Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
Release Date: August 14th, 2014
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
My Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars!

synopsis:
Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?

Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…

I was doing my usual surfing on the net when I came across a fantastical theory on a forum for people who are pretentious and intelligent and absolutely awesome. This is how the theory went:

What if the world we're living in is actually a dream and what if, the time you consume 'drugs' is the time when you actually see the reality? 
How do you know the difference between what's normal and what's not and what if we're all part of a giant master plan and yadda yadda yadda...
When I came across this particular theory, even if it may seem a little diabolical (maybe), I was floored. As I thought more about it, I had honest to god goosebumps all over my arms. How much do we ever really know? As put aptly by a character in the novel,

“Don’t you know? There’s no such thing as the truth.’‘We all walk around trapped in our own subjective consciousness, experiencing the same events through a totally different lens.”

Quiet and a series of shiver attacks up my spine and to the whole of my body.
THIS is what I felt when I finished reading the book.
I was floored and I was certifiably, without any doubt, spooked.
Twisted characters, twisted plot, twisted end. Oh mama, I knew I was signing up for the highway to mindfuck.
Abigail Haas with her amazing flair for piecing together the good, bad and worse has put together a story I know I can't ever begin to put into words, let alone talk about. I'm surprised at the complexity in her story telling.
I've been spooked by ghosts, spirits, uncertain futures and pasts, unreliable characters and just about everything. But what manages to spook me the most is the twisted side of the human mind. It actually makes me wonder...can this be possible too? And if yes, then I'm glad that it's limited to the pages that I hold between my hands.

See, I'm already on my way.
Bye world, it was nice knowing you. Also, read this book. It's awesome. 

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick  

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster      

Publication date: October 7th 2014
My rating: 3.5 stars

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late. 
Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage. 
In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target. 
But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally? 
BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

Well, color me surprised! I did not see that coming! I did see the twist coming from a mile away but I didn't think I'd enjoy this book so much. Good job, Becca Fitzpatrick! 

Britt and her friend, errr, I forgot her name decided to backpack the Teton Range during their spring brake. What the didn't count on is the storm which leaves them half frozen and stranded. They find a cabin with two guys already there. They're criminals but Britt and her annoying, bratty friend don't know about this until it's too late. They end up kidnapped and Britt is forced to take them off the mountain while they leave the annoying, bratty friend to die in the cabin. Hah! I don't even feel bad about the possibility of this girl starving and freezing to death because she was such a little princess.  She was 'poking the bear' and I was waiting for the moment one of the criminals would snap. While they were with these criminals, the brother of the annoying bratty friend who's also Britt's ex, was trying to find them. He happens to be an expert at backpacking and other outdoorsy stuff. 

Britt's nothing like Fitzpatick's previous main character, Nora. Britt is resourceful, smart and brave. Sure, she has some problems with confidence because she grew up surrounded by men her whole life and they did most of the heavy lifting. But she's not afraid to help her friends even if it meant putting her life in danger. 

 I wasn't the biggest fan of the annoying, bratty friend and her brother. Britt's ex was a horrible boyfriend. Sure, his father only cared about the annoying, bratty princess and punished his son but that didn't give him the excuse to treat Britt badly. 

Romance was a bit cheesy but all in all, it wasn't so bad. The love interest was the dark , silent type with a lot of secrets and such an improvement from Patch. 

After the first couple of rocky chapters I couldn't put the book down. It was a constant roller-coaster ride. A true thriller. There aren't a lot of YA thrillers and most prefer romance, paranormal or dystopian stories. 

I'm glad I decided to give this book a try. I was pleasantly surprised, mostly about the main character and her growth throughout the novel. Hope Becca continues to write thrillers because this one checked all the boxes, at least in my case. 

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

Publisher: Balzer + Bray      

Publication date: May 13th 2014
My rating: 3 stars

With the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and plenty of romance, bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer weaves a story of secrets and lies—set in a funeral parlor.
Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.
But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.
So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.
As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim.

Lily, a local goth girl lives with her mother, grandmother and aunt in a old spooky house which is also their place of work-they're morticians. Lily's best friend Sara has crazy religious parents and most of their small community is the same. Other girls hate Lily 'just because' and the queen bee, Erin, attacks Lily cause she thinks Lily's trying to steal her boyfriend. The next morning Erin's parents discover her dead. The main suspect are Matt, Erin's boyfriend and Lily. They team up to find out who's the real murderer. 

I was surprised how much I was enjoying this book. I'm a thriller/mystery buff and most of the time I try to figure out the secrets, who's the liar, who had nothing to do with the crime and who's the killer. This time I just wanted to sit back and read more about Lily and the mortician business because those parts were interesting (read hella creepy). Had no idea there was so much effort put into a body before it's buried. 

By now you should know there's always a but Here's what happened near the end. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything! The book went from hot to lukewarm. The whole reveal wasn't what I thought it would be. I expected something more. Something better because I up until then I had nothing remotely bad to say about the whole story. It was entertaining and satisfying. I was cheering for the author and thinking about picking up some of her other books. Then the ending happened. 

Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell

Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell

Publisher: Harper Teen    
Publication date: July 23rd 2013
My rating: 2.5 stars

A shadowy figure. An intense roar. The sensation of falling—fast.
That’s all Callum Harris remembers from his tumble over the waterfall. But when he wakes up in a hospital bed and finds his best friend trying to kill him, Callum knows something is seriously wrong. Unfortunately for him, the mysteries are just getting started. 
Why are his parents acting like he’s some big sports star all of a sudden? And why are all the buildings in town more run-down than Callum remembers? Worst of all...what happened to Callum’s brother? Either Callum has gone seriously crazy or something happened when he went over the falls. Something impossible. Callum needs answers, and now. Because in this twisted new version of the life Callum knew, his former best friend isn’t the only one who wants to see him dead.
Filled with mind-bending suspense and unsettling thrills, Undercurrent is a grippingly paced teen debut that will pull you under and never let go.

Over the past year or so I've been reading more thrillers  than I ever had in my whole 24 years on this planet. There's just something special about unraveling the mystery while you're on the edge of your seat. 

Callum wakes up disoriented in a hospital surrounded with family and friends. He doesn't know how he got there when his best friend tries to smother him with a pillow. Soon he finds himself in a world where he's no longer the geeky, silent guy but the most popular one in school. Callum doesn't try to do anything. He doesn't question why are things the way they are. He just goes along with everything. 

I already knew what was going on mostly because of the Goodreads shelves listing a very important spoiler. The story was still engaging but I wasn't trying to find out what is going on because of the spoiler. I found myself skimming whenever there wasn't any dialog, which is a sign of losing interest. 

However, I was satisfied with the ending even though a lot of bloggers don't agree with me. We don't reveal every secret in this book but I was glad Callum got the ending he deserved. 

Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa

Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa

Publisher: Strange Chemistry    
Publication date: July 2nd 2013
My rating: 3 stars

When is a game not a game?
Tyler MacCandless can’t focus, even when he takes his medication. He can’t focus on school, on his future, on a book, on much of anything other than taking care of his older brother, Brandon, who’s in rehab for heroin abuse… again.
Tyler’s dad is dead and his mom has mentally checked out. The only person he can really count on is his Civilian Air Patrol Mentor, Rick. The one thing in life it seems he doesn’t suck at is playing video games and, well, thats probably not going to get him into college.
Just when it seems like his future is on a collision course with a life sentence at McDonald’s, Rick asks him to test a video game. If his score’s high enough, it could earn him a place in flight school and win him the future he was certain that he could never have. And when he falls in love with the game’s designer, the legendary gamer Ani, Tyler thinks his life might finally be turning around.
That is, until Brandon goes MIA from rehab and Tyler and Ani discover that the game is more than it seems. Now Tyler will have to figure out what’s really going on in time to save his brother… and prevent his own future from going down in flames.

Tyler's suffering from ADHD but he refuses to take medication because his brother a heroin addict and he's seen what it can do. He's not doing great in school and the only thing bringing him happiness is playing computer games. He gets an offer he can't refuse and start helping Rick, former pilot with his secret government job,  piloting a drone which is flying over Middle East and getting rid of terrorists. 

Ani is one of the best gamers in the world and she was the one who designed the drone program. Tyler and Ani have an instant connection and they start dating even though it's against the rules. Ani soon starts noticing some strange activities within the program and shares the news with Tyler. Together they try to get out of the mess they help build.  But how can you fight a secret organization? 

What I liked about Playing Tyler is the main character, Tyler. Since he's not good at school he works hard with the program. He needs to convince himself he is more than other people think he is. He is a fighter and I can't help but root for him to do well. Tyler and Ani were so sweet int he beginning of their relationship. Who hasn't had an awkward faze when they start seeing someone? 

I would recommend this book to guys or people interested in the world of gamers and aviatics. 

Book Review: Notes From Ghost Town by Kate Elison

Title:  Notes From Ghost Town
Author:  Kate Ellison
File type:  eARC
Release date:  February 12^th, 2013
Genre:  YA, mystery, thriller

They say first love never dies...
From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death. 
There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?
With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.

The story starts of with Olivia and Lucas-best friends, being cute and flirty, which escalated into a make-out session. Olivia ends up color blind, which is a huge deal because she is an artist. Lucas mistakes her reaction as a rejection and he fled the scene. They don’t talk for a week and soon Olivia finds out her mum killed him. After spending months avoiding everyone she sees Lucas’ ghost and he has some new, her mum wasn’t responsible for his death. So Olivia starts investigating to clear her mum’s name.

The main reason I love reading mystery and thriller novels is that they have a lot of spooky, unpredictable scenes. I did like this book more than I did Hysteria, the last similar book I’ve read but there was still something missing and that is the excitement of finally finding out who is the murderer which Notes From Ghost Town didn’t have. Sure, we find out who killed Olivia’s first crush but it wasn’t as gripping as I hoped.

So, first of, the main character is not annoying, which is a huge plus. She does ignore her best friend a lot . Olivia’s stepsister is the most adorable character I’ve come across this year.  The new love interest, Austin, a rich an popular guy is also entertaining. For most of the part I think he kept Olivia from spending any more time alone. He got her out of her comfort zone.

I liked the book itself; the writing style was entertaining and didn’t bore me at all. I just wished it had a twist of two. It was a little bit too predictable for my taste. Still, a decent read. 

Book Review: Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Title:  Hysteria
Author:  Megan Miranda
File type:  eARC
Release date:  February 5^th, 2013
Genre:  YA, mystery, thriller

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past. But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others. 
In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

This whole book was a moment of great frustration. Since I didn’t have any (high) expectations I thought everything would be fine. I would get a creepy mystery about some dead dude. The girl would try and figure out who actually did kill him and everyone would apologize to her because they all thought she was the one who killed him. But by the end of the book the whole murder wasn’t even THAT important because she had to solve another murder and fight with mean girls.

The main character kept on digging her grave throughout the whole book. Her parents ship her of to this boarding school which sounds fantastic if you ask me. By fantastic I mean, if I was a sane person not accused of stabbing my boyfriend. She should ship her ass to a looney bin till she sorted out her problems. Not send her into a place where she can get it on with everyone, since this wasn’t an all-girls boarding school.  

There were too many YA stereotypes in this book I couldn’t ignore. First of there was a bunch of mean girl and the main mean girl, Krista was of course blond and somewhat slutty looking.  Then there was a guy she knew before and a new cocky/obnoxious ladies-man.  Acting like a bunch of brats, not just the ‘bad’ characters.  I could deal with all of this is any of them had any real personality. But there wasn’t anything new about them. They were just like every other typical annoying kid. 

Book Review: Cross My Heart, Hope To Die by Sara Shepard

Title:  Cross My Heart, Hope To Die
Author:  Sara Shepard
File type:  hardcover
Release date:  February 5^th, 2013
Genre:  YA, thriller, mystery

When I died two months ago, my killer told my twin sister to become me—or else. Now Emma has it down to a T. She tosses her hair with the signature Sutton Mercer flip and can lead a Lying Game prank with the best of them. She’s even repairing my relationship with my adoptive family. The only thing she hasn’t done is solve my murder.
Then our birth mother, the woman who abandoned us, showed up in Tucson. Emma hasn’t seen Becky in twelve years, but Becky recognizes Emma immediately—as Emma. Is it a mother’s intuition . . . or does Becky know I’m already gone?

This review contains spoilers. You’ve been warned!

Even though Pretty Little Liars is much more popular I prefer The Lying Game. It just seems more realistic and the plotline still makes sense while PLL has been dragged for way to long. How many books are there? 14? Wow. That is like worse than all those embarrassing House of Night sequels.

We start the book where we last left things. Sutton and Emma’s mum, Rebecca finally shows up and she is hard to catch. In last book we found out that Mr. and Mrs. Mercer are in fact S&E’s grandparents. Rebecca has had mental issues since she was much younger so she hid Emma from her parents and gave them Sutton. But after five years, she gave up Emma too. The biggest part of this book is about family problems and it was refreshing to read about family drama, rather than about boy trouble.

But Emma still has plenty of boys running around- Ethan, her boyfriend and Thayer (RAWR), Sutton’s ex-boyfriend. Ethan is still dating Emma and I can’t help but think he might be Sutton’s killer, if she is even dead. There were a lot of hints and since Sutton did pull a Lying Game on him, which made him loose his college scholarship, I think he has a real motive. He gives of this creepy vibes and his relationship with Emma seems kind of strange. He is also very jealous of Thayer (double RAWR). Now, Thayer is what a call a perfect future boyfriend. He is a caring, protective, hot mysterious guy who fell in love with Sutton, even though she was a huge bitch to him. But I think she pushed him away because she was afraid of her real feelings towards him.

Since this novel was more focused on family matters, Sutton’s friends were pushed to the background in this novel. They did punk the new girl in school and hosted a party, just like they always do. I think it’s all an excuse to dress up and parade around. Girls finally let one other person into their Lying Game society-Nisha. Nisha has grown on me, when she was helping Emma out with her birth mum, only to later reveal a huge shocker I wasn’t expecting at all.

I seriously hope Seven Minutes in Heaven will be the last instalment because I don’t want TLG to loose it’s charm, just like PLL has. Can’t wait to finally find out what happened to Sutton. Hope Emma has a happy ending and gets her family. She’s been through a lot.