December 2015 Wrap Up

Here’s a quick look at what we read during the holidays!

1) A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas This story is a Sleeping Beauty retelling. It picks up the story post “true love’s kiss” and hints how things may not turn out “happily ever after” for Princess Aurora. We really wanted to like this book but it was very difficult to get invested in the story. The plot progression is tedious, it’s difficult to connect with the protagonist, and overall there was no captivating or compelling aspect to the story. We aren’t inclined to the pick up the sequel, Kingdom of Ashes, coming out in February.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

2) Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie RyanIf you ever watched the ABC thriller show Revenge and enjoyed it, then this book is for you. The novel follows a young girl, Frances, as she executes her revenge plan against those who are responsible for the death of her family and best friend on a cruise ship. This is a very entertaining read. The story is well paced, mysterious, thrilling, and with a hint of romance. It also has a very emotional story arc for Frances as she struggles with identity issues and grief. This is a stand alone novel and it does have a satisfying conclusion.    

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

3) A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1) by Claudia GrayThis story centers on Marguerite, the daughter of two brilliant scientists who create a device to travel between universes. When her father is murdered and the killer uses the device to escape to an alternate reality, Marguerite chases after him to avenge her father. What results is a love story masquerading as a scifi adventure. It felt as though the scifi elements were used as a tool to push the love story. It is through all the dimension hopping that a unique twist to the love triangle is created. At times the plot really stalls and loses momentum, especially when they linger in a dimension too long. However, it was interesting and fun to read about the different worlds and lives the main characters lead. The three main characters - Marguerite, Theo, and Paul - are interesting enough but pretty standard for a YA novel. We did like how the flashbacks were incorporated into the story and gave us much needed backstory on certain characters and their relationships. This is the first book in a planned trilogy. The sequel, Ten Thousand Skies Above You, was released in November and is on our TBR list. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

4) All In (Naturals #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Cassie and the Naturals team go to Las Vegas to solve a string of serial murders. This particular case provides an opportunity for us to learn more backstory on two surprising characters. Barnes does a wonderful job creating suspense, mystery, and intrigue into the main crime plot. Good pacing, well rounded characters, and plenty of action make this a worthy read. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

5) All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) by Ally Carter

This story follows sixteen year old Grace, who witnessed her mother’s death, and has been suffering from severe emotional and psychological trauma ever since. She is sent to live with her grandfather, a U.S. Ambassador, in Adria. Much of the story centers on her proving that her mother didn’t simply die in a fire accident, but was murdered. We were very excited to read this new series only for us to be really let down by it. It was very difficult to read Grace’s emotional turmoil and her struggle to keep her sanity. We see her suffer from panic attacks and paralyzing flashbacks. While this adds depth and complexity to Grace’s character, it also sets a dark tone for the novel. There is lightness in the form of Grace’s friends- Noah, Megan, Rosie, and Alexei - who do their best to support her and help her get back to living a normal life. It is with their help that Grace finally learns the truth of what happened the night her mother died and its a truly heartbreaking reveal. We were expecting a more fun and adventurous story with a light hearted vibe. Instead All Fall Down is a tragic tale of a girl trying to convince the world she isn’t crazy. Even though we are disappointed with this book, we hope that it will improve with the sequel.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

6) See How They Run (Embassy Row #2) by Ally Carter

Grace is still dealing with her PTSD from her mother’s death and is struggling with the guilt of the truth she learned in All Fall Down. The main plot has Grace caught up in a conspiracy that targets one of her friends. Once again we have Noah, Megan, Rosie, and Alexei helping Grace figure out the truth in time to prevent an international political disaster. Along the way Grace also learns two shocking family secrets. We really wanted to love this series as much as we do Carter’s previous ones but we don’t. We find it difficult to connect with Grace and invest in her story. By this point we had hoped that she would make some progress to heal from the trauma she has experienced but she continues on her emotional downward spiral and this takes up a majority of the book. There is a great cast of supporting characters that were underutilized. We wished to see them having more meaningful interactions with Grace. We were happy with Alexei having a more significant role this time around and there was some progress in his potential romantic relationship with Grace. We also get to see more of the sibling relationship between Jamie and Grace. The conspiracy unfolds at a good pace, held our interest, and kept us guessing at the truth. It was interesting to learn more about the history and traditions of Adria. Overall, this book wasn’t very fun to read and was a disappointment. It does end on a cliffhanger so we’ll be reading the next book to satisfy our curiosity.

Reviewer: @booknerd_amna