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.
Dead Silent
Title: Dead Silent
Author: Sharon Jones
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
A snow angel etched in blood. An elite society. A secret dying to get out.
The second Poppy Sinclair Thriller.When Poppy Sinclair and her boyfriend visit snowy Cambridge, she doesn’t expect to discover the body of a student – arms outstretched in the act of smearing bloody angel wings on the chapel’s floor.
Suddenly, Poppy is faced with the possibility that the one closest to her heart might be the one committing the most malicious of crimes.
Dodging porters and police, dreading what she might find, Poppy follows the clues left by a murderer bent on revenge…
Long-hidden secrets are chillingly revealed, an avenging angel seeks forgiveness and red-hot vengeance must be quelled in the amazing new Poppy Sinclair thriller.
Review: Poppy is a bubbly, intelligent, charismatic character who I instantly connected with. Her boyfriend is quite cute, and their relationship was interesting especially because they fit the best-friends-turned-lovers trope. The thriller/mystery aspect worked well, and left me guessing for a while.
The Girl with a Clock for a Heart
Title: The Girl with a Clock for a Heart
Author: Peter Swanson
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
George Foss never thought he’d see her again, but on a late-August night in Boston, there she is, in his local bar, Jack’s Tavern.
When George first met her, she was an eighteen-year-old college freshman from Sweetgum, Florida. She and George became inseparable in their first fall semester, so George was devastated when he got the news that she had committed suicide over Christmas break. But, as he stood in the living room of the girl’s grieving parents, he realized the girl in the photo on their mantelpiece – the one who had committed suicide – was not his girlfriend. Later, he discovered the true identity of the girl he had loved – and of the things she may have done to escape her past.
Now, twenty years later, she’s back, and she’s telling George that he’s the only one who can help her..
Review: I had difficulty connecting to the story and characters at first. Fortunately, this improved once I got past the first few chapters. The plot was engaging, but overall the suspense was underwhelming. An okay read, but a little overhyped, I’m afraid.
How Lovely Your Branches
Title: How Lovely Your Branches
Author: Kara Ashley Dey
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Rating: 3,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Recluse, Katie Crowe, has observed the world from a window in her father’s loveless house. With the death of her father and the departure of her only friend, Katie sees no point in venturing out. Then a new neighbor and his three female companions take up residence across the road in the very house her friend had vacated four months ago. Gabe’s eyes hold a promise to Katie when she gazes into them–a way out of her lonely prison, if she could but step beyond her threshold. Something holds her back: Though the past and its people seem far from her now, the trees still know her haunting secret.
BONUS! An “Omen’s War” Short Story. Omen’s War: Omen for a Better Man by Kara Ashley Dey
BONUS!! A Chapter excerpt from “Stealing Sky” by Kara Ashley Dey
These works are intended for a mature audience.
Review: Katie was an engaging protagonist, struggling with secrets from the past, and trying to cope with the future. The book is a quick read, more like a novella in length, but it does offer surprising character depth. Katie’s fears sound genuine and real. A solid book.
I own The Girl With A Clock For A Heart, and have been hovering around easing it for a while.
I just might pick it up now.
Thanks