Book Review: Where the Stars Still Shine

Title:  Where the Stars Still Shine
Author:  Trish Doller
Where I got it:  From NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

Amazon Summary:

Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

Trish Doller writes incredibly real teens, and this searing story of love, betrayal, and how not to lose your mind will resonate with readers who want their stories gritty and utterly true.

My Thoughts:
I have been waiting for this book ever since I turned the last page of Something Like Normal, and holy crap you guys, it was worth the wait!  This book is gorgeous, wrenching, challenging, and engrossing in a way that’s nearly impossible to describe.  The conflict and drama of Callie’s life with her mother, and eventual return to her large family that she has absolutely no idea how to deal with are so realistic and emotional that I couldn’t put the book down for a second.  I’m not even kidding, I started this book, got a page or two in, and was like “oh, there goes anything I was going to get done…  must read faster.”

I can’t even explain all the reasons I love this book, but love it I do!  What are you doing reading my writing when you could be reading this book?!

Book Review: Close My Eyes

Title:  Close My Eyes
Author:  Sophie McKenzie
Where I got it:  From NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

Amazon Summary:

Gone Girl meets Before I Go to Sleep in Sophie McKenzie's Close My Eyes, a riveting psychological thriller about a grieving mother who finds out years after her daughter’s death that her child may still be alive

When Geniver Loxley lost her daughter at birth eight years ago, her world stopped… and never fully started again. Mothers with strollers still make her flinch; her love of writing has turned into a half-hearted teaching career; and she and her husband, Art, have slipped into the kind of rut that seems inescapable.

But then a stranger shows up on their doorstep, telling Gen the very thing she’s always wanted to hear: that her daughter Beth was not stillborn, but was taken away as a healthy infant and is still out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. It’s insane, unbelievable.

But why would anyone make that up? A fissure suddenly opens up in Gen’s carefully reconstructed life, letting in a flood of unanswerable questions. Where is Beth now? Why is Art so reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or is it something more sinister? And who can she trust to help her?

Ignoring the warnings of her husband and friends, Gen begins to delve into the dark corners of her past, hopeful she’ll find a clue to her daughter’s whereabouts. But hope quickly turns into fear and paranoia, as she realizes that finding the answers might open the door to something even worse than not knowing. A truth that could steal everything she holds close – even her own life.

My Thoughts:
Art and Gen have been trying to conceive ever since their daughter was stillborn eight years ago, without any luck.  To the point that Gen isn’t convinced that it’s worth another shot at IVF and treatments.  But when a stranger shows up claiming that her baby was born alive, a brand new kind of hope blossoms, and she becomes obsessed with discovering the truth – no matter how crazy her friends and family believe she is.

But Gen’s obsession could be leading all of them into grave danger – there’s far more to the story of her daughters’ birth than she could possibly imagine, and a trail of bodies and money lead from the day she discovered that her baby had died in utero.

Close My Eyes was creepy and suspenseful in that way that makes you doubt your sanity right along with the main character – I found myself so involved in Gen’s obsession that I would get mad when someone tried to convince her that she was wrong or insane!  Definitely a great psychological read that will keep you up well past bedtime!

Book Review: Lie Still

Title:  Lie Still
Author:  Julia Heaberlin
Where I got it:  From NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

Amazon Summary:

In the tradition of Lisa Unger’s Beautiful Lies and Nancy Pickard’s The Scent of Rain and Lightning comes a twisting, riveting novel of shifting trust and shattered lives. Lie Still delves deep into the heart of an opulent Southern town, where gossip is currency and secrets kill.

When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past—and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women—and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick—Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game.

It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.

My Thoughts:
While I’m certain that Texas women (or any stereotypical group of wealthy, influential women) are not quite as off the charts ridiculous as the women in this book, I found them completely believable and hilariously disturbing all in one fell swoop.  I was immediately sucked into Emily’s perspective from the opening line, wanting to see where the book would go, and what the heck was going on in this small Texas town.  As the book continued, I only became more curious, to the point I *had* to stay up way past my bedtime to finish the book and find out what the heck the deal was. 

The plot of Lie Still is deliciously suspenseful and convoluted, and there’s plenty of room for rumor and conjecture to divert the reader, all the while making pages and minutes fly by like nobody’s business.  I was definitely a fan, and I’ll be looking for other books by Heaberlin in the very near future!

Series Review: Inside Out

Titles: 

1. If I Were You
2. Being Me
3. Revealing Us

Author:  Lisa Renee Jones

Where I got it:

From the publisher, in exchange for an honest review

My Thoughts:

Ok, I started this trilogy during the read-a-thon last year, and then fell completely behind as books two and three released.  I finally took the time to get caught up, and I’m so glad I did! The Inside Out trilogy is mysterious, sexy, and somehow less petty and ridiculous than other similarly steamy novels.  Granted, Sara and Chris are their own brand of broken and damaged, but in many ways they seem normally damaged, rather than kind of off the wall ridiculous after a while damaged, which is definitely a plus when reading the books in rapid succession. 

While I’m also not a huge art person, I do enjoy the artistic aspects of the trilogy, and the way the mystery is blended right in without seeming contrived or random.  The entire trilogy is based around Sara’s experiences as she attempts to locate Rebecca – the woman whose journal she’s been reading, who has disappeared from her career and life, leaving an opportunity for Sara to fulfill her own dreams. 

If steamy fiction is your cup of wine, this is definitely a trilogy you need to read!

Book Review: Born of Illusion

Title:  Born of Illusion
Author:  Teri Brown
Where I got it:  From Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review

Amazon Summary:

Teri Brown’s YA novel Born of Illusion launches a thrilling new series laced with romance and magic. Each book is linked to a real-life secret society founded in 1862 by Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, and others to study paranormal mysteries.

The first book introduces Anna Van Housen, a young woman living in Jazz Age New York, who may be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician who ever lived—Harry Houdini. Anna certainly has his talent. She is an expert illusionist. What no one knows is Anna actually has supernatural gifts.

Then a young man discovers Anna’s abilities and introduces her to members of a secret society, who are eager to study her powers and help her learn the truth about herself.

My Thoughts:
Born of Illusion is a simple, fun read that brings elements of show magic to life, with a dash of real life and the paranormal thrown in for good measure.  This is an awesome combination of magic tricks that we’re all relatively familiar with, “real” magic, and family dynamics that will keep you engaged and guessing until the very last page.  I’m definitely looking forward to more books in this series, because it’s got such a different perspective from the usual paranormal magic book, and it’s so much fun to read!

Book Review: Stormbringers

Title:  Stormbringers
Author:  Philippa Gregory
Where I got it:  From Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review

Amazon Summary:

The second book in a YA quartet filled with intrigue, mystery, and romance, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory.

Italy, 1453. Luca and Isolde grow more and more attracted to each other as they continue their journey to unravel the mysteries throughout Christendom. But their travels are delayed by the uprising of an intense religious crusade that threatens the balance of the civilized world. Death lingers in the air as war ravages on, but this religious conflict is nothing compared to the arrival of an intense and deadly storm.

Caught in the midst of unimaginable chaos, Luca and Isolde must rely on one another in order to survive.

The second in Philippa Gregory’s four-book series delves further into a forbidden romance and an epic quest. And the tension builds as secrets about The Order of Darkness are finally revealed...

My Thoughts:
I’ve been a fan of Philippa Gregory for years.  Probably since I was a teenager, or at least that’s how it feels.  I know I had the Wideacre trilogy when I still lived at home, so it’s been at least a decade (and now I feel OLD).  While I can’t say that I love The Order of Darkness books as much as I loved the Wideacre trilogy, or any of Gregory’s historical fiction surrounding royalty, I still do enjoy them.  This series is a very different dynamic from her other works, both in that it’s YA and that it’s got some paranormalish elements.  I tend to not find the characters as enthralling as I do her adult novels…

But anyway, I digress, and sound much more negative than I mean to.  I really enjoyed the second installment in The Order of Darkness, and I will absolutely be continuing to follow this series because above and beyond all of the technical aspects of the books, I adore Gregory and the way she brings historical type settings to life around the reader.  The Order of Darkness books are no exception, and they’re fun, light reads to keep you engaged. 

Book Review: The Waking Dark

Title:  The Waking Dark
Author:  Robin Wasserman
Where I got it:  From NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

Amazon Summary:

A taut, haunting read, The Waking Dark is "a horror story worthy of Stephen King" (Booklist) and will appeal to the readers of Gillian Flynn and Rick Yancey.

They called it the killing day. Twelve people dead, all in the space of a few hours. Five murderers: neighbors, relatives, friends. All of them so normal. All of them seemingly harmless. All of them now dead by their own hand . . . except one. And that one has no answers to offer the shattered town. She doesn't even know why she killed—or whether she'll do it again.

Something is waking in the sleepy town of Oleander's, Kansas—something dark and hungry that lives in the flat earth and the open sky, in the vengeful hearts of upstanding citizens. As the town begins its descent into blood and madness, five survivors of the killing day are the only ones who can stop Oleander from destroying itself. Jule, the outsider at war with the world; West, the golden boy at war with himself; Daniel, desperate for a different life; Cass, who's not sure she deserves a life at all; and Ellie, who believes in sacrifice, fate, and in evil. Ellie, who always goes too far. They have nothing in common. They have nothing left to lose. And they have no way out. Which means they have no choice but to stand and fight, to face the darkness in their town—and in themselves. 

 

My Thoughts:
I really wanted to like The Waking Dark – the synopsis sounds incredible, that cover is amazing, and it just seemed like my kind of book.  However, I got a couple hours into it (it’s a long book, I think I read about half) and just couldn’t bring myself to keep going.  I was confused by the character shifts, and I didn’t really identify with any of the characters or anything that was happening in Oleander.  I wanted to be creeped out and I wasn’t.  I wanted to be curious, and while I was, it wasn’t enough to bring me back to my Kindle to keep reading.  So I eventually put it down.  You guys, this one was not the book for me, but I still heard and saw lots of good things about it on the interwebs, so if it sounds like it might be your thing, give it a try!  If you love it, come back and tell me why, and maybe I’ll give it another try!