Book Review: Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes @pstokesbooks

It's been a while since I've read a contemporary, and Liars, Inc.was a good one to choose.

Our three main characters, high school students, decide to start a business forging parents' signatures and calling in excuses for the kids at their high school.  They get pretty good at this business called Liars, Inc.

Max is an outsider, not one of the popular kids. But he's made friends with Preston, a jock and a popular kid, because they both love to surf. And through Preston, Max met Parvati, who is his girlfriend. These three get themselves in a big mess when Preston (whose father is a senator) disappears, and Max is the prime suspect because he was the one that gave Preston his cover so he could take a trip to Vegas. But Preston never came home.

Now the Liars, Inc. thing really didn't play a big part in this, and I didn't see the necessity of it, other than it was an intriguing premise. Max and Preston are friends. Friends cover for each other all the time, and Preston didn't pay Max anything, so this really wasn't part of Liars, Inc. But not a big deal.

There are lots of surprising twists and turns in Liars, Inc. And lots of betrayals. It's hard for Max to trust anyone because he keeps finding out that everyone is a liar.

Max made an initial stupid decision not to come clean to the FBI about covering for Preston. This just gets him in deeper. And to keep insisting that he needed to find Preston himself rather than let the authorities handle it just put everyone in more danger. But he's a teen and those choices made the book what it is. Which is exciting.

You have to suspend some disbelief, but the plot moves quickly. The teens are fairly typical teens with a bit of extra drama thrown in, and they are well written.

Liars, Inc. would be a great recommendation for reluctant readers, either boys are girls. It's quick and definitely keeps your interest. The ending is a surprise, which is a bonus. I didn't figure it out until the characters did.

Published by HarperTeen, March 24, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Stacking the Shelves - A Variety

Just a few this week, but I'm really excited about all of them.

For Review:

Lock & Mori, by Heather W. Petty from Edelweiss

Holy War, by Mike Bond from NetGalley

Not sure why this one was offered. It published in 2014, but it looks really interesting!

From the Library:

Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson

This one is one of our Illinois Teen Readers' Choice nominated titles for 2016

What did you get this week? Leave me a link so I can check out your haul. Don't forget to visit Team Tynga's Reviews, our hosts. Thanks for visiting and enjoy your weekend! 

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Feature and Follow: Special Features

Happy Friday! Hope you are doing well and looking forward to a great weekend. We are expecting some nice spring weather (after the rain leaves...) Here's this week's question from Alison & Parajunkee:

Have you come up with any special memes or features on your blog that you'd like people to visit more? - Suggested by Take Me Away.

Of course, I would love you all to visit more, but mostly I do this meme, Stacking the Shelves, and the rest is book reviews. But I AM hosting the 2015 EBook Reading Challenge, so if you are interested you can sign up here!

How about you? Whatcha got goin' on? Leave me a link and thanks for stopping by!

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Rivals in the City by Y. S. Lee

Mary Quinn continues her sleuthing (and gets on with the romance) in Rivals in the City, the latest installment of The Agency series.

The villain in Rivals in the City is familiar. Mrs. Thorold is expected to return to London, as her husband is dying. Even though Mary doesn't work for the agency any more, Anne has asked her to do some surveillance since Mary is most likely to recognize Mrs. Thorold.

Mary and James are working cases together, and she is very worried that one of the things Mrs. Thorold will do when she returns is come after James. They decide to stay away from each other for one week.

These two are just the cutest. This is a very strict Victorian romance, so it's proper, and clean, and slow. The honest relationship they have and the frank and thoughtful conversations are a big part of why I love this series.

Yes, there are some contrivances. Some pretty lucky things happen to save the day, but the story is very entertaining.

The historical setting and customs make these books special. The challenges of being a woman investigator in the world of men add much to the story.

The end of Rivals in the City is very exciting and tense, as one would hope. And not only is the case solved, everyone is safe, and let's just say the romance is progressing.

Published by Candlewick, March 10, 2015
eARC obtained from NetGalley
304 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Fairest, by Marissa Meyer

Fairest is Levana's story and is a short novel from the Lunar Chronicles series. I'm not often a fan of novellas, but Fairest adds some very interesting information into just what makes Levana so evil, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wow. I really don't like her. Yes, she had a horrible childhood and a useless sister. But she's so misguided and the perfect depiction of ruthlessness. Levana will do anything to get what she wants, without hesitation. And she does.

I'm not sure I would say Fairest really explains why Levana is the way she is. It explains why she wants Earth so badly and why she wants the marriage, but the "way she is" -- well, that's just inexplicable.

I've read some reviews that say Fairest will make the reader more sympathetic towards Levana. Not me. I understand her background and motivations, but I still don't feel sorry for her. I hate her and I want her taken down!

Fairest is long enough to be a substantial addition to the world but a very quick read. I would recommend this to everyone who has read the Lunar Chronicles. But don't read Fairest first. I think the order of publication is the right order to read these. Can't wait for the next book, Winter!

Published by Feiwel & Friends, January 27, 2015
eBook obtained from the library
272 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: In a Split Second by Sophie McKenzie

In a Split Second is billed as a thriller -- and it is -- if you can suspend some disbelief and just have fun with it. It is also supposed to be a "romantic thriller," and while there is a romance building, it's not a central theme.

Charlie's mother was killed in a terrorist bombing in London. A very poor, future London where the economy has been decimated and the public has lost all trust in the government. Charlie ends up living with her aunt and uncle who are very rich, and much better off than she and her mother ever were.

She meets Nat at school. Nat's brother has been in a coma ever since the same explosion. Nat has found evidence that his brother was actually involved in the bombing and wants to find out who his associates are that put him up to this. Charlie finds out some information that makes her think Nat is the one that planted the bomb.

So Nat has to come clean to Charlie. They both end up involved in an organization, also secret, that supposedly is trying to find the same people that Nat and Charlie want to find and make them pay for all the damage they have done and stop them from doing more.

Nat and Charlie, along with two other teens are trained to become a terrorist "cell" and their assignment is to infiltrate the bad guys and find out what they have planned next.

Yea, it's kind of far-fetched. I had to do some eye rolling. Nat and Charlie are at times very gullible. They didn't notice any of those red flags that jumped out at me. They also seem to take to this underground life very easily. They learn their combat and espionage skills almost magically. And, of course, they become romantically interested in each other.

Which is the other problem I had with In a Split Second. I hated the distrust and misread signals between these two. They are constantly thinking the other one isn't interested anymore -- for no real reason. There's a lot of wining about each other that I could have done without.

In a Split Second is fast-paced. The story is easy to follow, even with the dual narration. There is a nice build up of tension and of course, a twist at the end. This phase of the story has a nice conclusion, but there is definitely more story to tell. I would recommend In a Split Second to teens who want a fast-paced political thriller. I'm not sure there's enough depth to the story for most adults or those with more experience with this type of story, but it will hold younger readers' interest.

Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, March 10, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368pages

Rating: 3.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Stacking the Shelves - I Went to the Bookstore

Remember last week when I said I did good because I only got one book, and I had read three, so I was catching up? Well....I LIED. I forgot I went to the bookstore and picked up a couple bargains. So, I'm including those this week...much to my chagrin...

Purchased:

The Gate Thief, by Orson Scott Card

Didn't realize this is the second book in a series. Ugh. I'll have to find The Lost Gate and read it first.

The White Princess, by Philippa Gregory

From the Library:

Fairest, by Marissa Meyer, eBook

So that's it.  I think. Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything this week! Thanks for visiting and be sure to visit our hosts, Team Tynga's Reviews. 

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Feature & Follow Friday - Show Off Your Pets!

Happy Friday! Today's question is a fun one, because we all like to brag, right?

Do you have any furry friends? Share a picture. Suggested by Cornerfolds.

This is Mollie. She's 8 1/2 years old. She is a huge sweetheart, and everyone that meets her, loves her. She's a great ambassador for disproving the "scary German Shepherd" stereotype. She couldn't be farther from that!

How about you? Let's see your fur babies! Leave me a link. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit our hosts, Parajunkee and Alison. Enjoy your weekend.

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

I'm just no longer impressed with books like Vanishing Girls. What kind of book is it? Well, I'm not going to tell you much, but suffice it to say I've read three or four books with this type of twist, and I'm tired of them. (I won't tell you what they are because that would be a spoiler.) I feel like I put a great deal of emotional investment into the characters and then the end is a cop out.

Nick and Dara are sisters and they've always been close. Things have gotten a bit more difficult as they grow older. They are in a car accident where Nick is driving and Dara is injured, and after that things aren't the same. That's really all I'm going to say about the plot.

The storytelling is great. The characters are well defined and sympathetic. The book's pace, especially the second half, is excellent. The teens are dealing with some realistic problems. I just had a feeling all through the book about the ending, and I was disappointed that I was correct.

I'm sure Vanishing Girls will get lots of rave reviews, and my high school girls will love it. I'm just too jaded, I guess. I'm always on the look out for the twists.

Published by HarperCollins, March 10, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Burning Kingdoms by Lauren DeStefano

Burning Kingdoms, the sequel to Perfect Ruin, suffers greatly from "second book syndrome."

I really enjoyed Perfect Ruin. In it, we were introduced to a unique world -- a floating island above the earth, with a strange political system to add to the intrigue. Now, if you haven't read Perfect Ruin, you should stop reading this, because I'm going to talk about the ending.

Morgan and her group have escaped the island and landed on Earth. About 70% of Burning Kingdoms is that group becoming acclimated to the differences between Internment and Earth. They eat new food, they see a movie, they explore, they get drunk, they learn that on earth even though there isn't a problem with having enough space, they still have their own problems and are actually at war. I understand that we need to know what things are like on Earth to compare and contrast it with Internment, but not for 250 pages.

They are staying with an adviser to the king and his 5 children in what is a hotel during tourist season. Since it is now winter, the hotel isn't open for business. We are re-introduced to the characters, and it took me a while to remember the details of their relationships. I remembered the characters (the Princess, Morgan's Brother, her best friend, her betrothed) but I had a hard time remembering how each of them felt about each other at the end of Perfect Ruin. I think catching up on these relationships at the beginning gave this book a slow start.

Morgan knows a secret that might help them get back to Internment, but she doesn't want to tell anyone. After all, do they want to return? The Princess definitely does, but she has her own motives that also are a secret.

We eventually learn these secrets. At about 70%, exciting (and horrific) things begin to happen and some progress is made with the plot. But not much. It's a good thing that DeStefano is a good writer, or I would have quit. Really, there's no reason to take up over 300 pages to tell this story. Especially when there isn't even an ending. You are reading, and suddenly there aren't any more pages. I was reading an ARC and I'm hoping that's really not the way the finished copy is going to end, because it was horrible. I mean, I can't even call this a cliffhanger. There is no build up of tension or anything to indicate a denouement. It just stops. Really, I want this to be a mistake, because I can't believe any author, editor, or publisher would think this constitutes a book.

Suffice it to say, Burning Kingdoms was a disappointment. There is virtually no character growth, and the plot progression could be accomplished in 50 pages. I still think Perfect Ruin is a good book, but maybe I would wait until the rest of the series is out so you can read them all together.

Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, March 10, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
320 pages

Rating: 2.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2015 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved