Book Review: The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles @MrJeffGiles

The Edge of Everything is a good mix of adventure, survival, and a bit of the supernatural.

Zoe's life has been tough lately.  Her father was recently killed in a caving accident.  A blizzard is coming, and when her mom leaves her with her very energetic little brother, she lets him go outside with their two dogs.  He gets lost in the blizzard, and Zoe must go find him.  She's near death herself when she finds him and carries him to a neighbor's house that has been empty since their deaths.  But they aren't alone, and when she is attacked by a brutal stranger, a mysterious man saves her and attempts to kill the attacker.

The mysterious man is a bounty hunter from the Lowlands.  He's been sent to kill the man who attacked Zoe, and since Zoe asked him to let the man go, there's going to be "hell" to pay.  You see, the Lowlands is a place where evil people are taken when they die to become bounty hunters and bring other deserving souls to the Lowlands.  But "X," as Zoe names the mysterious man, is different than most souls in the Lowlands. And that's pretty much all I'm going to tell you.

Let's just get this issue out of the way:  The instalove is brutal.  I mean they fall for each other so fast it is mind boggling.  Now, let's move on.  Since X didn't fulfill his assignment, he must go back to the Lowlands, and he's sure to be punished.  He promises Zoe that he will someday come back to her...if he can.

In the meantime, Zoe is determined to make the authorities find her father's body deep inside a very dangerous cave, or else she's going to do it herself.

There is much more to the story and several more interesting characters.  The Edge of Everything really kept me entertained.  The danger mounts (several different times) and there are some big surprises.  I also had an issue with how reckless Zoe is when exploring the cave--she takes risks that I don't think were realistic, but I guess they were necessary to the story.

The big issues are unresolved at the end, but there is some closure for certain elements of the story. The Edge of Everything is an interesting mix of genres that I haven't seen much before, and I'm excited to read the sequel. I think my teens will enjoy it too.

Published by Bloomsbury, January 31, 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
368 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Black Ice, by Becca Fitzpatrick

While Black Ice tells what is supposed to be a thrilling, non-stop story, I had some problems.

Britt is excited to spend her spring break with her best friend in the mountains hiking in the Grand Tetons. Her friend's family has a lodge there and they plan to spend the whole week. Britt is not excited when she finds out her friend's brother, Calvin, is going along to chaperon. Calvin is also Britt's ex, and she hasn't seen him since he went away to school and broke up with her two weeks later.

Britt and her friend are going up to the cabin first, and an unexpected snow storm hits. They get stranded and hike to the nearest cabin where two very strange guys are staying. They have no choice but to let the girls come in, but it's obvious they don't want to. The fear mounts, and as the girls begin to realize what's going on, it's obvious they are now kidnapped. And Britt finds some evidence that indicates these guys must be murderers. The guys want Britt (with her supposed knowledge of the mountains) to lead them out. It's a test of survival, both because of the weather and because of the men.

This book is bloated. There's just no need for this story to take 400 pages to tell.  It was  hard to feel the tension and fear because I constantly felt like, "Let's get going!" It didn't help that I figured out who the murderer was about halfway through. It seemed so obvious, that I'm wondering if Fitzpatrick wanted us to figure it out.

Part of my frustration may be because I had a hard time believing the story. There are just some major plot anomalies. Just a few examples: Who ever heard of an unexpected snow storm in this day and age? The characters realize that a bear is close, and wanting to get into their hideout. On the next page, they are making out. Where did all that fear go? One character is tied to a chair, and the others are gone for just a few minutes. That character not only gets free of his bonds, but does something else (that I won't say because of spoilers) that couldn't possible be done that fast. Another time, a character is so badly injured that he has to be carried. All of a sudden, he's running and is able to protect another character.

There were so many of these instances that I just couldn't take the book seriously. For a younger audience who just wants an adventure story that also contains some romance, Black Ice might be a suitable book. You have to be willing to just go with it.

Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, October 7, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
400 pages

Rating: 2.5/5

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Book Review: I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, by Alan Bradley

Flavia de Luce is at it again in I am Half-Sick of Shadows. And this was the perfect read for now, since it takes place during Christmas!

The de Luce's are about to lose Buckshaw because of financial difficulties, so the Colonel decides to allow a filming crew to use the house for a couple of weeks during the holidays. This means that one of the world's biggest film stars, Phyllis Wyvern, will be staying in the house. Of course, no way is Flavia going to leave this alone....

The reverand convinces the stars to give a performance at Buckshaw to benefit the roof repairs at St. Tankred. It turns out that the snow storm gets worse and worse, causing the entire audience (most of Bishop's Lacey) to have to spend the night.

It takes a while for the story to get started. (It's about halfway through the book before the dead body appears), but we get to hear about Flavia's latest  schemes while we're waiting. She's come up with a method to prove (or disprove) the existence of Father Christmas. She's also planning a great display of her fireworks to be shot from the roof on Christmas Eve. And, she investigates the film crew and the stars in the usual manner.

Once we have a dead body, then Flavia goes to work. Her methods and the science she uses are, as usual, creative and entertaining.

I did miss some of the snarky attitude between Flavia and her sisters in I Am Half-Sick of Shadows. They just didn't seem to be their usual hateful selves, and Flavia didn't even get to trick them with one of her concoctions.

I've listened to most of the Flavia de Luce books on audio and really enjoyed them. However, I really enjoyed the reading experience too (and it took a lot less time!)

If you enjoy a light-hearted murder mystery, in a historical English setting, with a precocious eleven-year-old sleuth, you really must read these books. It isn't necessary to read them all in order, but why not?

Published by Delacorte Press, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
297 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Trapped, by Michael Northrop

Wow. The first thought that comes to mind after reading Trapped is, "It moves!" There is never a dull moment, and it reads very quickly.

Trapped is a classic survival story, involving seven teens trapped in their high school during a snow storm. Oh, but this isn't just any snow storm. It snows for about six days straight -- heavy snow -- and buries the school and everything in the town in about 18 feet of snow.

The situation that allows them to all end up in school alone is a bit of a stretch, but just go with it. I work in a high school. This wouldn't happen. But anyway....

I'm not going to go into detail about the challenges that the seven face, because that's the story. Suffice it to say, there are personality issues (of course) and issues involving the storm and the cold.

The characters are realistic teens of different cliques and different backgrounds. Some are friends, but some are outcasts. There isn't much real growth, but our teens do begin to realize that their impressions of each other during a regular school day might not be very accurate.

They are resourceful and sometimes they make bad decisions. Trapped never lets up as they meet one challenge after another. The ending is satisfying, if somewhat difficult. Not everyone will survive (which we learn on page 6, so that's not a spoiler.)

Trapped is short and riveting -- all the ingredients that make it perfect for reluctant readers. The narrator is a boy, and both boys and girls will enjoy Trapped. Northrop puts his teen characters (in all his books) in difficult situations and is a master of realistic characterizations, even if some of the situations are a little extreme.

Published by Scholastic, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
232 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4/5

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