Book Review: The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos

Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication: January 2016 by Balzer & Bray
Acquisition: received a free ARC at ALA Midwinter 2016

Synopsis:

All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It’s the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist, she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when Imogene was a baby, a woman who was always possessed by a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as “troubled waters.”

Now Imogene is seventeen, and her father, a famous author of medical mysteries, has struck out in the middle of the night and hasn’t come back. Neither Imogene’s stepmother nor the police know where he could’ve gone, but Imogene is convinced he’s looking for her mother. And she decides it’s up to her to put to use the skills she’s gleaned from a lifetime of reading her father’s books to track down a woman she’s only known in stories in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she’s carried with her for her entire life.

(from Goodreads)

3 / 5 Stars

Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with this one. I was thinking there would be more mystery (judging a book by it's title, me = guilty).

And there was mystery, just not really what I was expecting. Nothing was very mysterious. It was more of a contemporary coming of age tale then a thriller.

I was expecting secrets and maybe some unexplained happenings. What I got was family drama and predictable actions.

But again, my expectations were off.

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the read. The writing, the characters, the emotion - it was very well done. Imogene was hard to like but I did admire her determination.

If contemporary isn't your natural go-to read, I would say skip this one.

If your a fan of contemporary YA then I would say give it a go.

The plot wasn't for me but I do think others would enjoy it and I wouldn't hesitate to try another book by Rebecca.

Book Review: Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication: January 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books
Acquisition: received a free ARC at ALA Midwinter 2016

Synopsis:

Breezy remembers leaving the party: the warm, wet grass under her feet, her cheek still stinging from a slap to her face. But when she wakes up, scared and pulling dirt from her mouth, a year has passed and she can’t explain how.

Nor can she explain the man lying at her grave, dead from her touch, or why her heartbeat comes and goes. She doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past.

Haunted by happy memories from her life, Breezy sets out to find answers in the gritty, threatening world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight, and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she discovers is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars

Good! So good! So very very good!

God, I loved this book.
It was strange, and weird and totally implausible but at the same time, totally realistic.

It's part mystery, part paranormal discovery.

Basically, it's a story about a girl. And the things that have happened, are happening and will happen to the girl.

Sounds boring right? Well, it's not!

This girl, isn't ordinary. And while her journey could fit into a number of plots, her unique circumstances make for hella good storytelling.

Nothing really fits into perfect boxes for Breezey. Her life, her death, her afterlife. It's all a jumble which is exactly how the real world works.

I love how there aren't any absolutes. There are questions and answers and mysteries to solve but all of the bits and pieces don't exactly fit together in the end.

At the end of Shallow Graves I kinda wanted a little more. More of Breezey's story and more of her world but at the same time, I liked that there were still loose ends.

Shallow Graves is a perfect match of fantastic storytelling and unanswered questions. Oh! And fantastic imagery - love it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Where Are They Now

Top Ten Tuesdays is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
Hey guys.

Today in Top Ten land we're all talking about childhood characters we'd love to revisit as adults. Characters from our childhood we'd like to check up on now, or characters we've read about recently we'd want to see in ten year or so.

I thought a lot about this topic because often, for me, characters in books tend to stand still in time. They never break out of their stories.

However, I was able to come up with ten four characters whose futures I would love to know about.

Anne from Anne of Green Gables
Now, I know that in reading the complete Anne series, we get to see Anne grow up and even meet her children. What I was thinking though is...what is Anne's family like in present day? What are her great-great-great (?) grandchildren up to. What is Avonlea to the Blythe family now? Does her family tell stories about her? How many descendants does she have?

Harry Potter
Come on - who doesn't what to see what Harry Potter is up to as an adult? That little bit we get of him and his family at the end of The Deadly Hallows? Not nearly enough! Those tidbits Rowling throws out every now and then? Seriously lacking in detail! I want more! I would be happy with 10 more books in the series. 20 more! I don't think I would ever get tired of Harry.

Aislinn from the Wicked Lovely series
This is one of the few longerish series that I actually read all the way to the end - so I know how everything turned out for everyone. There were a lot of loose ends to tie up but everything did 'end'. But what about now? How is Aislinn doing? What is her life like now? How has she adjusted (or not adjusted) to everything?

Cas from The Abyss Surrounds Us
This is a 10 years from now one. Let's just say, I didn't really agree with a lot of Cas's decisions and I wasn't too thrilled with how her story played out and I know there is going to be another book in the series but still. What is Cas like in 10 or 20 years time? Does she still feel the same way about the things she did in her youth?

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Book #1 of Shades of Magic
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Publication: February 2015 by Tor Books
Acquisition: bought

Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari, a rare magician who can travel between parallel worlds: hopping from Grey London — dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George — to Red London — where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire — to White London — ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne, where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back — and back, but never Black London, because traveling to Black London is forbidden and no one speaks of it now.

Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see, and it is this dangerous hobby that sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to take her with him for her proper adventure.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save both his London and the others, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — a feat trickier than they hoped.

(from Goodreads)

5 / 5 Stars

It's been a very long time since I've read a book that I've loved as much as I love this book.

It's good.

Seriously good.

Fabulously, tremendously good.

Schwab knows how to tell a story. I mean, I knew that already. But OMG was I blown away by A Darker Shade of Magic.

Every character, every setting, every little detail, every big detail - EVERYTHING was perfect.

I grew up with fantasy. Sweeping, epic fantasy stories passed down to me by my parents. ADSOM 100% reminds me of these stories I read and loved when I was younger.

Complete and full and timeless.

I sometimes have a hard time putting myself in a different worlds within the same story but that didn't happen here. Gray, Red, White, Black - it was all so easy to envision.

And man, did I wish I could visit Red London. It's got magic, and Kell and secrets and Kell and mystery and did I mention Kell lives there?

Since finishing ADSOM (oh, and a big thank you to whoever popularized this acronym - makes it so much easier to gush over talk about via Twitter and the like ;)

What was I saying? Oh yes - since finishing ADSOM I've been recommending it to just about everyone. Friends, family, strangers - no one is safe from my tremendous love for this book!!

So, have you read it yet? ;)

(btw - book 2? Also ridiculously fabulous!)

April 2016 Wrap Up: The Mini Blarg Edition

March was very blarg - very very very blarg.

April was only a little blarg. Kinda like the annoying littler brother of March.

I felt horrible in March -- and only slightly horrible for a small part of April.

It just took so so long for me to get back on track - of everything! Blogging, reading, life!

Very happy to say that everything is just about normal here in my little chunk of crazy town.

And! Because I do still live in crazy town (I should stress, of my own choosing) I'm keeping it simple again this month with the visuals.

:)

THE REVIEWS
Read Bottom Up by Heel Shah and Skye Chatham | REVIEW 4/5 Stars
Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke | REVIEW 2.5/5 Stars

APRIL 2016 READS
Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle
Username: Evie by Joe Sugg
Harmony House by Nic Sheff
Winky Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Hope everyone had a great
March!
Happy Reading!