Review: Violent Ends

TITLE: Violent Ends
AUTHORS: Shaun David Hutchinson, Kendare Blake, Steve Brezenott, Delilah S. Dawson, Trish Doller, Margie Gelbwasser, E.M. Kokie, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Tom Leveen, Hannah Moskowitz, Elisa Nader, Beth Revis, Mindi Scott, Neal Schusterman, Brandon Schusterman, Courtney Summers, Blythe Woolston, Christine Johnson
PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse
PUBLICATION DATE: 9/1/2015
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 352
SOURCE: Library

INSIDE COVER BLURB: It took only twenty-two minutes for Kirby Matheson to exit his car, march onto school grounds, enter the gymnasium, and open fire, killing six and injuring five others.

But this isn't a story about the shooting itself. This isn't about recounting that one unforgettable day.

This is about Kirby and how one boy--who had friends, enjoyed reading, played saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before--became a monster capable of entering his school with a loaded gun and firing on his classmates.

Each chapter is told from a different viewpoint, giving insight into who Kirby was and who he'd become. Some are sweet, some are dark some are seemingly unrelated, about fights or first kisses or late-night parties. This is a book of perspectives--with one character and one event drawing them all together.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I was so interested in the idea behind this book. The subject matter is one that is really interest me, but the idea of 17 perspectives all written by different authors was really intriguing to me.

I could not stop reading this book. It was so gripping and intense. I loved all of the different perspectives and how they tied together so well to make one complete story. The whole story was so tragic and sad, but all so good and captivating.


I like how you didn't know which author wrote which perspective as you were reading it (unless you flipped to the back to find out). It made me enjoy the story more as a whole instead of going in to each chapter with a bias based on my like or dislike of any specific author.

The chapter written from the gun's perspective was really interesting. I've never read anything from the perspective of an inanimate object before, and I thought it was a unique spin.

I thought the book ended in a weird place. I'm not really sure there was a good moment to end this book though, so I don't know how it could have been done any different.


COVER: The cover is haunting. Something about an empty school is just spooky on it's own, but when you have a subject matter like this, it just makes it all the more chilling.

MY RATING:

Afterworlds Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Afterworlds

AUTHOR: Scott Westerfeld

PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/23/2014

FORMAT: Hardcover

PAGES: 499

SOURCE: Bought

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings...

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen to slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Basically, this book is about a girl named Darcy who is writing a novel. We get to see what is happening with her life and her writing career. Every other chapter lets us read a chapter of the book that Darcy is writing.

I've never read any other books like this. You're basically reading two books at the same time. I really enjoyed the story that Darcy was writing. It was really exciting and gripping. But at the same time, I was really interested in Darcy's journey. I liked getting a glimpse into a writer's side of life. When I got into each part, I didn't want to leave it to go back to the other, but I'd soon be sucked into that part and not want to leave.

I loved all of the BEA references. After hearing so much about BEA from fellow book bloggers, so it was neat to see it from the perspective of an author.

I also really enjoyed the ending of both the novel and Darcy's book. 

CHARACTERS: Darcy was a great main character. Yes, she is an author, but she's also just a teenager herself and she acts like a teenager. She does make some unwise decisions, but nothing that she can't come back from and I feel like her decisions are those that a typical teenager would make.

COVER: The cover is pretty neat. I feel like they could have done more to tie it into the story, but I do like it.

Servants of the Storm Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Servants of the Storm

AUTHOR: Delilah S. Dawson

PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse

PUBLICATION DATE: 8/5/2014

PAGES: 384

MY RATING:

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.**

BACK COVER SUMMARY: A year ago Hurricane Josephine swept through Savannah, Georgia, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction--and taking the life of Dovey's best friend, Carly. Since that night, Dovey has been in a medicated haze, numb to everything around her.

But recently she's started to believe she's seeing things that can't be real...including Carly at their favorite cafe. Determined to learn the truth, Dovey stops taking her pills. And the world that opens up to her is unlike anything she could have imagined.

As Dovey slips deeper into the shadowy corners of Savannah--where the dark and horrifying secrets lurk--she leans that the storm that destroyed her city and stole her friend was much more than a force of nature. And now the sinister beings truly responsible are out to finish what they started.

Dovey's running out of time and torn between two paths. Will she trust her childhood friend Baker, who can't see the threatening darkness but promises never to give up on Dovey or Carly? Or will she plot with the sexy stranger, Isaac, who offers all the answers--for a price? Soon Dovey starts to realize that the danger closing in might have little to do with Carly...and everything to do with Dovey herself.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: The first chapter hooked me into the story. The beginning of the book was very strange and mysterious and then it started to remind me of City of Bones with the mysterious boy and the night club with strange characters, as well as a few other similarities that I don't want to get into because of spoilers. But I definitely enjoyed this story. It did have a few moments where it started to drag a little bit for me, but overall I really enjoyed it and liked how it all came together. The ending was the perfect ending for a horror type book and I thought it was great.

CHARACTERS: There is a dreaded love triangle in this book which is annoying and I wish I never had to read about another one those again, but it is what it is. I really like Isaac. He's mysterious and protective, and just an all around fun guy.

COVER: 5/5. The cover of this book freaks me out so bad, but I love that because while I despise scary movies, I love scary books and the cover of this makes me think this book will be terrifying.

Killer Instinct Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Killer Instinct

AUTHOR: S.E. Green

PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse

PUBLICATION DATE: 5/6/2014

PAGES: 272

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Lane is a typical teenager: Loving family. Good grades. After-school job at the local animal hospital. Martial arts enthusiast. But her secret obsession is studying serial killers. She understands them, knows what makes them tick.

Why?

Because she might be one herself.

Lane channels her dark impulses by hunting criminals--delivering justice when the law fails. The vigilantism stops shy of murder. But with each visceral rush, the line of self-control blurs.

And then a young preschool teacher goes missing. Only to return...in parts. 

When Lane excitedly gets involved in the hunt for the Decapitator, the vicious serial murderer who has come to her hometown, she gets dangerously caught up in a web of lies about her birth dad and her own dark past. And once the Decapitator contacts Lane directly, Lane knows she is no longer invisible or safe. Now she needs to use her unique talents to find the true killer's identity before she--or someone she loves--becomes the next victim...

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book is not a book for everyone. It is dark and twisted and I don't think that everyone will enjoy it. On the other hand, I was sucked in from the first chapter. I loved the writing style and how it made me feel like I was in the story. 

I feel very much like my brain has been scrambled after finishing this. I loved trying to figure everything out, and the ending was a shocker for me. I don't want to say too much and give anything away, but this book is filled with twists and turns.

CHARACTERS: It's hard to relate to the characters in this book. Lane has a pretty dark personality, but she makes a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed reading about her.

COVER: The cover is okay. It's pretty plain and a little creepy.

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.

Cryer's Cross Review

TITLE: Cryer's Cross
AUTHOR: Lisa McMann
PUBLIHSER: Simon Pulse
PUBLICATION DATE: 2/8/2011
PAGES: 240
MY RATING:

BACK COVER BLURB:The small town of Cryer's Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn't that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain.

When a second student goes missing -- someone close to Kendall's heart -- the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendall's not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she's losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school -- messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there -- Kendall decides that crazy or not, she'd never forgive herself if she didn't act on her suspicions.

Something's not right in Cryer's Cross -- and Kendall's about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book was so good. It was so incredibly creepy. The last few chapters had me hooked -- I read it right before bed and I had to stay up to finish it until the very end. I knew if I didn't finish the story I wasn't going to be able to sleep. I was worried I would have nightmares! That's really all I can say about this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a little scare this coming Halloween.

CHARACTERS: I really enjoyed the main character Kendall. I like the the author gave her OCD. It made her more relateable. I also really liked Jacian. I felt like he had great chemistry with Kendall.

COVER: The cover fits perfectly with the story line. Again, very creepy.

When You Were Mine Review

TITLE: When You Were Mine

AUTHOR: Rebecca Serle

PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse

PUBLICATION DATE: 5/1/2012

PAGES: 334

MY RATING:

INSIDE COVER BLURB: Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her -- and when he finally does, it's perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose's best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy...and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn't even stand a chance.

Rose is devestated over losing Rob to Juliet.This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet's instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob's heart, but also for his life. Because Shakesepeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Absolutely amazing! I could not get enough of this book. The first half of the story was super sweet. I love the way Rose and Rob are together. I went through so many emotions while reading this book -- happiness, anger, devestation. It felt like I was actually in the story. I was so emotionally connected to the story and the characters.

The ending was superb. The epilogue was perfect and could not have been written any better.

CHARACTERS: There were a lot of well rounded characters in this book. There's wasn't a character that I did not like. I feel like all of the characters are normal everyday people that I have encountered throughout my life. There's the group of girls who are best friends, the boy and girl romance spawned from a life of growing up together, and the misunderstood rival girl.

COVER: Very cute. It just looks like a couple coming in for an innocent, sweet kiss. I love the tagline on the cover as well: "What if the greaes love story ever told was the wrong one?"

*I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine for review.