Review: The Second Spy

I really enjoy reading children's books, especially series. This is fast becoming one of my favorite series for children, especially mystery. 

This is such an interesting mystery: living in a house where the characters can go in and out of Elsewhere, AKA paintings. It's a clever idea, and I am curious to see where the author takes me in the next one.

Title: The Second Spy 
Author: Jacqueline West 
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3689-4 
Pages: 296                                    
Available: NOW at your local bookstore or library 

Summary (from the book jacket): 

What lurks below the house could be as dangerous as what's hidden inside . . .

Some terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting junior high. Or so she thinks. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, though, she realizes two things that may change her mind: First, the wicked Annabelle McMartin is back. Second, there's a secret underground that unlocks not one but two of Elsewhere's biggest, most powerful, most dangerous forces yet. But with the house's guardian cats acting suspicious, her best friend threatening to move away, and her ally Morton starting to rebel, Olive isn't sure where to turn. Will she figure it out in time? Or will she be lured into Elsewhere, and trapped there forever? 

My Thoughts: 

This is my favorite in the series so far.

In the third installment of West’s tale, Olive is starting middle school. If that’s not scary enough, strange occurrences are happening not only in her home but also in her art class. She’s dealing with unexplained notes, missing items, and a betrayer in her midst.

The plot of this novel is well-developed and nicely paced. The mystery unfolds at all the right spots, building suspense and then popping the suspense bubble. Who is leaving Olive letters in her school cubby? Where are the missing items? Who is the betrayer among them? The answers to these questions will surprise seasoned readers of Olive’s story.

Olive is such a delightful character. Very little rattles her. She just wants to seek the truth, find Morton’s parents, keep her best friend from moving, and to be rid of Annabelle McMartin once and for all. Is that too much to ask? Yes. Yes it is.

I enjoy Olive because she is a loyal friend, she is curious, and she does what she feels is right. Sometimes these qualities get her in trouble, but ultimately these are the qualities that will keep readers coming back, cheering Olive on as she tries to defeat the McMartins.

Readers of the first two novels will not be disappointed, but I feel that the first two novels aren’t a necessity to read before diving right into this story. West has a delightful way of reminding readers of the events of the past two novels.

This series will appeal to those who enjoy children’s mysteries. It is not scary, and the illustrations that accompany the writing really enhance the storytelling. I could see readers of the Magic Tree House series really engaging with this one as they grow.

Have you read the The Books of Elsewhere series? What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.

Happy Reading!

Review: The Forsaken

This book was in my mound of reads for a while. After reading it over the holiday break, I cannot believe I waited so long.

Guys, I could not put this book down! 

Title: The Forsaken

Author: Lisa M. Stasse

ISBN: 978-1-4424-3265-9

Pages: 375

Available: NOW at your local bookstore or library

Summary (from the book jacket):

When the rest of the world has given up on you, who will you become?

Alenna Shawcross hasn’t seen her parents since they were dragged out of their house by government soldiers of the UNA, a new nation formed from the remnants of Canada, the USA, and Mexico. And now, as a sixteen-year-old orphan, she has failed a government personality test designed to diagnose subversive tendencies.

As punishment, Alenna is banished to the wheel, a mysterious island where all the kids who fail get sent. A place where the conditions are brutal, and a civil war rages between two very different tribes of teenagers.

So when Alenna meets Liam, a charismatic warrior who is planning to escape, she must find the strength to make a difficult decision: to either accept her new life on the wheel, or to embark on a journey that will uncover shocking secrets about the UNA—and her own identity as well.

My Thoughts:

This is a hard novel to write about because there are so many elements to the story that I do not want to ruin. 

Stasse really delivers in this novel. I was not too sure I would enjoy it, so I waited until my reading challenge to read it. I cannot believe I waited so long.

The pacing of the novel is reminiscent of The Hunger Games. By that I mean that Stasse does not make readers wait by giving a long back story.

She drops us right into the plot, right on the island with Alenna. From the moment she opens her eyes, the heart-pumping begins.

The island is full of intrigue. And war. When she first arrives on the island, Alenna is discovered by Gadya, who stakes claim in Alenna for her tribe, but first she must safely deliver Alenna to the tribe leader. Not an easy task when the drones want Alenna for themselves.

And this is just the start of the craziness that goes down on the island. But that is all I am willing to share because I want you to discover the island for yourself. Be prepared.

When the tribes war with one another, I found my heart pumping a little harder, wondering if they were going to capture Alenna for themselves. But it was when Liam and Alenna’s “journey” began that I could not put the book down until the very end. I had to know how the author was going to end this story…for now. There may have been a few gasps from me while reading.

Maybe.

The plot is a complex one. There is a bigger story than what Stasse gives us in the beginning. As the plot unfolds, readers discover who Alenna really is, why she was chosen to be taken to the island, and what motives the UNA may hold.

The novel’s conclusion was a nice twist, and full of information. If you’re reading and unsure of where the author is taking you, hold on. She is bringing you to an important point with a lot of information. That information will not answer all of your questions—and you will have many—but it will be the start. I am not too sure where we will pick up in the sequel because she only hints at it in this novel. This is clever because it gives her a lot of options as a writer. She has definitely not written herself into a corner. Not even a little bit.

As for characters, Alenna is the novel’s heroine, and I really enjoyed reading her. She’s not on the level with Katniss or Tris, but she holds her own throughout this story. She is strong and willing to do what it takes to survive, but there is more to her than Stasse wants us to know—just yet. She has real badass potential.

Liam is Alenna’s other half. He brings the fierce side of Alenna out because he challenges her in ways that she has never been challenged. In that, he discovers his match, something he did not think he would find while on the island. I did not find him to be a “hottie”, but it could be because he shares a name with my son.

The secondary characters enhance the storytelling without stealing the spotlight. They provide the support necessary to tell the story. They offer twists and turns, panic, urgency, comic relief, and betrayal.

I found the allusions to Lord of the Flies overwhelming at times. It was as if Stasse was creating a retelling, just with a more modern dystopian feel. This would be a great recommendation to students at the conclusion of reading LOTF and a great discussion of storytelling parallels.

I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series. It has the same feel and pacing as The Hunger Games, but that is where any similarity ends.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this, and I still cannot believe I waited so long to read it.

Have you read The Forsaken? What are your thoughts? Leave them below.

Happy Reading!

Review: Rapture

I bought this book the day it came out, and then I realized I was not ready to let go of Luce and Daniel. During the holiday break, I decided it was time. Why not end one of my favorite series as I was preparing to say goodbye to another year?

Title: Rapture

Author: Kate Lauren

ISBN: 978-0-385-73918-4

Pages: 448                                   

Available: NOW at your local bookstore or library

Summary (from the book jacket):

The sky is dark with wings…

Like sand through an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the angels fell to earth.

Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again. Yet together they face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies…and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed.

And suddenly Luce knows what must happen. For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now is the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

Rapture is the astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

My Thoughts:

Get the box of tissues ready Luce and Daniel fans…you just might need them.

In this fitting conclusion to this four-book series, Kate takes readers on a rollercoaster ride, full with the ups and downs, twists and turns.

In their continued struggle for eternal love, Luce and Daniel must stop Lucifer from returning to the exact spot the angels fell; otherwise, the past will be erased. There are only two problems: they must discover this spot and survive a journey that could cost them everything.

Of the four in the series, this one is my favorite. I loved the unfolding of this story. In the other books I found Luce and Daniel to be the stars, as they should, but not in this final installment. It was not the characters that drove the story but the story itself. I could not put this book down because I wanted to know what reveal(s) Kate was going to give me next.

Several unanswered questions become crystal clear to readers, and I did not close the ending of this book feeling unsatisfied in any way.

Kate spends the first three novels setting readers up for all the reveals in this novel. While I loved it, I still feel that this series could have been accomplished in three books instead of four. Either way, I love Luce and Daniel. Their eternal love is something that many readers can root for because what is life without love?

What I love about Luce as a character is that I see her grow from book one to book four. There is no stagnation for her, and this happens sometimes in series. At the start of the series I was expecting the stereotypical female heroine in a paranormal romance, but it is Luce’s fearlessness that seems to help her character crack the mold.

She wants to know the truth of her history, no matter the sacrifice. That really come to fruition in Passion, but in this final installment she finally discovers the truth of everything. As readers, we experience the same moment of enlightenment as she does, putting all of the pieces from the previous three books together. While I wish Kate had given a few more pieces to the puzzle in the other books, after reading this one, I see why she held out on us. It worked to her advantage, and to Luce’s as well.

Daniel. Daniel. Daniel. What can I say about him as a character? He is loyal. His heart is full of love. He cannot bear to lose Luce one more time. His entire being is for her, to give himself fully to her. He is the key to Luce’s truth, and what a secret keeper he is.

I enjoyed experiencing his unconditional love for Luce throughout each book, and this one was no exception. I do not consider him to be the “hottie” writers usually give readers in the paranormal romances, but his devotion to his lady warms my heart.  

As a whole, I found the ending of this series quite fitting. I particularly enjoyed the Epilogue. It left a smile on my face and a tingle in my heart.

This book will appeal to those who love series reading and/or paranormal romance.

Have you read this series? What’s your favorite paranormal couple?

Leave your thoughts/comments below.

Happy Reading!

Review: Splintered

I had the pleasure of reading this during my holiday break, and I could not put it down. Howard had me from the start, questioning everything I thought I knew about Alice in Wonderland as well as questioning where I thought she was taking me in the novel.

in love with this cover

Title: Splintered

Author: A.G. Howard
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0428-4 
Pages: 384                                    
Ages: 14 and up 
Available: NOW at your local bookstore or library 

Summary (from the book jacket): 

Welcome to the real Wonderland. 

Alyssa Gardner hears the thoughts of plants and animals. She hides her delusions for now, but she knows her fate: she will end up like her mother, in an institution. Madness has run in her family ever since Alice Liddell told Lewis Carroll her strange dreams.

But perhaps she’s not mad. And perhaps Carroll’s stories aren’t as whimsical as they seem.

To break the curse of insanity, Alyssa must go down the rabbit hole and right the wrongs of the real Wonderland, a place full of strange beings with dark agendas, a twisted fun-house reflection of Alice’s childish tales. Alyssa brings her real-world crush—the protective Jeb—with her, but once her journey begins, she’s torn between his solidity and the enchanting, dangerous magic of Morpheus, her guide to Wonderland. But no one in Wonderland is who they seem to be—not even Alyssa herself… 

My Thoughts: 

Whispers from bugs and flowers? Seems legit.

Welcome to a new tale of Alice, one that will shine a new light on the Wonderland readers have grown to love. This novel will make you throw all you think you know out the window as you delve into this debut novel.

Down, down, down the rabbit hole we go…and from the start I was hooked. I found this book to be The Bell Jar meets a teen eighties movie. Seriously.

As the story opens, Alyssa is trying to cope with being a teenager, having a job, having a crush, and having a mom in a mental institution. But that’s not all. She hears the whispers, the whispers that put her own mother away. Is Alyssa destined to suffer the same fate, or is there more to those whispers?

After a moment of nonsensical clarity, we are thrust into the world of Wonderland. A world that is full of twists and turns in more ways than we could ever imagine. Readers will re-visit the ills that Alice left behind in Wonderland when she left, and it is up to Alyssa to put everything back in order to save her sanity. No one can be trusted—not even Alyssa herself. Or is that a part of the madness that is Wonderland?

My connection to this novel and Plath’s deals with the feel of the novel. As I was reading this novel, I was unsure if I was descending into madness with Alyssa or if there was something concrete within the plot. I will not say more than that because it will ruin important elements of the plot, but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

The connection to a teen eighties movie deals with the character of Jeb, Alyssa’s crush, and next door neighbor. I love Jeb, and I love that he accepts Alyssa for all she is. But I also love that I felt as if I were in a Molly Ringwald movie every time he was on the page with her. Imagine Sixteen Candles in Wonderland? How fun!

But this is not a novel that focuses on Alyssa and Jeb. This is not a love story in that sense. This is a coming of age story, but it is also a story of having faith in those who love you. That element of the story is fulfilled with more than just Jeb.

As a whole, I found Splintered to be an engaging mystery that kept me guessing until the final page. It will appeal to those who love a good re-telling and to those who just love an interesting story. 

Have you read Splintered? What did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy Reading!