{Review} Splintered by A. G. Howard

Title: Splintered

Author: A. G. Howard

Format: Library, hardcover

Publisher: Amulet Books

Release date: January 1st, 2013

Date Read: July 8th

Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family.

She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

I really don't know how to tell you how much I love this book. I'm pretty much sitting here thinking "wHAT IS WORDS" even though I finished the book two days ago and should, theoretically, know how to write this review by now.

But, I don't because I'm still in a state of





and while accurate, a review consisting of keyboard smashing does not make a proper review.

Splintered is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, a type of retelling I'm not exactly a novice about. I've read many retellings, watched many retellings, and for gods' sake, I've played American McGee's Alice (which, by the way, I wholeheartedly recommend). I'm definitely not new to the genre, yet Splintered still was an entirely new experience for me.

Instead of being a traditional retelling Splintered acts more like an addition or a sequel. It didn't really retell the story we all know, nor did it have any similarities when it came to storyline. In fact, the only similarities were characters. It functioned much like an AU fanfiction with the same characters but a completely different storyline.

While I could definitely see the similarities to American McGee's Alice in the world-building and overall feel to the book, Splintered was wholly original and beautiful. If you are not familiar with McGee's Alice, it's an very odd, yet thoroughly enjoyable, horror game in which Wonderland is turned upside down and about 217% wackier than the original. Likewise, Splintered was insane and unsettling at times, yet still lyrical. It managed to retain the Alice-ness of the original book, while still being a fairly original novel.

The best part of Splintered is most definitely the world-building. The world is as disturbing and unnerving, as it is beautiful and wonderful. The descriptions are vivid and bright, making the reader feel as if they are down the rabbit hole themselves, something often absent in average Alice retellings.
The first fifty pages of Wonderland are absolutely impossible to put down because of the vivid imagery and absolute magical-ness of the whole scene. It's incredibly surreal and just, a+ your parents should be proud of you Mrs. Howard. Honor on you and your cow. 

However, Splintered wasn't entirely perfect as there was one problem, whether it is minor or major is up to you. 

The majority of the characters of Splintered are very nicely done. Alyssa is a very nice heroine - appropriately kickass but also vulnerable. She is actually pretty likable, though admittedly not amazing. Morpheus, the star of the book, is extremely likable (which may be just me because he's not exactly the good guy nor a good guy). He is awesome and insane and brilliant. 

And then, there's Jeb who's basically the one character who doesn't really fit in with the book. He's supposed to be Alyssa's human anchor to the mortal world but, to be honest, he was more of a pain than anything. Just because you're flipping gender standards and having a guy be a Mary Sue and have him be damsel distress doesn't mean it's any less annoying and stupid. Damsels in Distress are annoying no matter the sex.

Admittedly, this is only one character among four or five many. This may annoy you more or less than it annoyed me. It's a relatively minor complaint, I suppose but it still managed to annoy me and pull me from the story because all I could think was, "Are you kidding me Jeb? Dude, seriously, again?"

Overall, Splintered is an absolutely beautiful, magical read that I recommend to anyone who loves Alice in Wonderland and even to those who don't necessarily like it that much. Splintered is a fantastic book that should be read no matter what.

Lisbeth is an American teenager who enjoys blowing shit up in videogames and discussing decapitation in great detail. She's also obsessed with Oceana, but you're not supposed to know that.

{Review} Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Title: Hysteria

Author: Megan Miranda

Format: Library, hardcover

Publisher: Walker Childrens

Release date: February 5th, 2013

Date Read: July 1st through 9th 2013

Rating: ✭✭

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

Enticed from the very first moment I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew that I would have to read this book. A novel about a girl who murdered her boyfriend interested me a lot. Would the author be able to pull it off or will the book be one giant fail?

The answer is no, she wasn’t able to pull it off. While not a bad book per-say, Hysteria is an incredibly boring one. Neither the plot nor the characters interested me in the slightest. Hysteria was a horrible let down for me, especially since the concept was so promising.

Half the book is Mallory, the heroine, obsessing about her murdered boyfriend. I don’t mean to sound rude or inconsiderate. It's understandable that Mallory would feel horrible and lost and would think about it often. It's a natural human reaction, I suppose. 

But, the way the author wrote these pages feels so off and unnatural. It’s fine to write about a character obsessing over something. It happens all the time and there’s no problem with it.

However, when you make every page for a long time about the same topic, it gets old. I have no problem with obsessed characters but I do have problems when the writing mirrors the characters thoughts because then, the obsession takes over everything like plot and character development.

So, for the majority of the book, nothing happens at all except for boy troubles and friend troubles. Once again, there's nothing wrong with friend/boy troubles except when you're reading a book about a girl who killed her boyfriend and thinks she's going insane. Then, it's not so cool because you don't actually get to read any of the insanity. Instead we get boys, boys, mean girls, and more boys.
 
The author exaggerated everything about Mallory. If she was obsessing over it, the writing reflected it and there was nothing going on except for those thoughts. If Mallory was having boy problems, that little side plot was exaggerated so heavily that nothing happened except for that.

On the flip side, the beginning and end are almost worth the middle; hence my two star rating. The beginning and end is tense and awesome and full of rainbows and sparkles and brilliance. And then there's the middle of the part of the book where it all becomes boring and lacking in excitement and pretty much anything interesting. 

There were two other points of annoyance and frustration, namely the characters and the dreaded romance. These two aspects ruined any hope Hysteria had of getting a three star rating.

Mallory wasn’t a bad main character, more like an annoying one. I never really hated her but she did make me want to scream. To Mallory, nothing existed other than her and her self-loathing and her thoughts reflected that. If she only thought about anything other than how horrible she is and how much of a monster she is, she would have figured out a lot.

Aside from that though, Mallory was really empty. She had no personality outside of her issues and for much of the book; she was roughly as interesting as a bricks. The other characters were equally interesting. They had no real personality. Even important ones like the love interest or Mallory’s best friend were lifeless and forgettable.

As far as romances go, Hysteria’s wasn’t terrible. It was all but nonexistent. I can only really tell there was one because of the ending but other than that, it seemed like it mostly popped up out of nowhere.
The only thing I hate more than bad romances are needless romances. Bad romances are really annoying and frustrating because the two characters aren’t compatible. That’s bad enough, right? Well, let me you a thing.

Needless romances are ones that are out of place. Like romances that don’t actually add anything to the story but are thrown into the mix, mostly as a fan service. The fact that Mallory got a boyfriend did not add anything to the story. It did not help plot progression. It wasn’t even in there for squealy fangirly purposes because if it was, that would be fine. 

But no, it was just there and that really pissed me off.

As you can see, Hysteria wasn't really my thing. If people can handle 100+ pages of nothing, this might be your book because Hysteria would actually be really good if it weren't for those middle pages. I definitely don't recommend this book to people like me who can't sit through filler to save their lives.

Lisbeth is an American teenager who enjoys blowing shit up in videogames and discussing decapitation in great detail. She's also obsessed with Oceana, but you're not supposed to know that.

{Review} Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Title: Warm Bodies

Author: Isaac Marion

Format: Library; paperback

Publisher: Vintage

Release date: October 28th, 2010

Date Read: March 30th through 31st

Rating: ✭✭

'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight...

Actual Rating: 2.75 stars!

QUICK SYNOPSIS

WARM BODIES is a pretty nice read. It's definitely not a perfect book, nor worth the hype surrounding it. I expected way more from the book and I think that's the main reason that I didn't love it as much as I thought would. The hype made my expectations skyrocket and as usual, I was disappointed. 

UPS

- R

- Writing

DOWNS

- R

- Julie

- Preaching

REVIEW

This book is full of itself. I swear that this book thinks that it’s the shit. The book is utterly insufferable in that regards. It had a very elitist attitude, if we're going to assign anthropomorphic qualities to this darling book (that sounds like something that would be said in this book TBH). It's the douche that thinks it's better than everyone because it reads Shakespeare and Tolstoy for fun.

WARM BODIES is a metaphor for the 21st century and how utterly horrible it is. WHY I HATE THE 21st CENTURY would also have worked as the title for the book. To be honest, I'm entirely okay with books that are metaphors but I'd like the metaphor to be subtle. When you pretty much shout it at the reader, it looses its impact. The whole book was filled with passages like these:

We were fearful in the best of times; how could we cope with the worst? So we found the tallest walls and poured ourselves behind them. We kept pouring until we were the biggest and strongest, elected the greatest generals and found the most weapons, thinking all this maximalism would somehow generate happiness. But nothing so obvious could ever work. (page 148)

We're corralled in the stadium with nothing to think about but surviving to the end of the day. No one writes, no one reads, no one really talks. We don't have flowers anymore. Just crops. (page 71)

Perhaps part of Marion hates about the 21st century is the fact that you cannot write a book like this anymore. You just can't. WARM BODIES was lucky to make it big time but for the most part, it is impossible to make a widely successful YA book that is a METAPHOR. 

That aside, WARM BODIES is still a good book. It's not amazing like I thought it would be. I don't think it could've gotten more than a weak 3 star rating if the preaching had been taken out. It could have gotten a much higher rating if I got what I was promised: a gruesome and poetic book.

I can see where this "poetic" part is coming from but gruesome? Nuh-uh. This is light stuff. There's no ick factor or weird zombie gruesomeness. There's definitely some zombie violence but it's neither graphic nor scary. 

But, you can't judge a book by its lack of gore. You can however judge a book by its characters. R the zombie is our main character. His thoughts were surprisingly really interesting. I didn’t expect that at all.

For the most part, his thoughts were interesting and thought provoking. I admit he some times too philosophical. I don't think any 20-year-old contemplated life on a daily base. Not to mention this:

I wobble into the bathroom and lean my forehead against the wall in front of the urinal. I unzip, and I look down, and there it is. That mythical instrument of life and death and first-date backseat fucking.


Don't know about you guys, but I highly doubt that a penis could kill anyone. Or can it?

R's sort of a loner. He's also a possessive arse - yeah, let's not forget about that. He also saves kidnaps the love interest, Julie. He also lets Julie go back, "freeing" her, and then he follows her all the way to her home. But he likes Sinatra and Lennon so we're all good. 

I'm not saying that R is the worst protagonist ever. He's cute and funny at times. He's got some really amazing moments but I definitely do not see why he's in people's Top Ten Book Boy Friends. 

What keeps people fairly interesting in the real world? It's really obvious. In real life, people don't have one personality feature. There's always more to them. People are multidimensional. They have feelings. That's one thing that some authors can't do. Characters are either entirely missing a personality or they have one feature that OVERWHELMS EVERYTHING. THIS ONE PERSONALITY FEATURE YELLS AT THE READER, "DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME. I AM [insert word]!!!1!!!". 

This.

Is.

Not.

Natural.

Julie was one of those characters. She's brave and that's it. She's got girl balls because she can live in zombitopia without being eaten. She's obviously intelligent but this isn't really a personality his is the end of her intended personality.

Julie has no real personality. She was just the girl that R loved (for some strange reason). I think she was meant to signify something but honestly, I have nothing. For someone to signify something, the person needs something more than a name.

It's sort of a must.

The writing is definitely the main selling point to WARM BODIES. To an extent, it lives up to what I thought it would be. WARM BODIES is beautifully written. It truly is. WARM BODIES is a type of book that you want to read every single line thoroughly.

However, this comes at a price. Too much of a good thing is never good. The amount of symbolism and philosophical thoughts was nauseating because there was just too much of it. I like symbolism and philosophical musing but I do have a cut off point. When interesting thoughts turn into preaching about how horrible the 21st century is, I loose interest in the book.

Overall, WARM BODIES is a fairly interesting book that I do think you should read. It's not a must read for the decade or even the year. WARM BODIES is simply an interesting book that will entertain you through a lazy afternoon.

Lisbeth is an American teenager who enjoys blowing shit up in videogames and discussing decapitation in great detail. She's also obsessed with Oceana, but you're not supposed to know that.

Please note that my next few reviews will most likely each have a different format. I'm currently experimenting to find a new format for my reviews as my old one was very annoying for many reasons. I couldn't let the review flow normally because I could only put character/plot/writing info in the designated spot, making the reviews feel very unnatural.

{Review} Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Format: Library Hardcover
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Release date: November 6, 2007
Date Read: January 9, 2013 - January 12, 2013
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

This cover reminds me of the HUMAN CENTIPEDE poster, which really isn't the best comparison. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

UNWIND is pretty awesome.

Amidst the horrified comments from my reviewer friends (“HOW HAVE YOU NOT READ THIS ALREADY, OCEANA?”) I finished reading UNWIND with my jaw slack. Unbelievably creative, with interesting main characters and unique writing, UNWIND is also littered with interesting historical
and political facts - not our government and history, but those of the world Connor, Risa, and Lev live in.

Unwinding has been accepted as a common process to get rid of teenagers for a long time now... see, they’re soul isn’t dead, but their body parts are donated to those in need. From the age of
thirteen to seventeen, teenagers are eligible for Unwinding. Rebellious teenagers, useless teenagers, religious teenagers - those are the categories that Connor, Risa, and Lev fall into.

Naturally, wanting your body chopped into tiny pieces isn’t what Connor really wants, deep inside. Escaping his certain death, Connor meets unwanted ward of state Risa, who accompanies him on his quest to NOT GET SPLIT INTO TINY PIECES AND LOOSE YOUR BODY. Lev, a thirteen-year old religious tithe, is also swept up into this mess - but unlike Risa and Connor, he goes on his own journey to make up his mind and discover himself.

So, like I said. Awesome. Awesome plot.

I haven’t encountered characters I liked so much in a while. Granted, I’m not talking about ZOMFG-MARRY-ME characters (Jem Carstairs, anyone?) or GIRL CRUSH ASDJKLLLDFJIHFUE;; (Nastaya Crowe for sure), but just... relatable characters that you didn’t want to grab by the hair and scream at. Characters that make decisions that’d make sense to you, too - even if they turned out to be some of the stupidest ones ever.

I had a slight issue with the writing, because, well, it’s weird. It’s kind of tell rather than show sometimes, but at others it’s fine. UNWIND is written in present tense, omniscient; something I’ve never read before and it works... most of the time.

And this book is INTENSE. I was practically balling my firsts while reading it, because the suspense was killing me. UNWIND was disturbing, though not in a completely gory way... disturbing and
dark, because it makes you think.

And think.
And think.
And think.

The ending literally killed me. I almost wanted to cry inside, because it just shows how dedicated and loyal teenagers people can be.

EXCESSIVE SAD FACE.

UNWIND was really, really great and I totally regret not reading it years ago. 

I’m so stooooooopid.

Oceana is a French-blooded teenager who enjoys stalking British boys and asking them to marry her. She was diagnosed with severe fangirl disorder in 2011. Able to curse like a sailor with an angelic voice.

{Review} Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Title: Nerve
Author: Jeanne Ryan
Format: Library Hardcover
Publisher: Dial Books (Penguin)
Release date: September 13th 2012
Date Read: January 6th 2013
Rating: ✭✭✭

A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly.

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

For some reason, I never expected much from NERVE. The cover looks amazing and the synopsis is intriguing so I really have no idea why I felt that NERVE was going to be an absolutely horrible book. I've come to realize that every reviewer has these feelings, premonitions about a book.

Usually, they are right thus I have named them "The Reviewer Instincts" (original and catchy, I know). Over the years months, my "reviewer instincts" have become my best friend. Then...


They turn on me. I was so sure that I would hate this book. I thought that NERVE would be my newest rant review book (I haven't had one this year). It wasn't. In fact, I really liked it.
NERVE is probably one of the most surprising books I've read in a while. It was a really different book from most YA books. The beginning wasn't that different. Even the middle of the book was fairly standard. It wasn't extremely unique until the very end. The ending was so amazing and perfect - well, almost. But, we'll get to that later. 

Characters

Personally, I found the main character, Vee, was unlikable but she was unlikable in a good way. I've said that before but right now, I really really mean it. Yes, I know, it doesn't make any sense. But hopefully, it will soon.

Vee was selfish. That was her defining quality. I know a lot of people liked her and as usual, I represent the black sheep. I disliked her. I didn't hate her because she does improve and had a few positive qualities to her throughout. 

I do have to admit that Vee did grow through the book. But I had this feeling that you weren't supposed to love her. Maybe I'm completely wrong but that's what I perceived it as. 

She's thoughtful. By that, I mean, she actually thinks. I do think that she does think about what she does, even though she hardly ever follows what she thinks she should do. Vee isn't some vacant, thoughtless body. 

At first I was sure she'd fall into the Mary-Sue trap that 95% of heroines have fallen into lately. It looked like she would. She's "ugly" and her best friend is vain, jealous and basically the average bitch stereotype. Thankfully, she grows out of it. That doesn't excuse the fact that Ryan added this terrible stereotype into her book.

The other characters were, for the most part, nicely done. However, I really detested Ian, the love interest. The book keeps playing with my mind. Sometimes I thought that you were supposed to hate Ian but other times, it seems you're supposed to swoon and adore him.

I didn't.

At all.

He was just repulsive and manipulating. I don't think he ever liked her, just used her as a means to get to an end (and a kissing dummy). I just GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I hate him so much.

Plot and Writing

Plot

This is a pretty odd storyline. The summary makes it sound waay different from what it really is. The summary makes NERVE sound very unimaginative, which it isn't. Sure, it's been done many times but I think that NERVE feels unique at the same time.

The ending is probably - no most definitely - the best part of the book. Even though I found it disappointing to an extent, I think that it was beautifully done. Personally, I found it to be majorly different from what most YA authors do. 

Most authors wouldn't dare to even to hint that the main character is going to snap. I've read very few books that do that and most of them are not as simple as this. 

In the GONE series, Michael Grant seems to love to make his characters go insane. In the THE MARBURY LENS series, every goddamn character the main characters are fucking insane. Oh god, they were INSANE. I've never encountered more wacko characters then here.

But in NERVE, the psychosis is much less out there and subtler. There aren’t any "WOWMYGODSHE'SINSANEAHFJKADHJNDG" moments in this book. In fact, it's so subtle it may not have actually existed.

Yes, you heard me right.

I don't know if it actually existed. There were a few things that made me suspect that Vee was loosing it but sadly, in the end, she didn't. 

It was really disappointing because I was very sure that Vee would crack and kill everyone, which would have been an amazingly refreshing plot twist. Personally, I think around 85% of horror books (I consider this to be horror) could be improved by killing off all the characters and/or making the main character go insane. 

What can I say I'm weird.

Writing

The writing was perfect for the book. Ryan did an absolutely wonderful job with creating tension. There was this one time where Vee was locked in a room. It was terrifying because we only knew what Vee knew, which was very little.

Even by the end of the scene, the reader is still not sure whether it was a panic induced hallucination (because she had experienced something similar to this before) or whether there really was gas being pumped into the room. 

Likes and Dislikes

Likes: 
- Writing
- Vee
- Ending
- Plot

Dislikes:
- Vee
- Ending
- IAN

In Conclusion:

I really liked the book but I still don't think it deserved a four star. It's fabulous book, really, but I feel it lacked that one thing that would have made it four stars. I do not think it could ever have been a five star book but I still loved it and utterly recommend it.

Lisbeth is an American teenager who enjoys blowing shit up in videogames and discussing decapitation in great detail. She's also obsessed with Oceana, but you're not supposed to know that.

{Review} I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Title: I Hunt Killers

Author: Barry Lyga
Format: Library Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release date: April 3, 2012
Date Read: October 16, 2012 - October 18, 2012
Rating: ✭✭✭✭

What if the world's worst serial killer... was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

William R. Somerset should have been partnered with Jasper Francis Dent in Se7en.

By the way. Sorry, Jazz, but that is totally a serial killer name. 

I HUNT KILLERS is the story of seventeen year-old Jazz, the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, Billy Jazz, and his efforts to hunt down a new serial killer. As the bodies pile up, Jazz and his friends must work faster than ever.

I HUNT KILLERS is disturbing. It's gory. It's sinister. And it is freaking awesome. This is the kind of book that you're going to remember for a long time - the kind of book that will make you think about murders and deaths and these nutcases that do them.

I'm going to come clean here and admit that this book was the first horror-mystery-serial-killer book I've ever read. 

I know. Shameful.

But by no means was it the first anything I've seen about serial killers. It's strange, but I'm fascinated with the lengths unstable people will go to relieve themselves. It's sick, I know, but these things have always absorbed me. Se7en, the 1995 thriller starring Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow, was so interesting and savage and I loved it.


It left me shuddering.

And I HUNT KILLERS left me with the same feeling . . . almost. To me, epic visuals will leave you shuddering more than a book. I know that makes me a horrible reader in some people's eyes, but I'm not gonna lie.

First off, these murders are grisly. If you're squeamish about blood and screws and painful murders in general, avoid this book. You might pass out. But for those of you who can stand it, by all means, go ahead. At first, the murders are flashbacks of Billy's victims recounted by Jazz. But eventually Jazz will begin seeing them himself, and then things get gruesome.

It's written well, and told well, with a well-thought-out plot. Italicized flashbacks of the things Billy would say to Jazz complete the mood.

"Wrapped my arms around her throat, Billy whispered in Jazz's mind. Just squeezed and squeezed..."

And even though the theme of I HUNT KILLERS is dark, there are spots of humor that left me with a small grin.

I figured out who the serial killer was in no time. I'm sure you will, as well - it's sort of blindingly obvious. It was too bad that the mystery wasn't very mysterious, because that could've made all the difference.

I didn't like Jazz. I didn't find him likable, or charming, or any of the words used to describe him. He was manipulative, cold, and I, yeah. I know. He's a sociopath, but Jazz was also so complex and conflicted, and his nightmares just ate him up. He was loyal to his friends and scary towards people he didn't like. I remain baffled at the fact that no one saw through his façade.

Billy Dent reminded me of Kevin Spacey. I know that's a eye-rolling confession, because, I mean, almost every sick serial killer reminds me of Kevin Spacey afterSe7en. But he had this twisted personality that completely reminded me of Spacey's character. There are no words to describe how horrible this piece of shit excuse for a human being is. He's scarred Jazz for life and has no regrets about it. He wants Jazz to go around murdering people like he does - continuing the "legacy". He. Is. Sick.



I can't tell you too much about the serial killer - The Impressionist - but I'll just say that there are actually people like him and real life and it's so sad. People like him need to be put down. I'm serious. It's frightening.

Jazz lives with his grandmother since Dear Old Dad is in jail and his mom is dead. This woman is delusional, mentally ill, and emotionally abusive towards poor Jazz. But some of the things she did cracked me up.

I loved Howie and Connie. They were both great side characters that took part in the story, not just to be there. Howie was so sweet and I hope he can live, uh, okay-ish with his type-A hemophilia. And Connie was such a strong, badass character. She matched Jazz and didn't take his crap. And guess what, guys? Jazz's girlfriend, Connie is black.



Wait, what?

When was the last time I read a young-adult novel with a black main character or love interest?

What's that again?

Oh, yeah. I've never read one.

I shouldn't have to be so incredibly excited with this concept, but I am! I've read over one hundred YA novels this year and not ONE of them had a black MC or LI. Connie being dark-skinned was incredibly refreshing, because, you know. Apparently authors are afraid to venture out of the all-white-population-in-small-towns genre.

That ending was creepy and eery and made me shiver. Cliffhanger alert, my friends.

All in all, I adored I HUNT KILLERS and I can't wait for the second book.

Oceana is a French-blooded teenager who enjoys stalking British boys and asking them to marry her. She was diagnosed with severe fangirl disorder in 2011. Able to curse like a sailor with an angelic voice.

{Review} Broken by A.E. Rought

Title: Broken
Author: A.E. Rought
Format: NetGalley e-book ARC
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Release date: January 8, 2013
Date Read: September 7, 2012 - September 12, 2012
Rating: ✭✭✭

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

So after some pretty hilarious business while reading BROKEN, I have finally finished... and color me slightly impressed.

BROKEN is a creepy, well-done, intriguing retelling of Frankenstein.

I confess I'm a sucker for retellings. Retellings change the way you see stories - I mean, who knew that the monster's bride was pretty awesome, or that Sleeping Beauty was a heroine addict? 

Emma Gentry is a high-school girl who has just lost her boyfriend, Daniel, one of many victims to die or disappear mysteriously in a small town in Michigan. Emma and Daniel's relationship was real love, which made his death so much harder for her.

During the school year, Alex Franks enrolls, and like in most stories, he and Emma are "drawn to each other".

*headdesk*

I'm really starting to wonder why young-adult novels authors insist on adding insta-love. Gah. That definitely took away from the story.

Anyway, Alex Franks is really, really familiar. He has Daniel's eyes, his habits and knowledge. Alex's dad, Dr. Franks, is a freaking creep and he hates Emma, since she's a distraction to Alex. Drama, action, and horror follows.

You guys can all guess who the monster in BROKEN is going to be. It's not even a spoiler - it screams "ALEX ALEX DANIEL DANIEL" in the blurb. The story would've had a lot more potential if it was more surprising.

There was serious insta-love in BROKEN, and that annoyed me, but I'm not going to dwell on it. 

I thought that Emma and Alex were kind of 'adorable' together, as Britney Spears would say. Apparently that's her favorite word on the X-Factor. 

I was a uneasy with their declarations of "you're mine" and "you belong to me", however.

I usually don't go gaga for any books with insta-love, but I suppose BROKEN was an exception, since it had a reason. It just made me feel like this, which is a definite sign I'm going mad:


I'm just exaggerating

I thought the characters and the character development was okay. I genuinely liked Emma - she seemed like a interesting protagonist and I was fond of her voice. She didn't give two shits what other people thought of her, and she didn't let it get to her. Most of the time. And she punches people, which I adored. 

I also loved Alex. He's like a lost, sensitive puppy that needs a hug. He's a sweet, protective little German Shepherd. I sound like a creep. Moving on. Alex hates himself, and he's a tortured soul. I'm not just spitting out bullshit. It's the truth.

I originally liked Josh - the game he played with Emma was funny and I loved it. And then, little by little, my patience for him waned... and waned... and waned... until I got to the last straw, and, oh, look what I found!

 
HAHAHA, FUCK YOU.

BROKEN itself gave me semi-nightmares. It didn't horrify me while I was reading it, but when I went to bed, I did dream about someone cutting out my heart. The animals scared the living crap out of me - the deer, mostly - and Dr. Franks made the story.

I do wish there was a lot more horror to counterbalance the romance, however.

Strangely, one of the scenes in BROKEN reminded me of when the victims of THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE are tied to the beds ready for surgery, which is probably not the best comparison. That movie scarred me for life, and I have my friends to blame for forcing me to watch it at the party they threw for me.


I bet you're squirming, aren't you? Me too.

BROKEN is a guilty pleasure for me because there are things wrong with it: insta-love that made me roll my eyes at times, choices that annoyed me at times, and tiny details that should've driven me insane but didn't.

But I didn't hate it.

Oceana is a French-blooded teenager who enjoys stalking British boys and asking them to marry her. She was diagnosed with severe fangirl disorder in 2011. Able to curse like a sailor with an angelic voice.