It’s time to catch up on a few of our shorter reviews that we’ve posted lately… here are a few titles that Erin’s read and wanted to share her thoughts on~!
The Isle by Jordana Frankel is book two in The Ward series and I was definitely looking forward to this book. Admittedly, it had been quite a while since I read book one so jumping right into this book, I was a bit lost as to where book one left off and where we were picking back up.
Ren, with Derek and Callum, had discovered a cure for the Blight and when her sister, Aven is kidnapped, Ren must save her. This book took a bit for me to get back into but once things got moving, I found myself pulled back into this world. The chapters rotate between Ren’s and Aven’s points of view and I found that helpful as it gave me some insight into what was happening with both characters since they were separated from each other for a good portion of the book.
The characters are solid in this series. Ren is smart and willing to do anything to help Aven and Aven is the same. We get a bit more of the Tetai and also learn more about who the Governor is and why he is doing the things he is doing.
Overall I enjoyed this installment and thought Frankel did a good job of wrapping up this series. If you are looking for a well written post-apocalyptic, dystopian story that has solid characters, definitely consider checking this series out.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin
This Song is (Not) For You was an interesting read. I loved Laura Nowlin’s book If He Had Been With Me so the second I knew she had another book on the way, I added it to my to read bookshelf.
The story focuses on three main characters. You have Ramona and Sam who are best friends and together they have a band. The added layer of complexity to their friendship is that Ramona has had a crush on Sam from the moment they met and Sam feels the same but neither of them has ever said anything to the other for fear that it would impact their friendship in a negative way.
When they go to audition for an art’s college, Ramona finds herself talking to Tom who just might be the person their band was missing. As he becomes integrated into Ramona and Sam’s friendship, Ramona finds herself attracted to Tom and Sam. What I liked about this book was the friendship these characters develop and the way they all decide that they won’t worry about what society will think about their relationships.
Overall I found this to be an interesting story with solid characters. If you are looking for something that has a focus on friendship, love, and music, consider checking this one out.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!
The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth
The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth has been on my radar since I read the summary. First, the cover is amazing! Second, the story centers around a secret about Kenna. She has a memory of something horrible from her childhood and because of that, she has always kept her distance from others. When something happens that forces her to face what she is, Kenna is sent away to live at a nearby commune called Eclipse. When Kenna learns more about who she is and what she is truly capable of, she also begins to realize what is really important to her.
I thought the characters in this story were great. Kenna cares deeply about her sister and mother but has always kept herself a bit separate due to her issue. It is clear she really loves her sister and is willing to do anything for her. Blake is great and I loved the early parts of the story where we see these two getting comfortable with the fact that they both want to be more than friends. It is obvious he cares about Kenna and I was glad she finally saw it.
The inhabitants of Eclipse are interesting as well. I can’t say too much here for fear of giving something away but once you get into the story and learn more about them, you will see the manipulation as well as in the end, just how twisted this group was.
Toward the end I found myself turning the pages to see what was going to happen. There are some points of the story where I was just shaking my head at Kenna’s actions but overall I enjoyed it. If you like stories that have a bit of mystery and magic, definitely consider checking this book out!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
After the Woods by Kim Savage was an interesting read. It focuses on two girls who survived an abduction and as the story progresses, we find out there is more to the story than originally thought.
Julia and her best friend Liv were running in the woods when out of nowhere, Liv was attacked. When Julia does the only thing she can to save Liv, she puts herself right into the hands of the abductor and Liv, runs. Julia knows she has survived something most have not but as they come up to the one year anniversary of her abduction, things start to resurface and Julia is obsessed with figuring out what really happened and why.
I found the mystery aspect of this story very interesting. Julia is driven to find answers and she isn’t afraid (clearly) to put herself into the path of danger to find out what she wants to know. Liv is feeling guilt over what happened and as the story moves forward, we find out that it has to do with more than just the fact that she ran away and left Julia. The secondary characters were an added bonus to the story. From Shane Cuthbert – Liv’s new boyfriend, to Paula Papademetriou – the driven investigative journalist, to Liv’s mom…they all added something important to the story.
If you are looking for a story with a mystery and slightly twisted characters, consider checking this one out. Once I started it, I needed to find out what really was going on and you need to be okay with the fact that you might not find everything out until the very end.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
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