These Deadly Games by Diana Urban is suspenseful, shocking, and pulls on your heart strings with a high stakes twisty story line. This young adult psychological thriller with a game trope is a standalone novel and the first book that I have read by this author.
The Unbecoming of Books
Sunday, March 17, 2024
These Deadly Games by Diana Urban
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
With Two Can Keep a Secret , her follow-up to the excellent One of Us is Lying, Karen M. McManus proves she's not a flash-in-the-pan talent, but rather a pretty terrific storyteller, one who is tremendously skilled at depicting the complex behaviors of teenagers, and the mysteries that unfold in front of our eyes. Ellery and her twin brother Ezra have to leave their California home and move to Echo Ridge, a small town in Vermont, and live with their maternal grandmother while their mother goes to rehab.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Haunting Adeline by H.D Carlton
DNFing at 50%
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Wow, I mean just wow! I so did not expect this. Ms. Maureen Johnson exceeded herself here far greater than I hoped because I honestly did not like her 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I did not even finish it. But Truly Devious certainly lived up to its title.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Applause! Applause! Applause! This book offered one of the quickest and most exhilarating roller coaster experiences the moment I laid my hands on it. I’m still shaky, incoherent (I’ve even requested a translator to articulate my thoughts properly), my nails have seen better days, and I’m both confused and dizzy. But I’m also smiling and filled with happiness!
I wholeheartedly give it a perfect five out of five mysterious shining stars!
The storytelling is exceptional, the plot keeps you hooked, the character development is fantastic, the pacing is fast and heart-pounding, and the ending is immensely satisfying. What are you waiting for, folks? This book won’t just fall from the sky into your lap. Go ahead, buy it, and send me thank-you letters for my encouraging words!
We have an incredible heroine in Pippa (don’t mistake her for Pippi Longstocking). Fitz-Amobi is a talented, smart, nerdy, funny, social, friendly, brave investigator who stands somewhere between Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars, a slightly older version of Harriet Walsh, possessing technical skills but without tattoos, leather, or chains, a more restrained version of Lisbeth Salander, and a younger version of Dana Scully without Mulder and alien conspiracies!
The blurb is tempting, intriguing, and immediately pulls you in, making it hard to let go of the book, as I found out. My dogs are even jealous of the book, barking at the moon in protest, but I couldn’t put it down, as it’s one of those books that grabs you from the very first page.
Five years ago, Andie Bell went missing, and Sal Singh, who committed suicide after confessing to her murder in a text message, was presumed responsible. Yet Andie’s body was never found. The case was closed, but Pippa is determined to reopen it for her school project. She starts by interviewing Sal’s 20-year-old brother, Ravi, who naturally becomes her partner in crime. Their project evolves into a mission to prove Sal’s innocence and find out who might have really killed Andie.
As they dig deeper, Pippa’s list of people of interest grows longer, even including her best friend’s sister.
There are numerous burning questions in your mind: Who truly killed Andie? Is Andie really dead? Did she deserve her fate? Because as we learn more about her, we discover she was a bully, a drama queen, a drug dealer, and a blackmailer. Her less-than-stellar attributes made me want to give her a piece of my mind. It’s strange because I’ve never felt the urge to confront a presumed dead person—or someone I’m not even sure is deceased! But this character is a living, breathing (or not) scoundrel!
Who framed Sal? Did Sal actually do it? His portrayal as a nice, humble, angelic guy led me to nickname him Castiel, like the angel from ‘Supernatural.’ But we can sense he’s been hiding something. His friends changed their testimonies regarding his whereabouts and the time he left their gathering, refusing to be his alibis. So where was he at the time of the murder?
Who was sending threatening messages to Pippa, trying to stop her investigation?
I devoured this book, and my detective skills failed me completely until the final pages. The author always stayed ten steps ahead of me! I feel blessed to be outsmarted by her brilliant writing. I can already picture this as an amazing YA mystery movie or a limited Netflix series (anything to replace the third season of ‘13 Reasons Why,’ which might as well be titled ‘13 Reasons Why Did You Even Make a Third Season?’).
It was an emotional, enjoyable, nail-biting, mind-bending, thrilling, and ultimately satisfying read. I savored every page, every clue, and every heart-pounding moment of this book. I highly recommend it! It’s even better than ‘One of Us Is Lying.’
And the best news is there are three more sequels to look forward to! I’ve already started my excitement dance, which is a blend of BeyoncĂ©’s ‘All the Single Ladies’ moves and John Travolta’s ‘Staying Alive’ grooves. Yay!
Friday, August 7, 2015
Bout of Books 14
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 17th and runs through Sunday, August 23rd in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 14 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
Time devoted
I have college from Monday to Friday so I'm not sure how much reading I will get done during the weekdays but I will try to get a majority of it done during the weekend.
My Goal
1. The Faerie War by Rachel Morgan
2. Paper Towns by John Green