GoodRead - All Fall Down

My first review of February! A month has gone in 2015 and WHERE THE HECK HAS IT GONE?! Do you think we can have it back as... well... I want to reset my 2015...

Anyway, All Fall Down.  Let's get back on track. All Fall Down is the first book in the new Ally Carter series, Embassy Row. Grace has come to live with her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. He thinks, as does everyone, that Grace is better. That's she's no longer "crazy".That she's no longer saying that her mother's death three years ago was murder. That the Scarred Man shot her mother in the chest.

But just because Grace isn't saying it, doesn't mean Grace no longer believes it. Coping with her grief, Grace doesn't want to be the good girl, the former army brat where she has to smile and wear dresses and be perfect. Her mother's murderer is out there, and she will stop at nothing to find him.

And because on Embassy Row, where ambassadors of countries live side by side, one wrong move will being the countries down like dominoes and war could easily begin, and with Grace's past coming back to haunt her, Grace might not be the only one who gets hurt...

I have read Ally Carter before. I read Heist Society and Double Crossed, so I knew that I was going to dive into a book where I would speed through and enjoy myself. It was going to be a fun read and, I felt like I needed to read a light, almost beach read as I feel like I have read (or tried to read) quite heavy books.

And this was a light, fun read. I whizzed through it within four/five days. Much shorter than I thought I was going to. It was fun and I enjoyed myself. I lost track of time while reading this and that's always a plus. I had fun.

But - yes, there is a but - I did have problems. My main problem (and there for the root of all my other smaller problems) was Grace. I sometimes had trouble clicking with her. Yes, I got why she was the way she was but after a while, I felt like I was hitting a wall with her. She was hard to like at the start of the book, then she became unreliable as a narrator, she then treats her friends badly and then she started acting in ways that I felt was highly unlikely in that situation. I mean, really? The granddaughter of one of the most powerful ambassadors in this small European country and yet, she can leave the building any time she wants without security?

Speaking of friends, I do like the supporting cast. And I do think as the series goes on, these characters will grow and support Grace who will grow into a more likely and interesting character. My fave character is Ms Chancellor as she was a complex character and she can take the series in an very interesting direction.

While this book wasn't perfect, I am intrigued to see where this series could go. But I think I prefer Heist Society and might go back and see if I can read book 2 and 3 of that series before book 2 of Embassy Row comes out... 

GoodRead - Dead Silent

As you guys are probably aware if you have been following my blog for a while, I am a fan of Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder. Loved books 1 & 3 in the series (the killers in both these books are scary!). And since finishing the series, I have been waiting to discovering a crime/thriller book series within YA to be a "spiritual" cousin, as I don't think there is many crime/thrillers within YA (though this is changing!)

In this, the second book in the Poppy Sinclaire series, Poppy and her new boyfriend, Michael, go to Cambridge to see her father and for Michael to have an interview at a university. What Poppy doesn't expect to find a dead body of a student, his arms outstretch in an snow angel position. But his wings are his own blood. And she finds her father kneeling by the body... 

Things don't look for Poppy's father, so Poppy hunts down the killer... But hunting the truth can be murder, and if she's not careful, someone Poppy cares about might find themselves in the killer's reach... 

I'm going to say this. I really think this book is PERFECT for you Body Finder fans out there. It's dark and twisty with a tiny hint of something unnatural (it's not in your face as The Body Finder), but I devoured this book in less than a week. And recently, reading something this fast is a miracle! But I just couldn't stop reading this. 

Apart from the murder and the thriller side of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed, I really liked how Sharon Jones wrote about Poppy and Michael's relationship. I like how, recently on the Internet (mainly YouTube), the topic of sex and consent has been raised and Sharon tackles it within Dead Silent. And I liked how Sharon wrote it with maturity and how she made both the characters act like grown-ups over it. There was always questions and moments of hesitations, but this is very natural in a new relationship so I applaud this. THANK YOU FOR TREATING YOUR READERS LIKE ADULTS! 

I also loved the idea of the author tackling religion. If you have read the previous book, Dead Jealously, you know this takes place in a pagan festival and that Poppy's mother is pagan. So here, we have Poppy beginning to explore not only her mother's Paganism but also her father's Christianity and her own as she claims to be an atheist. It's refreshing to read about religion and not feel like it's been forced down your throat! 

And as for the mystery... I really didn't see it coming. And I think I'm quite good at figuring who the murderer is in crime books, I didn't really think it was them till the very last moment and, even then, I didn't go with in. But I like that I didn't see it coming! 

I am so glad I haven't read the first book. Once I have finished my NetGalley month, it's going to be one of the first books am planning to read. I can not wait! And bring on book 3!

GoodRead - The Dark

You think I would find writing this review of The Dark by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Jon Klassen quite easy? It should be a walk in the park. So why it is so hard to write?!

The story about Laszlo, a boy who's scared of the dark. But with his nightlight, he should be safe. Then, one night, his nightlight fails. This is the story of a boy and how he stopped being afraid of the dark.

I adore the illustrations. I can not fault them. There's something very simple about them that's lovely and I know younger readers will love them. It's not all BRIGHT SHINY COLOURS! Bright colours won't work with a story about the dark and as most the story is black pages with white writing.

Now, the story. I know most people will buy this because it's Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events and All The Wrong Questions. He's known for his dark (pun not intented - well... not on purpose) humour. And we do see it come up... on really one page. The rest of the story was very simple and gentle, perfect for younger readers.

For adult fans, they might find this lacking. But for young readers, I think they will love reading this and confronting their own fears of the dark.

GoodRead - Heist Society

After the hussle I got on Twitter about this series (due to a CassJayTuck video - link here!) and me reading the free eNovella of Double Crossed (I reviewed this last week - click here if if you want to read my reactions), I got a VERY cheap second hand copy (am meant to be saving money so second hand shops/eshops, I love you) and sped through it within 5 days.

Kat Bishop is a thief. Well, was a thief. She's quitting the family business. Or tries to. Her father has been framed for stealing five paintings that he didn't steal and the man whose paintings their are wants them back. And he isn't afraid to blackmail Kat into doing it. And with a deadline. So, Kat has fourteen days to find the paintings and return them, which means she has to go back into the world she tried so hard to escape from in the first place.

I'm surprised over this book for some reason. I know from reading Double Crossed that this wasn't going to be a heavy read but I really like how Ally Carter writes. Ally writes using simple yet effective language and, because of this, you felt in on the con and, though Kat, Hale (her... I'm not sure what to call Hale? Her right hand man? Her could-be boyfriend?) and everyone in this book are theives and are "the bad guys", you route for them. You want her to pull this off!

There is something light and fluffy about the book. It's very much a beach read, but I can see why this author is very popular with fans with this series and her Gallagher Girls series. And it makes sense that Warner Bros have bought the movie rights to this book with Drew Barrymore producing and directing (press release here). I can see this as a movie, if it's done right.

I do have one issue though, and it is because this is a beach-like read. Because of this, there were times that the book felt flat. Maybe this is because the book is more 9-12 age range than all the YA I normally read. But sometimes, you need to read something fun, and fun this was.

I did enjoy this fun and pacey read and I might read the sequels to this, Uncommon Criminals and Perfect Scoundrels (though I would rather jump into Perfect Scoundrels as that appeals to me a lot more than Uncommon Criminals). I can see girls reading this and wanting to be a Kat Bishop.

GoodRead - Double Crossed

I feel I have to admit something to you lovely people who, for the most part, have read or have heard of Ally Carter. *whispers* I have never really heard of her before I watched a vlog review of Perfect Scoundrels (the third book in the Heist Society series). DON'T SHOUT AT ME, BOOK BLOGGERS/READERS OF THE WORLD! I have been aware of Ally Carter. Just not well enough. I mean, I always thought her Gallagher Girls series was about vampires, not spies. I have no idea why. I always just thought it was.

Anyway, let's get back on track with Double Crossed. After watching the video, I found out that Ally Carter had written a free novella that crossed both her series. Trying to hunt it down as a bit of a challenge but then I found it via Amazon (I tried to find it on the official UK site, but it was really hard to find it) and then I read it over the course of three days.

When a society gala, spy-in-training Macey and master thief Hale are forced to join forces when masked men with guns turn the gala into a hostile situation...

It was a fun, fast read. And it's free! The perfect taster for Ally's writing and for the characters of both series. This was light and fluffy - a beach read. And with all the books I read, a beach read is sometimes a good time. And with this, there's a sample of the first few chapters of Heist Society and I'd Tell You That I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You and, if I'm going to be honest, I much prefer Heist Society. There's something about thieves that seem to appeal to me (what that says about me, I dread to think!) but yes, I really enjoyed this. I wish it was a bit longer, but I have Heist Society in my To Read Pile so I'm quite looking forward to entering this world... Will probably be reading in the next few weeks so expect a review coming soon...