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.
Safe House
Title: Safe House
Author: Chris Ewan
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
A brilliant thriller from the author of the acclaimed Good Thief’s Guide series asks, how can a beautiful woman simply vanish?
When Rob Hale wakes up in a hospital after a motorcycle crash, his first thought is for the gorgeous blonde, Lena, who was on the back of his bike. The doctors and police, however, insist that he was alone at the scene. The shock of the accident must have made him imagine Lena, especially since his description of her resembles his late sister, Laura.
Convinced that Lena is as real as he is, Rob teams up with Rebecca Lewis, a London-based PI who has a mysterious connection to Laura—and learns that even a close-knit community like the Isle of Man can hide dangerous secrets that will not stay safe forever.
Review: More engaging than most crime novels, but not the very best I read. A solid 4 rating. The writing is decent, the setting is atmospheric, and the characters each bring an unique spin to the story.
Dearly, Beloved
Title: Dearly, Beloved
Author: Lia Habel
Genre: Young Adult, Zombies, Steampunk, Dystopian, Fantasy
Rating: 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Can the living coexist with the living dead?
That’s the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as “The Laz” hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reason, and control their ravenous new appetites.
Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety.
Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grow between pro- and anti-zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-commando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren’t the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder’s crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target.
As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora’s scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of “The Laz” and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus—and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse.
Lia Habel’s spellbinding, suspenseful sequel to Dearly, Departed takes her imaginative mash-up of period romance, futuristic thriller, and zombie drama to a whole new level of innovative and irresistible storytelling.
Review: I didn’t think it would be possible, but heck, I enjoyed this book more than the first one in the series. This book has it all: orginality, creativity, spine-tingling suspense, toe-curling romance, and a heroine who rocks your socks. The writing has an amazing ability to craft stories and characters. I look forward to reading more!
League of Strays
Title: League of Strays
Author: L.B. Schulman
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Rating: 2 stars
Purchase: Amazon
This suspenseful debut follows a group of teenage misfits in their delicious quest for revenge on those who have wronged them at their high school. When a mysterious note appears in Charlotte’s mailbox inviting her to join the League of Strays, she’s hopeful it will lead to making friends. What she discovers is a motley crew of loners and an alluring, manipulative ringleader named Kade. Kade convinces the group that they need one another both for friendship and to get back at the classmates and teachers who have betrayed them. But Kade has a bigger agenda. In addition to vandalizing their school and causing fights between other students, Kade’s real intention is a dangerous plot that will threaten lives and force Charlotte to choose between her loyalty to the League and her own conscience.
Review: I didn’t like this book at all. The plot was unbelievable, the characters acted childish, Kade is nothing more than a sociopath/stalker, and overall, it was a a dissapointment. It could’ve been good, considering the premise was all right, but it turned out not so great, and at times, even offensive.
[…] Mini-Review: Safe House, Dearly Beloved, League of Strays […]