Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica // My First Kubica Book Equals Awesomeness

Don't You Cry, by Mary Kubica
Publication: May 17, 2016, by MIRA
Genre: Adult Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

In downtown Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her friend and roommate Quinn Collins to wonder where Esther is and whether or not she's the person Quinn thought she knew.
Meanwhile, in a small Michigan harbor town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her charm and beauty, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more dark and sinister than he ever expected.
As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under Pearl's spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us in the end.

My Thoughts:

I am the biggest psychological mystery/thriller fan on this planet. I have been recommended Mary Kubica's books time after time because they are just my kind of book. There is always suspense, always something that a reader doesn't know until the end of the story. Don't You Cry was the uttermost perfect suspense story. I mean—it wasn't perfect, but Kubica added suspense so perfectly that it was my favourite part of the story. This book is so complex that your head will hurt for a few hours after reading. You won't be able to forget anything that happens in this book for ages afterwards. I only recently noticed that my memory concerning the plot of Kubica's 2016 release was a little foggy. But who cares? If you forget, some voice inside of you will be begging you to re-pick this up again and enjoy Quinn and Esther's story that takes readers on an 'adventure' all over the Midwest to find out where Esther went.

I love books that are about missing people. Not that I would ever wish something like this to happen to someone, but I love the concept and length of these stories. I love how authors create many characters who end up falling into the web of suspense. I love how some authors, like Kubica, create characters who do not rely on the police for a search for the missing person. It shows that these stories are so complex that even your average person wouldn't be able to solve them. I am not a huge mystery fan, but when characters/concepts like these are introduced, I'M IN. Don't You Cry was a book that made me feel so emotional and confused with the world. Kubica added so much vagueness in the plot (in a good way) that I became so perplexed and weirded out, just like the weirdness of the story.

It's interesting how we readers were able to get to know Esther more, even though she was missing for the whole story. We also read the perspectives of Quinn, her roommate, and Alex, a guy who works in a coffee shop in Michigan, a few hours away from Chicago. You would think that these people have nothing to do with each other, but BOY THEY DO. And it's totally unexpected. It's not what you're probably thinking at the moment: "that dude Alex must be the kidnapper! But wait, he's too young!" The second part of that sentence could be true, however. *giggles* I WAS SO SHOCKED WITH THE ENDING AND THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERS' REACTIONS TO EVERYTHING AND... well you could say I was shocked with the whole book. I did never ever expect the story to end the way it did. I guess it's fate for me to enjoy Kubica's writing now, as I was just so impressed.

The only reason why I wouldn't give this impressive story a 5 star rating was because I WAS SO CONFUSED. I guess the ending really is meant for us readers to interpret. You can make it whatever you want! 😋

Don't You Cry is just absolutely incredible. Once I began reading, the world around me changed (literally) and I was unable to fall asleep at night because I kept feeling that Esther's story was haunting me. This is a psychological thriller for everyone.

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

Do you enjoy Mary Kubica's writing? What is your favourite suspense novel?

Menagerie by Rachel Vincent // One of the Most Brilliant Concepts

Menagerie (Menagerie #1), by Rachel Vincent
Publication: September 29, 2015, by MIRA
Genre: Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 432
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

When Delilah Marlow visits a famous traveling carnival, Metzger's Menagerie, she is an ordinary woman in a not-quite-ordinary world. But under the macabre circus black-top, she discovers a fierce, sharp-clawed creature lurking just beneath her human veneer. Captured and put on exhibition, Delilah in her black swan burlesque costume is stripped of her worldly possessions, including her own name, as she's forced to "perform" in town after town.

But there is breathtaking beauty behind the seamy and grotesque reality of the carnival. Gallagher, her handler, is as kind as he is cryptic and strong. The other "attractions"—mermaids, minotaurs, gryphons and kelpies—are strange, yes, but they share a bond forged by the brutal realities of captivity. And as Delilah struggles for her freedom, and for her fellow menagerie, she'll discover a strength and a purpose she never knew existed.

Renowned author Rachel Vincent weaves an intoxicating blend of carnival magic and startling humanity in this intricately woven and powerful tale.

My Thoughts:

I always find myself attracted to books that involve the wonderful, but perhaps childish concept called the circus. I have been to a circus twice, and I really see a lot of amazement when looking at the way the show is actually prepared. Menagerie gave me that experience, amazingly, but in a way that no audience would ever expect to see in a modern, contemporary society. Who would expect people to go watch... monsters and mythological creatures? 

Yes, you heard me correctly. Rachel Vincent writes about monsters living in this "world" we call the menagerie, and there's basically every kind you have been afraid of or have heard of. Yes, mermaids and werewolves are present, and they're all held in cages, where people in this novel go out and see them, seeing what they are capable of and how they look, because some definitely have human distinct physical features. It's a brilliant concept that is really difficult to come up with and broaden... and I'm not so sure if the author did the best job ever with the broadening part, but I'll let you know now that the concept is my most favourite part of the whole book.

"You are normal. You are human. You are ours. The memory of my mother's bedtime mantra played through my head as it always had in moments of fear and doubt since I was a small child. It had never in my life felt more relevant. Or more like a total lie." (57)

This book was pretty well written, and I definitely enjoy reading Vincent's writing style. She writes like she's part of the audience of this circus, not like she's pretending for it to be real or something of that sort. Yes, there are many different protagonists and perspectives which she is writing from, but everyone is distinct, not only with their physical features but their issues that they are dealing with as they are in the menagerie. This is absolutely messed up.

And the author also makes it sound extra real because she adds in quotes that have supposedly taken place in the 1980s, not some wild dystopian time like the 2300s or whatever. You could seriously imagine this taking place in society today, or in the past. You feel like you could turn on the news and see headlines about the characters, Delilah or Rudolph escaping or creating some chaos. It is rare to read a novel with such depth and realism to it, and I am grateful to have given this start to an extraordinary series a try.

So with these kinds of books, and with any other kind that deals with a bunch of unreal characters, there's always the one soul who is different from the rest. In this case, she is supposed to be a human. Delilah heads to the menagerie with her family, striving to see something new and see the different ways that some creatures live. And then she discovers that she's just like them, and next thing you know, she's put in a cage and is ready to say goodbye to the life that she once had.

"Fear is a powerful, often irrational emotion, and mass fear on the scale of what followed the reaping has the power to shake any society to its core. As long as the world remembered, they would live in fear of all cryptids—regardless of whether or not any individual among us was truly dangerous." (186)

No, there's no romance. And I guess that this is partially adult as the characters are not the age of teenagers, but there isn't anything that really breaks apart the two. If you enjoy adult novels, go for this and vice versa for YA. This is seriously a book for everyone.

Menagerie really made me feel like I was living in a cage. It's a brilliant novel that was fast-paced at first, and then kind of bored me after, but I enjoyed it either way. I do not know if I will end up picking up the sequel, but I am glad for this experience and the ability that I got to read Rachel Vincent's newest story. Plus, the cover is stunning and I'm pretty sure it's calling out to you.

Have you ever read a book that takes place in a circus? What do you think of the concept of this novel?