Book Review: The Case for Jamie (Charlotte Holmes #3)

Release Date: March 6, 2018
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Length: 368 pages
Source: Purchased Book

The hotly anticipated and explosive third book in the New York Times bestselling Charlotte Holmes series.

It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken.

Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for.

Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex—and Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows her Watson can’t forgive her.

Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but when strange things start happening, it’s clear that someone wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time.

Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes are very broken people, and after the tragic and unexpected death of August Moriarty, everything has fallen apart. It's weird not seeing these characters together for a rather large portion of this book, but what I found interesting is that we really get to see Jamie try and figure himself out. After August's death he's been a mess and while having Charlotte there might have made things better in the short run, in the long run, things might never have evolved in Jamie's character. Charlotte remains her ever enigmatic self, but I really appreciated the range in her character that we get to see from this book.

Romance: When it comes to the main romance of this series, I understand that the relationship between Jamie and Charlotte isn't the healthiest, but the great part is that it's still a relationship that can be developed. I want to see them happy and I want a happy ending for them, but their, for lack of a better term, complicated relationship is not exactly the softest nut to crack... is that even a saying. Anyway, their complex relationship is fantastic and I loved seeing it evolve and change over the course of this book. I'm completely obsessed with this atypical relationship and I really love where the author takes their relationship in this book.

World Building: So, whereas the first installment in this series put a large focus on the mystery element and the boarding school, and the second book was all about diversifying the relationships as well as solving the mystery of Leander Holmes' disappearance, this story really just felt more character driven than anything. I enjoyed the book and the story the author provides, I just wish there was more of a mystery element here, however, Lucien Moriarty has always been the big bad of this series and a mystery wouldn't exactly be compelling if we already knew for a fact who was behind it all. This story still has some shocking moments which I'll get to in a bit and I appreciated how we got to see Sherringford again, as it's where this story began, still, this story has a very large scope and it's interesting to see how far this series has come.

Predictability: Looking back on this book, other than the obvious, I couldn't really see where this story was going. I mean there were some pretty dramatic reveals in this book despite not having a central mystery. Lucien's plan for Jamie and Charlotte is extreme and there are some very unsettling things he's done in this book.

Ending: The final climax of this story went quite a bit faster than I expected, in fact, I remember going into the cooldown period feeling like I was missing some closure to the story, something that I didn't expect to get from the climax cooldown. The final climax itself, while quick, was still very tense and I wasn't 100% sure where the author was going to take the ending. Oh, and that little bit of closure I felt I didn't get, well the epilogue to this book is pretty spectacular.

Rating:

Going into this review I thought about giving this story a lower rating because I missed that central mystery to this story, but in the end, there's no way a central mystery could have compellingly worked out, and I have to say the story is freaking incredible!

Blog Tour Book Review: Otherworld (Otherworld #1) + GIVEAWAY!

Release Date: November 7, 2017
Authors: Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Length: 368 pages
Source: ARC for Tour

The Company says Otherworld is amazing—like nothing you’ve ever seen before. They say it’s addictive—that you’ll want to stay forever. They promise Otherworld will make all your dreams come true.

Simon thought Otherworld was a game. Turns out he knew nothing. Otherworld is the next phase of reality. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

And it’s about to change humanity forever.
Welcome to the Otherworld. No one could have seen it coming.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Simon has lived a rather lackluster life. Sure his parents are rich and ever since he was little he's had practically every toy he's ever wanted, but it all seemed like a mask. His friends weren't really his friends, his parents never seemed to care about him, and on the whole, he was extremely lonely. That is until he meets Kat, a girl who lives on the other side of the woods from his house. Years later he's run into some trouble with the law and he hasn't talked to Kat in months. To try and change all that he signs both Kat and himself up to beta test a new virtual reality game that sets off a chain reaction into secrets and lies about this amazing new technology. I actually really liked the character of Simon, I felt that all of his motivations felt incredibly realistic and while his life isn't exactly the most relatable, his overall character and how grounded he is, is very relatable.

Romance: I was a bit cautious when it came to the romance in this story. I wasn't exactly sure if there was even going to be a romance in this story, but after learning about Simon and Kat's history and the things they've each gone through in their lives I was quickly drawn to their romance. Their romance isn't a HUGE part of this story as they're only around each other for maybe 20% of the book at most, but their romance is very easy to root for and the connection between these two characters is almost like nothing I've seen before. Don't get me wrong there are characters that I've rooted for harder than these two, but something about their connection and who they are both as individuals as well as together just establishes a rightness between these two characters.

World Building: So, this is a story about virtual reality and how if it gets too real it can get very, very dangerous. This story reminded me a whole lot of both Sword Art Online (an anime) and Spy Kids 3: Game Over (a movie), all three stories deal with the threat of virtual reality but I really enjoyed seeing it in this form. The story takes place in both worlds, reality, and the Otherworld, so while the Otherworld type of stuff felt like adventuring in various locales and felt almost like a fantasy adventure, the stuff that takes place in reality, which eventually seeps into Otherworld, is more of a contemporary thriller, with a technological edge to it. Both worlds have their complexities, which really add to the depths this story goes.

Predictability: This story (and by extension its authors) does a great job of subverting expectations. I think a lot of that has to do with the rather vague synopsis, but that really does help to catch you off guard with the numerous twists and turns this story takes before even getting fully set up. Once the story takes off it does keep you on your toes. As for my reactions to the twists this story has in store, well honestly I didn't see a whole lot of them coming and that made it a rather wild ride. There were things I had vague notions about that were cleared up and cemented but in a way that still managed to make my jaw drop.

Ending: The ending to this story is really great. How the authors decided to tackle the final climax, or should I say climaxes? here was done really well. These characters really shone as the climax went down and I really loved where things left off at the end of it all. As for the epilogue, this story had, well it sort of felt unnecessary, I mean we do get to see some of the fall out from the final climax, but not enough that it couldn't have been in the beginning of the next installment.

Rating:

This story is an addictive and wild ride from start to finish. I can't wait to see where the authors are taking the characters and the story in the next installment!

About the Authors:

New York Times bestselling author Jason Segel used to have nightmares just like Charlie, and just like Charlie, he's learned that the things we're most afraid of are the things that can make us strong...if we're brave enough to face them. Jason likes acting, writing, making music, and hanging out with his friends. Sometimes he writes movies. Sometimes he writes songs for movies. Sometimes he stars in those movies and sings those songs. You might know him from The Muppets and Despicable Me. Your parents might know him from other stuff. Nightmares! is his first novel.

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

I write books.

Some of my books are what librarians call middle grade. (Kiki Strike, Nightmares!)

Some should be kept away from small children and people with weak stomachs. (How to Lead a Life of Crime, The Eternal Ones, Otherworld)

I write some books with Jason Segel.

I've written quite a few books on my own.

I'm an Aquarius.

My favorite food is cauliflower. (No joke.)

I will eat almost anything. And I'm weirdly proud of it.

I believe New York City is the most magical place on earth.

I love Dolly Parton and David Attenborough. Equally.

I cannot sing or play any musical instruments.

I'm obsessed with sewers and sanitation systems.

I once broke into a Mayan temple with my brother, Spike.

Spike is an alias. It's not his real name.

I also have a sister. She prefers to remain anonymous.

We have the same birthday.

Yes, that sucks.

I think that's all you need to know.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway!

3 winners will receive a finished copy of OTHERWORLD, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Deadzone (Horizon #2)

Release Date: September 12, 2017
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Length: 208 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

The survivors have made it out of the jungle, but they may be sorry they ever left when they stumble upon a whole new ecosystem, populated with entirely new threats.

And the greatest threat of all may come from within. Because one of the kids is changing...

The seven-book series begun by #1 New York Times bestseller Scott Westerfeld only gets bigger and bolder under the frenzied imagination of bestselling, critically acclaimed author Jennifer A. Nielsen!

    

Review:

Protagonists: As our heroes traverse a new ecosystem, more about their pasts come to light. After surviving the Rift's jungle the survivors of a downed Horizon flight have found that somehow they are right where they're supposed to be, just in some sort of Rift in the earth that houses multiple ecosystems and countless terrors. They journey to find the truth of where they are and hope to find a way home. There are still a lot of characters in this book, but by now I think I've gotten a good handle on who they are as characters and this book, while short, does a lot to flesh out these characters and show new sides of them. My favorite character is probably Yoshi, he's heroic and adventurous, but what really draws me to him is just how flawed he is. He's impulsive, selfish, stubborn, a lone wolf, and will lie to get his way, but that doesn't keep him from having some fantastic character development in this book. All of the characters, in some way or another, have similar character development, though it varies in substance.

World Building: A new book means a new environment, and a new environment means new challenges. One of the things that really hooked me about this world was that there's just this random rift in the middle of a tundra and that these kids have to traverse it uncovering secrets along the way. Honestly, other than showing off a completely new environment there isn't all that much in terms of world-building that I can talk about without spoiling things. Honestly, there isn't all that much, don't get me wrong the things learned in this book make up for that, it's just that I felt like I came out with more questions than answers and I'm interested to see how many are answered in the next installment.

Predictability: This book is by far more unpredictable than the previous one. In the first installment we were getting to know these characters and this world while crazy stuff happened, but now that it's easier to understand what's going on and just what might happen, well, it gets intense. I won't say that there are a whole lot of twists and turns in this story because a lot of this story is still about these characters and their interpersonal relationships as they try and escape, and also because this book is so short, but the twists that are in here are the gut-punching, I can't believe that just happened, kind. In terms of things I could predict, there wasn't all that much in fact I never had one of those, "Oh because of this, this, and this, that will happen" kind of moments.

Ending: As this book begins to head toward the final climax, I wasn't sure what would happen. Before I could really ponder it all that long, things... went... down... Now the final climax wasn't the intense action scene I was hoping for, but honestly, I was sort of intense action-ed out and liked that it became more of a game of intense strategy, with just a bit of action. The cooldown period was a bit plateaued, but the last line, that was a bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Rating:

Despite being a rather short book without all that much world building I really enjoyed this story and a lot of questions were raised and are still up in the air and I can't wait to see and learn more about this world!

Book Review: Horizon (Horizon #1)

Release Date: March 28, 2017
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Length: 241 pages
Source: Purchased Book

When a plane crash-lands in the arctic, eight young survivors step from the wreckage expecting to see nothing but ice and snow. Instead they find themselves lost in a strange jungle with no way to get home and little hope of rescue.

Food is running out. Water is scarce. And the jungle is full of threats unlike anything the survivors have ever seen before -- from razor-beaked shredder birds to carnivorous vines and much, much worse.

With danger at every turn, these eight kids must learn to work together to survive. But cliques and rivalries threaten to tear them apart. And not everyone will make it out of the jungle alive.

    

Review:

Protagonists: There are a LOT of characters in this story. On a crashed flight to Japan, eight teens are the only ones who seemed to have survived the wreckage. If their flight path is right they should be in a much colder climate, however, a quick look around shows that they are instead in a dense and odd jungle and a rescue seems unlikely. My biggest problem with this book wasn't the characters themselves, there's a highly diverse cast of characters who each add a special element to this story and have their own strengths and weaknesses. However, there are eight main characters and while it was easy to get a handle on a few of them, it didn't take too long before I started to mix up names and lose or mix up character descriptions. While it does get a bit better as the story proceeds, I really wish the cast of characters was cut down to a more manageable size.

World Building: I went into this book expecting something a bit more paranormal, however, I was mildly surprised and delighted to find a much more sci-fi book on my hands. The world building in this story is fantastic, as new discoveries are made the tone of the book only gets darker. It's sci-fi for sure but there's an element of a thriller in this story as well. The treats in this book are fantastically terrifying and while this is a bit more character driven, the world is still a bit of a character itself, but without much more than this strange jungle to explore and a rather short book there wasn't much more than terrifying sci-fi jungle cliches to experience for most of the book. The world building does get expanded toward the end, but talking about that would be a spoiler.

Predictability: Looking back over this book, I can't really remember a time when I predicted anything in this book. I don't mean that none of my predictions came true, more than I just never made predictions for this book. There were things I hoped to happen that either did or didn't, but since this is such a short book and there's a wide range of characters that we follow, there wasn't a whole lot of time to make predictions. That being said there were a bunch of twists to this story, with varying levels of shock and excitement from me, don't get me wrong there are some fantastic twists, but there are also moments that seem like twists, but never impacted me in that way.

Ending: As for the ending I never saw it coming and by that I mean I was listening to an audiobook from the library, I often switch if I have both physical/ebook and audiobook, and didn't realize the end was nigh. I could pinpoint a final climax and while it did have its intense moments I was hoping for something a bit more intense to send of this story with. I wanted something that would glue me to the page, or headphones as it was, and keep me captivated until the very last word. While I did enjoy the ending to this story and there is a fantastic and mind-boggling twist at the end of this story, I think I was just hoping for a more intense final action scene.

Rating:

Due to a large (although diverse) cast of characters it was a bit hard to really get into this book but when I did it was a fun, action-packed ride, and while I had hoped for a more intense final climax, I'm excited to see where this story will go.

Omnibus Review: The Dark (Through Glass #1-3)

Release Date: December 12, 2013
Author: Rebecca Ethington
Publisher: Imdalind Press
Length: 322 pages
Source: Purchased e-Book

Everyone remembered the day the sky went black. The day the sun was wiped from the sky. They remember the wind as it brought in the darkness; the way the earth shook and everything changed.

Everyone remembered the screams as the darkness ate those who were out in the open, those who had surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise.

Everyone remembered the voice from the sky and the way food disappeared.

At least, that’s what I hoped. I hoped that there was an ‘everyone’ that would remember because I am not sure how many are left, how many survived. Or if anyone did.
I hoped that I wasn’t alone.
I remembered that day.
I remembered because it was the day I became alone.
It was the day that everything was perfect until the monsters took it away. Then the house went silent and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.

The boy I talk to through the glass.

    

Review:

Protagonist: At the start of this book, our main character, Alexis, is going through a lot of typical things a graduating high school senior would, whether or not to blow off that assignment, what to take to college, and wondering why her best friend, who she's been in love with nearly all her life, is looking at her different. If only these were her main struggles in this novel, but unfortunately all hell breaks loose and now her main goal is surviving the monsters that appeared as if from nowhere and blotted out the skies, the monsters who rule with an iron fist, who will kill you if you break their rules. After two years in the hell wrought by these monsters, Lex just wants life to go back to normal, she wants to have real conversations, not just signing back and forth through panes of glass to Cohen, the only human she knows left alive. She grows sick and tired of the monotonous daily life she has, but with no way to fight back all seems hopeless. Okay, so I'm really trying not to spoil anything, as I usually use the synopsis to gauge what would be too much of a spoiler, but what I can say is that I really like Lex as a character. She's a survivor in more ways than one and when push comes to shove she'll do whatever it takes not only save herself but those she cares about as well.

Romance: There actually isn't as much romance in this as I expected there to be. A few years ago I did read the first novella in this series, which takes up the first "Part" of this novel, and there's a good amount of romance in it. In fact, I remember thinking how it felt a lot like an insta-love, however since we got a good sense of the characters' history and their chemistry was written very well, the pacing of the romance never bothered me, and honestly that still held true when I read it again. However, the first part is really where the majority of the romance is. I guess after the world goes to shit it's not exactly the best time to be all lovey-dovey and romantic. I really do like the romance between Lex and Cohen, it's so sweet and innocent at first, while Lex has known her feelings for Cohen so long, Cohen is just discovering his and then throw this whole apocalypse thing into the mix and things get really intense really fast.

World Building: One of the things that have always fascinated me about this series is how it doesn't just pick up post-apocalypse, instead there's a good chunk of the book that reads more like a contemporary. Everything is light and fluffy, the most our main character has to worry about is if the boy she likes, likes her back. Then all hell breaks loose and we get to see it happen, we learn about it from someone who survived it, instead of picking up with someone long after the apocalypse has happened. The word I would use to describe this world is "Dark" in every sense of the word. The pain and struggles that Lex and Cohen go through on a daily basis are laid out for the reader to see and experience. I really wish I could talk more, I mean, there are definitely things I want to say that I don't think would be too spoilery, but I don't want to risk it, instead I'll say that the terror you see in the beginning of this catastrophe is just that, the beginning.

Predictability: One of the great things about Rebecca Ethington is that she doesn't follow a set of tropes when she writes her stories, while there are definitely some tropes in this story, for the most part, things happen in an unexpected manner. Even with the many, many stories I've read by her, I still get blown away when she throws a curveball into this story, and let me tell you there's an intense curveball thrown into this story. Obviously, I won't tell you what it is, but even though there was a bit of foreshadowing I still never saw it coming, and I'm extremely interested to see how it plays out in later installments. Overall, this story has a great balance of moments that, given the amount of foreshadowing, you can see coming, and moments that will drop your jaw and slap you silly.

Ending: Gah! There are so many things I felt during this finale. I mean, it's obvious that this is just the beginning. There's a great final climax that raises just as many, if not more questions than it answers, and then, during that moment where normally you'd have a cooldown period, and since this is a first book you'd probably plateau it so that the wait for the next book isn't as agonizing, yeah that's gone. Instead, we get a cliffhanger followed by an epilogue of sorts that just raises more questions and makes the wait, if there was one, P.S. there's not, all the more excruciating.

Rating:

Holy crap, did I love this book. I mean the characters are incredible, the action is amazing, and the world building is out of this world. There are definitely parts of the book, small, if not minuscule, where the narrative drags, but once a certain point is hit, things speed up and don't slow down. I can't wait to dive into the next installment.

Collide by Michelle Madow (WOW #24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that everyone’s excited about!

I should have died when I was shot at the Halloween dance. 

Instead, I woke up—one week earlier, in a parallel universe where my mom's fatal car accident six months ago never happened. 

A world with my mom still in it was all I ever wanted. But in this timeline, everything is different—my grades, my friends, and even my boyfriend. I'm a stranger in my own body, and I don’t like who I’ve become. 

But one thing is the same—that shooting will still happen at the end of the week. 

I'm the only one who knows. Which means I'm the only one who can stop it. 

But first I need to convince someone—anyone—that I’m telling the truth... and then get them to help me. 

Collide releases on February 9, 2017, from Dreamscape Publishing

Ooooooh, you guys this sounds good. Okay, so Madow's books in the past for me have been kind of hit or miss, granted they were mostly hits, and I am a tad hesitant about this one, but it does sound really interesting and the cover is just visually stunning. Plus I'm a sucker for time-travel/alternate universe fiction!

So, what are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Blog Tour Book Spotlight: Useless Bay

Release Date: October 18, 2016
Author: M.J. Beaufrand
Publisher: Amulet Books
Length: 240

A gritty, psychological thriller about a mythic set of sixteen-year-old quintuplets searching for a young boy.

On Whidbey Island, the Gray quintuplets are the stuff of legend. Pixie and her brothers have always been bigger and blonder than their neighbors, as if they were birthed from the island itself. Together, they serve as an unofficial search-and-rescue team for the island, saving tourists and locals alike from the forces of wind and sea. But, when a young boy goes missing, the mysteries start to pile up. While searching for him, they find his mother’s dead body instead—and realize that something sinister is in their midst. Edgar-nominated author M. J. Beaufrand has crafted another atmospheric thriller with a touch of magical realism that fans of mystery and true crime will devour.

Buy Links:

    

About the Author:

Mary Jane grew up in Gresham, Oregon. She’s a graduate of Wellesley College and has an MFA from the Bennington Writing Program. Currently, she lives in Seattle with her husband, two children, and dogs. In the eighties, she had a bad perm.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of USELESS BAY. US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/10/2017- The Autumn Bookshelf- Interview

10/11/2017- Zach's YA Reviews- Spotlight

10/12/2017- The Alchemy of Ink- Review

10/13/2017- Bean's Bookshelf and Coffee Break- Review

10/14/2017- Curling Up With A Good Book- Interview

Week Two:

10/17/2017- Michelle4Laughs: It's in the Details- Excerpt

10/18/2017- In a bookish world- Excerpt

10/19/2017- The Bookworm Central- Review

10/20/2017- Eli to the nth- Review

10/21/2017- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt

Book Review: The Outliers (The Outliers #1)

Release Date: May 3, 2016
Author: Kimberly McCreight
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 352 pages
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

From the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia comes a fast-paced teen series where one girl learns that in a world of intrigue, betrayal, and deeply buried secrets, it is vital to trust your instincts.

It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself.

This time it’s different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help. Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn’t feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him.

But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast. As Wylie and Jasper head farther and farther north into the dense woods of Maine, Wylie struggles to control her growing sense that something is really wrong. What isn’t Cassie telling them? And could finding her be only the beginning?

In this breakneck tale, New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight brilliantly chronicles a fateful journey that begins with a single decision—and ends up changing everything.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Wylie has had a whirlwind few months. She's lost her mother, she isn't really talking to her best friend after their last fight, and she hasn't been able to leave the house in three weeks. However when Wylie receives a text from Cassie saying that she messed up again and Wylie needs to come rescue her, Wylie drop everything to come to her aid. Wylie isn't your typical YA heroine, she's a strong character for sure, but she doesn't really fit into the archetype of the typical heroine, she's anxious about everything, she's still grieving the loss of her mother, but still she pushes past all the negative emotions to try and rescue her estranged best friend. Wylie is a many layered character and I really liked her development over the course of this book, it's subtle but it's there.

World-Building: So, going into this book I expected it to be sort of a YA thriller about a girl going to save her best friend, which it is, but it's more than that. Without giving too much away I'll say there's a lot going on in this book, and when we get to the meat of the world building this book explodes with wonder. I'll talk a little bit more about my experience going into the larger world building in the next section, but let's just say it was a shock. As you can no doubt see there is no romance section to this review but I do want to talk about it a little bit here. There really isn't a romance in this book, hence no section, but unless I'm mistaken there's some foreshadowing to future romance sometime in the next to books. I have to say there were times when I thought there was a spark between Wylie and Cassie's boyfriend, Jasper, but before too long there would be something to squished those thoughts.

Predictability: The foreshadowing in this book is ON POINT! I love the way the author weaves key pieces of information into the text as if they're just trow away lines of world-building is astonishing. This book has several twists, but there's one big one that sort of starts the snowball sown the hill. This is a twist I didn't see coming at all, but after it was revealed, I knew I should have. After that I kept getting stumped by twists. There isn't an overabundance of them, but they carry a heavy impact on the story. Even the little things I saw coming had some sort of twist to them that I couldn't guess. I'd advise you to stick with the tagline of this book and "Trust Your Instincts."

Ending: With this book being so fast paced it was hard to isolate the final climax. However it is there, it's not a scene full of action and battles, but it's there. The cooldown period of the book though is where everything comes into place. When I went into this book I didn't figure out that it wasn't a standalone until quite a few chapters into it. I wanted to check  the length and chapter count and that's when my eyes, of their own accord, roamed over and saw the cliffhanger ending. Boy was it a doozy, however it wasn't until I was actually reading the end, when the full impact of the ending hit me. I'm excited for the next book, mad at the author for leaving it like that, and just overall emotionally drained.

Rating:

I was not expecting this book to be this good! I mean I expected to like it, but I freaking LOVED this book. It's super fast paced, it grabs you and won't let you go until you're on the floor sobbing over this story, and it's so worth it too!

Book Review: The League of Delphi (The Delphi Trilogy #1)

Release Date: July 22, 2012
Author: Chris Everheart
Publisher: Yellow Rocket Media
Length: 300 pages
Source: Review Copy via NetGalley

History’s darkest secrets hide in plain sight.

A lone teen, a suspicious death, an ancient conspiracy. The first book of the gripping new Delphi series, The League of Delphi draws you in, takes you on a tense and thrilling ride, and leaves you wanting more.

Ten years after his father's mysterious death, 17-year-old Zach secretly returns to his wealthy hometown in search of answers. Why did his mother move him away then go into hiding to die alone? Why did she change his name, forbidding him to ever reveal his true identity? Why was he never allowed to return home?

Left with nothing and no one, Zach is desperate to reconnect with this seemingly “perfect” town. But something isn’t right. When a local teen commits suicide and no one seems to care, Zach’s hopes collapse into disenchantment and suspicion. Ashley, a local teenager on the fringe, piques his interest with whispers of a secret committee controlling the lives of everyone around them. Could it be true? Together, Zach and Ashley delve into the hidden life of the town and discover a dark connection to Ancient Greece and the Oracle at Delphi. Their suspicions are confirmed - but the conspiracy is more terrifying and dangerous than they ever imagined...

    

Review:

Protagonist: Zach White grew up in Arcanville but was swept off to France by his mother after his father's disappearance and apparent death. Now he's back and searches for clues as to why he had to be swept off so suddenly and why his late mother insisted that Arcanville was dangerous. For the most part I liked Zach. However it felt really hard to truly know him, especially when he kept his real name secret even from the reader. I wouldn't have had a problem if I had even the slightest inkling that it was going to be this big important thing down the line, but no, it never felt important which only added to my aggravation. Honestly, I don't know if there was any real character development for him, he's not a fully realized character by any shot, but he doesn't really change or grow at all through this adventure.

Romance: So at first the romance seemed to be going really well. There wasn't any insta-love and while Zach had more than one romantic interest, it never felt like a live triangle as the only romantic interest to take seriously was Ashley. Then, things went all to hell. I'm talking the L-word, which wouldn't have been a big deal had this couple earned it, but it was said after like two days, maybe even one day after they actually expressed any romantic interest in the other. From then on I felt no connection to the couple and the romance scenes were just weird and awkward. I mean, I've read insta-love stories that I connected to more than this.

World-Building: So this series initially piqued my interest because while I'm not obsessed with it, conspiracy theories and secret societies always fascinate me, plus the link to Greek mythology, which I am obsessed with, was a huge plus. The whole secret society things was a bit confusing at first, I was never quite sure what they do and how they affected this town, but as the story goes on things became much more clear and it became really fascinating. I was actually surprised with how much this drew from Greek mythology, but there was actually a really cool connection with the old stories that really added to why I found the society so fascinating.

Predictability: Since the center of this book is this great big secret society and conspiracy there's quite a lot of secrets in this book and far more twists than I was expecting. While there were times when I felt the foreshadowing was a bit heavy handed, sometimes it would really surprise me and the reveal I thought it was leading me to would turn on it's head and be something different, although related. There were of course times when it was easy to see what's going on, even if the protagonist was completely in the dark.

Ending: So the ending of this book was a bit weird. I felt like it should have ended maybe one chapter sooner. It's not that the final chapter was bad or the cliffhanger it left readers on wasn't necessarily poorly executed, but it just sort of felt out of place with the book. The "final" climax of the book was so action pact and full of suspense, and then the cool down for the book was very well done that adding some more suspense and climax for just the last chapter felt out of place.

Rating:

So this was a fairly hard book for me to rate, because there's a lot to this book that I loved, but unfortunately the quick pace of the romance once it got started made me lose any connection for the romance I had and any connection I had to the two individuals involved.