is ________________. Indeed, while the ending of Pines offered us some answers, I have to admit that I wasn’t completely convinced by _____________________. In that aspect, Wayward turned out to be a strong and satisfying sequel because _______________________. As for the twists and turns the story takes, didn’t you love when _______________ ? It was by far my favorite part, because even though I guessed that ________________ and that _________________ (yes I did!! Okay! It was obvious! Whatever! Don’t give a damn!), I couldn’t help but feel stunned by ______________ . Not to mention the ____________________ : incredible idea, right? As for ___________________, his __________ was revealed to be even more crazy than I thought it was.

Haha. You really thought that I was going to review this book?

I can’t, people, I can’t! WHY?!

WAIT – is it good then? Well, let’s see…

If a :
☑ A captivating page-turner…
☑ … with complex and multi-layered characters…
☑ … nobody to be trusted…
☑ … hard choices to make…
☑ … with the boundaries between right and wrong more and more blurred …
☑ … and a killer ending…

… is a good book for you…

… Yes it is.

Sorry, I did say that my review would be without any spoilers. I never said that it’d be useful, though. Oops.

BOOK REVIEW: How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller

August 28, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
A meth dealer. A prostitute. A serial killer.

Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.

Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick’s old flame. They’ve been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other—or will the school destroy them both?

“What takes more guts? To fight for your own life at any cost-or prove that you’re willing to lose it?”

Well, well, well….I am so beyond happy. <<< Eew that sentence, but it’s so true! Months ago, I read a series that I absolutely cherished, adored, obsessed over-I Hunt Killers. It took me a long time to get over my Jazz boy, and anyone that didn’t grasp my level of obsession over him would have to have been blind or wholly disinterested. But what do you do when you can’t make extra books appear out of thin air when your favorite series of the year ends? You find similar books.

I don’t care about Ghosts or girls anymore. I don’t give a damn about proof. This monster is just waiting for a chance to kill it’s creator. One way or another, I’ll get out. And then I’m going to destroy him.

But, as it was, when I started this, I couldn’t stop thinking of my wonderful Jazzy boy. So, this was put on hold until I could get my head out of that world and I could focus on this one. My long winded story ends here, I promise-This weekend I couldn’t get into my book, so I scoured my e-library and saw this beauty. It suited my mood, it reminded me of a favorite, had an addicting and compelling story, and it had an amazing male lead that had me rooting for him from beginning to end. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book…but, in the end, it was a thrilling page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I would sacrifice almost anything to stay here with her. And that’s exactly why I have to leave. She will keep me from becoming what I need to be. And if she tries to save me, I will end up destroying her.

And that’s the best part-It wasn’t extremely fast-paced, it wasn’t action on each and every page, and it wasn’t what you’d expect. But, with all that being said, it was so much better. It was chilling, intense, underhanded, and brutal in it’s subtlety. I didn’t need non-stop action, nor did I need millions of things to happen at once. This story was so manipulative and gripping that I never once was thinking about anything but what was happening in front of my face-that is so rare for me. I am always thinking to the next chapter, the next page, the next problem, but because this was so intense I was so worried for our main character that I only cared what was happening to him in the here and now.
I thought this time, I was willing to do anything. Now Mandel will know that it’s all just an act. Because there’s one thing that I will not do. Not even to save the world from a monster. I won’t let Joi die.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I went into this, but I never expected for it to have The Testing vibes mixed with an I Hunt Killers theme I so immensely craved. And, even more than that, it was sad. Our poor boy, who had lived an inexplicably sad and undeserved life, was hurting-and rightfully so. More than once my heart ached for him and was torn to shreds as he imagined his little brother right beside him, even though he never truly could be again.

I’m not a lost boy, and I’m too old for a Wendy. But I want to remember her once before I let her go. All I get is a faint whiff of jasmine before my dream’s interrupted. And then the last person I’ll love is gone for good.

I choked on tears, wished for a better life than what he got, and hoped for him to make it out of Mandel Academy alive….but that’s hard to accomplish when you set out to make enemies.

Second period just started, and I already have five enemies, a pretty blond stalker, and zero friends. It’s a record, even for me.

Flick (No, that’s not his real name) is a thief, a boy so good at pick-pocketing on the streets that all it takes is a flick of his wrist and he has your license, your money, your life in his hands-clever, eh?? His humor is exactly what I love in these books. Thrown into a world he’d have never wanted after losing his mother and almost identical brother, the only two happy things in his life, and being beaten for the most minuscule things (I mean it-like, being beaten to a bloody pulp) by his father, Flick is what you could probably call a ‘tortured’ male lead.
When I was younger, I’d make Jude stand beside me in front of my mother’s closet mirror. We looked so much alike. I couldn’t see what the difference was-I couldn’t understand how my father could love one of us and loathe the other.

So, when he is offered a chance to go to Mandel Academy in exchange for information that will help him take down his father, the reason for all the bad things in his life, he accepts….but at a price-he must leave Joi, his last happy thing, behind without a word or notice.

Suddenly I see the problem with Jude’s brilliant advice. Be who you want to be, he said. Well, the person I’d like to be would save View Spoiler »Violet « Hide Spoiler. But that would be dangerous. I could die trying-and there’s only one of me to sacrifice.

I’ll be quick-Joi is who makes him strive to be better, what keeps him from flipping his switch and turning into a monster. She helps anyone and everyone, never turning down even the most lost of souls, and she is a ray of sunshine in his-and many other children’s-bleak world. But don’t be mistaken-Joi can be a badass, too. But I don’t want to spoil that for you ;).

Maybe he’s not going to give me the choice to trade my life for hers. Maybe he’s found another way to force me to watch the girl I love be destroyed.

All in all, I never expected much from this story. I didn’t know where it was going or when the blurb would come into play-but I was never bored. And the minute the blurb does kick in? Wow. The things Flick has to do, the intense, multi-layered cast of CRAZY characters he has to encounter and go through….Wow. Keep your eye on a certain…yeah, never mind. Just watch out, ‘K? It’s never safe. Never trust anyone. And don’t do anything you can’t live with. This chilling cast of characters will make your head spin…..and I still am thinking about it, even a day after finishing.

This is how it feels to lose your last hope. To stop treading water. To unplug life support.

BOOK REVIEW – Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch

August 27, 2015 / Anna

Pines (Wayward Pines #1)
by Blake Crouch
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Haha, NO. Don't read the blurb.

► Fast-paced, gripping, Pines let me begging for more – I am in awe. READ IT. READ IT. READ IT. This book is fabulous.

▩ The plot… fascinated and surprised me. The male lead (let’s call him “he”) wakes up in an unknown town, badly bruised, penniless, and without any memories of his life.

Now, this is a situation that would scare the shit out of anyone, don’t you agree? From page one my brain was reeling, faced with so many unanswered questions that I couldn’t help but strongly sympathize with him : what defines who you are? Who would you be if every knowledge about yourself had been ripped off your mind? To what degree can you trust your instincts? Can they be right? Or are you going completely out of line? And even if your memories come back, how can you survive when you’re surrounded by secrets?

“Are you losing your mind?
I sometimes think I’m still in that torture room. I never left.
Are you losing your mind?
You tell me.
I can’t.
Why?
Because I am you.”

Who is to be believed? Who is to be trusted?

▩ The characters… are interesting and intriguing. When it comes to thrillers, I’ve drawn this conclusion : more the author keeps us in the dark, characters wise, more my interest is piqued, because the lack of knowledge adds tension to the story and you know what? I NEED TENSION. He isn’t a likeable character, not flawless by any means, but I cared for his quest of answers, even more because the layers of his life aren’t immediately unraveled. I won’t say much about him… Because obviously : if my enjoyment was linked to the fact that I had no idea of what I could expect, I won’t be the person that screw your read^^ As for the other characters we meet…

What, though?

▩ The settings … are quite ominous.

Imagine a little town lost between mountains, with no escape in sight. Creepy, right? I mean, probably wonderful if you’ve planned a trip with friends, but to wake up there alone and in a bad shape? I’d probably turn hysterical. Nobody wants to see that, trust me. Even more when we realize, along the male-lead, that something isn’t quite right there… The people… The places… Everything appears intriguing and yes, more and more frightening…

▩ The writing… is all kinds of amazing : indeed the alternative use of short and long sentences compelled me to read more and more and more, not to mention that some vivid descriptions (including smells! Thank you!) are straight on beautiful. I know many readers complained about the fragmented sentences and I can understand their struggles but… I think it’s only a matter of taste : I love that kind of writing when it’s well-done and it was perfect to express the changes in the rythm in my opinion.

From start to finish, Pines never gets dull and ends with a punch, leaving me eager for more.

► So, Anna, you’re telling us that this book is perfect ?

Huh, NO. Plot holes, anyone? Obviously, I won’t talk about them because spoilers, but know that there are several of them and I. Don’t. Care. I don’t want to analyze : I was mesmerized, I was surprised, I am in love and I don’t give a damn if some things don’t quite make sense. You’ve been warned.