5 Stars

Review: Under My Skin

08:00

Under My Skin
By James Dawson

 Source: Borrowed, paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller, Paranormal, 
Meet Molly Sue. Once she's under your skin there's no getting rid of her...

Seventeen-year-old Sally Feather is not exactly a rebel. Her super-conservative parents and her treatment at the hands of high school bullies means that Sally's about as shy and retiring as they come - but all that's about to change. Accidentally ending up in the seedier side of town one day, Sally finds herself mysteriously lured to an almost-hidden tattoo parlour - and once inside, Sally is quickly seduced by its charming owner, Rosita, and her talk of how having a secret tattoo can be as empowering as it is thrilling. Almost before she knows what she is doing, Sally selects sexy pin-up Molly Sue, and has her tattooed on her back - hoping that Molly Sue will inspire her to be as confident and popular as she is in her dreams.

But things quickly take a nightmareish turn. Almost immediately, Sally begins to hear voices in her head - or rather, one voice in particular: Molly Sue's. And she has no interest in staying quiet and being a good girl - in fact, she's mighty delighted to have a body to take charge of again. Sally slowly realises that she is unable to control Molly Sue... and before long she's going to find out the hard way what it truly means to have somebody 'under your skin'.


I really didn’t expect to love this as much as I did! I’ve heard good things about some of James Dawson’s books, but not as much about this one. I’m so glad this was my first book by him, because ended up absolutely adoring it. I can’t find one fault - this book is perfect for me! It’s everything I’ve been looking for and more.

It was so creepy too! I was actually pretty scared of this book. After finishing it at 9pm, I was buzzing, and couldn’t sleep for a long time. I’ve heard a few people saying this, but I didn’t really believe it until well into the book. At first, it was even making me want a tattoo even more, but now I’m not too sure...

I adored all of the characters right from the beginning. I loved Sally - she was strong, independent, yet at the start, there was plenty of room for development. She made all the right decisions, and I was never irritated by her. Whenever she did something, I was like “yes, girl!”. Fist pumps all the way for Sally.


Another thing I loved about this book was the plot. I loved how fast-paced it was - from the very beginning we were jumped into the action, and it was never slow at all. There were plot twists after plot twists, and I was overwhelmed by how shocking it was! Some people who’ve read the book won’t think that, because there was gentle parts in the story, but I found these just as engaging as all of the action scenes, because of how much I loved the characters.

This is one of those books that really is best when you don’t know much about it. I’ve tried really hard to not spoil it here, but you should just go and read it! This has become one of my favourite books of all time, and I honestly can’t tell you how much I love it. I think I’ll definitely be re-reading this one.

13 Minutes

ARC Review: 13 Minutes

20:57

13 Minutes
By Sarah Pinborough

 Source: Netgalley
Release date: 18th February 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, 

I was dead for 13 minutes. I don't remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this - it wasn't an accident and I wasn't suicidal. They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart. My friends love me, I'm sure of it. But that doesn't mean they didn't try to kill me. Does it?


I’ve read one of the author’s other books - The Death House - and I really enjoyed it, so when I saw this up for request on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. The cover is so intriguing too, so it really caught my attention! Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed - this was a really good book, and I enjoyed it so much! I’d really recommend it to fans of thrillers, when it comes out in February next year.

There were so many plot twists, it was unreal. Every chapter, I thought things might finally settle down for a while, but nope! Each page held something as equally shocking and sinister, so I was never bored. It never went the way I thought it would, so was relentlessly entertaining, which me even more hooked. I'd recommend going in knowing as little as possible too, because then the twists are even more surprising.

I also thought the characters were really well developed. I knew from the start that we couldn’t trust anyone, but even while knowing this, I was constantly surprised on the direction all of the characters went in! I really liked Becca (the protagonist) throughout, and although she wasn’t always the ‘hero’, and the strongest, she made the right decisions, and I really cared about her story.

The ending really shocked me. I definitely wasn’t expecting that! Though, I was really happy with the way it turned out, and I’m glad we were given full closure. It made me really satisfied to finish the book - any longer and it would have felt dragged, but any shorter I would have felt that things were wrapped up too quickly. Overall, this is a really good book, that I enjoyed immensely.

3 Stars

ARC Review: Dangerous Lies

11:28

Dangerous Lies
By Becca Fitzpatrick

 Source: Gift from Anna @ Enchanted by YA - thank-you! (YALC), ARC
Genres: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary

Goodreads Synopsis:
Stella Gordon's life is a lie.
She does not belong in Thunder Basin, Nebraska. As the key witness in a murder trial, Stella is under witness protection, living a life she doesn't want. No one can know who she really is. Not even Chet Falconer, her hot, enigmatic neighbour. But against her better judgement, Stella finds herself falling under Chet's spell ...
A storm is brewing. Is Stella really safe in Thunder Basin? And will Chet be her shelter, or her downfall ...? 

I went into this book a little nervous. I binge-read all of Becca Fitzpatrick’s books around this time last year, and while I really enjoyed them then, I’m not sure that I would feel the same way now. Though, I was pleasantly surprised, because I ended up really enjoying Dangerous Lies! It was in no way a perfect book, and was greatly flawed, but it was a really fun, quick read. I think it’s definitely her best book to date!

My favourite thing about this book was all of the family themes. The book explored the importance of family, and the unconditional love within families. I haven’t found this in Fitzpatrick’s other books, but it was done really well in this one. It could get quite sad at times, but Carmina - Stella’s foster Mum - was always there, which I thought was really important. The book would have been pretty miserable without the constant love of Carmina!

I really liked the direction the book went in. It could have been stuck in the past, trying to build up tension, but the unknown was sometimes forgotten so we could just enjoy what was happening. I liked how fast paced it was, because it meant I was never bored. There was always something happening, and if it wasn’t major, I wanted to read on to solve the mystery about Stella’s past. It made Dangerous Lies a really fun and quick read.

My main problem with this book was Stella, the protagonist. At the start, she was bratty, spoiled, and hideously stupid. Under the circumstances, she was extremely lucky to be in the position she was in, but seemed to be completely taking it for granted. I hated the way she was slut-shaming and putting down complete strangers and just being really rude. This was a bad setup, because it meant I really didn’t care about her at all! Though thankfully, she changed drastically throughout the book.

By the end, I had grown to like her. She had grown out of her immature behavior from the start, and was actually really likeable. She noticed her stupid decisions, and didn’t make them any more. I was actually very surprised, because in Fitzpatrick’s other books (and YA in general), this amount of character growth is rare! She had turned into a very likeable character, which meant I was really invested in what was to happen to her in the ending.

I was disappointed in the way the book ended. With about 20 pages to go, everything wasn’t rounded off at all, and we were no better for answers than we were about 100 pages ago! I was really worried that things wouldn’t be tied up well enough, so I was a little disappointed with the way it ended. It felt very rushed, and I think it needed longer so everything wasn’t just happening at the same time. An epilogue would have been nice too, because I would have liked to see a bit more of Stella’s life and what to come for her.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read! I know that fans of Fitzpatrick’s other books will love this too, because the style is exactly the same, and in my opinion, this one is the best. There were a few things that bothered me, but I liked how everything came together at the end. I’ll definitely be reading more by Fitzpatrick in the future.

4 stars

Review: Slated

16:52

Slated
By Teri Terry

 Source: Library, paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Thriller, Romance, 

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

I really didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I have read Teri Terry’s other book, Mind Games, and I enjoyed that too, but I didn’t really think it was anything special. I went into Slated a bit dubious, but I ended up really enjoying it. As with the author’s other book, the plot and ideas where the thing that made it stand out.

This is a science-fiction dystopian, and had all of my favourite elements of one. At the start, it was quite confusing and nothing was really explained, but I liked this because it meant I was hooked from the very beginning - I just had to find out more! As the book progressed, things were partially explained, but a lot was left open-ended, which makes me really desperate to read the sequel!
The characters in this book really didn’t stand out as anything special. Kyla was quite a good protagonist, and I enjoyed reading about her, but she’s definitely not my favourite. I felt at times she could be a bit naive and too innocent - I think if I was in her situation, I would have been less dependent on others and done more for myself.

The romance in this book really didn’t do anything for me. There were only a few small touches of it, but I skimmed through these scenes because they were just boring. I’m never a fan on romance in dystopian, and this was no different. It didn’t add anything to the story, and I think it should have just have been left out.

I really enjoyed this book. It was perfectly paced and so exciting that I was gripped throughout. I would recommend to fans of science fiction, and to people who are new to the genre - the style is simplistic so the book isn’t too hard to navigate. A lot was left unanswered (I think more questions were raised than answered!), so I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series. Overall, a really fun read!

3.5 stars

Review: Birdy

14:43

Birdy
By Jess Vallance

 Source: Borrowed from a friend, paperback
Genres: Young Adult, Thriller

Goodreads Synopsis:

Frances Bird has been a loner for so long that she’s given up on ever finding real friendship. But then she’s asked to show a new girl around school, and she begins to think her luck could finally be changing.

Eccentric, talkative and just a little bit posh, Alberta is not at all how Frances imagined a best friend could be. But the two girls click immediately, and it’s not long before they are inseparable. Frances could not be happier.

As the weeks go on, Frances finds out more about her new best friend – her past, her secrets, her plans for the future – and she starts to examine their friendship more closely.

Is it, perhaps, just too good to be true?
My review:

I was really looking forward to reading this book - there’s so much hype surrounding it at the moment, and the synopsis seemed right up my street, so I had high expectations. But for the majority of the book, I was highly disappointed: nothing was happening, and it looked like it was just going to be another boring high-school themed book. My opinions changed at the end, but for me, it was too little too late.

The characters were... okay, though really nothing special. I wasn’t overwhelmed by how original they were, but I quite liked Frances. At the start of the book she seemed quite relatable, but as the book progressed she made some very stupid decisions. She became irritating really quickly, and her narrative made me feel a bit ‘meh’.

The only thing that saved this book from a 2 star rating (or lower!) was the ending. I really wasn’t expecting it at all (usually I have my suspicions); my jaw actually dropped! It was so sinister and creepy, and I just couldn’t stop reading. The way it came as such a shock made it even more appalling - it completely saved the book.
It’s tricky for me to recommend this book - some elements will really appeal to some, but I found it to just be a flop. I think you'd enjoy this if you're a fan of the genre, but if this isn't really your thing, I don't think you'd enjoy persevering through the frustrating start. I found it to be somewhat enjoyable, but was disappointed in the end.

Rating:


3 Stars

Review: More Than This

21:19

More Than This
By Patrick Ness

 Source: Library
Page count: 470
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Thriller, 

 Goodreads Synopsis:

 A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies.

Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive.

How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?

As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

 My review:
Having never read a Patrick Ness book before, but hearing so many good things about all of his works (especially this one), I went into this book expecting greatness. Sadly I was a little disappointed - although the writing style was really addictive and I enjoyed the book, it didn’t take the direction I’d hoped.
Everything was just very average. The characters were interesting to read about, but I felt that they didn’t really develop through the book. Seth was a good protagonist, but I couldn’t really relate to him, and some of the decisions he made confused me a bit (I wouldn’t have done the same if I was in his situations).
This book had very promising potential. I found the initial concept very intriguing and the book started off really well - I instantly cared about the story so really wanted to read on. The reason I’m disappointed with the book was because of the overall direction the story took. I was expecting a philosophical reflection on life and death, not just a fight for survival. I was hoping for daring plot twists that I had never heard of before, not just the average dystopian/thriller.

I enjoyed the book and I definitely would recommend it if you’re looking for an exciting dystopian/thriller. I enjoyed the book but I was disappointed with the direction the book took.

Rating:

4 stars

Review: Don't Look Back

17:21

Don't Look Back
By Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Source: Gift, e-book
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Romance

 Goodreads Synopsis:
Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. 
Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. 
But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?


I’ve heard so many great things about Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing, so I knew that I definitely had to read one of her books soon. I’m really glad this was my first because I really enjoyed it as it was really well written, and I was hooked until the very last page. I know it definitely won’t be the last book I read by her!
The thing I enjoyed the most was the mystery. For the whole book I was left wanting more, so for the whole story I was gripped. Although the plot and concept wasn’t the most original, Armentrout made it her own so I didn’t just feel it was a copy of other mystery thriller books. I was really invested in the story because it was so exciting.


My least favourite element was the romance. It was really cringey, and I would have much preferred it if there were more clues and less kissing. Also, Sam - the protagonist - was quite irritating at times. She always missed see the obvious, and made ridiculous decisions. Her choices definitely made me cringe at times!
The ending was really good. I didn’t see it coming, it made sense, and gave me closure. I was really impressed with how well Jennifer L. Armentrout rounded everything off and the last chapter finished everything nicely. The last part of the book was much better than the others because much more happened (nothing really happened for the majority of the story!), and most of the book was quite predictable.

Overall, this was an amazing book. It was really quick, and made me want to read on - I read it in under a day! I would recommend it to fans of the Mara Dyer Trilogy, Pretty Little Liars (I haven’t read the books, but it reminded me of the TV series), or Silence (Hush Hush #3).

 My reaction:

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