Book Review Catch Up Part 3: The Second Half of July 2018

Last of the review catch up posts, I promise. Here are all the things I read in the second half of July.

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding Book 1 by Alexandra Bracken
Category: Middle-Grade
Published: September 2017
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Enjoyable read, as usual, from Alexandra Bracken. Turns out this is going to be made into a movie, so I read it just in time.
Rating: Four out of Five snarky demons

Another Country by James Baldwin
Category: Adult
Published: 1962
Genre: Contemporary
Read mostly because it was on the Great American Read list. I'm kind of slowly going through the ones I haven't read. Not all of them, because there are some I'm just not interested in, at all (Atlas Shrugged, for instance). But most of them I will be reading....at some point.

Robots VS Fairies anthology by various authors
Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi
Published: January 9th, 2018
Fun short story anthology that had stories featuring either robots or fairies.
Rating: Three and a half out of Five short stories that I wanted to be whole books

Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang
Category: Non-Fiction
Genre: Social Commentary/Feminism
Published: February 6th, 2018
A deep look into the sexism of the tech industry. How bad it is, how we got there, why it persists, and how we can change the culture. The book is good and interesting...it's just draining, hearing about all these incidents and seeing all the indifference from some of the people in the industry.
Rating: Three and a half out of Five informative, but sad books

Kat Holloway Book 1: Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Published: January 2nd, 2018
Okay historical mystery. Didn't really impress me, but didn't really fail me either. It's good for if you just want some Downton Abbey-esque feelings with a dash of mystery.
Rating: Three and a half out of Five nosy maids getting shit done

Veronica Speedwell Book 3: A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Published: January 16th, 2018
This series continues to be delightful. If you like slow burn romances, heroines who don't give a fuck about society's expectations, and snark, seriously pick this series up.
Rating: Four out of Five awesome snarky heroines

The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Category: Play
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 1953
I started to read this one, and it turns out I actually already have read it...way back in school. I just apparently forgot that. Oh well. If nothing else, it was a good refresher.

Comics read:
Captain America original 1940s series on Marvel Unlimited
Heavy Vinyl vol. 1

Book Review: Before the Devil Breaks You

TITLE: Before the Devil Breaks You
Book 3 in the Diviners series
AUTHOR: Libba Bray
CATEGORY: YA
PUBLISHED: October 2017
GENRE: Historical Fantasy/Paranormal
PREMISE: The Diviners all come together for their training as their lives become more difficult and the enemy comes closer and closer...
MY REVIEW: I think I've been pretty up front about the fact that I adore this series. So it probably won't come as a surprise to any of you, that I adored this book.
As with the other books, the characters in this series are the best. I love how they all come together. I love the snark, I love how their personalities clash and also mesh well. I love the setting in this. Far too many historical novels that take place in the twenties focus on the glamour part of it. This book does that, but also points out all the gross stuff that went on during this time as well such as deep racism that still existed well after slavery had ended, sexism, classism, and a whole bunch of other funky things we tend to try and brush under the rug when we go on about the "good old days".
This was a phenomenal continuation. There were twists I wasn't expecting (and some that downright broke my heart, even though the twists were damn good), and it leaves on a big question mark. I'm sure we'll probably have to wait awhile for the next book in this series as well and I'm honestly okay with that. Just please, publishers: stop changing the damn covers.
WHO SHOULD READ: Libba Bray fans, those that have read the first two books
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five almost perfect books (it was a tad slow in the beginning, that's the only reason it's not getting five full stars from me)

Book Review: Famous Last Words

TITLE: Famous Last Words
AUTHOR: Katie Alender
CATEGORY: YA
PUBLISHED: 2014
GENRE: Paranormal/Mystery
PREMISE: A girl moves to Hollywood as there's a serial killer on the loose and she's haunted by visions...
MY REVIEW: I read this pretty much right after reading Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall. As always with Alender: it's a fun and entertaining romp. This would make a great by the pool book (there's even a scene in it with a pool!). Quality wise...it's just okay.
The plot was decent. It kind of slowed in the middle. There was stuff going on with a female friend that I found incredibly unnecessary (and fed more into that whole "girl can't be real friends!" nonsense that seems to plague YA). The romance was...a little blah and felt forced. But the stuff with the ghosts and the mystery was pretty good. A little slow, but good.
This book just scratched my itch to read more ghost books. If you also have such a need, it's a good one to look into. Though if you're going to try Alender, I recommend starting with her Bad Girls trilogy first. After reading all her books now, I can safely say that's her best one.
WHO SHOULD READ: Katie Alender fans, those who just want fun ghost stories
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five ghosts bothering humans

Book Review: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

TITLE: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
AUTHOR: Katie Alender
CATEGORY: YA
PUBLISHED: 2015
GENRE: Paranormal
PREMISE: A girl inherits a mansion full of secrets, and ghosts.
MY REVIEW: This was a random pick up from the library for me. At the time I was craving ghost stories. I tend to do this when it gets hot and muggy outside. I crave a weird combination of ghost stories, gothic historical fiction, and then cute and fluffy contemporaries. I don't get it either, but it is what it is.
Alender is always good for a fun ghost story so I picked this slightly older book up that I meant to read awhile ago. It was a fun time. It's not a must read or anything like that. But if you're in the mood for ghosts, this should give you your fix. It's a nice and fast-paced plot, the characters are interesting, the atmosphere is great. It's exactly what I wanted at the time I picked it up.
This is a very quick read and was very nicely done. Again, not exactly a must read. But if you want a fun story with ghosts, this should do the trick.
WHO SHOULD READ: those that want ghost stories, Katie Alender fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five decent reads

Modern Classic Review: The Woman in Black

TITLE: The Woman in Black
AUTHOR: Susan Hill
PUBLISHED: 1983
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Paranormal, Historical Fiction
PREMISE: A man goes an old mansion to discover it is haunted...
MY THOUGHTS: The Woman in Black is very old school ghost story du jour. I personally really enjoyed it. I believe I've mentioned I love ghosts here, well this is basically ghost story 101.
This is another book that I think is perfect for the summer. It's atmospheric, has a great creepy vibe, and builds suspense very nicely. As it's a novella, it moves very quickly, but it tells the story in a satisfactory way.
If you want a quick read that gives a nice spooky vibe for those summer thunderstorms, I highly recommend this classic ghost story.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of ghost stories, those that have seen the movie

Book Review: The Wicked Deep

TITLE: The Wicked Deep
AUTHOR: Shea Ernshaw
PUBLISHED: March 6th, 2018
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
PREMISE: In Penny's town, every year a trio of witches come back from the dead and possess girls and then proceed to murder three boys...
MY REVIEW: All the stuff in this book is what I wanted from How to Hang a Witch and did not get. It didn't help that book that I was reading these at the same time and that really showcased just how cliche How to Hang a Witch was. Yes, this book has its fair of YA tropes (like insta-love) but this takes those tropes, subverts them, and does it in a fun and not boring way.
This is a very atmospheric book for starters. That's what really helps it. It gives you that spooky summer feeling (I highly recommend reading it on a hot day) that kind of reminds me of the Fear Street series by R. L. Stine. The witch characters are also great. There's a twist around the last third of the book that actually managed to surprise me.
It was just a fun and wild ride from beginning to end. It's not a perfect book, and there is stuff that reminds me of other things I've read. But I always say if you're going to do tropes, do them in a fun and entertaining way. And this book did exactly that. If How to Hang a Witch left a bad taste in your mouth, like it did with me, read this one to remind you that witch stories definitely can still be fun.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of Hocus Pocus, Fear Street fasn, Charmed fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five fun witch stories

Book Review: Beloved

TITLE: Beloved
AUTHOR: Toni Morrison
CATEGORY: Adult
PUBLISHED: 1987
GENRE: Historical Fiction, Paranormal
PREMISE: A family lives in a place haunted by ghosts...
MY REVIEW: I know what some of you are thinking: You haven't read Beloved????!!!! No, I haven't, until now. Remember: Bible Belt education. Teachers only taught books by straight dead white guys in my school. So I've missed out on a lot of stuff as a result. Toni Morrison was one of those things.
Now having read Beloved, I get it. I really do. Her writing is fantastic. She also does not hold back. If you are squeamish about dark subjects, her books will probably not be for you. Her books (or at least Beloved. I haven't read the rest yet, but they now are all on my list) are brutal and honest. She also doesn't care if you get hurt feelings from her criticism of white people. As a result, this gives you a LOT to think about. Like all literature, to some extent, it covers a lot of topics (and sometimes does meander in the middle).
I wouldn't call Beloved an enjoyment read. It's way too dense and dark for that. I pretty much guarantee that at one point, you will be uncomfortable about something. But it is a good read, and one I will happily be pushing into the hands of anyone interested. Also, I especially recommend reading this, after reading Gone With the Wind. It's the perfect antidote for all the romanticizing that that book does.
WHO SHOULD READ: Toni Morrison fans, Maya Angelou fans, anyone interested
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five brutally good books

Book Review: Ghost Talkers

TITLE: Ghost Talkers
AUTHOR: Mary Robinette Kowal
PUBLISHED: August 2016
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Historical Fantasy/Mystery/Alternate History
PREMISE: During WWI a medium enlisted in the army starts to uncover secrets and betrayals...
MY REVIEW: I have been meaning to read Kowal for awhile now. Her Glamourist Histories series looks right up my ally and I've heard good things. After reading this book, I understand why I've heard those good things. This book was just good.
It's an alternate history of sorts where there are mediums enlisted in the army to help talk to the ghosts of dead soldiers. The world is wonderfully built and the author weaves a damn good mystery in it to keep interest going. Ginger was a fun character whom I honestly wouldn't mind spending more time with. There seems to be only one book planned in this universe so far but honestly...I wouldn't say no to more books.
But in the meantime, I think I'm definitely going to be looking into Kowal's other books sooner, rather than later. This was so good and wonderfully written.
WHO SHOULD READ: Alternate History fans, steampunk fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five dead soldiers sticking around

Reading Through the Classics: The Picture of Dorian Gray

TITLE: The Picture of Dorian Gray
AUTHOR: Oscar Wilde
PUBLISHED: 1890
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Paranormalish
PREMISE: A narcissistic young man has a portrait painted of him....
MY THOUGHTS: You know that image a lot of students have of classics? Where they're stuffy and boring? Now, I personally don't agree. Not all classics are the same. But this one here...could honestly qualify for that classics are boring image. Because wow, was it dull. Even with the murders going on, it was dull.
Part of my issue is that it is very dialogue heavy. A majority of the book is Dorian chatting with either Henry or Basil. Usually one or all three of them are being sexist douches during this dialogue. Yeah, yeah, I know, sexism was common during Wilde's time. I don't care. Doesn't make the rampant misogyny in this book okay. As for the LGBT mentions in it...there was subtext. I guess. Though I personally felt like the subtext was more on Basil's part then on Dorian. The stuff with the portrait doesn't start until halfway through the book, I guarantee you by then you will probably want to punch all of these characters in the face.
Yes, I got the social commentary. We'll have to agree to disagree on the writing. Because Wilde literally would spend a whole chapter on something that could have been summarized in a paragraph. I guess that's what happens when you pay authors by the word. This book isn't really a difficult read. It's pretty straightforward. It's just...very dull and at times very aggravating. I am going to try and read The Importance of Being Earnest at some point, but other then that...I think Wilde and I are going to have to part ways.
WHO SHOULD READ: Classic buffs, fans of the horror/paranormal classic canon, Oscar Wilde fans

Book Review: A Monster Calls

TITLE: A Monster Calls
AUTHOR: Patrick Ness/Siobhan Dowd
CATEGORY: Childrens/Middle-Grade
PUBLISHED: 2011
GENRE: Paranormal
PREMISE: A young boy gets visited nightly by a monster while dealing with his mother's cancer diagnosis.
MY REVIEW: I admit, I put off reading this. I got it awhile ago when the trailer came out for the movie. But my father recently passed away a few months ago and I just had a feeling this book would just hit too close to home. Dealing with that is part of why reviewing on here has been random to say the least.
But I finally sat down and read it this past month. I kind of had to skim some parts that just got to me too much, but I suspect that means this is a great book. To me, if you can get to a person emotionally, that means you're doing your job as a writer. The illustrations are what really make this book. You probably recognize Jim Kay from the Harry Potter illustrated books. The ones here are just as gorgeous as the Harry Potter ones he did.
I got very attached to this book, but I suspect that might be to just relating too much. So I don't know how a person not dealing the death of a parent will connect to this book. But for me personally, this was a great book.
WHO SHOULD READ: Patrick Ness fans, those looking for creepy books
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five creepy monsters

Book Review: Library of Souls

TITLE Library of Souls
Book 3 of Miss Peregrine
AUTHOR: Ransom Riggs
PUBLISHED: September 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
PREMISE: Jacob and his friends travel all over London searching for their friends and Miss Peregrine...
MY REVIEW: I have racked my brain trying to figure out why it is that I'm just not as enamored with this series as everyone else seems to be. It wasn't the writing. I actually quite like Riggs' writing style. I love the concept. It's not a terribly original concept (it's basically a redux of the X-Men) but it's still well done. The photographs are great, so why is it that I just can't get into this?
It finally hit me about halfway through: I care about none of these characters. Mostly because they're just all so bland. They are stereotypical characters who never veer out of the strict box they're put in. About the only character I semi care about is Miss Peregrine because she's the most entertaining. But she was barely in this book, which made getting through this book somewhat of a chore. Don't get me started on how few female characters there are here and how poorly developed they are.
Plot wise it's also a bit average and lack luster. Nothing happened here that shocked me. No side character even died! It was honestly a ho hum end to a average at best trilogy. I honestly just don't get the hype surrounding this one, sorry. Should make for a pretty movie though. I might see it because Eva Green as Miss Peregrine will be perfect.
WHO SHOULD READ: those that enjoyed the first two books, X-Men fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five shrugs
RATING FOR TRILOGY: Three and a half out of Five

Book Review: Lair of Dreams

TITLE: Lair of Dreams
Book 2 in the Diviners series
AUTHOR: Libba Bray
PUBLISHED: August 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Historical Fantasyish/Paranormal
PREMISE: Everyone is dealing with the fallout of their showdown in the last book. Some better then others. Meanwhile Henry meets Ling, a Diviner with powers of her own and they dreamwalk trying to find his lost love as a dangerous man lurks in the city while a sickness spreads through NYC...
MY REVIEW: I meant to read this ages ago when it first came out. But it was awhile before I could get my hands on it and I had a lot of books I needed to read before I could get to it. Getting to books I own always takes longer then with my library books, that's just the way it is. Then when I finally got to it...well...it's long okay?
But it was definitely worth the wait. I love what Bray did with this sequel. I can sort of see where she struggled with the story, hence the delays and honestly, I'm fine with her delaying it. I'd rather a book be great and what the author wanted it to be, then have a rushed mediocre sequel. I kind of feel more authors/publishers need to do this more if I'm honest. It did drag in parts. Especially around the middle, but overall I loved this just as much as I loved the first book. And I loved the first book quite a lot.
So, despite maybe needing a few parts cut, I think this was a well done sequel. I can't wait until we get the next book which so far, has been promised for next year. ;crosses fingers and hopes the date sticks;
WHO SHOULD READ: Libba Bray fans, fans of The Diviners, Historical Fiction fans
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five It Girls

Book Review: Remembrance

TITLE: Remembrance
Book 7 in the Mediator series
AUTHOR: Meg Cabot
PUBLISHED: February 2nd, 2016
CATEGORY: Adult (though it has a YA crossover appeal because the original series is YA)
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Ghosts
PREMISE: Susannah and Jesse are now grown up and engaged. Of course, Paul Slater would choose now to come back into Susannah's life.
MY REVIEW: Once upon a time back in high school, I fell in love with the Mediator series. This was the late nineties or so. I had just discovered Princess Diaries and then discovered that Cabot had a whole slew of books out there and from then on, I've been a Cabot fangirl for life. Needless to say, when I heard this was coming out, there were lots of fangirl squees.
As with Royal Wedding, this was a bit predictable, but it was still damn enjoyable as always with Cabot. We got to see what happened to all our favorite characters. This book also came at a good time as I've been dealing with family issues. Cabot's books always put me in a good mood, and this one was no exception.
Seems as though Cabot is continuing this revisit to nostalgia because apparently there's also another book in her Boy series, which is an adult romance series that tells the story via emails, journals, and any sort of paper thing you can think of. I for one, welcome it and am holding out hope for an American Girl sequel. Also, I wouldn't be opposed to a spin-off series about the triplets who were introduced in this book.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of the Mediator series, Cabot fans
MY RATING: Four and a half out of Five happy fangirl squees

Book Review: Welcome to Night Vale

TITLE: Welcome to Night Vale
Book 1 in the Night Vale series
AUTHOR: Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
PUBLISHED: October 2015
CATEGORY: Adult
GENRE: Science-Fiction/Paranormal
PREMISE: Set in the world of the popular Night Vale podcast, this book follows two people in Night Vale as they try to uncover a mystery about the mysterious "King City".
MY REVIEW: I have fallen in love with Night Vale podcast. If you have no idea what it is I'll...try to explain it. Basically it tells the story of a strange town called Night Vale via a nightly radio show. It seems strange, I know, but just give it a listen. It gets pretty addicting pretty fast. They just recently started a spin-off podcast called Alice Isn't Dead. You can start listening to it here if you want too: http://podbay.fm/show/536258179
If you haven't listened to the podcast...this book will likely not make much sense to you. It's written matter of factly and assumes the reader knows Night Vale. I don't mind that, but if you were hoping to use this book as a way to check out what Night Vale even is, If you were hoping to read a book featuring Cecil, the radio show host, you're also out of luck. This book follows two side characters instead. It does however give you a more visual glimpse of Night Vale then the radio show does. Plus random characters make an appearance, such as Old Woman Josie.
Plotwise....it suits Night Vale. I'm not sure the randomness of this book would suit any series that wasn't Night Vale. It is enjoyable. For Night Vale fans, I highly recommend it. If you haven't discovered Night Vale, I would suggest trying the podcast first and then trying the book if you like the podcast.
WHO SHOULD READ: Welcome to Night Vale fans, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fans, Terry Pratchett fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five weird towns

Book Review: All In

TITLE: All In
Book 3 in The Naturals series
AUTHOR: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Mystery, Paranormal
PUBLISHED: November 2015
PREMISE: Cassie and her crew are called in to investigate a series of murders in Las Vegas.
MY REVIEW: This review will be short. There's not much to say about this book that I haven't already said about the rest of the series.
Like the other two books, I loved this. Barnes does great character development along with a great mystery. It deftly continued plots from the previous book and kept me interested.
It was in short, a great installment. There is another book coming and as always with Barnes, I look forward to it.
WHO SHOULD READ: fans of the first two books, Criminal Minds fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five poker faces

Book Review: Shallow Graves

TITLE: Shallow Graves
AUTHOR: Kali Wallace
PUBLISHED: 1/26/2016
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
PREMISE: Breezy has an unusual gift of telling when someone has murdered someone else. She discovers there are other people with unusual gifts like hers...
MY REVIEW: This is yet another book that had stuff happen at a super fast pace. Seriously authors, are you racing or something? Fast paced plots aren't anything new, especially in YA. But the past few books I've read from 2016 I feel like we went from a light jog race to a full long distance speed run or something. I'm not saying have super slow plots, but maybe slow it down, just a little?
Because like with the other books I read recently, I spent half my time going "wait, what?" and having to go back because the details came so fast I missed some. Other then that, this was an interesting book. The writing style reminds me a lot of Nova Ren Suma's style. So it plops you right into the middle of the story and it is at times jarring. There were some beautiful sentences in it, but the writing isn't quite as polished as Suma's yet. With time though, I can see this author going places. There was some great imagination here.
As a debut, it's not bad. It's a bit rough around the edges and I suspect the way its written won't appeal to everyone. But it's interesting, I'll give it that. Honestly, when pressed I'm not sure how I feel about this book.
WHO SHOULD READ: Nova Ren Suma fans, dark paranormal book fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five graves

Book Review: Oblivion

TITLE: Oblivion
Book 3 in the Nevermore Trilogy
AUTHOR: Kelly Creagh
CATEGORY: YA
PUBLISHED: July 28th, 2015
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
PREMISE: Isobel goes after Varen in the nightmarish dream world of Edgar Allen Poe.
MY REVIEW: It has always saddened me that Nevermore has never gotten the recognition it deserved. Yes, I give, it is cheesy paranormal romance. But it's like all the good things about paranormal romance and none of the annoying things.
There is a good plot. There is a solid romance (that is not unhealthy, thank you). There is solid characterization and character growth. There is no villifying the pretty popular girl, no love triangle nonsense, no bad boy who is a jerk but you love him despite him being a jerk nonsense. Literally all the things that can annoy me about paranormal romances sometimes, are nonexistent here. If you ever need to know how to make excellent YA paranormal romance without all the traps that the genre can often fall into, just pick up this series and follow its example.
This was a good, solid ending to a good, solid trilogy. I'm sorry to see it go, but I sincerely hope we see more of Creagh in the future.
WHO SHOULD READ: Twilight fans, Paranormal Romance fans, Edgar Allen Poe fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five poets wreaking havoc with your love life

Book Review: The Shadow Cabinet

TITLE: The Shadow Cabinet
Book 3 in the Shades of London Trilogy
AUTHOR: Maureen Johnson
PUBLISHED: February 10th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Urban Fantasy, Mystery
PREMISE: Rory and her friends deal with Jane and her organization one last time...
MY REVIEW: Another great trilogy comes to a close. I don't really have much to say about this one. It was a satisfying read and did most of the usual things closing trilogy books do. There were revelations and closing of plotlines. Personally, I think there's room for a spin-off series here, but if there isn't, it ended in a good place.
WHO SHOULD READ: Those that have read the first two books, paranormal fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five ghosts

Book Review: The Bones of the Holy

TITLE: The Bones of the Holy
Book 5 in the Gilda Joyce series
AUTHOR: Jennifer Allison
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Middle-Grade/Childrens
GENRE: Mystery/Paranormal
PREMISE Gilda's mom meets a man whom the children have never met and whom may or may not be a murderer.
MY REVIEW: Somehow I completely missed the fact that there was a Gilda Joyce book after The Dead Drop. Total fan fail on my part. Sadly, it looks like this is the last one as there has been none since this book.
If you've read the first four Gilda books, you already know what to expect with this series. Gilda is back in form and is her usual fun, sassy self. This time the mystery is a bit more personal as it involves her mother. We also get confirmation of paranormal activity and a nice southern flair as it's down in Savannah, Georgia.
All in all, it's what I've come to expect in a Gilda Joyce book. I don't know if there'll be more in this series, but if not, this was a fine ending to it.
WHO SHOULD READ: Gilda Joyce fans, Nancy Drew fans, paranormal mystery fans
MY RATING: Four out of Five sassy girl sleuths

Book Review: When

TITLE: When
AUTHOR: Victoria Laurie
PUBLISHED: January 6th, 2015
CATEGORY: YA
GENRE: Mystery, Magical Realism
PREMISE: A girl who sees the date everyone is going to die gets in trouble when a serial killer is on the loose.
MY REVIEW: I admit, I was hesitant in picking this one up because I'd tried the author's adult series and didn't like it very much. However as always, I like to give second chances. In this case I'm glad I did, because I actually wound up quite liking this one.
It's got a unique concept: a girl who sees the date everyone is going to die and it goes into how the character deals with all of that. I do wish the author had gone into the WHY does she see it part, but at the very least, I do think she handled the how the character deals with it rather realistically.
The mystery is probably the best part of this book. It is honestly nice and twisty like a good thriller should be. I do think at times the author tried too hard to emphasize how hard Maddie's life was. Those parts got more then a little over-the-top. Literally, she would walk out of the house and someone would be cruel to her. Or she'd be fine and then her mother would do something. It was just never-ending and I sympathized, I did, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel the only reason this was put into the book was to make me sympathize, because it didn't really have much to do with the main plot. If anything, it started to feel like filler material.
But the good far out weighs the bad here. If you're in the mood for a paranormal-type thriller this definitely should do the trick.
WHO SHOULD READ: Mystery fans, thriller mystery fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five weird gifts

Many thanks to the publishers for the Net Galley of this book.