The Merciless IV: Last Rites by Danielle Vega // This Series Is Just SO Good

The Merciless IV: Last Rites, by Danielle Vega
Publication: June 12, 2018, by Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Horror
Pages: 290
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

The ropes tighten on Berkley Hubbard's wrists. Blood drips down her fingers and lands with a smack on the cold floor of the church basement. She's trapped, bound, and petrified by fear. A knife punctures her fragile skin as Berkley's captors search for the mark of the devil on her body. They say they want to save her--drive the devil away and cleanse her soul--but will she make it out alive?
When Berkley arrived in Italy a week ago, the last thing she expected was that she'd end up fighting for her life. After spending six months at the Institute, confined to a room with the dangerous-yet-alluring Sofia Flores, Berkley was certain that a vacation in Italy with her two best friends would be the perfect getaway. But Berkley is hiding a terrible secret, one that threatens to undo everything. As she's forced to face her wicked past, she learns that the devil is always watching, and no one is coming to save her.

My Thoughts:

The Merciless series is my absolute love and treasure; each book keeps impressing me and scaring me to the point that I silently tell myself that I will never turn my lights off at night and will never watch a horror movie again. Let's just say that I never fulfill those promises I made for myself and I keep being addicted to the horror genre. As each of the other books, I was completely obsessed and terrified both at the same time. I was unable to stop reading once I flipped to the first page; Italy is the best setting ever for these kinds of books.

Last Rites introduces us to a new character in this saga: Berkley, a NYU student visiting Italy while her two friends attend a summer art program in a small town. Prior to her entering Italy, she had a major panic attack leaving her in an Institute, rooming with Sofia Flores. Once Berkley heads to Italy, she suspects that everything is good and no one remembers her dark past where she betrayed her best friend, however, strangers see her as a devil and will do whatever it takes to prove so. These 'strangers' capture Berkley and search for the devil's mark on her body, seeking the spot where Berkley is unable to bleed from. 

As you can already tell from the summary, this is messed up. There are points during the reading experience where you suspect that the story is a normal, YA contemporary novel, however, things always suddenly take a turn and leave you guessing. That's the best way to describe Danielle Vega's writing; she makes readers think that she is weaving an innocent story set in an innocent setting (such as Italy - who would suspect that an exorcism is on the agenda?) 

This book left me in shock, as the ending was unbelievable. It had both closure and opening, leaving the possibility for this series to continue (which I hope it will), but closure in the sense that if Danielle Vega feels that this must come to an end, it can. I just want to pray to the book gods that it doesn't end here. I feel that there's so much more that can happen. More chances for readers to be terrified and more chances to see our favourite character, Sofia Flores.

What are some enjoyable horror books?

The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone // SO Cute

The Unlikelies, by Carrie Firestone
Publication: June 6, 2017, by Little Brown and Company
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Sadie is not excited for the summer before her senior year. It will be her first without her college-bound best friend and (now ex-)boyfriend by her side, so Sadie braces herself for a long, lonely, and boring season working at a farm stand in the Hamptons. But things take an unexpected turn when Sadie steps in to help rescue a baby in peril and footage of her impromptu good deed goes viral.
As she’s recovering from “the incident” and adjusting to her Internet fame, Sadie receives an invitation to a lunch honoring teem homegrown heroes. The five honorees instantly connect and soon decide to spend their time together righting local wrongs. Sadie and her new friends embark on escalating acts of vigilante Good Samaritanism, but might be in over her heads when they try to help a heroin-addicted friend. Are good intentions enough to hold unlikely friendships—and an even unlikelier new romance—together?

My Thoughts:

The Unlikelies was such a lovely surprise. After reading Carrie Firestone's debut story, The Loose Ends List, I was pretty impressed, but not to the fullest extent possible. I was truly hesitant to pick this book up, but I had a feeling I would enjoy it because it seemed to be not all about romance, which is what I was seeking. Too many books these days focus on cheesy, impossible romances that make me feel sad and hopeless. Carrie Firestone knows how to mix a gorgeous plot with a group of unforgettable characters who actually remind me of a less reckless version of the characters in The Breakfast Club. Each character had their own memorable twang which I really appreciated reading about. Instead of having rebellious characters who spend the book learning about their wrongs, this was about good characters. Characters I will never forget about. 

The book's main character is Sadie, who becomes an Internet sensation by doing a good deed and stopping a man from drunk driving with his baby daughter in the backseat. Afterwards, she gets invited to a lunch celebrating the Hamptons' 'homegrown heroes,' which Sadie feels that she doesn't belong in. Little does she know that the four honourees will become her new friends, especially during the time that she tries to live life after her other friends are going off to college while Sadie will be a senior.

I honestly was obsessed with this book from this start. I completed it in a span of two or three sittings, and adored the overall message that it presented, which was that each individual should be surrounded by others who do good. We should all take chances to do good to benefit others. This story just made me feel so happy, from the miniature piece of romance to the lovely characters. It surely was one of the best books I've read this year.

The Unlikelies truly made me smile and feel all good inside; more authors should look into creating genuinely good characters like the five 'unlikelies.' I'm in love!

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is a book you've read about genuinely good characters?

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris // THE BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ

Bring Me Back, by B.A. Paris
Publication: June 19, 2018, by HQ
Genre: Adult Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

Finn and Layla are young, in love, and on vacation. They’re driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. He hops out of the car, locks the doors behind him, and goes inside. When he returns Layla is gone—never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story.
Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close and now they intend to remain together. Still, there’s something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. His heart wants to believe that she is the one for him...even though a sixth sense tells him not to trust her.
Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla—hiding in plain sight. There are other odd occurrences: Long-lost items from Layla’s past that keep turning up around Finn and Ellen’s house. Emails from strangers who seem to know too much. Secret messages, clues, warnings. If Layla is alive—and on Finn’s trail—what does she want? And how much does she know?
A tour de force of psychological suspense, Bring Me Back will have you questioning everything and everyone until its stunning climax.

My Thoughts:

Bring Me Back was honestly the best book I've ever read. Before picking this up, I classified B.A. Paris' other two books, Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown as my ultimate favourites, but this time around, this has stolen the prize. This was a book that kept me guessing and intrigued for the entire ride. It's the type of the book that leaves you making hundreds of predictions to find that you were completely wrong. Whatever I thought would occur did not. If it did, then I definitely would not be raving this much about the novel. I instantly fell in love with the book after the twentieth page or so, and felt that I wouldn't be able to put it down. I read this in a few sittings, but in the same day, from morning to night.

This isn't your typical missing persons case story. In fact, there's nothing typical about B.A. Paris' ideas and books; everything is as original as it can be. The story revolves around Finn, Layla, and Ellen, our three protagonists. Finn and Layla were together, in love, and on vacation skiing in France, and as they were returning back to England, they made a rest stop. Layla stayed in the car, and when Finn returned, she was gone. Ten years later, Finn is engaged to Ellen, Layla's sister, and Finn still struggles to let go of the past and the love he had for Layla. Suddenly, Finn gets a phone call from someone in his past saying that they saw Layla, and weird occurrences begin to escalate. 

Basically, the main questions surrounding this story were: is Layla alive? Is she back? Will Finn choose her over Ellen? Forget about that; there were millions of questions surrounding this complex story. I cannot even imagine how much work was put into deriving this story; there are so many clues and hints that all make sense in the end when everything is cleared up. Well, actually, the magic of B.A. Paris' stories is that everything is never perfectly cleared up. She always leaves readers off wanting more from the last few pages of suspense. 

Although I mentioned that there are three main protagonists, Finn is the most prevalent in the story. We constantly learn almost everything from his perspective, and we as readers get to see what he was like ten years prior with Layla and in the present with Ellen. It sounds impossible, but even he, the character telling everything from his perspective, is hiding secrets. I was so shocked in how everything was revealed at the perfect moment. He was both a likeable and unlikeable character, depending on the moment and decision he made. But this was not a flaw whatsoever; it's important for thrillers to have characters who are the best of both worlds, if you know what I mean.

This was just such a complex story. The most complex I've ever read. There's a grand importance to every hint, secret and symbol laid out by Paris; when you read about some scenes or moments in the story, you may view them as unimportant, but surely they hold a great importance; every single word, sentence and moment in this story is important, which really shows that B.A. Paris is the master of psychological thriller writing. In fact, she is the master of modern day literature and entertainment. I really am eager to see films sprout from her fantastic story.

If I could possibly rate books with a ten-thousand star rating, this would be the only book to deserve all of those stars. Bring Me Back shocked me, especially with that UNBELIEVABLE ENDING I will never forget about, and with all of those mini shocks and revelations shown throughout the story. Every psychological thriller writer should look at these stories and see how it's done. And every single psychological thriller reader and lover such as myself should grab this instantly.

What is the SINGLE best book you've ever read?

Mini Review: The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin // Unimpressed

The Queen of Hearts, by Kimmery Martin
Publication: February 13, 2018, by Berkley
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 348
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Zadie Anson and Emma Colley have been best friends since their early twenties, when they first began navigating serious romantic relationships amid the intensity of medical school. Now they're happily married wives and mothers with successful careers--Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, North Carolina are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of a former colleague unearths a secret one of them has been harboring for years.

As chief resident, Nick Xenokostas was the center of Zadie's life--both professionally and personally--throughout a tragic chain of events in her third year of medical school that she has long since put behind her. Nick's unexpected reappearance during a time of new professional crisis shocks both women into a deeper look at the difficult choices they made at the beginning of their careers. As it becomes evident that Emma must have known more than she revealed about circumstances that nearly derailed both their lives, Zadie starts to question everything she thought she knew about her closest friend.

My Thoughts:

DNF @ 75 pages

I absolutely hate DNFing books, but I've learned that I must put down a book when I am struggling to continue reading it. And that's what unfortunately happened with The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin. While the premise interested me, as I do plan to study medicine one day, I became so bored and felt that the story was lacking. It seemed as if the author wanted to turn this into a Grey's Anatomy-type drama. I expected it to be more about living the life of a doctor/surgeon and the friendship that the two main characters, Zadie and Emma, have. Instead, I just kept imagining that a huge fight would draw out between the characters and create drama. I honestly just wanted a nice, entertaining story that would keep me going for its 348 pages. Instead, this was less about the doctors and more about some 'beef' brewing. Eek.

Unfortunately, this story turned out worse than expected, but maybe you, reader, will enjoy it more than I did. If you like those medical dramas, this will surely be for you.

*A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What was the last book you DNFed?

A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery // A Truly Special and Touching Story

A Million Miles Away, by Lara Avery
Publication: July 7, 2015, by Poppy
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

When high school senior Kelsey's identical twin sister, Michelle, dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. The only person who doesn't know about the tragedy is Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, recently deployed to Afghanistan. But when Kelsey finally connects with Peter online, she can't bear to tell him the truth. Active duty has taken its toll, and Peter, thinking that Kelsey is Michelle, says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey has no choice: She lets Peter believe that she is her sister.
As Kelsey keeps up the act, she crosses the line from pretend to real. Soon, Kelsey can't deny that she's falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn't want.

My Thoughts:

A Million Miles Away was a raw, realistic, gorgeous story I will never forget about. That's the honest and wholesome truth in one sentence. After reading Lara Avery's other novel, The Memory Book, I had this urge inside of me to pick this one up as well and read it and bawl as I read it and feel like I'm connecting to the story, you know? Let's just say that this book was a gorgeous masterpiece I recommend to everyone. If you enjoy chick-lit romances, this book is for you. If you usually enjoy mysteries and thrillers, this book is for you. If you enjoy fantasy, this book is for you. This book is literally for everyone. 

This time around, Lara Avery focuses on a main character named Kelsey, who has an identical twin sister, Michelle, who tragically dies in a car crash. She is finding it extremely difficult to move on, and the worst part is the fact that Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, is in Afghanistan for the military. He doesn't know that Michelle passed away, and Kelsey doesn't want to tell him the truth... yet. So in the meantime, she pretends that she is Michelle, though as she begins to form a relationship with Peter, she realizes that she has feelings for him, too.

I love the way Lara Avery had this story progress. You see, it wasn't cheesy or generic; this was one of the most raw and emotional books I've ever read. From the beginning, we immediately form an emotional connection with the characters in the way that we briefly meet Michelle, Kelsey's twin, before she passes away. We can immediately tell that they didn't always get along; Michelle is more artistic while Kelsey focuses on popularity and cheerleading. However, when times are rough, Michelle did tend to fall to Kelsey to solve her problems. Already from the first few chapters I was able to tell that this book wasn't one of those cliché chick-lit stories with characters whose lives are perfect. It was the complete opposite of that. Both sisters had their own problems, with each other and with others, and that just made the book so much more believable. I kept imagining a girl in Kansas struggling to move on after grief has succumbed her. 

What I especially adored about this story is the fact that it was easy to understand why Kelsey pretended to be Michelle. That's where the emotions that correspond to this story come in. I loved Peter as a character, and it seemed that from the start, Kelsey loved him too for keeping her sister happy. Kelsey is a character who didn't want to disappoint others, and by interacting with Peter, she was given the chance to learn more about the person her sister really was, instead of Michelle just being Kelsey's twin. This just exemplifies the fact that each individual is different, no matter what family or group you come from.

A Million Miles Away is a memorable story that I recommend to everyone. I truly imagine this becoming a movie, and it can be compared to the stories of Nicholas Sparks, but more mature in the sense that it's not just about the romance. It's about the emotions generated in both the characters and readers that make this story so special. I feel that Lara Avery's writing is really underhyped and more people should become aware of this fantastic author.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is the most emotional book you've ever read?

You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston // Disappointing In Comparison to Preston's Other Books

You Will Be Mine, by Natasha Preston
Publication: February 6, 2018, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller
Pages: 292
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Lylah and her friends can't wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chace, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She's been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way...
The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It's an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.
Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:
YOUR TURN

My Thoughts:

I really expected You Will Be Mine to be stunningly fabulous. After reading all of Natasha Preston's other books, I made the assumption that this book would be just as fabulous. Well, as you can see based on my rating of the story, I didn't think it was as enjoyable. To me, this was a really childish, teenager version of a psychological thriller or mystery story. There was no depth to the story for the most part, and if the ending wasn't as shocking or entertaining as it was, I surely would've given this a lower rating.

This story of Preston's features a group of university students living together in a home. There's Lylah, our protagonist, Chace, her crush, Sienna, her best friend, Sonny, Isaac, and Charlotte. Lylah has been dreading Valentine's Day approaching, and this is causing her to remember the past when her parents died on that day. When the group prepares for a party, the doorbell rings and a note sits on the doormat, addressed to Sonny. He never comes home after that, and eventually, more people become targets of this mysterious individual.

I guess what disinterested me in terms of this novel is the fact that this story seemed too good to be true.The police in this British imaginary world had no large role whatsoever until the end of the story where we discover the culprit, and it seemed as if the 'killer' was unstoppable. No traces were found. No one was suspicious. And our protagonist did all of the dirty work by tracking them down and doing dangerous things; I certainly do not think that attempting to solve the mystery in this manner would actually happen in reality. The mystery is obviously believable, but the way it was solved? Not so much. In fact, Lylah's attempt to go all Nancy Drew to find who the killer is was what made the book lack of any sort of entertainment. I felt a struggle to read the book from about the halfway mark towards the end. But let's just say that the ending made up for a lot of the negativity.

From all of the characters introduced, I believe that Natasha Preston made a great decision to choose Lylah to be the protagonist of her story. Lylah was the most flawed character from the group living in the home, which allowed me to see her as a realistic character, minus the sleuthing skills she somehow acquired. I appreciate the author writing about Lylah's struggles with anxiety and grief that she experienced in the past; it made the book so much better.

You Will Be Mine disappointed me, but then it redeemed itself to be a pretty good read. I am psyched to see what else Preston has in store for us thriller fanatics.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

Have you ever read a book with a Nancy Drew-like protagonist?

Emancipated by M.G. Reyes // An Interesting Take on a YA Mystery

Emancipated (Emancipated #1), by M.G. Reyes
Publication: May 26, 2015, by Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

The good girl, the bad boy, the diva, the hustler, the rock star, and the nerd. Six teens legally liberated from parental control for six different reasons, all with one thing in common: something to hide.

Now they’re sharing a house in Venice Beach, acting like a family, and living their lies. No parents. No limits. No alibis. One witnessed a crime, another might be a murderer—and one’s been spying on them all.
As they cling to a fantasy of freedom and slowly let down their guards, the past creeps up on them. And when one of them gets arrested, everyone’s carefully constructed facade comes crumbling down.

In this steamy, drama-filled series, relationships are tested and secrets revealed as lies threaten to destroy their perfect setup.

My Thoughts:

Emancipated was such a surprise to me as prior to reading it, I had no idea what it was about. Surely I must have read the summary when I purchased the book (years ago), but when I packed it up for my summer vacation, I just judged it by the cover and decided that it must be a good summer read. I honestly enjoy these kinds of experiences where I head into a book not knowing what to expect. That way, I cannot be biased or affected by anyone else's thoughts. This story was literally about what the title suggested: emancipation, or when someone is under the age of eighteen and are legally liberated from their parents, or living under their parents' control. I didn't know much about the topic prior to picking up this book, so this was a nice introduction into the 'possible lives' of those living emancipated.

The ultimate reason I gave this book a four star rating is because for the first half of the book, nothing was happening, and I was unsure of the purpose of the story. Sure, this is about six teenagers randomly living together, but what else? I wish that M.G. Reyes had implemented more of the mystery in the beginning of the story, as this would've caught my attention span sooner. For the first half of the story, not much was happening, and I questioned what made this book so interesting. Eventually, everything came together and I became very shocked with the outcome of the story.

You see, this focuses on six teenagers, with most of them not knowing each other prior to the emancipation. They all live together in a house on Venice Beach, California, for different reasons. What the highlight of the story was that each character had their own secrets and their own flaws. This just made the story a hundred times more realistic and believable. Although these teens were fortunate to be living on their own (and were wealthy, because who would be able to afford living in a SoCal mansion on the beach?) and threw parties and lived that 'stereotypical YA character life,' they each seemed like they were real people, you know?

What also really made me addicted was the fact that this book ended in a major cliffhanger. This sets the stage perfectly for the sequel, which I need to purchase as soon as possible. Hopefully the next book will be super addicting and full of mystery, since the first one ended in a whirl.

Emancipated was a lovely take on a YA contemporary story. While this did contain some aspects of romance, it wasn't completely focused on it, which I appreciated. I am really looking forward to reading the sequel.

What are some UNIQUE YA reads?