Book Review: Slated

Title: Slated
Author: Teri Terry
Publisher: Orchard Books
Year of Publication: 2012
Summary: Kyla’s memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

Review: Let me start out by saying - this book was basically AMAZING. It was so good! I was drawn in from the very beginning - Teri Terry does an excellent job at weaving a story and creating characters that jump off the page. If I hadn't have been so busy I would have finished this novel in one sitting.

The world building was exquisite and believable. Teri Terry did an excellent job of distributing information throughout the book. The problem I have with a lot of dystopian or post-major event novels is the author tries to throw many details in very early in the book. This was certainly not the case in Slated. Details were revealed as they were needed, and not in huge clumps.

The characters were interesting and diverse, and they changed and grew with the story. For example at the beginning Kyla's new dad was joking and loving whereas her new mum was cold and aloof - in fact, I hated her mum at first, and then I quickly grew to love her. The teenagers were believable teenagers who rebelled and did stupid teenage things and were not perfect but especially in the case of Amy, they loved and cared about each other.

The only complaint I have about this story - and it's a big one - is the ending. WHY TERI TERRY? WHY? That should not have been the end of the story - that was a crap ending and I am frankly a bit mad that such an amazing novel was let down by that ending. It did not feel like the story was over at all. There was no climax. I would gladly have continued reading for another hundred to two hundred pages just for something big to happen.

I am a bit torn between giving this story four or five stars. On one hand almost everything was absolutely perfect... but on the other, the thing that was not perfect was a total let down. So I guess I have to concede, and give this book 4/5.

Rating: 4/5 stars
★★★★✰

Book Review: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

Title: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Author: Stephanie Oakes
Publisher: Dial/Penguin
Expected Publication Date: 9th June, 2015
Summary: The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust.

And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.


Review: **Copy kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Full disclosure: I cried. I cried a lot. I cried so much that I felt dehydrated and woozy afterwards. This book was probably the best book to happen to me so far this year, and it's only June.

I first discovered this book at the beginning of the year and I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as it came out. I was very fortunate to receive a copy from Netgalley. I opened the book and read the first page as soon as I was approved - and then immediately had to close it because it was three in the morning and I needed to sleep. The first page played on my mind all of the next day before I could finally crack it open for real.

Minnow Bly had a voice that was as real and as raw as anything. I connected with her right off the bat and tore through the pages, devouring the story. The others around her - Angel, Jude, the Prophet, Constance etc - practically sprang off the page. Though most of this story was set in the juvenile detention centre, the story did not feel claustrophobic in the slightest.

I had to keep powering through this story. I needed to... and it never disappointed. The pace, the tone, the execution. This novel was absolutely perfect, and I highly recommend everyone giving it a try. Stephanie Oakes has done an amazing job on her debut novel.

Rating: 5/5 stars
★★★★★

Book Review: Witch Hunter

Title: Witch Hunter
Author: Virginia Boecker
Year of Publication: 2015
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey doesn't look dangerous. A tiny, blonde, wisp of a girl shouldn't know how to poison a wizard and make it look like an accident. Or take out ten necromancers with a single sword and a bag of salt. Or kill a man using only her thumb. But things are not always as they appear. Elizabeth is one of the best witch hunters in Anglia and a member of the king's elite guard, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and bringing those who practice it to justice. And in Anglia, the price of justice is high: death by burning.

When Elizabeth is accused of being a witch herself, she's arrested and thrown in prison. The king declares her a traitor and her life is all but forfeit. With just hours before she's to die at the stake, Elizabeth gets a visitor - Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful wizard in Anglia. He offers her a deal: he will free her from prison and save her from execution if she will track down the wizard who laid a deadly curse on him.

As Elizabeth uncovers the horrifying facts about Nicholas's curse and the unwitting role she played in its creation, she is forced to redefine the differences between right and wrong, friends and enemies, love and hate... and life and death.


Review: **Copy kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

The Witch Hunter was another one of those books that I wanted to love and was super excited to read. When I was approved to read it via Netgalley I was super stoked and dove into it right away. I love, love, love strong heroines, and adventure, and magic.

Sadly the amazing premise of this book was ruined by the poor execution and illogical characters. Our main character, Elizabeth, is supposed to be one of the best witch hunters in the country of Anglia. I expected bravery and stubbornness, and instead got a wimpy, useless heroine.

Her supporting cast of merry men had promise - but ultimately did not become more than caricatures. The writing was vague - half the time I had no idea which characters were present or what was happening - and the villain was so obvious from the get-go.

Ultimately I expected more from this book. The tone was way too light for the plot and the execution was sloppy. You could practically hear the wind whistling through the main character's ears. Also, I have no doubt that Caleb is still alive. Rule 1: If there is no body, then the character is not dead. Prove me wrong, Virginia Boecker, I dare you.

Rating: 1/5 stars
★✰✰✰✰

Book Review: Vanished

Title: Vanished
Author: E. E. Cooper
Year of Publication: 2015
Summary:  Friendship. Obsession. Deception. Love.

Kalah knows better than to fall for Beth Taylor . . . but that doesn't stop her from falling hard and falling fast, heart first into a sea of complications.

Then Beth vanishes. She skips town on her eighteenth birthday, leaving behind a flurry of rumors and a string of broken hearts. Not even Beth's best friend, Britney, knows where she went. Beth didn't even tell Kalah good-bye.

One of the rumors links Beth to Britney's boyfriend, and Kalah doesn't want to believe the betrayal. But Brit clearly believes it—and before Kalah can sort out the truth, Britney is dead.

When Beth finally reaches out to Kalah in the wake of Brit's suicide, Kalah wants to trust what Beth tells her. But she's swiftly realizing that nothing here is as it seems. Kalah's caught in the middle of a deadly psychological game, and only she can untangle the deceptions and lies to reveal the unthinkable truth.

Review: Vanished was a confusing book. Confusing in a good way. But there were so many red herrings, it almost gave me whiplash. It also reminded me a lot of Gone Girl.

I have to put this out there straight away, I knew Britney wasn't dead from the moment it was revealed on the page that she had committed suicide. No body? Pssh. I've seen like five seasons of Pretty Little Liars. No body = not dead. Always.

So while this story was a little predictable, it was also a good read and a strong debut novel for the author, E. E. Cooper. I liked most of the characters, even when I hated them - they were well crafted. Well, maybe with the exception of Britney's mother who was horrible and a little bit racist, and sort of one dimensional and oh, did I mention absolutely horrible? Yeah, I hated her.

I am almost wishing for a sequel or more pages in the book so we can see if Britney was ever brought to justice or not. Also, I would have loved to read more about Kalah and Beth's relationship. I definitely did not agree with how Kalah handed it, especially to do with Zach but I can emphasize. I remember all too well how falling in love with someone I was not supposed to felt.

I don't know how realistic this novel was, but it was an entertaining read nonetheless. I look forward to more by this author. Rating 3.5, rounded up to 4.

Rating:
4/5 stars
★★★★✰