Book Review: Here Lies Daniel Tate

Title: Here Lies Daniel Tate
Author: Cristin Terrill
Genre: Young Adult | Mystery | Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
Source: Library
Format: Physical

A young, street-savvy runaway looking for a place to call home realizes he might have conned his way into the wrong family in this fast-paced and thrilling novel from award-winning author Cristin Terrill.
When ten-year-old Daniel Tate went missing from one of California's most elite communities, he left no trace. He simply vanished.
Six years later, when he resurfaces on a snowy street in Vancouver, he's no longer the same boy. His sandy hair is darker, the freckles are gone, and he's initially too traumatized to speak, but he's alive. His overjoyed family brings him home to a world of luxury and comfort he can barely remember. In time, they assure him, he'll recover his memories; all that matters now is they're together again. 
It's perfect. A miracle. Except for one thing.
He isn't Daniel Tate.
He's a petty con artist who accidentally stumbled into the scam of a lifetime, and he soon learns he's not the only one in the Tate household with something to hide. The family has as many secrets as they have millions in the bank, and one of them might be ready to kill to keep the worst one buried (goodreads). 

So....that all happened. 

Book Review: Reaper

Title: Reaper
Author: Kyra Leigh
Genre: Young Adult | Paranormal
Publisher: Paula Wiseman
Publication Date: May 9, 2017
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher

Sixteen-year-old Rosie Wolf is sure when you die, you go straight to Paradise, until she wakes to discover she has died in an accident and that Paradise isn’t what she thought it would be.
Rosie Wolf was sure that when her dad died, he went to Paradise. After all, isn’t that where everyone went? But when Rosie wakes up in a strange hospital bed and finds out that she’s died in an accident, she learns things aren’t always what you think they will be.
Now her father feels further away than ever, and Rosie is left to deal with the Grim Reaper, who isn’t a man in a black cloak, but a beautiful woman with a bad attitude. The Grim Reaper tells Rosie that before she can move on to Paradise, she has to go back down to Earth and collect three souls. But Rosie quickly realizes it’s not so simple.
To complicate matters, Rosie meets Kyle, a boy who is different than anyone she’s ever known. He’s cute, smart, and funny. Rosie’s been warned to stay away from the living, but she doesn’t want to. What will happen if she doesn’t (goodreads)?

 

Reaper stretches itself too thin and struggles to tell a story. 

Book Review: The Education of Margot Sanchez

Title: The Education of Margot Sanchez

Author: Lilliam Rivera
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: February 21, 2017
Source: Library
Format: Physical

THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:
Mami, for destroying my social lifePapi, for allowing Junior to become a NeanderthalJunior, for becoming a NeanderthalThis supermarketEveryone else
After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts. 
With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal…
Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal (goodreads).

The Education of Margot Sanchez is the unapologetic exploration of a teen trying to do what she thinks is best.

Book Review: Lock and Mori Mind Games

Title: Mind Games (Lock and Mori #2)
Author: Heather W. Petty
Genre: Young Adult | Retelling | Mystery | Romance
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: December 6, 2016
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher

Sherlock Holmes and Miss James “Mori” Moriarty may have closed their first case, but the mystery is far from over in the thrilling sequel to Lock & Mori, perfect for fans of Maureen Johnson and Sherlock.
You know their names. Now discover their beginnings. 
Mori’s abusive father is behind bars…and she has never felt less safe. Threatening letters have started appearing on her doorstep, and the police are receiving anonymous tips suggesting that Mori—not her father—is the Regent’s Park killer. To make matters worse, the police are beginning to believe them.
Through it all, Lock—frustrating, brilliant, gorgeous Lock—is by her side. The two of them set out to discover who is framing Mori, but in a city full of suspects, the task is easier said than done. With the clock ticking, Mori will discover just how far she is willing to go to make sure that justice is served, and no one—not even Lock—will be able to stop her (goodreads).

Not as much of a shocker as Lock and Mori, but Mind Games does up the ante!

Book Review: A Great and Terrible Beauty

 Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1)
Author: Libba Bray
Genre: Young Adult // Magic // Historical // Paranormal
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: December 9, 2003
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased (Audible)

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy—jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy (goodreads).

A Great and Terrible Beauty was full of all the things I want more of in YA: complicated relationships, an engaging mystery, and even bits of sexuality!

Book Review: Dangerous Boys

Title: Dangerous Boys
Author: Abigail Haas 
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Publication Date: August 14, 2014
Genre: Thriller // mystery // Young Adult
Format: Ebook
Source: Purchased (B&N.com)

Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?
Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…(goodreads)

After reading Dangerous Girls, it was hard to be shocked and surprised by anything that happened in Dangerous Boys. 

[Meme]Waiting on Wednesday [#61]

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: PS I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2)
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 26, 2015

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t.
Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?
In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of makes it so amazing (goodreads).

Book Review: Poison Princess

Title: Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1)
Author: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Simon and Schuster 
Publication Date: October 2, 2o12
Genre: Young Adult // Dystopian // Romance
Format: Physical Copy
Source: Library

She could save the world—or destroy it.
Sixteen-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they're still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.
But she can't do either alone.
With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can't totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?
Who can Evie trust?
As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side (goodreads).

Poison Princess is a fast paced dystopian novel with a touch of magic and maniacal serial killers. So clearly I had to check this one out!

Plot: In most dystopian novels, you start in the dystopian world and the narrators explains to you how the world got to such a tragic state. Not in Poison Princess. Here are accompany Evie as she goes from normal high school kid to one of the handful of human beings alive within 24 hours. I definitely liked the direction this story was going in, it involved tarot cards and I had quite a bit of an obsession with card reading a few years ago (mostly because their designs are always so pretty, I wonder if Kresely has created any Poison Princess inspired tarot cards...). My one complaint is that there wasn't any resolution in the first novel, instead it felt like an extended prologue. We had a realization, but it only promised further expansion in the sequel. But I guess that's how authors get you! 

Characters: Evie is an interesting character. She's the popular girl at school but she is by no means the Queen B. She's sweet but a bit annoying towards the beginning, it's interesting to see her toughen up in this new world where women are used as currency and food is scarce. Also I'm going to have a very unpopular opinion. I don't like Jackson. Sorry guys. I know he's the token bad boy but I didn't find any of his qualities attractive, nor did I think he and Evie were a good fit for each other. I also felt like some of the secondary characters weren't well developed and didn't really care for them, I'll have to keep reading to see if my attitude changes. 

World  Building: Kresley's Post-Flash world is disturbingly realistic. We have insight to terrible paranormal creatures and power hungry militia. I could perfectly picture every aspect of her world and it brought tingles down my spine! 

Short N Sweet: Poison Princess is a creative dystopian tale that blends in some magic elements flawlessly. I only wish I loved the characters as much as I loved Kresley Cole's world.