Review: The Three by Sarah Lotz

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (May 20, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 031624290X
  • Source: Publisher

 

One day the unthinkable happens: four planes crash simultaneously around the world. The sole survivors are three children with seemingly no connection. In the days and months that follow and terrorists attacks have been ruled out, conspiracy theorists come out of the woodwork.

When “the three” begin to experience behavior issues the claims about their true origins increase in magnitude. After a evangelical minister insinuates they are the three seals of the apocalypse, the survivors are forced to go into hiding. Eventually, even their loved ones begin to question their behavior, unable to believe they haven’t been switched or altered in some manner.

It seems as though no one can explain how these three children survived. Do they have a purpose, a mission?  Will society patiently await answers or take matters into their own hands?

Personally, I have been anticipating this novel for some time.  The premise, the unexplained survivors, it all drew me in immediately.  Little did I know just how tremendous this novel was!  Lotz uses a unique manner to tell the story, a “book in book” method using witness statements, blog posts, interviews that make up a fictional book about the Black Thursday, the day the planes crashed with seemingly no reason.  Without a reliable narrator, the reader is forced to choose between the various witnesses, discerning which individuals can be trusted.

That said, what moved me most was the role that normal, everyday people played in the fate of the Three. Crazed conspiracy theorists spouted all sorts of explanations about the danger that surrounded these three children. Yet, ultimately, it wasn’t the children they should have been worried about.  Fear drove everyday citizens to behave in ways they likely never would have, fear drove them to make unbelievable choices about the survivors’ future.

That’s not to say there isn’t a dark and supernatural feel to this novel, there most definitely is. The survivors, while children, are downright terrifying.  Imagine finding out your child, your niece or nephew or grandson, was the sole survivor of a plane crash. It would be ignorant to assume they would be the same child, understandably shaken by the traumatic incident. What if they were completely different, no semblance of that child remaining. Truly terrifying!

While all questions aren’t answered (quite a few are left unanswered, as a matter of fact) it is my opinion that this is the sort of novel meant to be open-ended, reliant upon the reader to anticipate and plot out what happens next.

All in all, The Three is a chilling tale of not only an unnatural incident that devastated the entire world, but an intense study of human response in the face of fear. Highly, highly recommended.

 

Check out the book’s Tumblr page for “witness” accounts and for more information about the Three.

Posted in Little, Brown & Company, Paranormal Fiction, Review, Thriller | 7 Comments

Review: Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Random House (May 13, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 1400062128
  • Source: Publisher

Four years ago Justin Campbell disappeared from his home in the small town of Southport, Texas.   The Campbells struggle to find answers, not knowing if he ran away or was abducted.  Their lives continue, but a mere shell of the life they led before.  When they receive a call from the police saying Justin has been found, alive, in the neighboring town, they can’t believe the news. Elated that their family is together again, they believe that their lives will return to normal.
Unfortunately, the very things that separated them before continue, wounds that may never heal.

Unlike many novels with similar premises, Johnston doesn’t focus on the “before,” with little mention of the Campbell family before Justin disappeared. All the focus is on the “after” and how pronounced the family was changed because of his abduction. All four members of the family are vastly different than they were before, with adultery and lies bearing down on them like invisible weights. The after is almost more difficult to deal with than the abduction itself. So many more unknowns come into play, from what will happen to the abductor to how the family will persevere, almost strangers to one another.

Although it reads like a thriller, the pacing of Remember Me Like This is slow, drawn out and deliberate.  Wholly intentional, in my opinion, this allows the reader to feel the weight of the pressure and uncertainty felt by the Campbell family.

While the majority of the active characters are well-established and developed, it is Justin’s character that is the least developed. Again, likely an intended move by the author, for in order for the reader to feel and comprehend what the family is experiencing, an intimate glimpse of their situation, they must be lacking the same connection and knowledge as the family itself.

This book drew me in from the beginning. I have two sons myself (one named Justin) and I couldn’t even fathom what Justin’s family was experiencing. Could anyone in this situation deal with it differently? It is unlikely.

Remember Me Like This is a brilliant, deeply personal and achingly emotional journey of one family as they attempt to heal and recover from a life-altering event. Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in Mystery/Suspense, Random House, Review | 5 Comments

Review: The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (May 13, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 1250041988
  • Source: Publisher

Eleven-year-old Brigid Howley live in the Pennsylvania coal country. The mines in the ground below their home rage with a deadly ferocity.  They are in constant fear of deadly fumes that escape these mines and are often awaken in the middle of the night by a man responsible for checking the gas levels in their home. It becomes a regular and constant part of their lives, expecting an explosion in the vast mines beneath their home to take their home and all of their possessions.

When a sink hole robs them of their home, they are forced to move to the home of her estranged paternal grandparents. Their new home is not any safer than the previous but the family is desperate. Her mother is the only breadwinner in the family; her father, injured years ago in the mines,  is unable to hold down a job for long. Her grandmother is a force to be reckoned with and an argument from years ago causes a rift between Brigid’s mother and Grandmother. Her grandfather, stricken with a black-lung, constantly reminds Brigid of the curse that haunts their family.

Brigid struggles to keep her weakened and tested family together. Her mother long ago lost any faith in Brigid’s father and the tension in the home is overwhelming.  Yet when Brigid discovers a ghastly sight in a bootleg mine shaft,  family secrets come pouring out, true evidence of the curse that plagues this strong, Irish family.  With it become a sudden revelation to the cause of her father’s mining injury and implies his involvement of his brother’s death in the mines years ago.

A devastating and emotional coming of age novel , The Hollow Ground beautifully and so expertly captures a genuine part of our country’s history. The fires that raged in the Pennsylvania country still rage, a constant reminder of the past.  Set in the 1960s, this novel eloquently blends a historical account of our nation with one young girl’s journey to come to terms with her family’s haunted past.  The characters so richly developed that readers won’t have  a difficult time connecting, enduring the struggles and challenges they are faced. The setting is expertly detailed, making it easy to become immersed in this truly tremendous novel.

To say this novel is a page-turner is an understatement. I was captivated from the first page, taking every minute I could spare to retreat back to Brigid’s world. Growing up outside coal country myself (albeit, a far more modernized setting) ti wasn’t difficult for me to become invested in this story. A must read for both fans of historical fiction and mystery, The Hollow Ground has an intensity that will continue to burn within me like the abandoned coal mines that played such an integral role in our nation’s history. Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in Historical Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Review, St. Martin's Press, Thomas Dunne Books | 4 Comments

Frightful Friday: By Any Means by Chris Culver

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Jenn

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. This week’s featured title is By Any Means by Chris Culver:

  • Series: Ash Rashid
  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 6, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 1455525987
  • Source: Publisher

His days as a homicide detective over, Ash Rashid has replaced chasing criminals with heading the D.A.R.E. problem in Chicago-area elementary schools. However, when he discovers two dead bodies in a car on his commute home, he’s quickly sucked back into active duty. The individuals deaths are not accidental, instead victims of a deadly brutal murder.  As Ash learns more, this goes beyond a “simple” murder case to something far more dangerous and deadly.

What makes this novel stand out to me is the protagonist, Ash Rashid. A Muslim man, struggling with alcoholism, he is presented in a manner completely unlike the perceptions many people have with the Muslim culture. His family and religion are important to him and, while they don’t play a predominant role in this novel, they are certainly paramount his life.  It quickly becomes clear that Ash finds it difficult to reconcile his line of work with his religion, this conflict largely responsible for his drinking problem.

For me, it was a breath of fresh air to find a protagonist that wasn’t your typical white, Catholic, man. It’s quite unfortunate that there aren’t many characters like Ash in crime fiction, or fiction at large. It’s important to see individuals like Ash in a positive light.  That’s not to say that Ash isn’t flawed…he most certainly is. This adds an element of reality, of humanity, to his character.

While this is the third book in a series, I felt it served as a good stand alone. While it’s obvious that Ash has a past, Culver does a good  job of providing enough back story to bring new readers up to base on what has transpired in the past.

If you are looking with a strong police procedural, this is the series for you. Recommended.

Posted in Frightful Friday, Grand Central Publishing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Review: The Book of You by Claire Kendal

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Jenn

The Book of You

  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Harper (May 6, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 0062297600
  • Source: Publisher

He’s everywhere. At the train station. Standing outside her door.  At the University where she works. His name is Rafe, her constant shadow following one regretful evening.  He sends her messages through the post, rifles through her garbage, takes photographs of her while she sleeps.

Clarissa is ecstatic when she’s called to serve on a jury. It is her only salvation from him. The trial involves the brutal abduction and rape of a prostitute. Her situation mirrors that of Clarissa’s in so many ways.  Ash she watches how the victim is attacked on the stand, Clarissa sees she must build up a strong case against her own stalker. Anything less than absolute evidence will mean her accusations will be shunned, like this victim’s, and Rafe will be released.

Clarissa becomes obsessed with accumulating the evidence to prove a case against Rafe. She notices it herself, how her obsession with him parallels his with her:

I actually catch myself wondering where you are. This scares me even more; it makes me see that there is a danger of my becoming as fixated on you as you are on me. That is what you want, in your constant mission to keep my attention.

The terror Clarissa experiences pours through the pages of this stunning debut novel. You feel her fear, your heart pounds as she searches crowds to see if Rafe is watching. She knows he is…he is everywhere. In the few moments her guard is down, you feel the hairs on your neck raise, knowing that Rafe is somewhere….watching.

Ending with a stunning and terrifying conclusion, The Book of You is a book like none other. It’s impossible to classify it as a thriller, for it is far more terrifying than any thriller I have read. A tale of terror of such magnitude, Clarissa’s terror flowed into me and I found myself constantly checking my surroundings, making certain I locked all doors, closed all the blinds.

In spite of, or perhaps because of, the emotional reaction I had to this novel, I simply could not get enough. I devoured it. Hoped and prayed for Clarissa’s salvation. It is beyond my comprehension that this is the author’s first novel for the power and intensity she puts behinds her words are attributes of a skilled and veteran writer.

While certainly not an easy read, I do recommend this title for fans of strong, psychological thrillers. While there are some graphic scenes, particularly of a graphic nature, none of it is excessive or gratuitous.   Bottom line: If you are looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump, or to keep you up late at night, this is the novel for you. Kendal is an author I will follow, desperate to see what she writes next. Highly, highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title.  Please check out the official tour page for other reviews.

Posted in Harper Books, Review, Thriller | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Review: Desperate by Daniel Palmer

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Kensington House Pub Ltd (April 29, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 0758293437
  • Source: Kaye Publicity

Gage Dekker lost his first wife and young son in a car accident for which he blames himself. He and his second wife, Anna, were married in less than a year and are now struggling to have their own child. Anna, like Gage, understands grief, having lost her own son.  After a failed miscarriage that devastates them both, they begin the long process of adoption. Anna doesn’t want to go the traditional route of going through an agency so instead the couple begin the arduous task of creating a web site in an attempt to find a prospective mother.

It is by coincidence that the meet Lily. Alone and homeless, Lily states she saw their web site and is more than willing to give them her baby in exchange for financial support.  It seems like a perfect opportunity and Gage and Anna finally have something positive and hopeful to look forward to.

Soon after Lily moves into the other half of their split-level home, Gage begins to suspect something shady about Lily. He attempts to relay his feelings to Anna, but she’s already formed a bond with Lily and any accusations are quickly shunned. The already strained relationship they have is further tested and Gage begins to feel like he has lost control of every aspect of his life.  Forced to do the unthinkable in order to safe his family and career, Gage can’t even begin to contemplate what is yet to come.

I’ve been a fan of Daniel Palmer’s books for some time. I devour them as soon as I can get my hands on them.  One of the key themes in his novels are individuals who are pushed to their limit and must fight the unthinkable to maintain control of their lives. They involve everyday, run of the mill kind of individuals, forced to do extraordinary things in order to save everything that is dear to them. I’m not sure what this says about me that I enjoy this sort of thing (Palmer actually writes about this here). All that said,Desperate is a truly outstanding novel that really forces the reader to contemplate what they would do in Gage’s position. It is a novel that lives up to its title, for Gage is quite desperate to keep a handle on his life, despite the odds and risks. While there were times I wanted to knock some sense into him, Gage was a truly genuine and believable character still suffering from the loss of his first wife and child. Due to this, he may have been a big ignorant in what was happening around him, only discovering the truth once it is too late. 

Without giving away too much, I must touch on the ending. Wow. Just when I thought I knew the path Palmer was planning to take, in comes a completely different path out of left field. I was stunned, actually rereading pages to make certain I got it right. I then went to the beginning of the novel and reread several chapters and finally, the light bulb above my head illuminated and it all came together so perfectly.  I had to stop and clap at Palmer because that twist was absolutely brilliant. I was already a huge fan of the novel up to that point, but that move gave me a completely different level of appreciation for Palmer’s talent.

Bottom line: Desperate is a must-read for fans of intense, action filled thrillers. Fans of Star Trek in particular will geek out at a few scenes (like I did!). Highly recommended!

Other books by Daniel Palmer:

Stolen
Helpless
Delirious

Posted in Kensington, Review, Thriller | 3 Comments

A Month in Review: April 2014

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Jenn


Books Reviewed

Total books read: 12

Pick of the month:

Audiobook: Code Zero
Thriller: Blood Always Tells
General Fiction: Be Safe I Love You

Special Events

I kicked off Femme Fatale with an interview with Kate Rhodes:

I participated in Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon! Check out my stats & progress here:

There are so many great books coming out in May, it took me three posts to write about them all:

 

How was your April in reading? What were your favorites?

Posted in Month in Review | 1 Comment

Review: The Blessings by Elise Juska

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 6, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 1455574031
  • Source: Publisher

The Blessings are a large, tightly-knit family.  Celebrations are large and grand like the family itself. When John Blessing, the oldest son, passes away at a young age, his death causes a rippling affect that alters the lives of each generation. While the family was able to deal with his father’s death months early, John’s death came far too soon and at far too young an age. Some family members, like his wife Lauren, found solace and comfort in the family.  Others, like his nephew, followed a darker path.  Despite the different courses each family member decides to take, the strength of their family continues to unite them.

Told in chapters alternating between the many family members, readers follow the Blessings family in the years following John’s death. The battles and obstacles they face are not easy, ranging from infertility to eating disorders and the slow decline of older family members. For this reason, readers from all walks of life will find a connection with this family.  They are flawed, far from perfect. We see them at their strongest moments and feel the urge to comfort them at their weakest. A genuine family, one that will have a lasting impression.

Initially, upon reading the novel’s synopsis, I feared the tone would be dreary and depressing. It was actually the opposite; the story that Juska creates in The Blessings is a heartwarming and uplifting. It reminded me my own family’s blessings, the ties that bind us together, the times we are drawn together in loss and in celebration. In the end, The Blessings lived up to it’s title. Upon reading the final chapters, I felt blessed to have met and experienced this fine family and reminded of the blessings within my own. Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in General Fiction, Grand Central Publishing, Review | 2 Comments

Review: The Confabulist by Steven Galloway

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (May 1, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 1594631964
  • Source: Publisher

Martin Strauss is a confabulist, an individual who creates alternative retellings of memories in attempt to recreate lost memories. Martin has just recently come to terms with this condition and, with guilt, now looks back on an incident that forever altered his life.

In 1926, Strauss punched Harry Houdini in the abdomen. Just a few days later, Houdini died due to a burst appendix. Strauss felt such great remorse for this incident that he now reminisces to the time where he killed Houdini not once, but twice.  The story he weaves is a creative one.  Starting with Houdini’s start as an illusionist (known then by his given name of Ehrich Weiss), Strauss walks the reader through a particularly interesting and unique tale surrounding Houdini’s life after he became an icon, including a stint in espionage and his dedication to disproving those individuals who claimed they were able to communicate with with the deceased.

At the surface, it all seems quite implausible. Yet, the story that the author constructs, shared by an admittedly unreliable narrator, is so well formatted that it is nearly believable. With all forms of magic, the audience is left wondering what to believe. The same rings true with this novel.

Galloway spends an extensive part of the novel creating and developing the character of Harry Houdini. The reader follows him as he discovers, and becomes skilled in, the illusions that would fascinate his followers.  What makes this novel excel is how Galloway used fact and weaved into a new reality far more creative (no offense) than the original.

Perfect for fans of historical fiction/thrillers with a tinge of mystery, The Confabulist an incredibly engaging novel about the world’s greatest illusionist. Highly recommended.

Posted in Historical Fiction, Review, Riverhead Books, Thriller | Leave a comment

Short Review: The Way We Fall & The Lives We Lost by Megan Crewe

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Jenn

Following are short reviews/commentary on two of the books I read during the readathon!

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

  • Age Range: 12 – 18 years
  • Series: Fallen World (Book 1)
  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (February 5, 2013)

After a virus hits the small island that is home to sixteen-year-old Kaelyn, the government establishes a quarantine, isolating them from the rest of the country.  The survivors, with very little information, react in two ways: they survive as only they can, by building up a stronghold in their homes or, the more unfortunate, to form rogue gangs that will stop at nothing to get their hands on items necessary for survival. Told using a series of journal entries to Kaelyn’s best friend (away at school and not trapped on the island), this first in a trilogy details Kaelyn’s growth from a floundering and socially awkward teen to a strong and determined young woman.

The Lives We Lost by Megan Crewe

  • Age Range: 12 – 18 years
  • Series: The Fallen World trilogy (Book 2)
  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (February 12, 2013)


In this second book in the trilogy, Kaelyn has discovered samples of a vaccine in her father’s abandoned lab.  She knows she must track down someone to replicate and disperse the cure. Unfortunately, that person isn’t on the island.  Forced onto the mainland after her home is destroyed, Kaelyn is disturbed to see that the virus has spread far beyond her island home and there are groups of survivors who will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. An excellent second book in a trilogy, this one has evaded any fears of a sophomore slump. Kaelyn has continued to grow as a budding leader, putting everything at risk to save humanity.

This is a trilogy I just happened to come across in a chain bookstore while on vacation. My oldest son pointed them out to me and, unfortunately, I quickly forgot their titles. Apparently, I was meant to read them for days later a tweet from the publisher reminded me! I intended for my fourteen year old son to read them first but, come readathon time, I couldn’t resist!

I do highly recommend this trilogy to fans of young adult apocalyptic fiction. The characters are genuine and well developed, the pacing spot-on with enough intensity to keep readers captivated. I’m glad I requested all three books from my library at once; I can’t wait to start in on the third title!

Posted in Disney-Hyperion, Dystopian fiction, Review, YA | 1 Comment