Tag: Thriller

Book Review | With Malice by Eileen Cook

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

With Malice by Eileen Cook

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on June 7, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 316

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★ 1/2

It was the perfect trip…until it wasn’t.

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be. She discovers she was involved in a fatal car accident while on a school trip in Italy. A trip she doesn’t even remember taking. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident.

As the accident makes national headlines, Jill finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. It doesn’t help that the media is portraying her as a sociopath who killed her bubbly best friend, Simone, in a jealous rage. With the evidence mounting against her, there’s only one thing Jill knows for sure: She would never hurt Simone. But what really happened? Questioning who she can trust and what she’s capable of, Jill desperately tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

REVIEW

I picked up With Malice by Eileen Cook shortly after its release because I kept hearing so many positive reviews. This young adult mystery novel follows teenager Jill as she wakes up in the hospital not knowing how she got there. Jill spent the last six weeks studying abroad in Italy, but she was in a horrific car crash in which her longtime best friend Simone died. If that wasn’t bad enough, Jill is now accused of purposefully causing the crash to kill Simone. With Malice follows Jill as she tries to remember what happened in Italy and discover if she is Simone’s killer.

What I really liked about this book is the fast pace and addictive writing style. I flew through this captivating read because I just had to know if Jill was a killer or not! Jill is our first-person narrator, and I think that is a great choice. I wanted to instantly trust her, but I had to remind myself that she is unreliable because of the memory loss she suffered.

Unfortunately, the author takes a lot of liberties with the way she depicts the legal process in With Malice. While I know this is a fictional novel and written for entertainment purposes only, it was clear to me that either the author did not care to be legally accurate, or she simply failed to do proper research. For example, in one scene Jill’s lawyer mentions that the opinion of a lay witness would not be admissible because it pertains to the speed of the car during the crash. Anyone who has taken an evidence class in law school knows that is completely wrong – lay witnesses can give opinion testimony in this situation. I even did some research to make sure this is the same in Italy! Those without a legal background probably will not be as bothered by the plethora of inaccuracies, but it did take away a lot from my reading experience, as I do have a law degree.

Similarly, I was also disappointed with the way the ending of With Malice is written. All of the action takes place in the last 30 pages, rendering much of what was presented in the preceding 280 pages moot. While I did like the ending itself, it was quite frustrating that it had to be so rushed. The ending would be much more effective if it were longer and better explained.

Nonetheless, I am really impressed by the plethora of discussion topics that are brought up in this book. With Malice is perfect for a book club because the author brings up a lot of issues without giving strong conclusions to any of them. For instance, friendship plays a major role in the novel. Some of the questions that crossed my mind are: when is friendship true? Can you ever really trust your friends? Should we hold onto friendships simply because we’ve been in them a long time? I think these are questions that can be discussed with others for a long time!

Another topic that I found prevalent in the novel is that of the role of the media. Multimedia plays a role in With Malice, as readers get to see blogs, articles, police interviews, etc. and make their own conclusions as to what is true. This book really demonstrates how things can become twisted so easily. Does the media tell the truth, or are we supposed to find the truth based off of what the media presents? How does social media help or hinder the news? How does social media change the lives of others? Is anonymity online good or bad? I asked myself these questions upon finishing the novel.

Probably the most intriguing topic in the book, however, is truth. Jill is constantly trying to find the truth – did she really kill Simone, or is she being framed? With Malice helped me realize how we can almost never know the truth about something, and this goes for nearly everything in life! While scary, this is also fascinating. I’m grateful that this book evoked this curiosity within me!

All in all, I did enjoy my read of With Malice by Eileen Cook, even though there are some things about it that didn’t sit well for me. It certainly is a thought-provoking read, and I recommend it for any book club. I think it is also a great pick if you are looking to break into the mystery or thriller genres, as it reads very quickly. If you’ve read With Malice, I would love to know your thoughts on it! There is so much to discuss, so please leave me a comment!

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Book Review | The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry

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The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry

Published by Christy Ottaviano Books on May 3, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Format: eARC

Pages: 240

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★ 1/2 

When Olivia’s mother was killed, everyone suspected her father of murder. But his whereabouts remained a mystery. Fast forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia’s father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there’s a killer still at large. It’s up to Olivia to uncover who that may be. But can she do that before the killer tracks her down first?

REVIEW

I was so excited to receive a review copy of The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry, as the synopsis sucked me in right away. This book follows teenager Olivia. When she was just three, her mother was murdered in front of her when her family went to cut down a Christmas tree in the woods. Her father was blamed for the murder, but when one of his bones turns up at the crime scene fourteen years later, authorities now believe he was killed that same day. Olivia now returns to her hometown in hopes of discovering who the killer is before the killer finds her first.

While I really loved the idea behind this story, unfortunately the book fell a bit flat for me. My main issue is with the writing style. I’ve never read a book by April Henry before, but the writing in The Girl I Used to Be felt very formulaic. The story is told from Olivia’s first-person-perspective, and each chapter follows a certain format. First, Olivia learns some clues by talking with the people in her hometown, and then she mulls over those clues by asking a bunch of rhetorical questions at the end of the chapter. I found these questions to be very annoying, mainly due to the sheer number of them. If we got a few questions throughout the story, that would build suspense and be fine. Instead we got lists upon lists of questions, and it left me feeling as if each chapter was just repeating itself.

Moreover, I think the short length of this novel really detracted from my rating of the book. The Girl I Used to Be is only 240 pages, and a lot of things go unexplained because of that. For example, the book opens with Olivia living in her own apartment in Portland, Oregon. She then decides to move back to her hometown, and she goes to the local thrift store to buy sheets and kitchen utensils. However, we never find out why Olivia never goes back to her old apartment to get her belongings, or even if she cancelled her old lease. This novel would be a lot stronger if it was longer, as Henry would be able to fully develop the story and its characters.

Another critique I have with this book is the romance aspect. Not only was the romance cringeworthy and full of insta-love, but the book would be exactly the same if there was no romance whatsoever. The only thing that would change is the two kissing scenes, which were quite awkward and didn’t fit within the book’s overall plot. I almost feel like the romance was added just for the sake of including a romance.

That being said, I am quite disappointed with The Girl I Used to Be. I really do love the idea behind the book, and I read it quickly because it is fast-paced and a short read. If you are a new reader of the mystery genre, this might be a good place to start. I found the ending predictable, and unfortunately I feel like this sort of story isn’t very unique. Thus, I only recommend it if you are looking to break into the thriller genre, or if you want a short and quick beach read this summer.

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Book Review | Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

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Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Published by HarperCollins on March 10, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Format: eBook

Pages: 368

Source: Purchased

Goodreads: ★★★★★

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara’s beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it’s too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

REVIEW

It is always very exciting when I am able to recommend a five-star book to all of you, and that is exactly what Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver is for me. This young adult mystery follows two sisters, Nick and Dara. As young children they were absolutely inseparable, but as they grow older they begin to grow apart. Everything changes when they are in a car accident together. Nick was at the wheel, and escaped with minor injuries, but Dara’s injuries are much more extensive. Vanishing Girls seeks to uncover the truth behind the accident. At the same time, a young girl named Madeline Snow goes missing from Nick and Dara’s town. The book explores whether these two mysteries are really as different as they seem.

I was absolutely blown away by Vanishing Girls. I love a good thriller, and although I was pretty disappointed with myself that I didn’t figure out the plot twist, I was amazed with how well Oliver crafted this story. A lot of readers criticize Vanishing Girls because it is similar to other books out there. That is definitely true, and even I have read a book with the same ending. However, the journey leading up to the conclusion is what allows Vanishing Girls to truly stand alone.

Oliver is an excellent writer. This is the third book I’ve read by her, and in each one she develops a unique voice. Not only is her writing poetic, and filled with beautiful descriptors, but she carefully crafted Vanishing Girls. It really takes talent to be able to weave together a mystery like this one. For the majority of the book things don’t seem important or connected, but in hindsight they are. I am so impressed with the writing and storytelling.

Similarly, Vanishing Girls becomes a very rereadable novel because of this sort of writing. I want to pick it up again in the future to really key in on the clues I missed along the way. I read Vanishing Girls as an eBook, but next time I will get a physical copy. That is because intermixed with the prose are mixed media elements such as photographs, online news articles, and more. I would like to see those in print form, as I think that will add more to the reading experience.

Moreover, I wanted to quickly discuss the character development in this novel. Part of me wishes that I knew the ins and outs of the characters more, but I understand why we only see characters in a limited way. The story needs to have a certain type of narration in order to be successful, so I’m glad Oliver was able to accomplish that. This will make more sense once you read the book, so I encourage you to still read it even if you usually like fully developed characters.

Overall, I am so happy I finally got to Vanishing Girls. It is a very quick read, and one that is quite impactful. I absolutely love books like this one, and find them a lot of fun. I understand that not everyone likes a psychological thriller, but I highly recommend this one if you do! I will be continuing to read Oliver’s books – she hasn’t let me down yet!

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Book Review | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Published by Broadway Books in June 2012

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Format: Mass Market Paperback (Movie Tie-In Edition)

Pages: 555

Source: Purchased

Goodreads: ★★★★★

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media–as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents–the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter–but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

REVIEW

Wow. Gone Girl is my new obsession. Despite being late to the Gone Girl train, I managed to avoid spoilers and still find myself completely invested in this absolutely brilliant novel by Gillian Flynn. I’m sure you’ve all heard of this thrilling book in which Nick Dunne’s wife Amy suddenly goes missing on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary by now, but I couldn’t resist sharing my thoughts with you nonetheless.

I typically avoid long books, and Gone Girl is a chunker at over 550 pages. The beginning was a bit slow at first, but once I hit around the 200 page mark, Gone Girl had completely taken over my life to the point where I couldn’t put the book down, and even carried it in my purse hoping to squeeze in a few pages whenever I got the chance. At the time of writing this review, it’s been two days since I completed the novel, yet I’m still thinking about it, and probably will be for a long time.

I’m amazed at how Flynn has created the two unlikeable characters of Nick and Amy, but still manages to make me feel sorry for them. Nick and Amy both had difficult childhoods that shaped their personalities in different ways, and while neither of their actions are excusable, I still find it hard to find them totally despicable, or even annoying. It’s rare for me to read a book in which I don’t like the characters, but still enjoy their personas.

Moreover, I am blown away by Flynn’s ability to craft a novel in the way she did. Without giving anything away in this spoiler-free review, suffice it to say that as the story developed, I was sitting there thinking “Brilliant!,” “Of course!,” and “Incredible!” at the amount of thought and detail put into the story. Flynn includes just the right amount of predictable to allow the reader to have an inkling of what’s going to happen, but still managing to stun and surprise at the same time. This is truly an impeccable piece of writing.

As for the ending, though quite unsettling and a bit off-character, I find it the perfect ending to Gone Girl. While the ultimate “winner” is not desirable, I can only imagine how things will go for these characters in the future. Flynn instills the proper feeling of fear and apprehension in the reader as her intense and unbelievable novel comes to a close.

If you were like me and waited to read Gone Girl, do yourself a favor and pick it up as soon as possible. I’ll be sure to read Flynn’s other works in the near future, and will certainly pick up anything else she releases going forward.

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Book Review | Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers

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Inherit Midnight by Kate Kae Meyers

Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on February 10, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★


Avery VanDemere says she’s lived her whole life in prisons—-one is a mansion, the others are private schools—-but prisons, still. That’s why, during the last couple of years, she’s perfected the ability of learning how to escape. On the brink of finally freeing herself from a hated boarding school, she is unexpectedly returned home and thrust in the middle of a competition. Her grandmother, the family matriarch, is now determined to discover the most worthy VanDemere to be named sole inheritor. With the help of Riley Tate, the handsome son of her grandmother’s lawyer, Avery sets out to do much more than prove she should inherit the massive family wealth. She has a secret mission of her own, and that’s to discover the truth about what really happened to the mother she never knew. Along the way she must pass difficult and sometimes perilous challenges, avoid treacherous relatives, and sort out her growing feelings for Riley. She’ll have to act quickly, though; the pressure is on and with each challenge, her competitors are more desperate to win—and to them that means getting rid of Avery.

REVIEW

I was drawn to read Inherit Midnight as soon as I heard it’s about a rich family competing against one another in a race around the world to inherit their grandmother’s estate. How awesome does that sound?! I love movies such as National Treasure, and this story is along the same vein. I absolutely loved the fast-paced adventure in this novel, and had a very difficult time putting it down. However, there are a few things I want to discuss.

First, the romance in Inherit Midnight is extremely cringeworthy and one of the worst cases of instalove I’ve experienced. I thought it was interesting that the author admits to the instalove, but that didn’t justify it. Instead, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the dialogue between Avery and Riley, and couldn’t get over how “in love” they were after just a few weeks of knowing one another. In fact, I would have enjoyed Inherit Midnight much more if the romance was put aside. I wanted to focus on the family competition, and not on the angsty teenage love.

Moreover, there were a few small details in Inherit Midnight that annoyed me. For example, the chapter titles were unnecessary and distracting. I’m not sure why they were included at all. In addition, I was a bit unnerved by how the lawyers were written in this story. As a law student, I didn’t like the portrayal of the lawyers and their behaviors, but I’m one of the few people who would actually pick up on that. Finally, the ending of the book was really unbelievable, but I cannot say more without spoiling you.

Putting those critiques aside, I really enjoyed Inherit Midnight. I loved following Avery as she and her family were tasked with the different challenges, all while traveling around the world and learning about their family history. The action never wavered, and once the competition began I didn’t want to stop reading. I also loved the character development in this book. Avery learns a lot about her family in Inherit Midnight, both her ancestors and those she’s competing against. The competition really showed each character’s true light, and Avery learns who she can trust and who she can’t.

I also really liked how the author included some subplots in the book, but I won’t get much into those because they are spoiler-filled. I will say that I predicted a huge plot twist right from the beginning, but I was excited to find out I was right towards the end. Because this particular twist was a subplot and not the main story, it didn’t detract from the overall book when I was able to predict the outcome. I also really loved the last scene of the book. It was sweet and touching, and filled me with hope for Avery’s future.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience of Inherit Midnight. In reality, this book probably deserves a three star rating because of the instalove and cringeworthy dialogue, but because it was so action-packed and exciting, I gave it a four star rating. I highly recommend Inherit Midnight if you love The Amazing Race or the National Treasure movies, or if you are looking to break into the thriller genre. Inherit Midnight is a ton of fun!

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