Review: Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

Title: Neverworld Wake 
Author: Marisha Pessl  
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publishing Date:  June 5th, 2018

Pages: 327
Length: 8 Hours 46 Minutes 
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Psychological Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

Once upon a time, back at Darrow-Harker School, Beatrice Hartley and her six best friends were the cool kids, the beautiful ones. Then the shocking death of Jim—their creative genius and Beatrice's boyfriend—changed everything.
One year after graduation, Beatrice is returning to Wincroft—the seaside estate where they spent so many nights sharing secrets, crushes, plans to change the world—hoping she'll get to the bottom of the dark questions gnawing at her about Jim’s death. But as the night plays out in a haze of stilted jokes and unfathomable silence, Beatrice senses she’s never going to know what really happened.
Then a mysterious man knocks on the door. Blithely, he announces the impossible: time for them has become stuck, snagged on a splinter that can only be removed if the former friends make the harshest of decisions. Now Beatrice has one last shot at answers... and at life.
And so begins the Neverworld Wake.

This book came at a great surprise to me. I did see it around on audible and on Goodreads, but really didn't pay too much attention to it. One day I decided to get it from audible and see what this book was about.  I wasn't prepared for this book taking my life over. This was a page turner, gripping, I was completely obsessed with this read, in the end I had major book hangover!

There once were six friends, all really close. They were on top of the world, they seemed to have everything, then tragedy strikes... now there are five. The five friends try to go on after losing one. They move on with their lives.... four together, one separate. Now the five are back together and their lives are going to change forever. With secrets and lies and betrayals and truths. The past becomes clear even if the future isn't. 

This book really took me for a ride. I really had no idea what it was about or what would come from this read. I truly was unprepared for what I read. This book was very gripping. This book was tragic. This book was addictive. This book was intense. I really haven't had a book grab me like this in a little while. It was a wonderful surprise. 

I don't want to give too much away because the mystery and the suspense is a huge part of this read. There is drama and relationship trauma and damaged characters. There is also a mysterious death that looms in the past of all five friends. This story explores death and the relationships between friends and loved ones. It also explores how far one will go when put on the edge.

All the characters were really flawed and damaged on this book. I didn't like or dislike any of them and I loved them all. I don't think the book would have been the same if even one character was deleted or a different one was added. The chemistry between all the characters just perfect and it made for a very emotional and magical read. 

The pacing was just right, the writing beautiful, the story moved along smoothly. The suspense was there the mystery was there, the drama and emotions were there. I really couldn't have asked for me in this read. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to see what else comes about from this author. 

Perfection for me! 

Marisha Pessl grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and now lives in New York City. Special Topics in Calamity Physics, her debut novel, was a bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. It won the 2006 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize (now the Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize), and was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. Her new novel, Night Film, comes out August 20, 2013.

Marisha's Facebook: facebook.com/MarishaPesslOfficial

Review: Contagion by Erin Bowman

Title: Contagion

Author:  Erin Bowman
Publisher: HarperTeen

Publishing Date: July 24th, 2018

Pages: 432
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Horror

Series:  Contagion
Source:  Audio

 

It got in us
After receiving an urgent SOS from a work detail on a distant planet, a skeleton crew is dispatched to perform a standard search-and-rescue mission.
Most are dead.
But when the crew arrives, they find an abandoned site, littered with rotten food, discarded weapons…and dead bodies.
Don't set foot here again.
As they try to piece together who—or what—could have decimated an entire operation, they discover that some things are best left buried—and some monsters are only too ready to awaken

This book has been on my TBR since it showed up on Goodreads, or somewhere around that time. I have been wanting to read it for quite some time. I did have the ARC but decided I wanted to experience this one on audio. I am so glad that I did. This book was pretty intense. It had all the goodness that I expect out of a science fiction horror book. I really couldn't put it down.  

This story takes place in outer space, on a foreign and unstable planet. The story starts off where there is a storm, and evacuation, a crew put together, and then a distress call. This crew consists of a scientist, her assistant, a pilot, a captain, a mechanic, and a systems engineer. They take off in space to escape the planet with a huge storm and end up getting a distress call from a crew on a very volatile planet. They are the closest to the crew and decide to respond. Once they get there they find horror. Death and warnings and a mysterious boy. They come to find that something horrible has happened and they need to escape it... not everyone will survive. 

 I don't really know where to start with this review. This book was everything I was hoping for in a horror story. I have been looking for a great horror read for a while now and keep getting disappointed. This book did not disappoint. The horror, the suspense, the nail biting, the scares, the nerves, the blood, the monsters. All there. It was truly a horror story. And to top it off with a cherry, in outer space. YES! I love space stories and I love horror stories, so this book just had me all undone. 

I can say the only negative I found for this book was there was a lot going on with a lot of different characters. It was a little difficult to get them all figured out at first. This didn't help that it is told in third person, but the story wouldn't of worked as well in first person.  There were just lots of characters with lots of back story and lots of connections. It didn't take too long to get with the program, but it was a bit much at first. 

Once I had all the characters figured out the story just flowed and just took off. I mean this book didn't really have any slow parts. From the very beginning things are happening. The story didn't take long to build and once all hell broke out, it was just crazy from there. I mean CRAZY.  I wasn't quite prepared. Like I said lots of nail biting and jumping, and possibly some unexpected noises escaping from my mouth. 

There really isn't a whole lot to say about the characters. Just like most horror books, no matter how well they are written, character connection is not there, nor do I think it's needed.  I mean especially when some are going to die... as they always do in horror. I mean to have a good horror there needs to be death. There were a few characters I liked. There were some easier to like than others. They were all different in personalities and each had a strong individual voice. 

I am very much a character reader, I love to get to know them and befriend them, but in some books its not that important. So even though I didn't feel a strong character connection, I was able to connect to the story and the events. I still wanted the best for all the characters too, I just knew better than to get attached. 

The story was really good. I mean the connections made, the revelations, the conspiracies, for a horror story, this story had layers to go with the blood shed. I think that the story line for sure made the book, the horror and the pacing just added to the goodness. 

For a horror book this one is a good one. I really appreciated it for what it was and full warning, I wouldn't read this in the middle of the night, alone, in the silent dark. It was pretty creepy. 

So awesome, surpassed my expectations. CRAZY LOVED IT!

Erin Bowman used to tell stories visually as a web designer. Now a full-time writer, she relies solely on words. She lives in New Hampshire with her family and when not writing she can often be found hiking, commenting on good typography, and obsessing over all things Harry Potter.
Erin is represented by Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties, and is the author of the Taken Trilogy, VENGEANCE ROAD, RETRIBUTION RAILS, and the forthcoming CONTAGION (7/24/18).
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PLEASE NOTE: Erin does not check goodreads mail. If you message her this way she will not see it. For contact methods, visit Erin's website.

Review: It Wasn't Always Like This by Joy Preble

Title: It Wasn't Always Like This

Author:  Joy Preble
Publisher: Soho Teen 

Publishing Date: May 17th 2016

Pages:  256
Genre: YA Sci-Fi Thriller 

Series:  Stand Alone
Source: ARC 

 

In 1916, Emma O’Neill is frozen in time. After sampling an experimental polio vaccine brewed on a remote island off St. Augustine, Florida, she and her family stop aging—as do the Ryans, her family’s business partners. In a way, this suits Emma fine because she’s in love with Charlie Ryan. Being seventeen forever with him is a dream. But soon a group of religious fanatics, the Church of Light, takes note. Drinking the elixir has made the O’Neills and Ryans impervious to aging, but not to murder—Emma and Charlie are the only ones who escape with their lives.

On the run, Emma is tragically separated from Charlie. For the next hundred years, she plays a cat-and-mouse game with the founding members of the Church of Light and their descendants. Over the years, a series of murders—whose victims all bear more than a passing resemblance to her—indicate that her enemies are closing in. Yet as the danger grows, so does Emma’s hope for finding the boy she’s certain is still out there . . .

This book wasn't on my radar right away. I really don't like the cover and really nothing pulled me into this book. For some reason I kept going back to it and reading about the book again. I decided to give it a shot because time travel books can be good. This one was worth the read. I did enjoy it. It was entertaining, interesting, something a bit different,

Emma drank the tea. When she was 17 years old her and her family became immortal. They no longer got sick, they did not age. They could die of unnatural causes. So Emma' family is killed. Yup killed by some religious cult fanatic people. The family of her beloved were killed too. So there is just Emma and her beau Charlie. To give Emma a chance, Charlie tells her to go her own way. So they split up. For decades they have been searching for each other and descendents of the evil cult religion is searching too. Its a race for Emma and Charlie to find one another or for the crazies to find them and kill them. 

There were quite a few things I loved about this book.... This book did have a Tuck Everlasting feel but more updated.... 

Emma an Charlie. Their story and their characters. I did enjoy this. I loved Emma. She was strong but also human. She screwed up and she is paying for her mistakes. She was innocent in what happened but has had to live to live with it and live with it alone. That is just sad. She was strong and hopeful most of the time. Charlie was a good kid too. I didn't know him quite as well as I would have liked, but what I knew I liked. He was selfless, kind, smart, and loyal. 

Their story was tragic and just killed me on the inside. I mean if you fall in love at 17 and then drink a tea that makes you immortal and ageless... shouldn't you be able to spend eternity with the one person you fell in love with. Yup nope...not for Charlie and Emma. And that was just tragic. 

I loved the pacing. It was really fast paced and had me turning the pages like crazy. It was interesting and I wanted to know what was going to happen. I loved the past and the present scenes and how they fed into each other. I loved the chase, the bad guys, and the story in general. 

The secondary character, Pete, A PI that Emma worked with. I loved him. I loved his ability to forget science and what he has been taught his entire life. Forget how things seem impossible. He believes Emma's story and he is her true friend. He was like another father to her. I loved him.  

I also loved that this book as a thriller as much as a romance. It was a big search and find and chase and do it all before the baddies catch up. I loved this aspect of the book. 

There were  just a few things I didn't like. 

I wanted to connect more with the characters and the love story. It just wasn't quite deep enough for me. I did love what I knew and felt but always felt it could have been more. I wanted more of their romance too. The romance from the past was sweet and I felt it but I just didn't have enough time with them as a couple. That made me sad. 

There wasn't enough story to the story.  I enjoyed the story and understood story but I could have had more... More on the water, more on the cult and its play in all this. More everything. It wasn't there wasn't enough... I just could have had more. 

There wasn't enough Pete. Yup would have liked to seen more of him. 

Really liked the book, the story, the romance, the characters. I just would have liked a tad bit more.

Really liked the book. It was a good sci fi/fantasy thriller. 

So excited for THE RAVEN KING by Maggie Stiefvater! Managed to get to her event at Blue Willow this week despite getting caught in crazy Houston traffic caused by a shoot out on the beltway. Yeah, that was no fun.
But from my last minute seat on the floor, I snapped this pic:
I have loved, loved the world Maggie has created for the Raven Boys series. Truly magnificent writing. Brilliant. Only a few chapters in and already hooked again.
Maggie Stiefvater is the real deal, y'all. You probably know this already. But her artist's eye helps create stories like no other and her characters twine themselves around your heart. *I'm looking at you Ronan. And you Gansey. And you Blue and Adam.... Okay I'm looking at all of them.*
Two years ago I got to hear her teach about writing at SCBWI LA, which was also a true pleasure to learn about process through her eyes.
Anyway. If you haven't started the RAVEN BOYS series yet, do so right now. Four books, Raven King being the finale. You will thank me.
Til next week, when the IWALT countdown begins because tomorrow is MAY!!

Review: Deadly Design by Debra Dokter

Title: Deadly Design 

Author: Debra Dokter

Publisher:  G.P. Putnam Son's for
Young Readers

Publishing Date: June 2nd 2015
Pages: 368

Genre: YA Sci Fi Thriller

Series: Stand Alone

Source: ARC 

  
Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Genetically engineered identical twins Kyle and Connor McAdams were born two years apart. Their parents figured it was safer that way, to increase their odds of survival. Connor was born first, paving an impossibly perfect path for Kyle to follow. He was the best at everything—valedictorian, star quarterback etc. Kyle never thought he’d be able to live up, so he didn’t even try.

But when Connor, 18, suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, and Kyle learns of other genetically modified kids who’ve also died on their eighteenth birthdays, he’s suddenly motivated—to save his own life. Like Connor and all the rest, Kyle was conceived at the Genesis Innovations Laboratory, where the mysterious Dr. Mueller conducted experiments on them. The clock’s ticking as Kyle searches for answers: who was Dr. Mueller really, and what did he do to cause their hearts to stop at eighteen? He must unravel the clues quickly, before, he too, becomes another perfect, blue-eyed corpse.

This was a very anticipated read for me this year. I was drawn to this book from the moment I spotted it. I love sci fi thrillers. I love thrillers and this book was good. Real Good. I was hooked from the very first page. The entire plot was intriguing and exciting. I enjoyed the characters, the good and the bad. It was easy to connect early on. The story had a little romance, which is good for me. It was a wild ride and it was through provoking. Just all good stuff. 

Kyle is a twin but his twin is two years old than him. For a long time now Kyle has been resentful of Connor. He was born first, he is better, smarter, has the girl that Kyle dreams about. His life seems simple and Kyle's does not. After one good night with his Kyle, Connor dies in the night. heart attack. eighteen years old, Bad health was a no but it happened. Not only did it happen to Connor but it happened to 2two others that were created in the same lab as Kyle and Conner. Kyle now has a mission to figure out why these kids are dying and how to stop it from continuing,... because in two years, Kyle will be eighteen. Oh and through all the adventure, thrills, and mystery, there is a girl. So romance buds. Can't have a story without that. 

Great read. Loved it all. It was a pager turner from the beginning and I enjoyed from cover to cover. It felt very much like an original read to me and I was pulled in easily. Not only was it an easy read it but it had characters that amazing and I connected to them easily. The book was easy but it was thrilling and a bit of nail biting was happening a couple time throughout the book. One of those reads that you tell yourself it has to be okay, it will end well... but there are those books that don't. So which am I reading. So a bit of a nail biter. I didn't mind. I love those reads. 

So the plot was just amazing. It actually had a ton of depth to it. It really made me think about things I have kind of thought about before but not on the level this book brought. Science is amazing and every year we can do so much more in the amazing dept but sometimes it's too much and it's easy to get carried away. This book explores that pretty darn well. The idea of genetic modification is scary. I am not sure how far we are from this. I am no scientist, in fact my worst subject in school, but this book made it seem pretty real. So it made me think just bit,. not too much because its fiction but the thoughts did come. 

Not only was the book a thought provoking read but it was exciting too. It felt much like a race from beginning to end. Kyle had little time to figure things out and I really liked Kyle so I was rooting for him. The book went from "oh this is neat " to "evil people are just evil " quickly and it was it was  a great exploration of science and humanity along the way. (they're not all evil don't worry) 

Like I said, I liked Kyle. He started off a bit of a butt. He had a real chip on his shoulder and it was created from his own imaginings. Connor was a great brother, his parents were great, Kyle just had an inferiority complex. I guess that happens in twins and probably more so when they are two years apart. But... he grows. I love a book where there is growth. This one had lots of it. He turns out to be a pretty stand up guy. Caring and loyal, Smart and brave. Yup I liked him. 

There is also Cami. Let me explain Cami.. She was the best friend of Emma who was Connor's girlfriend which was truly the girl Kyle wanted. Or so he thought. Cami  was an awesome character. Probably one of my favorite girls in many recent reads. She had her stuff together and she pretty much put Kyle in his place then fell in love with him. Always stood by him, never backed down, never left his side. Cared deeply acted responsibly., yea she rocked. 

The book was full of amazing secondary characters. The parents were good. Involved and loving. Cami's family was great too. Good family values in this book. Lots of crazy characters. Each stood on their own but worked well to other to make a whole. 

The pacing was phenomenal which is what I look for in thrillers No slow parts at all. As mentioned earlier a page turner from beginning to end. Well thought out and well played. 

Only small minor issue. The ending seemed to be a bit too crazy. I think it could have ended or was ending three different times and it kept going. The ending... when it came, was good. It was satisfying and it made me feel good about my adventure.. but it was a bit long winded. Not too badly and it still didn't drag. It happened quickly so really no major complaint. Just thought Would mention it. It reminded me of a horror movie when you think the bad guy is dead but he keeps coming back. It didn't take away from any good of the story, kind of comical really. 

So read the book. Its good. If you like through provoking, good character development, original stories, and sci fi thrillers. Its the book for you. 

Debra Dockter currently teaches behavioral science at Cowley College and resides in Haysville, Kansas with her husband and three children. Deadly Design is her debut novel. Links for Debra: Website | Facebook | Twitter |Goodreads |

Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Title:  A Thousand Pieces of You

Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publishing Date: November 4th 2014
Pages: 368
Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Thriller
Series: Firebird #1
Source:  Audio

  

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

OK.... SO I don't know where to start with this book. I am still in shock that this wonderful awesome story is done for now and I wasn't ready. I LOVED this book. I DEVOURED this book. This is going to be on my best read of 2015, I know it already. I did have some hesitance at the very beginning. Not sure if it was my hit or miss on multiverse books or the narrator. BUT.. .it didn't take long at all to fall in love with the characters, the writing, the story, the action, the romance, the mystery, the thrills, the evil, the awesomeness.. Yes it was so more than good, more than great, more than awesome. 

Marguerite's (Meg) mother discovered mutliverse. They created a charm on a necklace called a firebird that can transfer things from one universe or dimension  to another. Well somewhere along the line Meg's father gets killed, all the research on multiverse and the firebired destroyed, and someone she thought she trusted ( Paul) has left this universe and traveled. So Meg and her friend Theo have decided to follow him, find him, and suffer greatly for his crimes of murder and mayhem. Somewhere along the way Meg finds out that who she thought she could trust and couldn't trust may not be the case and all she knew turns out to be nothing she knew at all. Now her heart is confused, her brain is overwhelmed, and she is traveling like a crazy dimension girl for a completely different reason than she started off with. Lots of great stuff! 

I loved loved loved this book. It truly is a hit or miss with multiverse, alternate dimensions, time traveling. It just gets me confused. So when I find a good one that is intense, easy to follow, and full of great characters and storyline, I like to rant and rave and tell everyone I know to read it. So that is what I am doing. 

There was so much about this book that I loved. Nothing I didn't like. It was all good. The main character stole my heart from the very beginning. The story trapped me pretty early on. The romance was just perfect. The mystery kept me guess, and the thrills never stopped. It was tearful, humorous, and very intense. 

Meg was one of those characters I was able to connect  with first thing. The book starts off right after she travels to her first alternate dimension and we hear the story of her father being murdered. So we know what her plans are. She was angry, she was sad, she was destroyed and betrayed. Her emotions were strong and right up front. Hard to miss. The book is also told in memories. This made her character jump out at me even more. I was able to see who she was before everything went down and how she had changed. I was also able to learn and connected with Paul through her memories, how she knew him, how she felt about him, and of course this made his betrayal hard and it angered me. I was right there with Meg. Paul I liked in the past and I well I won't say much more about him.

Theo was another main character. He was an interesting character. Charming and lovable, sweet and suave. I liked him but I didn't connect with him as much as I did Meg. He was fun though. So we have Theo and Paul in her present and in her memories. There isn't a love triangle. There was a possibility at the beginning but it never happened fully. There was only one boy she truly loved, which brings me to the romance. 

The romance was hot, it was sweet, it was romantic, it was a slow burning passion. Friend to more. So many emotions and question in between. It was real for me. I sparked then it simmered than it just flamed. I fell for it hard. One thing I did like was the way they handled the romance, the feelings, the truths, the questions, the complexity. I also loved how in the end, Meg actually wondered if things had went down differently would she have fallen for the other boy. I don't think so but it brings up the question or issue that we may only fall for who we fall for because of who we are and what is at the moment. Love is built not born. I kind of liked that. 

The story was a very unique take on multiverse and I think this is what drew me in right away. The explanation was in the very beginning. It made sense and it was very very cool. I enjoyed how the different universes were the same but not. Sometimes they were very similar and sometimes they were completely different but every one that Meg traveled too they were all there... Paul. Theo, Mom and Dad. Like the souls were connected. I very much liked that. 

The book was built around a huge mystery and lots of thrills. Very fast paced. Once I started I couldn't put it down. The mystery was enough to keep me reading but it didn't have to be with all the intense moments and swoony romance, but it was good and I think I was actually kind of sideswiped on this one. I never saw the ending coming. I just need more! 

On a good note. No cliffhanger.... YAY

It was the perfect sci-fi thriller for me. 

Claudia Gray is not my real name. I didn't choose a pseudonym because my real name is unpleasant (it isn't), because I'd always dreamed of calling myself this (I haven't) or even because I'm hiding from the remnants of that international diamond-smuggling cartel I smashed in 2003 (Interpol has taken care of them). In short, I took a pseudonym for no real reason whatsoever. Sometimes this is actually the best reason to do things.

I live in New Orleans. So far, in life, I've been a disc jockey, a lawyer, a journalist and an extremely bad waitress, just to name a few. I especially like to spend time traveling, hiking, reading and listening to music. More than anything else, I enjoy writing.