Review: Plus One by Elizabeth Fama

Plus One by Elizabeth Fama
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: April 8th 2014
My Rating: DNF

A dying wish. A family divided. A love that defies the law. Sol Le Coeur is a Smudge--a night dweller in an America rigidly divided between people who wake, live, and work during the hours of darkness and those known as Rays, who live and work during daylight. Impulsive, passionate, and brave, Sol concocts a plan to kidnap her newborn niece--a Ray--in order to bring the baby to visit her dying grandfather. Sol's violation of the day/night curfew is already a serious crime, but when her kidnap attempt goes awry, she stumbles on a government conspiracy to manipulate the Smudge population. Sol escapes the authorities with an unexpected ally: a Ray who gets in her way, a boy she might have hated if fate hadn't forced them on the run together--a boy the world now tells her she can't love. Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day/night divide, Elizabeth Fama's Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights, and a fast-paced romantic adventure story.

Plus One was another book where I fell hard and fast for the gorgeous cover, but unfortunately the book didn’t end up living to my expectations. The story had a lot of potential to go far, I was immediately sucked into this day and night divide; people were either Smudges (could only be up and about during the night or Rays (did everything during the day time). I was intrigued in finding out how this division first came about, and how people coped with the curfews in place. I know for one I wouldn’t be able to live the life of a Smudge. And plus when your family was divided like Sol’s family was, her brother had recently been transferred to a Ray and had no contact with her for the past two years, so had to care for her ill grandfather all on her own, along with going to school and working too. Sol really had a lot to deal with, but I liked how tough and resilient she was, she would literally do anything to care for her grandfather, even kidnapping a baby to see him happy.

The whole aspect of kidnapping the baby, mix up and being chased down was a part I really enjoyed, I couldn’t understand why and how the mix up would happen, I was dying to know who was behind it all. But most of all I wanted things to go back to the way they were for Sol, she had jeopardised a lot in taking the risk that she did, but I liked how she wasn’t all alone, the unexpected alliances she found in Jean and D’Arcy I did appreciate. I had a feeling of how things would develop between D’Arcy and Sol and I liked the slow burn relationship that came about. I didn’t really know if I could trust D’Arcy at the beginning, but as the story progressed I got to know his character more, the more I admired the risk he posed to himself and his family by helping Sol and to be honest he was such a sweetheart when everything was falling apart Sol. Also you know guy’s who continue to help or lurk about even when you’ve told them you’re fine, are the ones I could never resist.

The fact that I DNF’d Plus One was largely because up until a certain point the story went well over my head for me. I was truly invested in the beginning to find out what really had gone down, but after new characters were thrown in the mix and I wasn’t getting any answers you could say I sort of lost interest. I did want to find out how things would end for all our characters, but this year I’ve made the resolution that if a book doesn’t keep my interest up until a certain point, then I just admit defeat, instead of forcing myself through like I did with so many books last year, which is a real shame with Plus One as it had been a book which I’d really been looking forward to reading. Fama’s writing however was exquisite, so much so that I shall be looking forward to picking up more of her books. Hopefully they work out better for me than Plus One did.

The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2) by Rick Yancey

The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2) by Rick Yancey
Publisher: Penguin UK
Publication Date: September 16th 2014
My rating: 4 stars 

THE 1st WAVE Took out half a million people. THE 2nd WAVE Put that number to shame. THE 3rd WAVE Lasted a little longer. Twelve weeks . . . Four billion dead. IN THE 4th WAVE, You can't trust that people are still people. AND THE 5th WAVE? No one knows. But it's coming. For Cassie Sullivan and the rest of Earth's remaining human survivors, the situation was already desperate when the 5th Wave hit. It's about to get worse. No one yet knows the depths to which Earth's conquerors - the Others - will sink in order to rid the Earth of the human infestation, nor have they guessed the heights to which the human spirit can reach. Characters introduced in Book One will come to the fore - and others will face the ultimate test.

I LOVED The 5^th Wave, so much so that I pre-ordered The Infinite Sea immediately. But being the mood reader I was I couldn’t get into The Infinite Sea no matter how many times I tried. So I was overjoyed when watching the film The 5th Wave (which I loved) reignited my enthusiasm to give The Infinite Sea another go and I’m glad that I did.

Things weren’t left in the best way in The 5^th Wave; I was worried that we wouldn’t be seeing much of one of my favourite characters that I had become thoroughly attached to. He’d gone on to show that despite being different he could still have strong feelings for another human being and how he put his neck on the line and the affection he shared despite lots of people not trusting him, made me want to have the faith that things would be okay. Once again the chapters were confusing to start off with as we didn’t know whose perspective we were being told the story from. I did enjoy the back story that we were able to get from particular characters, but once again I found myself gravitating towards chapters from my favourite characters. Even though the perspectives from other characters (like Ringer) were an integral part of the story, I wanted to go back to being with Cassie and find out what was going on with her and the others, so you could say that I was slightly disappointed of that small snippet we were given at the end and then left hanging for more! (highlight to  view spoiler) to be honest I was expecting more from Evan and Cassie, more of their romance to develop, it was clear that they perfect for one another. I love how with their kept promises, they always wanted to come back to one another and how Evan was always looking out for Cassie. But time really wasn’t on their side, with the odds stacked against the humans, them never knowing who was a human or not and the others upping their tactics, Evan and Cassie then could only make use of the time they had L

Despite this being my only complaint, I still enjoyed reading The Infinite Sea, I enjoyed the twists that Yancey gave us along the way (the introduction of Evan’s ex was a particular favourite of mine, and I enjoyed the anticipation of watching it enfold, honestly she was such a formidable force to be reckoned with). But also how when kids had hope that they were finally making some sort of progress, something else would kick off and all hope would get chucked out the window. But I liked how these characters continued to battle despite death and despair all around them, I especially liked Ringer’s strength as a character. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, I liked how Yancey sprinkled humour throughout the story, Ben was pretty banged up for the most of the story, but he was such a funny character, he was quick to bring a smile to my face with his witty comments. So overall although I didn’t end up enjoying The Infinite Sea as much I did The 5^th Wave, I will still be eagerly anticipating the release of The Last Star (thank goodness the release is just around the corner) to see how things will pan out for these characters that I have become far too attached to!

Review: Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword (Red Queen #2) by Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: February 11th 2016 
My rating: 3 stars

I fell hard and fast for Red Queen last year, the amazing world the Aveyard created, fast pace and brilliance of characters was sort of hard not to love. So of course I was eagerly anticipating Glass Sword, I couldn’t wait to be back with my favourite characters once more and see how everyone would be dealing with what had gone down, especially as the wrath of so many characters would be expected.

The world Aveyard created was once again brilliant, there was always danger looming around every corner, with you never knowing what could happen and you being in a constant fear of something happening to somebody you loved. But I think Mare’s character sort of dampened my experience of the book, yes I did expect her to be a changed character after everything that happened in Red Queen, but at times she really came across as this insensitive cold person and I think that really came across more strongly when a lot of characters who knew Mare pointed that out too. At times I wanted to shake some sense into her and be like look at all the good things in front of you, why do you keep being drawn back to that one person? And I could see that everything that she wanted to do and was willing to sacrifice, was for the greater good of everyone else, but I just wanted our old Mare back, the one who could have a joke about with Julian, who was clever and skilled but still knew when to reign her control into check. Who didn’t lie constantly to these who deeply cared about her and who just for once listened to her heart.

My complaints about Mare aside, other characters were able to step up and really make my reading experience of Glass Sword a worthwhile one. There was Cal who despite me not having a clue most of the time what he was thinking, I loved having him around, his demeanour always came across sort of scary and untrustworthy, but the poor guy had been through so much and he found himself with people he didn’t really know if he could trust. But I always loved how he came through, how he was always willing to do things he wouldn’t have dreamed of, he was such a torn character, but that I think made me fall for him so much more. Despite being vulnerable, his strength he displayed was immense. Then there was Kilorn, I loved the happy go lucky guy we were given in Red Queen, and although we got snatches of that in this book, again like many others Kilorn was another forlorn character who had been through so much but was still trying to hold his head up high. Alongside Cal and Kilorn there were a great bunch of new characters that Aveyard introduced that although I was wary of to begin with, they had me excited at every scene with them, in wonder of all the things that could come. These new characters also gave off a great X-Men sort of vibe, with their various abilities that I wish more time could have been spent getting to know these characters. Hopefully more time will be spent with them in future books.

Aveyard also knew exactly how to bring up the tension and create wonderful scenes of destruction and power. Also the journey along the way for our characters was exquisitely sprinkled with fast paced scenes of brilliance which really raised my heart rate and blood pressure through the roof. I only wish alongside this, all the potential romance that had subtle hints of coming through had been focused on more. But with so many things going on and the story being pulled in so many possible directions, I could understand Aveyard’s need to put it on the backburner. Overall despite me not enjoying Glass Sword as much as I would have hoped, this book didn’t end up putting me off the rest of the series. We were dropped with so much hurt and bombshells in the end, that I know the wait for book three is just going to be a killer.

Blog Tour: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Hi all, today I get to share my review of Dumplin' by Julie Murphy as part of the Dumplin' Blog Tour, before that though here's a bit about the book. 

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray 
Publication Date: January 28th 2016. 

Willowdean Dickson lives in Texas and abides by the Dolly Parton mantra ‘Find out who you are and do in on purpose’. She accepts herself for what she is – fat. But in her town The Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant is a way of life and skinny and pretty are considered paramount. Although Will is comfortable in her own skin, no-one else seems to accept her for the way she is. With a group of friends who are also categorised as ‘misfits’ in her town, she embarks on a mission to change perceptions– entering The Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant in a bid to show that she deserves to be there as much as any twiggy girl does.

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

I don’t know why I assumed that Dumplin’ wouldn’t be my sort of read, but Murphy really surprised me with this book. Willowdean isn’t your typical MC, she’s a big girl compared to others, but I admired the confidence and spunk that Murphy gave her character. When she found her back against the wall, I loved how she came fighting back. With the annual pageant around the corner, no one’s expecting Will to enter, I don’t think Will was expecting it herself, but before you know it Will and a couple of girls from school end up signing up. I liked how Will’s reason for entering wasn’t just to win, but just to show that she could.

Will and her friends really had a lot to deal with, but I enjoyed how this pageant actually made these girls find a friendship in the most unexpected of places, how it gave them the encouragement and belief to believe in themselves. It was a learning curve for them, but the character development which came out of it was fantastic. At the beginning of the story I thought I knew the way things would end up for Will, but I appreciated the problems that Will had to deal with along the way, her unexpected feelings for Bo, her topsy turvy relationship with her best friend and still trying to deal with the death of her aunt, because they made Will the person that she was. Like I mentioned before Will was a tough person, but the support she received in the most unlikely of places, from the girls or Bo was super sweet to watch play out.

I adored Bo, he was the moments of sweetness that Will needed when things were tough at home and confusing with her best friend. Their scenes together gave me the assurance and belief that everything was going to be okay and it was great to see Will happy. I’m not going to mention how things ended up, but Bo’s continual presence in the story really made my day, like I know a lot of things were happening for Will and although I didn’t agree with some of her decisions, all I wanted was for Will and Bo to be together.

Dumplin’ was such a rich and complex story which really had so much to offer. I appreciated the take home messages that Murphy had scattered throughout this story, how Murphy gave such a resilient character in Willowdean that I know a lot of readers would appreciate and look up to.

About the author: Julie Murphy is a potty-mouthed Southern belle who was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but found her home in Fort Worth, Texas. She's never seen Star Wars, but has yet to meet a made for TV movie she didn't love. When she's not writing, Julie can be found cruising Costco for free samples, watching Sister Act 2, stalking drag queens on instagram, obsessing over the logistics of Mars One, and forever searching for the perfect slice of cheese pizza. She lives with her bearded husband, two vicious cats, and one pomeranian that can pass as a bear cub. DUMPLIN' is her second young adult novel.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter 

The Blog Tour for Dumplin' just kicked off this week, so make sure you check out the rest of the fantastic tour stops!

 

Review: The Bitter Season by Tami Hoag

The Bitter Season (Kovac & Liska #5) by Tami Hoag
Publisher: Dutton
Publication date: January 12th 2016
My rating: 4 stars 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Audible

 

EVERY FAMILY HAS A SECRET. THEIRS WILL CHILL YOU TO THE CORE.

#1  New York Times Bestselling author Tami Hoag returns to the bestselling series of her career with a Kovac and Liska case that will delight fans and new readers alike.

A murder from the past. A murder from the present. And a life that was never meant to be... As the dreary, bitter weather of late fall descends on Minneapolis, Detective Nikki Liska is restless. After moving to the cold case squad in order to spend more time with her sons, she misses the rush of pulling an all-nighter, the sense of urgency of hunting a murderer on the loose. Most of all she misses her old partner, Sam Kovac.

Sam is having an even harder time adjusting to Nikki's absence, saddled with a green new partner younger than pieces of Sam's wardrobe. Sam is distracted from his troubles by an especially brutal double homicide: a middle-aged husband and wife bludgeoned and hacked to death in their home with a ceremonial Japanese samurai sword. Nikki's case, the unsolved murder of a family man, community leader, and decorated sex crimes detective for the Minneapolis PD, is less of a distraction: Twenty years later, there is little hope for finding the killer who got away.

On the other end of the spectrum, Minneapolis resident Evi Burke has a life she only dreamed of as a kid in and out of foster homes: a beautiful home, a family, people who love her, a fulfilling job. Little does she know that a danger from her past is stalking her perfect present. A danger powerful enough to pull in both Kovac and Liska and destroy the perfect life she was never meant to have.

My Thoughts:

The Bitter Season is book five in the Kovac and Liska series, but you don’t need to read the previous books to enjoy this crime procedural type mystery.  The story kept my rapt attention as Nikki Liska and Sam Kovac questioned suspects, walked in the shoes of the victims, and dug deep down for clues.

Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska have been partners in the Homicide division for many years, but Nikki has just transferred to Cold Cases to get away from the long hours required for fresh homicide investigations in order to spend more time with her two teenage sons.  As a single parent, she wants to put her boys first.  Nikki misses the excitement and adrenaline rush from Homicide, but she learns that Cold Case has its own special challenges.  I’m thinking that by the end of The Bitter Season, Nikki might just welcome boring once and a while!  I think I would! Sam and Nikki have their own cases they’re working on, but in a bizarre twist they end up tying together. 

Sam lands a sensational double homicide where a well-to-do middle aged married couple is murdered in their home with a samurai sword.  The scene is messy, bloody and attracts the media’s attention immediately.   The husband, Lucien Chamberlin was generally disliked by his work colleagues and family, so there is no shortage of suspects.

Nikki’s homicide, a sex crimes detective, shot and killed in his own backyard, happened twenty-five years earlier.  She’s hindered at every turn by almost every family member, which completely floors, Nikki.  Who doesn’t want the murder of a loved one solved?  The original investigating detective, a chauvinistic dinosaur, is also a pain in the ass, but no one gets in Nikki’s way when it comes to an investigation.  She’s a little determined powerhouse with balls!  Nikki had me cracking up throughout the story!

“Could we have some kind of signal for when you’re about to say something outrageous?” Seley asked. “I almost peed my pants!”

“A signal would require premeditation on my part. I just open my mouth and stuff comes out.”

I’ve enjoyed Tami Hoag’s mysteries for years.  The Bitter Season had many twists and turns, and I was glued to pages, but I thought the final reveal was rushed and there were a few things I wished would’ve been expounded on.  The main focus of the Kovac and Liska series has always been the main mystery with a sprinkling of personal their personal lives.  I do wish Tami Hoag would give them a love interest.   I thought (hoped?) that maybe they’d fall in love with each other, especially now that they’re separated somewhat in their job. I guess I’ll have to keep wishing and hoping.  Maybe in the next book?

3.5-4 Stars