Tuesday 24 July 2012

Review: Circle of Silence by Carol M. Tanzman


Circle of Silence (WiHi, #2)

  Title: Circle of Silence
  Author: Carol M. Tanzman
  Publisher: Harlequin Teen
  Publication date: 24th July 2012
  Source: NetGalley
  My rating: 4 stars



Goodreads Decripstion: THE BIGGEST STORY OF MY LIFE COULD BE HOW IT ENDS It's my turn to run a "Campus News" crew, and I've put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flagpole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda or initiation secrets-until a student lands in the hospital under "strange" circumstances.

I "will" blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt...or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don't trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is "not" important to this story.)

But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera, or a victim in the top story of the newscast...be sure to watch "Campus News" at 9:00 a.m. this Friday.

This was heart poundingly good!

Seventeen year-old Valerie Gaines prime focus in life is to find and amazing news story that will propel her into the college of her dreams.  Being a news reporter is a goal she’s been working on since the eighth grade.  So when a series of bizarre school pranks happens, Valerie thinks she may have struck reporter gold.  The first and second pranks seem harmless but the third one hints at more sinister things to come, and they are all signed by MP.  Who or what is MP? This is what Valerie and her teammates on Campus News set out to discover.  However, just when Valerie thinks she has everything under control, her ex-boyfriend, Jagger, unexpectedly enrolls into the class and is assigned to her team.  Just what does he think he’s playing at?  He’s the one who ruined things.  Valerie will not let him distract her from getting what she’s worked so hard for.  And, she’s not about to let her heart be broken again! 

Valerie was an easy character to connect with, and you get caught up in the mystery trying to figure out things right along with her.  In spite of knowing that Jagger ruined his relationship with Valerie by kissing another girl, I ended up loving him.  I know, I know!  Don’t make that face, let me explain.  Jagger knew he screwed up majorly and Valerie doesn’t just let him have a free pass.  She busts his chops for a bit and then they end up moving beyond the past, and becoming friends again BEFORE anything romantic was even a suggestion.  Jagger wasn’t in a good place when he made a stupid choice, but I like the fact that he owned up to his mistake instead of trying to make excuses.  That’s the best way to handle a bad choice, and a great lesson for anyone.  That being said, the romance in this story was not the main focus.  Figuring out the mystery behind MP before the pranks turn deadly is the center of this story.  While I seriously suspected one person’s involvement, I was surprised at some of the revelations.   There is a wonderful secondary cast of characters, including Valerie’s large family and her teammates on the Campus News.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful thrill ride.  The ending really had me at the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put this book down!  I couldn’t keep my eyes open last night and at 68%.  I had to go to bed!   So I woke up and started reading and was late going into work because of it!!  Let’s hope no one there reads this review!  This story was the companion novel in the WiHi series by Ms. Tanzman.  While there are some characters from the first story that pop up, you don’t have to read dancergirl first to enjoy Circle of Silence.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for allowing me to read this.

 

12 comments:

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

Ha! I love that this book made you late for work! ;) That's always a good sign that you couldn't stop reading. This sounds fantastic! After your review of the first book too, I think I will have to reshuffle my reading list to get around to this series faster. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rachel! :)

Anonymous said...

I haven't read the first book of the series yet, but I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as you enjoyed the first one. LOL. It's funny that you were late for work. Those kinds of books are always the best. I love a good mystery and this one seems to have a solid one. Plus, the characters seem very intelligent and know how to make good decisions.
Great review, Rachel ! :)

Anonymous said...

Confession to make: I made a face when you mentioned Jagger, but I completely understand now why you really liked him inspite of his mistake. I think I would, too. :)

Lovely review, Rachel (not that I expected any less of you!) It's always such a pleasure to read your reviews. :)

Giselle said...

AAH I can't wait to read this one. I was never actually late for work, but I have stayed up WAYYY past my bedtime and then was a zombie the whole day after haha. I love books that are so addicting and Im reading this one in a few days for the tour! Awesome review, Rachel!

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

This sounds good! I love a good thriller/ mystery thriller and if this one made you late to work it must have been lots of fun! Jagger sounds like a good character, too. I like that he is flawed and made a mistake, that makes him more realistic vs. the golden boy who everyone swoons over!

Unknown said...

Aww, don't worry, Rachel, I won't make face if you love guys who redeem himself! ;) I'm so excited that you love this book! After your mind blowing review of Dancergirl, I know that I have to read books from this author! x) And ooh, don't we just have love/hate relationship with books that make us stay up all night and ruin everything in our schedule because we can't tear ourselves away? xD

Amazing review as always, sweetheart! <3

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

To tell you the truth, I wasn't making a face at all. I can totally imagine getting past such a mistake as long as the person seems honest and determined not to do anything like it again. It depends on the circumstances, of course, but what you described wouldn't bother me a bit.
Wonderful review, Rachel! I is intrigued. :)

Aneeqah said...

I didn't realize that this book was like a companion to Dancergirl! I may have to read that one before I pick this one up. I love that there's a lot of mysetery in this book, I love a good mystery. And it makes me happy that the romance is there, but not the main focus of the story.

I also love how you stayed up late and were late to work!! That's definitely an indicator that a book is super addicting. ;)

Fabulous review, Rachel! <3

-Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life

Aa'Ishah said...

Rachel, you've done it. You've convinced me to give this a go. I just added Dancergirl, I'll go do the same for this. :D Valerie sounds sensible and independent, and I'm glad that Jagger at least owned up to his mistakes. The suspense and mystery sounds intriguing! Hehe, the fact that you were late to work just proves how good this is. Brilliant review, Rachel! :)

Vegan YA Nerds said...

Great review, Rach! And thanks for letting me know about whether or not I should read DG - I won't be able to get it any time soon so I will just read CoS first and now I am 100x more excited (and I can't wait to meet Jagger!)

Rachel said...

Fantastic review Rachel!!!!!! I defiantly want to read this book with a great mystery, exciting enough that you wanted to read it more than getting to work on time. yay, for a person who makes a mistake and owes up to it! Excited to read this book and it is already out!!!!! Yippe!

Eunice said...

I really have to check this series out soon! I'm glad you enjoyed this, Rachel! This sounds even more gripping and thrilling than the first one. Fantastic review!

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