Annette's Book Spot

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Book Review: The Shadow Tracer, by Meg Gardiner @MegGardiner1

The Shadow Tracer takes no time at all to pull you in, and it never lets you go until the end.

Sarah is a shadow tracer. She finds people who are hiding out from the law -- usually to serve them with a subpoena. Her 5-year-old is one of the victims in a school bus accident, and when Sarah goes to the hospital, the doctor finds that Zoe, the 5-year-old, has an identification chip embedded in her neck -- like a dog would have. Sarah knows nothing about the chip, but she knows that secrets that she has been running from are now going to come to the surface.

Thus begins a cross country run from both the authorities and a very powerful crime family -- who want Zoe returned to them at all costs. Sarah's profession helps a lot as she tries to stay hidden and off the radar, but she also has no one she can trust. Sarah isn't really Zoe's mother -- Sarah's sister was the mother, and she entrusted Zoe to Sarah as she was dying.

This is my first Meg Gardiner book, but I will be looking up some of her others. She has a way of making you really care about her characters. I also liked how the line between the good guys and bad guys was somewhat ambiguous -- in particular an FBI agent with his own agenda. Also, the crime family is about as fanatic as I've seen -- and evil to go along with it.

Sarah and Zoe get in one scrape after another, but have some people who are supporting them and trying to help them. In particular, Sarah's boss, Danisha, who is a colorful character. There's also the unlikely nun, Teresa, who I would have liked to see stick around until the end of the book, rather than making a rather quick entrance, then exit.

The ending leaves the possibility of future stories with some of these characters, and I think I would really be interested in reading more about Sarah's adventures. She's tough, but sympathetic, and I really enjoyed getting to know her.

Teens who enjoy crime drama and escape/survival stories will have no problem enjoying The Shadow Tracer, and I look forward to recommending it to them in the fall. I really had difficulty putting this book down when I needed to!

The publisher is allowing me to host a giveaway for a copy of The Shadow Tracer. Please watch for my giveaway post tomorrow! I'll put a link to it here, after I've posted it too.

Published by Dutton Adult, June 27, 2013
Copy obtained from the publisher for review
358 pages

Rating: 5/5

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Book Review: The Chalice, by Nancy Bilyeau @Tudorscribe

I enjoyed The Chalice as much as The Crown, but it is such a detailed story that I'm going to do something I never do. I'm going to include the summary from Amazon.

In the midst of England’s Reformation, a young novice will risk everything to defy the most powerful men of her era.

In 1538, England’s bloody power struggle between crown and cross threatens to tear the country apart. Novice Joanna Stafford has tasted the wrath of the royal court, discovered what lies within the king’s torture rooms, and escaped death at the hands of those desperate to possess the power of an ancient relic.

Even with all she has experienced, the quiet life is not for Joanna. Despite the possibilities of arrest and imprisonment, she becomes caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting Henry VIII himself. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna realizes her role is more critical than she’d ever imagined. She must choose between those she loves most and assuming her part in a prophecy foretold by three seers. Repelled by violence, Joanna seizes a future with a man who loves her. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape the spreading darkness of her destiny.

To learn the final, sinister piece of the prophecy, she flees across Europe with a corrupt spy sent by Spain. As she completes the puzzle in the dungeon of a twelfth-century Belgian fortress, Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lies at the center of these deadly prophecies. . . .

Just like The Crown, The Chalice is well researched and full of wonderful historical details. Maybe too many details for my brain to handle. At least, too many characters. The lineage of Henry VIII and Joanna's family is very complicated and we learn about a lot of characters -- good and bad. I found them all hard to keep track of. There are even two Catherines. However, I found that this didn't deter my enjoyment of Joanna's story at all.

This IS Joanna's story -- and she is a wonderful character. So principled, loyal, and not nearly as naive as she was in The Crown. We get to experience a bit of romance -- although the turns that her love life takes ere not my favorite part. I enjoyed the characters she met, and how when you really come down to it, no matter how it appears, they are all out for themselves. What a crazy time in history. The fear that everyone was feeling is palpable. I would much rather have been a poor servant than part of the aristocracy. Because chances are, your head will be detached from your body -- or you may just spend years in the Tower of London!

If you are interested in this period of time, I would definitely put The Chalice on your list. It isn't necessary to read The Crown first, but I actually enjoyed that one a bit more, so it is definitely recommended as well.

Published by Touchstone, March 5, 2013
eBook, purchased
496 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, July 8, 2013

Book Review: The Madman's Daughter, by Megan Shepherd @megan_shepherd

The Madman's Daughter hooked me with its non-stop plotting and the very sinister vibe.

I've read The Island of Dr. Moreau, but it's been many years ago. The Madman's Daughter is a story about Juliet Moreau, Dr. Moreau's daughter. When the book opens, Juliet is almost destitute, after her father disappeared in disgrace and her mother died of consumption. No one will help her, because of the reputation her father left.

Juliet discovers her father is still alive and living on an island after she runs into his assistant, Montgomery, who was Juliet's childhood friend. Montgomery is now her father's assistant. She insists that Montgomery take her to her father's island, since she has nothing in England. Much against his best wishes, Montgomery agrees.

While on the very long, treacherous voyage, they pick up a man adrift and almost dead in a life boat. The man's name is Edward, and they nurse him back to health and he gets off the ship with Juliet and Montgomery at Dr. Moreau's island.

So there's a bit of a romantic competition between Montgomery and Edward for Juliet's attention. But this is not a romance, and this aspect just adds to the intrigue without overpowering the thrilling aspects of The Madman's Daughter.

The way the macabre elements of The Madman's Daughter are slowly revealed just keeps the reader gasping;. Even being familiar with the premise of the story, I still loved the way Shepherd weaves us through the revelations, little by little. And there are plenty of surprises along the way.

The ending was so perfect. I did suspect what was going to happen, but not long before it actually happened. I don't really want to go into the details too much about the plot. Yes, Dr. Moreau is mad -- but you probably knew that.

I'm ready to recommend The Madman's Daughter to a bunch of my teen readers as soon as school starts. It has just the right amount of action, adventure, and gore to appeal to the masses.

Published by Balzer + Bray, January 29, 2013
Copy obtained from the library
420 pages

Rating: 5/5

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge - June Update

Another month has come and gone so it's time to see how we're doing on our Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge! You can keep track of my entire year's progress here. My goal for the year is to read 25 books. This month wasn't great, but I'm I'm still on pace to make my goal. It's funny though, that these books I'm reading aren't the ones on my list. I still have a huge list of books I can read in a day, but I never get to them!

Here's what I read in June:

18. The Tragedy Paper, by Elizabeth Laban

How about you? Have you read any books in ONE DAY? Give me some suggestions.

If you would like to join us it's not too late! There's a link to the challenge page on the sidebar.

If you are participating, please leave a link to your post, or just list your books in the comments. Hope you are having fun with these "little gems."

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Stacking the Shelves - The Fun Never Stops

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and is a way for us to share the new books that have hit our shelves this week. I hope you will visit the blogs participating.

This is my "haul" for the week.

For Review:

Shadow Tracer, by Meg Gardiner, from the publisher

How to Love, by Katie Cotugno, eARC from Edelweiss

Thanks for visiting. I'd love to see what you got. Please leave me a link. Have a great weekend!

Friday, July 5, 2013

Feature & Follow Friday: Favorite War Book

Another week completed, and it's time for Feature & Follow Friday. I hope you have a great weekend, and if you are from the U.S. --Happy Independence Day (a little late.) Please make sure you visit Parajunkee & Alison to see all the participants!

Here's our question:

Q: Today’s is the US’ Independence Day. Share your favorite book with a war in it, or an overthrow of the government.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. I'm sure many people will mention this book for the answer to this question. It's really the first one that popped into my head, although I love war books and have read a lot of YA books about war that I have enjoyed.

I can't not mention one more book while I'm answering this question, though.

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. A non-fiction WWII story of survival. Unlike anything you've ever read. If you haven't read this one, I highly recommend it.

Can't wait to see all your suggestions. Please leave me a link. Thanks for visiting!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Book Review: Right of Way, by Lauren Barnholdt

Some of this has to do with my being way beyond the target age for this book, but I just could not connect with Right of Way.

Peyton gets stranded at her uncle's wedding in Florida. She was supposed to run away to North Carolina with her friend, but at the last minute her friend backed out. Jace agrees to take her home -- to CONNECTICUT!! Jace and Peyton have a history -- they met last year and had a long-distance relationship for a while but it ended mysteriously. So they take off for Connecticut -- but Peyton plans on ditching Jace in North Carolina and follow her original plan to run away.

Mostly, I couldn't stand the stupid decisions (one after the other) that BOTH characters made. I didn't buy the romantic connection -- but maybe that's because I was so frustrated with these characters. First of all, Jace -- the valedictorian -- is shocked to find out it's over 20 hours to Connecticut. Didn't even consider that before offering to drive her all that way. He's decided to MISS his graduation, and the speech he's supposed to give to take Peyton home. Uh-huh.

I didn't get into the interactions between Jace and Peyton. There is no honesty and I just didn't buy the need for all the secrecy. When the reason is revealed why Jace stopped calling Peyton, I just couldn't believe how petty it was. When the reason Peyton is running away is revealed, Jace tells her she is not making a very logical decision -- running away won't help the situation -- and I totally agree. But Peyton just got pissed.

Then, in the last five pages, they both come to their senses, and live happily ever after. Really?? Everything is all the sudden OK? Just forget all those other issues we've been dealing with, "It will all be OK." I'm not kidding. Right of Way wrapped up so fast I felt cheated. And even more frustrated than I did during the rest of the book.

OK. I realize I'm not the target audience. I'm old. But I give most teens more credit than this author does, I guess. The book was NOT cute enough to overlook the stupid premise. And, some teens will eat Right of Way up. But not all of them. I will be careful about which teens I recommend Right of Way to.

Published by Simon Pulse, July 9, 2013
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
320 pages

Rating: 2/5

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Book Review: The Twice Lost, by Sarah Porter

I must admit that I was disappointed with The Twice Lost, but part of the problem is that I didn't read the first two books (Lost Voices, and Waking Storms) in the trilogy.

The United States government is trying to exterminate all of the mermaids. The general population doesn't know that mermaids exist, let alone that they are responsible for sinking ships and causing countless human deaths. Luce is trying to swim along the coast and warn all the tribes of mermaids that the humans are murdering them.

Eventually Luce becomes a leader and forms the Twice Lost Army to try to fight the government, but there is resistance from places that neither Luce nor the government are aware of.

I had difficulty caring about the characters, and this is probably because I don't know their back stories. Luce apparently once had a relationship with a human boy, but it took most of the book to put together the pieces of what happened, and I still don't have all the details. There's also a lot of back story about Luce -- how she became a mermaid, how she was supposed to be queen but refused, and a lot about her relationship with other mermaids, one of which she is looking for through much of the book -- but I didn't know why. I think this missing information is essential to connecting with The Twice Lost.

Certain humans who have had encounters with mermaids hear the mermaid songs in their head. Why? What happened to them -- they weren't killed but somehow they are permanently affected. Don't get it.

There were other problems I had with the book that were unrelated to the back story, though. It's very long, and the pacing to get to the "good part" was very slow. I would have appreciated another edit of the first 200 pages.

I found some logical problems and plot holes too. Mermaids have to sleep with their tail in the water, but they have to be able to breath air. How do they deal with the tide going in or out while they sleep? This is really a minor thing, but it bugged me!

Mermaids used to be humans. I know they led horrible lives and that's why they become mermaids (another thing I don't really understand, but...) Why do they hate humans so much that they want to kill ALL of them? I couldn't buy that.

All of a sudden, they talk about mermaid larvae. Where do those come from? Why are they important? What are they for?

This is just a small sample of the confusion I felt at times. The writing style is readable, and other than being long, I wanted to find out what happened. I didn't CARE what happened, but I still wanted to find out.

If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, I'm sure you will enjoy finding out what happens in The Twice Lost. If you enjoy mermaid stories, I would definitely start with the FIRST book, Lost Voices. Then you can decide if you want to continue with the trilogy.

Published by Harcourt, July 2, 2013
ARC obtained from Library Media Connection Magazine for review
471 pages

Rating: 2/5

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Book Review: Raven Flight, by Juliet Marillier

Raven Flight brought me right back into the Shadowfell world and wrapped me up tightly.

Neryn has spent the winter in Shadowfell, first recovering from her journey and her illness, then training to become strong. She knows the fate of Alban depends on her. She knows she must visit all of the Guardians of Alban, but what she doesn’t realize is that her deadline is getting very tight.

So, she ends up having to leave on her journey, with Tali as her protector. They encounter many obstacles, of course. Neryn does have some success using her power to call the Good Folk, but she is very afraid to overstep her bounds before she is fully trained by the Guardians.

If you’ve read Shadowfell, you are probably wondering about Flint. Yes, he’s in Raven Flight! His position is also one of constant danger too. And I’m not going to tell you about Neryn and Flint’s relationship, so don’t even ask.

I really enjoyed the relationship that developed between Neryn and Tali. These two characters are the focus through most of Raven Flight, and their strength and dependence on each other makes the book very compelling. You should also be warned that Marillier isn't afraid to kill the characters. It is war, after all.

There is always something happening. I found myself flying through Raven Flight (me, the one who “doesn’t like” fantasy.) I think I enjoy this series so much because it is grounded in people – some have special powers, but the magic doesn’t overshadow the characters or take over the story.

Raven Flight ends in a pretty big cliffhanger. I mean, people are in a safer place, but nothing is resolved and they know they are facing a huge war in the near future. So, I’ll be looking forward to the next book for sure!

If you like fantasy, danger, suspense, and thrills, I suggest you pick up Raven Flight. Well, you should read Shadowfell first. If you haven’t discovered this wonderful world yet, you need to get on that!

Published by Knopf BFYR, July 9, 2013
eARC obtained from NetGalley and Edelweiss
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, July 1, 2013

DNF Book Review: Some Quiet Place, by Kelsey Sutton

I found Some Quiet Place to be confusing. I’m not opposed to some confusion in books, but I think my problem with Some Quiet Place is that I didn’t get any hints at all.

Elizabeth doesn’t have any feelings. Since she was a small child, she hasn’t been able to feel any emotions. However, she can see emotions. They appear as people, and she can see them hanging around others. Like, if someone is sad, she can see Sad (the emotion) hanging around that person. She can communicate with some of these emotions.

Elizabeth has dreams, and she paints the images she sees in the dreams. Usually it’s the same girl and boy, and the boy is sometimes dead and the girl is crying. Elizabeth finds out she was in a car wreck when she was young, but can't find out anything about this accident.

She’s also being visited by a mysterious woman, who really doesn’t tell her anything – but Elizabeth thinks she knows something.

That’s it! I read 45% of Some Quiet Place and that’s all I got. I like to try to figure out what’s going on in a book that is obviously supposed to evoke that desire in the reader. But I got the feeling that I was going to be totally confused until the last 50 pages, and then it would suddenly all come together and make sense.

I need some breadcrumbs. I need something to at least make me think, “Oh, I bet THAT’S what happened....” Even if I’m wrong, I need to try to work it out. I got frustrated because it didn’t seem like anything useful was happening, so I quit.

The writing is fine. I tried to catch Elizabeth "feeling" something, but Sutton does a great job of really making her seem emotionless. I couldn't find any slip-ups. If you like confusing stories that pretty much leave you in the dark the whole time, then you will want to check out Some Quiet Place.

Published by Flux, July 8, 2013
eBood obtained from NetGalley
336 pages

Rating: DNF