Gates of Thread & Stone, by Lori M. Lee Review—HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Gates of Thread and Stone (Gates of Thread and Stone #1), by Lori M. Lee

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery

Rating: 3/5 stars

Publication: August 5, 2014, by Skyscape

Format: eARC




Goodreads Summary: In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

In a city of walls and secrets, where only one man is supposed to possess magic, seventeen-year-old Kai struggles to keep hidden her own secret—she can manipulate the threads of time. When Kai was eight, she was found by Reev on the riverbank, and her “brother” has taken care of her ever since. Kai doesn’t know where her ability comes from—or where she came from. All that matters is that she and Reev stay together, and maybe one day move out of the freight container they call home, away from the metal walls of the Labyrinth. Kai’s only friend is Avan, the shopkeeper’s son with the scandalous reputation that both frightens and intrigues her.

Then Reev disappears. When keeping silent and safe means losing him forever, Kai vows to do whatever it takes to find him. She will leave the only home she’s ever known and risk getting caught up in a revolution centuries in the making. But to save Reev, Kai must unravel the threads of her past and face shocking truths about her brother, her friendship with Avan, and her unique power.

Review:

*Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!*

        I sadly expected more from this book—I wanted more. But thankfully, by the end, we received a pretty great fantasy novel that at some points knocked my socks off. That's really what mattered in the end, no? 

        NOPE. Because if the concept was the best and most important thing here, then I'd at least give this a 4 star rating. A 3 star for me is okay, or a "meh" feel to the story. In between the rating, but more good than bad. Gates of Thread and Stone could've had a lot more in store for me, but I didn't feel the power of it as it should have had.

         The Labyrinth seemed like such a cool and destructive place and concept to read about. And the main idea happening is that Kai is keeping a secret that can basically destruct everyone around her. She has an ability—she's able to manipulate time threads. Sounds crazy, but it's true and real. 

            But this all began for a reason... and her best friend Reev might have to do with it, since he found Kai on the streets when she was eight and helped her and was her caregiver ever since. But isn't there some romance in between?

           OF COURSE. And that's what partially ruined this book. Instalove? Absolutely. This dude had a crush on an eight year old at one point. Creepy much? And his love for her never left and he took care of her and gave her a home. Sure, in some perspectives that sounds cute and all, but I saw it as more "creepy" than you can ever imagine.

            So, there's instalove. There's a bad plot at times. There's a lot of craziness going on at the same time. The characters had their problems, but by the end, their personalities fairly impressed me and I had a few ships, if you must ask and I must admit.

            A lot of people I know really disliked this, but I ended up having to keep my hopes up. But at the same time, there were an average of mixed reviews, and I didn't know what to expect, so therefore I decided to forget. 

            Concept... Genre... ? I wouldn't ask me that question if I were you. What is the genre? Fantasy? Dystopia? All I know that this is a messed-up romance for sure. The fantasy aspect was done really well—I totally enjoyed the immortality and ways that the author went through different stages.

             This, from the looks, looked like a Victorian, something Cassandra Clare would approve. I'm sitting here, not knowing what my feelings are presenting me. A pretty boring-at-times plot, good characters, a good mystery. 

             In conclusion, this was a disappointment compared to my expectations. But I know that some will enjoy it—beware of instalove and sibling romance.

The Power That Authors Have on Us...

The Power That Authors Have

On Readers...

              Authors are such awesome people. They write amazing stories, are so friendly and giving, and they inspire us to do amazing things. I seriously have been thinking that we need to bow down to these wonderful people, every single day. They honestly change who we are!

                Over the past few years, I've chatted with many authors and they're such wonderful peeps. Honestly, they're so easy-going and a blogger added into one of their Twitter chats definitely starts a mighty discussion. 

                 For example... Take Lauren DeStefano.

                This woman is amazing... and a mastermind at the same time.

                 And of course, these people at-the-same-time-as-their-other-roles inspire us. They have some crazy majestic power on us... And it's difficult to signify, but it's totally there. I see it everyday. The way these people are on social media, blogs/websites, author's notes/acknowledgements, and wherever else you find words written by your favourite authors, is inspiring. The message that their book may be portraying out loud can or even isn't always OMG-I-Need-To-Change-My-Lifestyle-Around worthy, but I must honestly say that they make us better people, in ways. They write for us, actually. (TO MAKE US HAPPY)

                      Don't you love those heartwarming tweets that authors send you once they read your fabulous review of their novel? *blushes* Those are literally the best. And then after that, (if you adored their book) you're honestly usually always keen to go on and find their other books or pieces of writing, ASAP. It's some sort of system, haha.

                     This is where YOU come in. Do you think authors have some mysterious wackifying power on us readers/bloggers? Next week we'll discuss the results!

Criminal, by Terra Elan McVoy Review

Criminal, by Terra Elan McVoy

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller/Murder

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Publication: May 7, 2013, by Simon Pulse

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: A searing and gripping read that explores the depths of desperation true love can inspire, from the author of Being Friends with Boys.

Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.

So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.

But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.

Review:

  

           I FINALLY LOVED A BOOK BY THIS AUTHOR! *squeals* I've actually given McVoy's books a chance so many times and I was always left disappointed. With this one, I promised myself that if I didn't enjoy it whatsoever, it'd be my last chance ever. I guess fate was scared of me letting this author's books go...

           

        Criminal was seriously epic. It gave me heart-stopping moments throughout the whole novel that never let me go until the end, plot twists that I never saw coming, and so many "OMG" moments that I couldn't believe were happening. 

    Nikki is afraid—that's all she's been since that day happened. But at least she has Dee, right? As her best friend and only home drifts apart because of the police, Nikki finds that she's all on her own, until they come to her house. She's found guilty and is placed into prison, eagerly waiting for trial. The days feel like months, and the weeks feel like years. Nikki feels like she has to fight to get out, just so she can be with Dee, one of the only people who really loves her. And what about Dee's motives? Secrets are secrets, and criminals are criminals. Together, they repose something far more powerful.

            

       We all rarely read a book that takes place in a prison. When you think about it, not much can go on in there in order to create a novel, basically. But the amazing thing about this book was that it worked. And it worked extremely well, far more than I could've ever imagined. The concept and mystery flowed so well together, and by the end, we were left with no need to ask any questions. 

            Surprisingly, the writing was like devouring your favourite food—100 pieces of it, over and over again. I felt like I was in the need to read this in one sitting no matter what, and I did. This was my Friday-night read, and I sat there after squealing and giggling because I was the happiest person to see how good it ended up being. The plot was so well written—it certainly deserves an Oscar Award for best plot of 2013.

             Nikki portrayed an excellent story through her thoughts. I loved reading through her narration, her POV, and she made the story a hundred times better, believe it or not. Her character was somebody who I will remember forever, as being one of the truest female heroines in a mystery novel. She made the story seem real, and she proved that this could absolutely happen in real life. The poor girl went through so much, and adding to that, her feelings and emotions were all over the place because she was spared, used, and left behind alone. And all of the blame was left on her, a criminal who wasn't even supposed to become one.  Her message was shown to us more real than ever.

             My only negative-exception that my attention span paid attention to was Dee. His motive and personality just didn't work with me. It became too cheesy. We all knew from the moment that he was introduced that he had something going on with him behind the scenes. And when it was released, I wasn't surprised. I expected a twist with his story, perhaps something psychological, but instead we ended up with an average guy's story, but in a more obsessive matter. *frowns* 

             In conclusion, I am probably the happiest person alive right now. This book was honestly amazing, and I seriously thank fate for getting me to pick it up. It was everything I've wanted in a mystery novel for a long time. Enjoy this, it's a gorgeous read.

Top Ten Tuesday #13: Top Ten Books/Movies to Watch to Get in the Halloween Spirit

-Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish which shares bookish lists with others.-

Top Ten Books/Movies to Get You

In the Halloween Spirit!

      

   Hello! I can't even say that Halloween is right around the corner, because it's actually in two days. *squeals* I love horror movies and books, so why not give you my top 5 recommendations of each?

    Books:

1. Asylum, by Madeleine Roux

              This one is definitely a no-brainer. I fell in love with this series back earlier in the year and I still get chills when thinking about the story's events. I loved it and it gives you the total experience of an insane asylum's future.

2. Dead Beautiful, by Yvonne Woon

                  This cover already probably makes you go nuts. I mean, it's really mysterious and old-fashioned looking, right? I loved this whole trilogy, and it was creepy, dead, but beautiful at the same time.

 3. My Sweet Audrina, by V.C. Andrews

                    Damn, this is probably the most scariest-realistic novel I've ever read. It took forever to read, but I managed to concur it in one sitting, and I was literally shaking by the time I finished it. I wish it'd become a movie!

4. Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

                  Although this isn't really scary or creepy or anything like that, I guess you could say that it's a fantastic werewolf read. This is definitely one of my favourite paranormal-romances, and the way Grace and Sam's romance flowed, I fell in love. 

5. The Ruining, by Anna Collomore

                     I was totally saving the best for last here. This is my favourite book—okay, one of them. Murder, mystery, thriller, goosebumps, fear, craziness, psychologically insane scenes, this book has it all. It totally shows the perspective of a girl who supposed to be crazy but really isn't.

Movies:

1. Final Destination 

                    I seriously love these movies. They give me chills, and at the same time, make me think about what can happen in life—because these look exactly like real life events.

2. The Purge

                  Crazy, messed-up, dystopian. Did you know that the US decided to create "The Purge" in the movie to equalize the population? *shivers*

3. Oculus

                 I can totally call this one of the best movies I've watched this year. I literally screamed 10 times, haha. WATCH ITTTT.

4. Ouija

                   I haven't watched this one yet, but the trailer has freaked me out so much, haha. It actually released in theatres last Friday, so go see it today! (Watch the trailer first so you know what you're in for.)

5. The Possession

                     Here's another one that I've heard so many good things about. And the fact that it's based on a true story makes it a hundred times more scarier. Phew.

What are your favourite books and movies

that give you the Halloween feel?

A Little Something Different, by Sandy Hall Review

A Little Something Different, by Sandy Hall

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Publication: August 26, 2014, by Swoon Reads

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed) & eARC




Goodreads Summary: The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.  But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship. 

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together....

Review:

   *Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!*

 "They have a story. I'm telling you, there's no way they don't have a story. They have this chemistry that's impossible to ignore. I don't even know what it is. But I'm going to do whatever I can to get them together."

    

   You love romance stories. I KNOW YOU DO, BECAUSE WHO DOESN'T? But you hate sappy and cheesy stories. I get that. *pats you on the shoulder* This is the book for you. ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ARE CAPABLE OF SHEDDING A TEAR, OR TWO. Sandy Hall has surely written a swoon-ful story that will make you cry your eyes out... If you have the guts to.

    I really don't even know how to begin fangirling here because there's so many parts of the book that I can begin with. But really, let's rewind back into the future of this book, where page 1 began and we were just clueless noobs that decided to pick up a love story with a gorgeous cover.

    This is actually the book that has the most POVs for me that I've ever read. I usually don't do major-amount-of-POV books, but after all of the positive reviews and sappy gifs, I just couldn't handle NOT buying or requesting this book off of Netgalley. *wipes tears*

     And actually, the POVs expressed in this book are of the craziest but most beautiful things. A bench (YES A BENCH), a squirrel, a Starbucks barista, Lea's roommate, Gabe's brother, the peeps' creative writing classmate who really doesn't care about anyone or anything, a bus driver, Gabe's guy friend, Lea's guy friend, their creative writing teacher, their teacher's wife, a girl who is secretly obsessed with Gabe but isn't Lea, a Chinese food delivery guy, and a waitress. These people/things may be the most oddest and random POVs you've ever heard/thought about, but they seriously make this book extra-special than IT ALREADY WAS AND HAS BEEN. *swoons*

      "The boy and girl are walking toward each other but don't see each other yet and I hope they smile. I think they're going to smile. I wonder if they know where all of my acorns went."

        And what is this book about? Lea and Gabe falling in love. It may seem like a simple concept and subject, but the way Sandy Hall has portrayed this story has made it perfect. And the amazing thing is that everyone in this book sees their true love and tries to make 'it' happen. 

         So the story was perfect. The POVs and concept was perfect. What else was perfect? The characters except the one and only Gabe. 

        *sighs* I didn't feel the real "magic" that everyone else and everything else did. Maybe it was that I wasn't in the moment to fall in love with another male fictional character like I do: EVERY SINGLE TIME? But it also seems like others have had problems with him too, so I know that I'm not alone. *says confidently*

          But Lea? I found Lea charming, and in many ways, like me. Maybe it's because she's a bookworm that is pretty anti-social? *grins* Hmm.

        "The girl is a different story. I always notice the readers on the bus. I can't read when a bus or car is moving. I get motion sick. But she's always reading. And he's always holding on like it hurts his arm. And I'm sitting up here thinking about them."

        All in all, I'm so happy and cheerful that this book went amazing, just as I expected it to. It was mega-hilarious, and warming. Perfect read for the winter/Christmas season. I guess you now know what you'd like for Christmas this year...

Stacking the Shelves #14: October 26

         

        I don't know... I just feel to be in the most random mood today. If I could, I would've added a thousand random crazy gifs like that one. But for now, let's just stay with that one pretty one. ;)

         I had so many tests this past week. It saddened me, because I didn't get the chance to stay with my pretty reads too much and enjoy and devour. On the other hand, I was sitting in my room, dying and stressing out over geography and math. *facepalms self*

         But the positive matter here is that I actually got some nice reads to squeal about! I'm trying not to spoil myself too much weekly because Christmas is coming... and I'm going to die of books trampling over me. *flashbacks to last Christmas* I don't want to even go there and imagine all of the reads I got last year. I still have some of them still waiting! 

         EBOOKS!

    

Earth & Sky — Megan Crewe: For those of you who don't know, I'm the biggest

fan of Megan's books, right from the beginning. I'm so excited to read this, 

and find out that it's releasing soon!

KissnTell — Suzy McCoppin & Alison Swan: When looking through Netgalley's 

newest additions, this one caught my eye instantly. 

           This Shattered World — Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner: OMGOMGOMG

YESSSSSS! I still tear up when I remind myself that I can read this earlier

than the average person. I love Disney-Hyperion, hehe.

The Body Electric, — Beth Revis: OMGOMG! I'm so glad I've gotten this

to review. Finding out that there are the rare actual physical copies being

sold, I was really saddened. But then, when I was actually going to get the ebook 

from Amazon, I found this on Netgalley, and my life has brightened up.

Thank you so much to Disney-Hyperion, Full Fathom Five, Scripturient Books and Amazon Children's Publishing for these pretties!

             

   WHAT I SPOILED MYSELF WITH:

The Academy: Love Match, — Monica Seles: I read Game On a long time ago, back in the summer of 2013, and I really enjoyed it. I totally forgot about this one for a while

until I got a bookstore gift-card and decided to purchase it online

and order it. I'm so excited!

Complete Nothing, — Kieran Scott: Firstly, it's crazy to even think about how fast

Kieran writes her books. I read Only Everything when it was new and was just released, June? And now this one is out. I'M SO HAPPYYYY! I pre-ordered it and 

finally got it, hehe. So excited.

         

         In conclusion? I think I had a very good book-week. Every night, I can hear my shelves chanting to me and thanking me for adding these newest additions to them. (Including my Kindle, yes.)

Dangerous Creatures, by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl Review

Dangerous Creatures (Dangerous Creatures #1), by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal

Rating: 2/5 stars

Publication: May 20, 2014, by Little Brown Books

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: A new series returns to the world of Beautiful Creatures. Some loves are cursed...others are dangerous.

Ridley Duchannes will be the first to tell you that she's a bad girl. She's Dark. She's a Siren. You can never trust her, or even yourself when she's around. Lucky for her, Wesley "Link" Lincoln can never seem to remember that; quarter Incubus or not, his heart is Mortal when it comes to Ridley. When Link heads to New York City to start a music career, Ridley goes along for the ride-and she has her own reasons. As if leaving small-town Gatlin for the big city, trying to form a band, and surviving life with a partially reformed Siren isn't hard enough already, Link soon learns he has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay.

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthors of Beautiful Creatures, are back and casting another magical spell. Their signature mixture of mystery, suspense, and romance, along with a dash of fun and danger, will pull fans in and leave them begging for more.

Review:

"What's a Caster fairy-tale ending? I don't know, because Casters don't get to have fairy tales, especially not Dark Casters. Forget the sunset—the whole castle burns to the ground, taking Prince Charming down with it. Then the seven dwarves go all ninja and drop-kick your butt straight out of the kingdom."

    :'( The reminiscences of Beautiful Creatures are coming back to me... And I'm frowning. Why am I frowning? Because Dangerous Creatures was a joke. It wasn't needed. It was a story that came after, but if you want my opinion, I'd say to stay away from this—run away from it, even. Don't even try to think about it.

     Beautiful Creatures was one of the first series that brought me into the YA-atmosphere. A friend recommended it to me, and as I made my way through the first book, I fell in love. I fell in love with the characters, the storyline, and the world of Casters. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl brought me and threw me into a world of fantasy and truly, beautiful creatures. Now, do I really need dangerous creatures? 

      I've always strongly shipped Link and Ridley. I loved their flirtation, their mysterious personalities, and how well they fit each other. They went well even somehow better than Ethan and Lena did—the majestic couple of them all in modern YA literature. But when I found out that two of my favourite authors were releasing a somehow spin-off series to the one that changed my life, I wasn't too excited.

      Beautiful Creatures had four books. Four books that were crazy thrill-rides that moved me and intrigued me and made me cry. The ending fit perfectly well and although it somewhat disappointed me, I was fine with it. The authors ended the series off perfectly and wonderfully, and this we received this, which was unfortunately not needed to accomplish an "amazing book award." 

        This book was basically all about the boring events that followed to the previous "final novel." It's taken in Ridley's POV, who's thoughts I very much looked forward to hear. 

          But I guess you can say that Ridley and Link's relationship was the only thing that I had high hopes and expectations for. The rest of the book...? I definitely didn't expect to get a 5 star book, but at the same time, I didn't expect to get a 2 star either.

          Kami and Margaret tried their very best (we can all tell) to make Ridley the most badass person you've ever met/read about. Okay, she was... But it didn't suit the situation very well. You see, this is a very Sinner-by Maggie Stiefvater situation. A couple from a past loved series reunited in a book of their own, in a new city and atmosphere, facing ANGST AND JEALOUSY.

           This time around, Ridley and Link are brought to NYC to form a new life and to cover the secrets from their old past. That's totally fine. But when you have a formula mixing angst, a sloppy unformed plot, and some crazy stuff, it all goes out of control and us readers get frustrated and are unable to handle anything coming at them.

           "What can I say? Payback's a bitch. But here's the thing. So am I."

            Ridley's never gotten so smart until now, haha. 

            ~~

           This situation was fairly worse than Sinner's. Ridley's obviously our Isabel and Link's our Cole. I found that Isabel was more likeable to me than Ridley came to be in this book, since her angst didn't get to her as much as Rid's did. Link was just your average country-boy going after his mega-hot girlfriend, sucking up to her.

            The only good thing? It was a drama ride, and that kept me busy, despite the sloppiness and messed-up characters. This book was like an episode of The Bachelor or Jersey Shore—not likeable, but still fun to read/watch. 

Can't Look Away, by Donna Cooner

Can't Look Away, by Donna Cooner

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Tragedy, Romance

Rating: 3/5 stars

Publication: August 26, 2014, by Point

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Donna Cooner establishes herself as our own Jodi Picoult in this timely tale of sisters, loss, and redemption.

Torrey Grey is famous. At least, on the internet. Thousands of people watch her popular videos on fashion and beauty. But when Torrey's sister is killed in an accident -- maybe because of Torrey and her videos -- Torrey's perfect world implodes.

Now, strangers online are bashing Torrey. And at her new school, she doesn't know who to trust. Is queen bee Blair only being sweet because of Torrey's internet infamy? What about Raylene, who is decidedly unpopular, but seems accepts Torrey for who she is? And then there's Luis, with his brooding dark eyes, whose family runs the local funeral home. Torrey finds herself drawn to Luis, and his fascinating stories about El dio de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

As the Day of the Dead draws near, Torrey will have to really look at her own feelings about death, and life, and everything in between. Can she learn to mourn her sister out of the public eye?

Review:

    For a long time, I felt like I've been prompted to read this book. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I love watching beauty gurus on YouTube, such as Bethany Mota. The feeling of having young teenagers helping you out with beauty has always been a fascination to me, and probably to millions of other people as well. I never saw a book like this coming at me, and even though it didn't live up to my expectations and was rather dull, it definitely was a masterpiece in terms of a great concept.

      Having heard much about Donna Cooner's Skinny, I've always been intrigued to pick up a book of hers one day. I guess you can never get too much contemporary, right? And really, that is what this book was. Surprisingly, this was a dark-contemporary. It was short, but a difficult read to concur at the same time. It dealt with so many subjects, all combined in one. And the most important thing? It felt real.

       Torrey Grey has moved from the place-she's-ever-known in Colorado to a whole new atmosphere in Texas after her younger sister's tragic death. And all in all, Torrey feels like it's all her fault. The last words she's ever said to her sister was to grow up after she made a stupid decision to make her sister film a video of Torrey and her best friend at the mall. Did I mention that Torrey is a super-famous beauty guru YouTuber? A video of Torrey blasting out at her sister's final moments of living is leaked, and the general public bashes out on her, blaming her for her sister's death. But really, it was a drunk driver's fault. Now she's at her new school, not knowing how to act when people can possibly know who she is and what happened. 

        The main message that this book let out was that you can't look away from your past and troubles. In those terms, I guess you can say that this book's title makes sense with this whole concept. 

         Torrey actually reminded me a lot of Bethany Mota. Her attitude wasn't as cheerful and caring as Beth's is, but if you read this, you'll probably see the resemblance. But the thing is, Torrey is really bitchy at times. You possibly might be trying to tell me, "Michelle, this girl's sister just died in front of her eyes. How is she supposed to act?" but then at the same time, she doesn't have a right to block everything out around her and crouch into a shell away from the rest of the world. And that's exactly what she did. She played stupid. She acted like nothing was real—which possibly might be the way she was supposed to deal with tragedy. She was the factor that made this book seem unrealistic. I felt like I was screaming "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING!" at her for three-quarters of the story until she smartened up.

            The story started off well with a pretty great beginning, and I felt like I was sitting there, reading on to find out what really happened and what made Torrey become this way. Cooner did a fantastic job at trying to get us to realize the who, the what, and the why. 

            Full of grief, trouble, and a realistic story, Can't Look Away was a pretty good story, but I felt like I couldn't find the relation to the characters. I was left with many "meh" moments. With this book, you'll probably have to be trying to choose your way through the story.