Review: Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader

Author: Elisa Nader

Genre:  Contemporary, Thriller, Dystopian

Pages: 271

Published: August 18th, 2013

Publisher: Merit Press

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

"Since the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry. Now sixteen, Mia dreams of slipping away from the armed guards who keep the faithful in, and the curious out. When the rebellious and sexy Gabriel, a new boy, arrives with his family, Mia sees a chance to escape. 
But the scandalous secrets the two discover beyond the compound’s façade are more shocking than anything they ever imagined. While Gabriel has his own terrible secrets, he and Mia bond together, more than friends and freedom fighters. But is there time to think of each other as they race to stop the Reverend’s paranoid plan to free his flock from the corrupt world? Can two teenagers crush a criminal mastermind? And who will die in the fight to save the ones they love from a madman who’s only concerned about his own secrets?"~Goodreads

I've always been fascinated with cults.  It's that morbid curiosity thing and I just can't help it.  So when I heard about this Jonestown-esque story I just had to read it.  This book promises suspense, action and shocking secrets and boy does it deliver.   

LIKES:

• Real Life Dystopia: The setting in this book is masterfully put together.  Nader has created a horrible paradise that feels so real I'm not entirely convinced it isn't.  Of course the thing is, it is real.  No, Edenton isn't a real place, but there have been and probably still are compounds like it out there.  For a good example (and I would imagine probably the inspiration for this book) check out Jonestown.  Probably the most terrifying thing about this story is that it can and does happen in real life.  This isn't some post-apocalyptic dystopian that takes place in the distant future.  It takes place right now and not in some alternate reality.
• Somebody paid attention in Psychology class: One of the most impressive things about this book is the author's understanding of her characters' psychology.  As with victims of systematic abuse, the people of Edenton are controlled by their fear of The Reverend.  This fear develops into guilt and they believe they deserve all that he does to them.  Those of us not in this situation may not understand why they would not rebel under such cruelty, but the author handles this very nicely.  The reader is able to sympathize with The Flock even while hating what their community stands for.  
• Subtle but intense romance:  I was really happy with the way that the romance was handled in this story.  I think it would have been a mistake to make it the most important plot point.  It definitely takes a back seat to the action and suspense.  However, the romance that is there is very intense and much different than in most YA novels.  Gabriel and Mia both have so many varied issues that it would be impossible for them to have a normal romance.  But the chemistry is great and fit in perfectly with the story.

DISLIKES:

• Emotion could have been better at times: There were some moments in the book where I felt like the emotion could have been higher.  In particular, there is a scene near the beginning involving cookies.  I'll leave it at that so I don't ruin it for you, but you'll know when you get there.  I'm reading this scene going "HOLY CRAP WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" and the main character just sort of acknowledges it and moves onto the next day.  It's possible that this was done on purpose to show how numb she has become to cruelty, but good lord.  EMOTE!
• Gabriel's parents - WTF?:  Gabriel's parents (and really many of the parents here) should be ashamed of themselves.  I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything but in one of the last scenes they sit there as terrible things are about to happen to their child.  Now, of course at this point they are probably completely controlled by fear so you could give them that, but from what I can gather they've been pretty awful parents since the beginning.  So when they are seemingly absolved later on I had a little trouble buying it.  I can't imagine being able to forgive people who put me through something like that.  Maybe I'm just not Edenton material.

Overall this book was great.  It caught my attention from page one and kept me riveted throughout.  I really came to care about the characters and by the end of the book I felt like I needed a good cry and possibly a Xanax.  The storyline would have been interesting all on it's own but Nader added her own twists and turns and really amped up the suspense.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

  

Review: This Is W.A.R. by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Author: Lisa and Laura Roecker

Genre:  Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 288

Published: July 2nd, 2013

Publisher: SoHo Teen

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"This is W.A.R. begins with a victim who can no longer speak for herself, and whose murder blossoms into a call-to-arms. Enter four very different girls, four very different motives to avenge Willa Ames-Rowan, and only one rule to start: Destroy James Gregory and his family at any cost. Willa's initials spell the secret rallying cry that spurs the foursome to pool their considerable resources and deliver their particular brand of vigilante justice. Innocence is lost, battles are won—and the pursuit of the truth ultimately threatens to destroy them all."~Goodreads

Who doesn't like a good revenge novel?  All of us have been wronged at some point and felt powerless to do anything about it.  So there's something cathartic about watching someone get whats coming to them.  This is W.A.R. is a fun and ultimately satisfying novel that weaves together the stories of four girls bent on bringing their best friend's killer to justice.   

LIKES:

• Four different narrators:  I always love it when an author can use different voices to effectively tell a story.  It makes for a well-rounded story and allows the reader to see all viewpoints.  Each of Willa's friends have their own reason for wanting revenge and their own reason for feeling guilty about her death.  The girls vastly different personalities also make the story more interesting and believable.  I particularly enjoyed the chapters narrated by Willa's stepsister Madge.  She did a great job of making me feel closer not only to her but to her sister as well.
• Yuppies who rule with an iron fist:  One thing that is vitally important to a thriller is a bad guy you love to hate.  The Gregory's fit this bill to a tee.  They are spoiled, entitled and completely above the law.  They abuse their power and have seemingly no appreciation for the value of other human beings.  But they aren't just one-dimensional jerks.  There are layers to the Gregory family.  The Captain, while obviously an awful human being, is driven by more than just greed.  Trip has been emotionally and psychologically crippled by something in his past and James has been driven to rampant alcoholism by his family.  You love to hate them, but you want to understand them as well.  When you throw in their small lakeside town and the country club that acts as their seat of power the show is quite spectacular.
• Not too unrealistic:  It would be easy to set up a series of grand schemes that could never happen in real life in this story.  The girls are from wealthy families and money is thrown around like it's nothing.  But most of the schemes the girls come up with are not completely out of the realm of possibility.  

DISLIKES:

• Rich people are horrible:  I get a little tired of wealthy people being made into caricatures of Blair Waldorf.  Not everyone who has money is rude and spoiled.  Now I am not saying that as someone who has money, the dent in my car's rear bumper that has been there since 2008 will attest to that.  I am simply saying that as someone who has met all types of people from all different backgrounds.  The country club members are some of the most abhorrent people you can imagine.  They treat the staff like slaves and behave however they want regardless of how it affects others.  I understand that this particular country club had to be this way for the story to work but it still made me roll my eyes.
• I'm still a little confused about the ending:  I won't get into spoilers here but I have to say there is something that happens at the end regarding a website that I'm totally confused about. In fact, if any of you have read this and want to explain it to me please shoot me an email.  I'd be forever grateful.  

If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced summer read with lots of vigilante justice, this is the read for you.  I definitely will be keeping this on my shelf for summers to come.  It's thrilling, shocking and totally satisfying.

Mini Review: Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Author: Elizabeth Woods

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary

Pages: 233

Published: January 4th, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria. 
Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in. 
But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?"~Goodreads

Let's talk a bit about how covers can be duplicitous.  Here we have a pretty pink cover, white winter trees, a long stemmed rose and some lovely handwriting.  Sure the title sounds ominous but how dark could this book possibly be?  Take into consideration that the angle of the trees is what someone who is on their back (like, perhaps, someone who's just been murdered in the woods) might be looking at and you get some idea of just how dark this book can get.  This cover is entirely representative of the story.  Choker is a thriller disguised as a contemporary.  Woods somehow managed to fit two different plot lines into just under 240 pages.  There were several times while reading this book that I forgot it was supposed to be a thriller at all.  I just wanted Cara to win the guy of her dreams and actually make some real friends.  That is probably what made this story so unsettling.  Woods manages to catch the reader off guard by luring them into their comfort zone just before delivering her blows.

First of all we have Cara, our main character.  She is the quintessential high school outcast.  She doesn't really have any close friends, she's super awkward and she can't seem to relate to anyone.  She's pretty miserable overall.  She's being bullied by the school's resident mean girls, their leader is dating the guy Cara is in love with.  Then her childhood friend, Zoe, appears and starts camping out in Cara's bedroom.  She starts helping Cara build up her self confidence and everything starts getting better.  It's all well and good until the bodies start piling up and Zoe seems pretty comfortable with it.  

The "thriller" aspect of the story is an ever-present force that guides the story along without over-shadowing it.  This creates an incredibly tense and upsetting atmosphere throughout the book.  Everything seems more realistic and that's what makes it so frightening.  I saw the ending coming from a mile away but that didn't make it any less disturbing when my fears came to fruition.  This is definitely not the book for you if you like neat, tidy, happy endings.   This one stays with you for awhile and was truly and excellent read.  I'd recommend this if you are looking for something more psychological and dark than a crime thriller.  

Dust Off Those Classics: We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson

Author: Shirley Jackson

Genre: classic, thriller, mystery

Pages: 146

Published: 1962

Publisher: Penguin

Rating: 4/5 Stars

"Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate."~Goodreads

One of my book resolutions this year was to read and review more classics.  I thought I would start off the year with a book that's had a big resurgence lately.  Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a twisted, quirky little book that raises more questions than it answers.  What is normal? Who is the villain? How do we, as a society, create the very monsters we fear?

The story is told from the perspective of 18 year old Mary Katherine Blackwood (Merricat), a mentally unstable but interesting girl who lives with her older sister and their aging uncle in a huge house outside of a small village.  Merricat's sister, Constance, was accused of poisoning the rest of the family several years before but acquitted.  Still, the town reviles the Blackwoods and abuses them to the point that Constance refuses to leave home.  This leaves Merricat in charge of anything that involves going out in public and fuels her deep-seeded hatred of the villagers.  Even with all of the turmoil the Blackwoods love each other and are happy with their lives and their home until their cousin Charles shows up and starts to take over.

This book is really special because it takes the classic idea of a village plagued by a villainous family and reverses the roles.  With this being said, the Blackwoods are not at all canonized in the book.  Rather, they are shown for what they are: an unstable, dysfunctional and most-likely homicidal group of social outcasts.  Still, the "normal" townspeople are far more dangerous and cruel.

This book was full of quirk and dark humor, which I loved.  I really appreciated the care the author took with the main characters.  They felt like very realistic people and that made the events of the book even crazier.  In a way this book was charming.  While it was very strange, it had comfortable and familiar feel, much (I would imagine) like the Blackwood's home.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun way to start getting into more classics.

Review: What We Saw At Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard

Genre:  Contemporary, Thriller

Pages: 272

Published: January 8, 2013

Publisher: Soho Teen

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Allie Kim suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum: a fatal allergy to sunlight that confines her and her two best friends, Rob and Juliet, to the night. When freewheeling Juliet takes up Parkour—the stunt-sport of scaling and leaping off tall buildings—Allie and Rob have no choice but to join her, if only to protect her. Though potentially deadly, Parkour after dark makes Allie feel truly alive, and for the first time equal to the “daytimers.” On a random summer night, the trio catches a glimpse of what appears to be murder. Allie alone takes it upon herself to investigate, and the truth comes at an unthinkable price. Navigating the shadowy world of specialized XP care, extreme sports, and forbidden love, Allie ultimately uncovers a secret that upends everything she believes about the people she trusts the most."~Goodreads

Last year Soho Press announced that they would be expanding to include a YA imprint, Soho Teen.  This imprint will be publishing teen thrillers and mysteries.  I'm always excited about new imprints so I decided to check them out.  They very nicely sent me an ARC of their first release, which is now out in stores, What We Saw At Night.  It centers around a group of three teens who all suffer from a deadly allergy to sunlight.  Thus, they must live their lives at night.  They own their small town after sunset but when one of them thinks that she witnesses a murder, the Rear Window action starts.  

LIKES:

• The concept is really cool:  There were so many aspects of this book that were new and different and I really appreciated that.  In particular I love the concept of kids who were confined to the night.  It adds a whole new world of opportunities and challenges for the author to play with.  Throw in the thrilling sport of Parkour and you've got a great backdrop.
• The disorder is very nicely explored:  I admired how Mitchard didn't simply use the disease as a crutch.  She really explored the ins and outs of XP and this led to a greater understanding and therefore appreciation of her characters.
• The suspense is great:  Once the story gets going, the suspense is wonderful.  There were several scenes that will stay with me for a long time.  

DISLIKES:

• The action, particularly the Parkour, is hard to visualize:  The Parkour aspect of the book was cool, but since I don't know much about the sport it was hard to visualize many of the action scenes.  The author used a lot of jargon and, while she explained it, it still made it hard to picture what was going on.  
• It takes a little bit to get going:  There was a bit of a pacing problem especially in the first half of the book.  This is a pretty short book and so the pacing really needed to pick up a bit.  Luckily, the second half was better.
• I just didn't like Juliet:  I'm sorry but it had to be said.  She's manipulative, hard and I didn't find anything about her very redeeming.  She's pretty much a terrible friend  and so I had a really hard time getting into the parts of the story where the reader was supposed to feel for her.
• Someone needs to call the police:  Okay, to be fair, the police are called initially and nothing comes of it, but I just felt like if Allie would have gone to her mother or the cops sooner everything would have gone a lot smoother.  Of course, I realize that then we wouldn't have a book, but it's just hard for me to understand a character that believes she is in mortal danger and doesn't run to the cops or someone in an authority position.  

 I'm very happy that I was able to read What We Saw At Night. Overall, it was a very unique, cool little book.  There is a sequel in the works and it will be interesting to see where the author takes these characters.  If you're looking for good thriller with a different setup, you should check this one out.  I think it would have a lot of potential as a film as well.  I look forward to reading more from Mitchard and Soho Teen.

Review: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

Author: Gwenda Bond

Genre: Paranormal, Thriller

Pages: 416

Published: September 4, 2012

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received a copy for review from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.
Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other." ~Goodreads

I have always been fascinated by the mystery surrounding the lost colony of Roanoke.  The idea that over 100 people could vanish without a trace is terrifying and a great jumping off place for a novel.  Thus, I was super excited to read Blackwood.  To make things even better this is a ghost story, which we all know is my very favorite thing.   I think I played it up so much in my head that it would have been hard for Bond's novel to live up to my expectations and, unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my self-inflicted hype.  Don't get me wrong, it was a very enjoyable read, but I wish it would have gone in a different direction.  I'll stop being evasive now and just get on with.

LIKES:

Great setting and plot line:  This book takes place almost entirely on Roanoke Island and there couldn't be a better setting for a ghost story.  Gwenda Bond does an impeccable job of creating an atmosphere of terror and really makes great use of her setting.  Roanoke is both a famous tourist destination and a slow-moving small town.  Therefore everyone is sort of tied together.  When 114 modern day citizens disappear into thin air the town is whipped up into a panic and a mass exodus begins, leaving just the permanent citizens of Roanoke to deal with the mystery.  The reader can feel the isolation and this only adds to the creep-factor.  I also just love that it takes place on Roanoke and tries to tie the events of the original disappearance to the modern day.

Multiple stories:  The book revolves around multiple plotlines and multiple characters.  Sometimes the book focuses on Miranda, other times on Phillips (the police chief's wayward son) and there are even portions that focus on the people who vanished.  This makes for a much more interesting story and moves the plot along.

No insta-love! : Like most YA books, there is romance in this story.  However, it doesn't take center stage and it is a friendship that develops into romance during a traumatic event and then has to be slowed down and re-evaluated at the end of the book.  It's less "happily ever after" and more "maybe we should give this a shot".

Pop culture nerd references: Any book that repeatedly references Joss Whedon and Vampire Diaries is fine with me!

DISLIKES:

I got sooooo confused:  okay so it is entirely possible that this one is on me, but about half way through the book I was getting so lost.  The plot just got over-complex and went in a totally different direction.  It was a bit frustrating and I would have liked it if this was just a simple ghost story.  Sure add in some twists and turns but don't leave me down the street.

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The resolution came way too quickly:  One minute we're fighting off mindless drones and crazy energy ribbons and then its just sort of over.  Plus the way that Miranda had to end it was super duper effed up.  I just didn't care for the ending, but again maybe that's because I wasn't 100% on how everything was working.

Overall, this was a quick read and it was really pretty fun.  I think it bodes well for Gwenda Bond's future endeavors.  I would recommend this if you are into imaginative thrillers, not so much if you are looking for an old-fashioned ghost story.

Review: Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman

Author: Jessica Warman

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 422

Published: August 21st, 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Source:  I received a copy for review from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins—so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they’ve lived with since their parents passed away, can’t tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong—especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself?" - Goodreads

How do I start talking about Beautiful Lies?  I had so many different feelings about this book, some very positive and some negative.  There were parts of the story that were incredibly intense and thrilling and just as many that were somewhat non-eventful, where I forgot that this was a book about abduction and it felt like a contemporary minus the romance.  Even after reading this book, I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about it.  The other thing that has made it so hard to write about Beautiful Lies is that it had lots of twists and so I'm going to have to be super careful not to give anything away.  At least all of the twists made for an interesting read, even if the blogger in me is frustrated that she can't blurt everything out.  

LIKES:

The writing style:  I loved Warman's writing style.  I hadn't read anything by the author before and I was very impressed by her story-telling abilities.  She is very good at creating a mood and foreshadowing without giving anything away.  I loved it.

The relationship between the girls:  Twins have always fascinated me.  Rachel and Alice's relationship was really interesting.  I loved that they weren't very similar apart from their looks and that they both struggled with completely different issues.  Their love for one another is boundless but they still must follow their own paths and this is harder for one of them to deal with than the other.  There was real emotion in their characters and their stories explored real problems and conflicts.  These side conflicts enhanced the thriller aspect and made you really care for the characters.

The creep factor: This book, and especially the villain, was super creepy.  Books about vampires, ghosts and werewolves all do their best to make us lose sleep, but sometimes it is much more intimidating to remember that there are real monsters out there.  This book does a great job of reminding you.

DISLIKES:

The pacing:  The pacing was a bit off for me with this story.  The beginning tended to drag a bit and it slowed down again about 3/4 of the way through. Luckily the middle and end more than made up for the slow start and the lag later on.

Lets take a moment to talk about smoking:  I can't even tell you how many times cigarettes/smoking were a topic of conversation in this book.  Many times this theme didn't have much to do with the story.  It just seemed like the author was launching a personal crusade against smoking (well cigarettes at least, weed seems to be more acceptable) that was a bit distracting at times.  There were certainly points in the story where smoking/cigarettes played a part in the mood of the scene which was fine, but there were plenty of times where I was thrown off by why the characters were talking about smoking again.  I get it, smoking is dangerous and will kill you, cigarette smoke stinks, but can we get back to the story?

NOT SURE:

The darkness: I can appreciate a good amount of darkness in a book, but I'm not really sure how I felt about the level of darkness in this one.  It covered everything from dead parents to mental illness to extreme violence.  Parts of this story are very hard to get through.  I think, though, that it was an appropriate amount to get the point of the book across.  It is just uncomfortable to see characters you have come to care about going through such unthinkable things.

Overall, I am happy that I got to read this book.  Even with all of the hard subject matter, I think it is an important story that was waiting to be told.  I would recommend this book to those of you who like thrills and aren't afraid of some very realistic terror.

Sweet Evil

Author: Wendy Higgins

Genre: fantasy, paranormal, romance, thriller

Pages: 464

Published: 2012

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"What if there were teens whose lives depended on being bad influences? This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.
Tenderhearted Southern girl, Anna Whitt, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.  Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?"

I'm really torn about this one.  I have been anticipating this book for awhile now and I think I worked myself into such excitement that it was easy to be let down, and for the same reason I continually tried to push my way through the not-so-great parts hoping that my premature fan-girling would be justified.  I have seen so many reviewers raving about this book like it's the second coming of the Twilight phenomenon and certainly they are more than entitled to their opinions (that is what we bloggers do right?) but I just didn't get that thrill.   Sweet Evil is not by any means a bad read, but it also is not the amazing story I expected it to be.  I went into it expecting steamy romance, thrilling action and a gripping, unique plot.  I got about half of those things which isn't too bad, but after being so excited to read it, it fell short.  

As always let's start with the good (including that absolutely gorgeous cover).  Steam.  The steaminess of this book cannot be denied.  There were certainly times when I felt like I needed to open a window and just cool off for a second.  In fact, parts of the book, felt more adult than young adult.  This is probably because the main heartthrob of the story, Kaidan Rowe, is the son of the Duke of Lust.  He definitely takes after his father.  He, naturally, falls for sweet little Anna who never swears, or lies, or drinks and certainly does not do anything Kaidan might have in mind.  When the two of them have to travel cross-country alone things really heat up.  One of the most redeeming things about the book is the way that Anna and Kaidan change each other throughout the story.  Anna lets down her guard a little when she's with Kaidan and he, in turn, allows her to see glimpses of his vulnerability.  They really start to love each other, in large part because of Kaidan's damage from never truly having love in his life.  One of the sweetest lines in the book comes from Anna's inner dialogue after discussing Kaidan's loveless upbringing:

"I tried to imagine young, inquisitive Kaidan looking up at the demon in his life, desperate for his attention.  I wished I could hold that little boy." - Ch. 14

The love between the two of them is what we all like to see in books, raw and real and deep.  Another part of the book that I enjoyed was the mythology.  Higgins does a great job of setting up the mythology behind the angels and the demons and their children.  She also does not have any qualms with being very brutal about the way the demons behave.  There are parts of this book that are very hard to get through because they are violent and heart wrenching, which I think is important when we are talking about evil.  She really drives the point home.  

That's where the love sort of stopped for me.  As far as uniqueness goes, I can't really say the plot was all that different from most paranormal romances.  Good girl meets bad guy.  Girl tries to change guy.  Bad guy is still bad, but broken underneath.  Girl finds out she has flaws too.  They can't be together but probably will, maybe, at some point.  It's fun and everything, but I was hoping for more of a different vibe with this one.  The only real difference I can see is that Kaidan isn't really the hero type.  He has a tendency to stand around and be freaked out when Anna is in mortal peril instead of actually jumping in and doing something about it.  And then there's Anna.  Don't get me wrong, I liked Anna, but I didn't love her.  She seemed weak and scared all the time and she cries almost constantly.  I'm a big crier, but Anna put me to shame.  I kept wanting to shake her and say "Snap out of it!  You have important things to be concentrating on!"  Next, there's the resolution problem.  I didn't feel like this book had much of a resolution.  It is going to be part of a series so obviously they can't explain everything in the first book, but after I finished it I kind of felt jipped.  It felt like the entire book was just a prelude to the next one.  Finally, I felt like there was a lot of finger wagging going on.  I realize it's a book about angels and demons, but I just felt preached to much of the time.  It seemed a little judge-y.

Basically, this book was entertaining.  And it did keep me reading.  Unfortunately I didn't feel like there was a great pay off.  I would still recommend this book if you want something to keep you engaged for a few days and I will be reading the next one because I need to know what happens.  I just hope that the rest of the series is a little meatier.

The Space Between Trees

Author: Katie Williams

Genre: Contemporary, mystery, thriller, crime

Pages: 274

Published: 2010

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Rating: 3/5 Stars

"In this haunting tale, quirky loner Evie is in the wrong place at the wrong time when her sometime friend and total crush, Jonah, discovers a body in the woods -- a body that turns out to be that of her childhood playmate.  At the funeral, a fateful lie leads Evie into a complicated relationship with the dead girl's father and best friend.  Before she realizes what is happening, Evie is on the hunt for a killer, spinning more lies along the way and putting herself in serious danger."

I'm not even going to pretend I didn't buy this book for its cover.  The picture really doesn't do it justice, but it's beautiful.  It is a hardcover that has been laser cut to look like branches that sit over the paper cover underneath.  I found it in a bin at Border's last year during its closing sale (sob!).  It took me a lot longer than usual to read the book because I kept flipping it over and staring at the cover.  But anyway, I didn't get around to reading it for a long time and I didn't expect much.  Luckily, it surprised me.  

The story is about Evie, a loner who isn't really lonely at all.  She has her paper route and she has Jonah.  He hauls dead animals out of the woods behind one of the nicer neighborhoods in town (fun job right?).  Evie loves him and follows him around during her route, but he seems to think she's just a silly kid.  She twists the small conversations they have together into more romantic tales to tell the girls that she sits with at lunch.  Her life with Jonah and her vacuous mother is blissfully boring until a body is pulled out of the woods.  It turns out to be her childhood friend, Zabet, and Evie is immediately obsessed with the crime.  She becomes entangled with Zabet's father, a sad, lonely divorcee and her best friend, the chain-smoking, slightly unstable, Hadley.  She and Hadley begin searching for Zabet's killer and along the way form an unlikely friendship.

So what did I think about this book?  Overall, it was better than expected.  There were moments of real truth.  This was especially true with Hadley.  Her grief over the death of her only real friend sends her into a downward spiral that is realistic and painful to watch.  She tries so hard to be tough and act like nothing bothers her, but throughout the book you can see her mental instability growing and you really start to feel for her.  Mr.  McCabe is another character that seems very well thought out.  He tries to hold on to his daughter by forming a relationship with Hadley and Evie.  His desperation is palpable, from only making spaghetti because it was Zabet's favorite to keeping her room in the complete disarray in which it was left.  He is possibly the saddest character in the whole book.  Finally there is Jonah.  He is sort of an enigma in the book.  He is around but he doesn't say much and the reader rarely knows what he is thinking.  This is the same way that Evie sees him.  The reader wants to get to know him as much as she does.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel like he was given a chance to really come into his own as a character.  I would have liked to understand him more.  Another character who left me wanting was Evie's mother.  She was so self-obsessed and vapid that I couldn't help but dislike her.  I kept hoping that she would evolve through the story, but unfortunately she didn't.  There was sort of a moment toward the end of the book where she seems to have come to her senses (she left the house without makeup, oh my!) but it was lackluster.  The biggest problem I had with the book though was the mystery aspect.  The whole story seemed to be leading up to this thrilling ending.  Some big epiphany and, instead, it fizzled out.  I found myself going, "that's it?  It's over?" which is never much fun in my opinion.

Negatives aside, this book does have merit.  Some of the characters are very fun to get to know and the story, itself, was very interesting at times. Evie is a sympathetic protagonist with real feelings and insecurities and the story does make you think. I wish that the author would have delved a little deeper into the characters and their relationships with one another, but for the most part the story wasn't bad.  I'd recommend this if you want something a little dark, with some quirkiness to it.