Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.
The Wrong Girl
Title: The Wrong Girl
Author: C.J. Archer
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
It’s customary for Gothic romance novels to include a mysterious girl locked in the attic. Hannah Smith just wishes she wasn’t that girl. As a narcoleptic and the companion to an earl’s daughter with a strange affliction of her own, Hannah knows she’s lucky to have a roof over her head and food in her belly when so many orphans starve on the streets. Yet freedom is something Hannah longs for. She did not, however, want her freedom to arrive in the form of kidnapping.
Taken by handsome Jack Langley to a place known as Freak House, she finds herself under the same roof as a mad scientist, his niece, a mute servant and Jack, a fire starter with a mysterious past. They assure Hannah she is not a prisoner and that they want to help her. The problem is, they think she’s the earl’s daughter. What will they do when they discover they took the wrong girl?
Review: This book is mediocre at best. The story is great, and the first chapter starts off well. But then enters the Twilight-like romance in which Hannah swoons over a guy without really knowing him. There’s also a lot of telling instead of showing. Not too bad, and I enjoyed most of it, since the plot was decent enough.
The Cutting Room Floor
Title: The Cutting Room Floor
Author: Dawn Klehr
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Behind-the-scenes secrets could turn deadly for Desmond and Riley
Life in the Heights has never been easy for seventeen-year-old Riley Frost, but when she’s publicly dumped and outed at the same time, she becomes an immediate social outcast at her high school. So Riley swears off romance and throws herself into solving the shocking murder of her favorite teacher, Ms. Dunn.
Riley turns to her best friend, budding filmmaker Desmond Brandt, for help. What she doesn’t know is that Dez has been secretly directing her life, blackmailing her friends, and hoping his manipulations will make her love him. When his schemes go too far, Dez’s web of lies threatens to destroy both of their lives.
Review: I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this, but…well, it wasn’t what I got. Dez is creepy though, and the creepiness factor is worked out well. Unfortunately the book has too little to do with murder and too much with stalking for my tastes. The plot is a mess, all over the place, and feels like it’s going nowhere. Unfortunate, because I had high hopes for this one.
Witch Hunt
Title: Witch Hunt
Author: Tabitha Morrow
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
The greatest danger facing New Salem comes from inside its own walls.
For sixteen-year-old Ruth, life in New Salem is simple. Obey her parents, go to school, stay inside the walls, and never question the will of the Council. The Council governs New Salem and keeps its people safe, burning mysterious effigies to remind the villagers of the physical and spiritual dangers that seek to infiltrate New Salem’s walls.
When Ruth takes to exploring the woods at night, she makes a terrifying and exhilarating discovery: she and her friends Sarah and Elizabeth are witches. But it’s dangerous to be different in New Salem, and it isn’t long before rumors of witchcraft spread from the Council to the townspeople. After Elizabeth is imprisoned by the Council, it is up to Ruth and Sarah to fulfill their destiny. A coven of witches harbors great strength, and it is only with that strength that they will be able to save New Salem.
Review: This book was unexpected. The plot twists and turns, never really settling on what it wants to be, but I didn’t mind that – it made for an interesting reading experience. I was surprised by the originality this book offered. Unfortunately, the strong plot and clever setting had to make up for the lack of character developement. Ruth and her friends lack personality, and are way too similar. Not bad at all, but could use some improvements.
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