The Basics:
Factory Town by Jon Bassoff
DarkFuse
Mystery/Thriller, Horror
Published October 7th, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Goodreads
Why I picked up this book:
I've found some really amazing books outside of my normal genres over the last year, and thought I'd give it another go with Factory Town.
The Basics:
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
Mulholland Books
Mystery/Thriller, Mainstream Lit
Published September 16, 2014
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
Why I picked up this book:
I like to dip into genres that I don't often have the opportunity to read. This one sounded creepy and modern and kind of cool.
The Basics:
Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert
AuthorBuzz
Thriller
Published Jan 31, 2014
Source: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amazon.ca
Why I picked up this book:
I love the image of the woman with the symbol on her eye on the cover. But not so much the crow. I liked the linking of telepathic abilities with technology in the blurb.
The Basics:
Drawn by Cecilia Gray
Gray Life, LLC
Mystery/Thriller, YA
Published December 15, 2013
Amazon.ca Kobo.com
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb:
Take a journey into the gritty world of political espionage through the eyes – and lies – of one extraordinary girl. A wholly original tale of friendship and betrayal.
Sasha has a secret – that she can make you spill your secret with nothing more than a question. Her strange gift makes her a burden to her foster family and a total freak of nature. Not that Sasha cares. Why should she when no one cares about her?
Then the CIA knocks on her door. They want to give Sasha a new identity and drop her into a foreign country to infiltrate a ring of zealous graffiti terrorists. They want to give Sasha something to care about.
To survive a world where no one is who they seem, Sasha needs to make people trust her. But when that trust blossoms into love, Sasha is forced to decide between duty and friendship, between her mind and her heart, and whether to tell the truth or keep her secrets.
Why I picked it up:
Having read two books from Gray's Jane Austen Academy series, I was curious about this standalone foray into the paranormal. The story also sounded like something I hadn't read before, and that appealed to me.
What worked for me:
Sasha is the star of this entertaining tale, and rightfully so. Told from her perspective, we get an intimate view of what it's like to live a life of isolation, to pretend that all that matters is keeping your focus on the future, on your goals rather than on how you live your day-to-day life.
This story is heartbreakingly good. I was rooting for Sasha to get everything she wanted in the end. I know this is meant as a standalone, but I don't feel done with Sasha, even though I felt a sense of closure here. That's the mark of a good story, in my opinion. I could spend hours happily daydreaming about what happens *next* for this girl wonder.
Drawn has all the key elements of a YA novel - we've got potential romance, a potential bff or worst enemy, secret agendas, childhood traumas.... It all comes together, leveraging the superhero genre in a really fun and, I thought, unique way.
Sasha's interest in comic books and her identification with superheroes is a clever bit of awareness. I hate when characters don't see the obvious connections, and that Sasha embraces and relishes the similarities between herself and comic heroes made me very happy.
What didn't work for me:
There's one question left open at the end of the book, and while it's entirely appropriate for it to be left open, I wanted an obvious cue regarding it. I don't want to be specific because I'd have to spoil things, so... you know.... But I'd *love* to discuss this one in more depth, so if you've read it, hit me back in the comments, or drop me an email so we can talk!
Bottom line:
I strongly recommend this one. Gray's hit the perfect combination of teen angst, spy shenanigans and a little something more...paranormal? Sasha's longing for a real connection makes this story so engaging and relatable regardless of how fantastic her adventure is.
5 stars
For fans of teen spy thrillers, superhero stories, comic books....
The Basics:
Crystal Illusions by J. E. Taylor
All Night Reads
Book 5 in the Steve Williams series
Mystery/Thriller, Romance
Available now from Amazon.com
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Plot description from Amazon.com:
Assistant D.A. Carolyn Hastings has an uncanny knack for putting away criminals. With one of the best prosecution records in recent history, her future as Manhattan’s next District Attorney looks certain. But her sixth sense for winning cases threatens to work against her when she starts seeing a string of murders through the eyes of the killer.
With suspects piling up as fast as bodies, and the motives of those closest to her questionable, Carolyn doesn’t know who to trust. When the FBI assigns Special Agent Steve Williams to the case, Carolyn discloses her deepest fear - that the man she loves may be the one responsible for the city’s latest crime spree.
The only thing Steve knows for sure is Carolyn has an inexplicable psychic connection with the killer, and all the victims have one thing in common…a striking resemblance to Carolyn Hastings.
And he knows it’s only a matter of time before this psychopath knocks on her door.
What worked for me:
The heart of this book is the serial killer mystery, and it works fairly well. As Carolyn realizes she could be a target, everyone around her takes on sinister overtones. I was flip-flopping back and forth when it came to who I thought was the real killer, trying to figure it out and actually caring about who would turn out to be the bad guy - and that's a mark of a good mystery for me.
This is where the book both shines and breaks down - *everyone* seems like a potential suspect except for her roommate, Olivia. From boyfriend to artist, to other lawyers and her intern, everyone in her life seems like a potential serial killer. I was on pins and needles every time Carolyn was alone with someone, which made the romance component difficult (see more on this below).
The psychic aspects made this book stand apart from more generic serial killer mysteries. I felt a little behind the curve because I hadn't read any previous novels in the series. Every reveal of Steve Williams' abilities was a... what?... moment for me, but Carolyn's psychic connection to the serial killer is well established in the first chapter, and I liked the way it was used throughout the novel.
What didn't work for me:
I could not accept this book as a romance - and it was presented as both a mystery/thriller *and* a romance when I picked it up. Randy is extremely volatile and it takes very little for him to get fed up with Carolyn. Now, if I scratched my expectations of romance and instead of thinking I was meant to root for their relationship, I just focused on it as part and parcel of the backdrop of the murder mystery - then I'm a much more satisfied reader.
I found it hard to buy the setting for this as Manhatten. It felt very small town to me - particularly when they were viewing video footage of City Hall. Just a weird plot point that stuck for me. I went back after I finished the book to confirm the setting because I couldn't quite believe I was remembering it correctly.
I did find the writing a little flat sometimes - there was something missing to elevate the book from okay to gripping. I think it was a lack of finesse in the dialogue, primarily, that rendered the relationships a little blocky and one-dimensional. Still, it was serviceable and I didn't notice any technical issues that put me off. There was just a disconnect for me that made it hard to get swept up into the Steve Williams world.
Bottom Line:
I cannot recommend this if you're looking for a romance novel with a mystery component. But if you want to read something with a dysfunctional relationship, potential threats at every turn, and a heavy dose of the paranormal via psychic/telepathic/etc.-type powers, then this is your book.
This was an interesting but not compelling book - good as reading material for waiting rooms, standing in lines and commuting to and from work.
I'll be interested to read what other people thought about the writing style of this novel - could you get into it or not?
2.5 stars
For mystery readers who like psychics, someone expecting to be frequently interrupted.
