Review: Slide

Slide

by Jill Hathaway (Blog | Facebook | Twitter)

Series: Slide #1

Published: March 27th, 2012 by Balzer + Bray

Pages: 250 (Hardcover)

Genre: Mystery, Paranormal

Goodreads | Amazon | Indie

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth--her sister's friend Sophie didn't kill herself. She was murdered. Vee knows this because she was there.

Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn't actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else's mind and experiences the world through that person's eyes. She's slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed "friend" when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie's slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting distant lately, especially now that she's been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

Slide will stick with me for a long time. Not because it’s a great mystery or paranormal novel, but because of how prominent the elements of family bonds and forgiveness are. Each of the novel's characters has to work through his or her own set of personal and familial tragedies. They all have to find ways to let go of their pasts, to forgive themselves and each other in order to find what is truly important and what's worth living for.

As far as the mystery goes, there were a few jaw dropping moments... evident by Bill screen capping me when I was reading while on Skype... but it wasn’t the chilling or intense thriller I was craving. Instead, Slide ended up being a much deeper story. Honestly, I forgot a couple of times that I was reading a paranormal book because it reads so much like a contemporary - delving into family dynamics, suicide, depression, and vengeance. Vee’s slides are there, but they aren’t a huge part of the book. Now, while I see this as spicing up an otherwise contemporary novel, I understand how this can frustrate other readers because there were times when I wished her ability was more prominent.

I absolutely loved how close Vee and Mattie were. Guys, there is some serious sisterly love going on in this book. Even though they have very different interests and friends, their love and loyalty to one another always comes first. Since their mother died of cancer, their dad has basically become a walking shell of a person. He tries to be there for his daughters, but it’s difficult for him. So Vee is left to take care of her sister. Which she does without a complaint. However, even though Mattie is SO damaged during this novel, she still worries about her sister and does her best to be there for Vee too. The love this family has for each other is unwavering, and I love how well the relationships were created.

The only thing I did not like about Slide was the ending. Everything seemed to come together at the very last minute. It didn't feel crammed or rushed, but the whole reveal and finale happened in like 20 pages. The answer to the overarching mystery made a lot of sense, and I definitely didn't see all of it coming, which is what I want in a mystery… I just wasn't satisfied. Jill came up with a great way to pull together and end many of the novel’s subplots, while at the same time creating some leeway for more character development and relationship building. But there were parts I wished she would have fleshed out. Like Vee’s last slide! Why did it have to happen like that?! :( As soon as my excitement rose and I started turning the pages faster and faster, it was over. 

When I finished it, I didn’t know that Slide is the start of a series. While I would love to see what happens with the characters, I’m not quite sure if the novel really needs a sequel. I for one am perfectly content with the story’s ending. But if Jill has more in store for us, I'm down. Beautifully written with a captivating storyline, Slide is very much a novel about a broken family trying to be whole again. It’s a great book for lovers of contemporary, and those a bit hesitant about paranormal. 

Rating: 3/5 stars
As a mystery and paranormal book, I was disappointed with the big reveal as well as the lack of info on Vee's slides. As a contemporary with a little extra magic, I loved the family aspects and the bond between Vee and her sister. Give it a try, but check it out from the library.

- Alysson

Review: The Kill Order

The Kill Order

by James Dashner (Website | Facebook | Twitter)

Series: Maze Runner, #0.5 (Prequel)

Published: August 14th, 2012 by Delacorte BFYR

Pages: 327 (Hardcover)

Genre: Dystopian

Goodreads | Amazon | Indie

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

I really really liked the Maze Runner series so if you haven’t read it yet, you should. That being said I was understandably excited for The Kill Order. I did really like this book, but in a really different way than the other books in the series, which wasn’t something I expected. I’ll try to leave out as many spoilers from the Maze Runner trilogy as possible in this review, but there might be a couple.

First off this is a prequel to The Maze Runner so I feel like reading the trilogy first would make The Kill Order more enjoyable since there are some things in it that spoil parts of the trilogy. I might have just noticed them 'cause I was looking for them though. Although, I think Allie said she was going to read this one first and then the Maze Runner series and see how that is, so keep an eye out for that in the future!

The characters in The Kill Order did have depth and I did care about them, but only to a point. It might be that I’m really attached to the characters from the Trilogy, but the characters in this were a little flat. Also, I felt that the point of this book wasn't necessarily to tell its characters' story but rather to flush out the world of Maze Runner. I was about halfway through The Kill Order when I realized it seemed like I hardly knew any of the characters, I got over it by the end of the novel but it definitely took me a while to feel connected to the characters. I did like the way that the group dynamics worked because it felt real. Like I hate it when the interpersonal relations of a novel are like this: there are 7 characters and they're all "oh we're best friends every single one of us!" There's no depth in that.

The Kill Order is set 13 years before the events of The Maze Runner, right as the world goes crazy. I thought the world-building was awesome, and I love how a major portion of this book was about building on to the world that the characters from both The Kill Order and The Maze Runner live in. I really did feel like by the end of the novel I had learned a lot more about the fascinating world Dashner created, and how people adapted to it. Also, it gives a lot of background on some of the major players from the main trilogy - which I really appreciated because when I was reading them, I wanted to know more about why things were the way they were and how the world got to the way it was.

Overall I think that The Kill Order is better seen as a sort of companion novel to the Maze Runner trilogy since it provides a lot of details on the world and its politics. I still really enjoyed it and I think that if you've read The Maze Runner and need something to read for a rainy weekend that this is a great choice. On a side note: the back of this book is awesome, it’s just the words “ EXPOSURE INFECTION TRANSMISSION PANDEMIC EXTINCTION”  in bold font, which would definitely make me intrigued if I saw it in a store or library.

I'm giving this one two ratings: 
    - For a standalone novel - 3/5 stars: It was good but not breathtaking
    - As an extension of the main series - 4/5 stars: I loved world building and it provided lots of answers.

Review: The Unquiet

The Unquiet

by Jeannine Garsee (Website | Blog | Twitter)
Series: Standalone

Published: July 7th, 2012 by Bloomsbury

Pages: 388 (Hardcover)

Genre: Contemporary & light paranormal

Goodreads | Amazon | Indie

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother.

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists.

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

The premise of The Unquiet appealed to me instantly: a bipolar teen with a troubling past, now questioning reality? Yes please. I thought a novel centered on a mental disorder and ghosts would make a great story, but I was disappointed with the delivery. I love ghost stories. I love all the things a good ghost story brings and all the things that, sadly, The Unquiet did not. At almost 400 pages, the haunting elements of this book were lost in the process of questionable character development and an excessive focus on relationships. That being said, and even though the ghost story was weak, the unnerving atmosphere undeniably saves the novel.

Review: Revamp

Revamp

by Beck Sherman (Twitter | Website | Revamp's Facebook)
Series: Standalone
Published: March 31st, 2012
Pages: 439 (Paperback)
Genre: Adult Paranormal & Horror
Source: Read to Review program
Goodreads | Amazon

FOR THREE DAYS, IT WAS DARK.

News reporters scrambled. This was the biggest story to come along in weeks. They called it a blackout.

The last one was in New York City in 2003, but this one was different, special, because the grids in six major cities across the country had been fried, kaput, see-you-next-Sunday. Everyone with some jurisdiction blamed each other, and when there was no one left to blame, terrorism rode in on its gallant steed.

It was the media’s fault. They were so busy stuffing fanatical Muslims with a penchant for Allah and decapitations down the American citizen’s throat, that they never saw it coming. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them.

They were partially right. It was terror after all, but a whole new kind. And when the lights came back on, things had changed.

The dark had brought us visitors.

I’m a vampire person. I love reading about the undead in any and all forms, but vampires are my favorite. While there is only so much originality an author can infuse into his take of vampire lore, he can create fresh and exciting worlds by mixing up other facets of his book. This is exactly what Beck Sherman did in his novel Revamp.