Author: Erin Richards
Publisher: Merit Press
Publishing Date: July 18th 2013
Publisher: Merit Press
Publishing Date: July 18th 2013
Pages: 303
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC provided by Itching for Books
Source: ARC provided by Itching for Books
A "good boy" will do anything for vengeance when a gang rite kills his twin sister. Will Lucas win, or follow his sister Silver into the darkness?
After a hideous car wreck, Lucas wakes from a coma to find that his world is gutted. Not only is his beloved twin sister, Silver, gone forever, but Lucas is broken in body and spirit. He will never be a college athlete, and is robbed of what he now realizes was the most important bond of his life. Although they weren't identical twins, Lucas and Silver shared a bond so fierce it defied reason, and was nearly supernatural.
After her death, that bond seems to endure when Lucas sees Silver everywhere he turns. Either he's crazy, or Silver is trying to tell him something about the California gang initiation they stumbled into that cost Silver her life. Lucas is bent on revenge, turning on Raymond, Silver's former boyfriend; the one Lucas never wanted her to date. He forms a posse of vigilantes to take out the gangsters responsible for Silver's death, but he risks not only his own life, but the love of the new girl on his block, who knows more about Lucas and Silver than can be accounted for by mere chance.
I was very excited to read this book. the synopsis caught my attention first thing. I wasn't sure what to expect but I don't think I was expecting the read I received. Vigilante Nights had some pros and cons for me and to be honest I stll feel a bit lost on how I feel for the book. It was an interesting read. I couldn't help but want to know what happened next, but something felt a bit off for me.
Twins Silver and Lucas are in a car accident that seriously injures Lucuas and kills Silver. After two months of being in a coma, Lucas wakes to find he has lost everything he cherished in his life, his sister, football, and his rebuilt camaro. He feels lost with no guidiance on where to go from here until the ghost of his sister appears and whispers the word vengeance in his ear. Lucas gets a gang together and decides to become a vigilante gang.
I liked the story of a vigilante gang. I first thought it would be more about revenge, and in some ways it is, but Lucas and his gang do things stir up trouble for the trouble makers too. They get them caught. That was always fun for me. I liked the bond between family and friendship in this story. I also liked the romance in the story. Not to sappy, a little bit sizzling at times... good for a story told from a guys point of view. I also loved the tone of the story. When I read the story I felt that it was written like an old mystery movie. The way that Lucas spoke and thought was very gumshoe to me. (except for the modern use of slang of course). The only trouble I had with the writing was the racial slurs and the stereotyping. It felt too forced or too honest. Not sure which but for me both feel wrong. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if this aspect had been toned down or taken out.
I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked but they were likable for the most part. Lucas grew on me some but still didn't care for his character too much. He had some wonderful qualities like loyalty, bravery, and he was pretty smart... but he was also shallow, arrogant, and for beings so smart... dumb. I think he did grow some during the book but he still found ways to hit a nerve in me. I really liked Tara, she was the really smart one, she was able to see things that no one else really saw. She had a sense of humor I really liked too. She made the story so much more interesting. Silver cracked me up. Yes she was a ghost, but she was so sarcastic and fun. Loved her.
The pacing was a bit slow for me in the beginning, it wasn't until half way through the book when things really started to happen. The book then became more of a mystery of whodunnit and some thrills here and there. I knew who was behind the accident shortly before it all started to come out but it was fun to see it unravel for the characters.
All in all, I enjoyed it. I think that there were some things that could have been better but it was still a good read.
Erin Richards lives in Northern California. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, photography, and American muscle cars.
www.erinrichards.com | twitter.com/ErinRichards
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