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.
Hanging by a Thread
Title: Hanging by a Thread
Author: Sophie Littlefield
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
Rating: 2 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Summer is the best part of the year in Winston, California, and the Fourth of July is the highlight of the season. But the perfect town Clare remembers has changed, and everyone is praying that this summer will be different from the last two—that this year’s Fourth of July festival won’t see one of their own vanish without a trace, leaving no leads and no suspects. The media are in a frenzy predicting a third disappearance, but the town depends on tourist dollars, so the residents of Winston are trying desperately to pretend nothing’s wrong.
And they’re not the only ones hiding something.
Clare, a seamstress who redesigns vintage clothing, has been blessed—or perhaps cursed—with a gift: she can see people’s pasts when she touches their clothes. When she stumbles across a denim jacket that once belonged to Amanda Stavros, last year’s Fourth of July victim, Clare sees her perfect town begin to come apart at the seams.
In a town where appearance means everything, how deep beneath the surface will Clare dig to uncover a murderer?
Review: An interesting, original topic, but unfortunately entirely screwed up by the way too long narrative. The characters and plot don’t live up to the potential of the premise either. Clare is a pencil-thin character, with the personality of a cardboard figure. The plot takes too long to pick up – I went through half of the book, before I even got the feeling there was some plot to speak of. Not recommended.
Renegade
Title: Renegade (Ripper #2)
Author: Amy Carol Reeves
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Brimming with romance and danger, the suspenseful Ripper series continues
The Conclave—a secret group with twisted ideals and freakish practices—has been wiped out, thanks to Arabella Sharp. Now there’s a new malevolence afoot. Fishermen are getting killed, their partially devoured bodies washing up on the shores of Scotland. Is the Ripper responsible? Or have the Conclave’s sinister experiments left behind something more monstrous? Abbie fears the worst when her beloved Dr. William Siddal vanishes. To save the man she loves, Abbie must comply with the Ripper’s dreadful orders—and put her own life in grave danger.
Review: I loved the first book in this series, but the sequel, “Renegade”, did not convince me. Abbie’s dark visions, and her continuous hunt for Max, were the most intriguing things about the book. I wasn’t so fond of the whole Conclave thing, felt too much like a conspiracy theory. But the major downside of this story is how Abbie, previously a strong, independent character, loses her entire personality when William is around, like she turns into a ragdoll. An okay read for people wanting to continue the series.
Wicked Kiss
Title: Wicked Kiss
Author: Michelle Rowen
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
My kiss can kill.
I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that’s changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone’s soul…or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don’t…I hurt myself.
Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I’ll kill him. Then there’s another boy, one I can’t hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They’re both part of a team of angels and demons that’s joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I’ll be able to help Bishop—or if I’m just another part of the darkness he’s sworn to destroy….
NIGHTWATCHERS: When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising…
Review: Wicked Kiss definitely does NOT suffer from second book syndrome, in fact, it’s even better than the first. What would you do if you could steal someone’s soul, or their lives, by kissing them? It’s a question Samantha Day has to answer, and fast. Demons and angels working together is pretty kick-ass. Add in a kick-ass main character, and you get an entertaining novel, ideal for fans of YA paranormal.
[…] Mini-Review: Hanging by a Thread, Renegade, Wicked Kiss […]