Review : The Cutting Room Floor

 

The Cutting Room Floor

Dawn Klehr

Flux Publishing

 

 

 

Behind-the-scenes secrets could turn deadly for Desmond and Riley

Life in the Heights has never been easy for seventeen-year-old Riley Frost, but when she's publicly dumped and outed at the same time, she becomes an immediate social outcast at her high school. So Riley swears off romance and throws herself into solving the shocking murder of her favorite teacher, Ms. Dunn.

Riley turns to her best friend, budding filmmaker Desmond Brandt, for help. What she doesn't know is that Dez has been secretly directing her life, blackmailing her friends, and hoping his manipulations will make her love him. When his schemes go too far, Dez's web of lies threatens to destroy both of their lives.

 

 

 

My Review: This book was great. I loved the writing style of this book how the scenes were written by a film director. I think it gave you a better feeling for the surrounding. I also liked the characters. Riley finds herself confused and unsure of what she wants, that is what you should feel when your seventeen. I could feel her pain and understand where she was coming from. Desmond (Dez), welllll ok I liked him in the beginning and I thought Riley was crazy at first for not seeing him as a boyfriend. I remember having crushes, as I read on I was shocked and surprised at how far he took it and I felt sorry for him.

  The mystery in the book was well thought out as Riley tries to discover what happened to Ms. Dunn she came up with some good theories. I suspected everyone. I thought I did it at one point. I was surprised by the ending and I was pleased with what happened to the characters. I want to read more from this author, and I look forward to her next book.

 

 

 

Review : Jinnie Wishmaker ( The Troubled Tweens # 1 )

 

Jinnie Wishmaker ( The Troubled Tweens #1)

D.D. Roy

Casey Shay Press

 

 

 

Eleven-year-old Jinnie has a dilemma--she can grant wishes, but she can't control the results. The school counselor tells Jinnie to join the Troubled Tweens, a group of kids with similar power problems. Maddy's touch makes anyone explode in anger. Grace can make people like her--as long as they don't let go of her arm. But their loose use of magic attracts the attention of the Loki, a group of magic thieves and pranksters. They want to steal an open-ended wish from Jinnie, and it will take all the limited and messed-up magic she and her friends possess to make sure their powers don't fall into the Loki's greedy hands.

 

 

 

 

My Review: This book was a fun and quick read that I really enjoyed. I think it is a great start to a series I will continue to read. Not only does it entertain the reader but also teaches responsibility and values. I also like the magical aspect of this book it kept me interested. I also like the fact that Jinnie is just discovering her magical gift and learning how to use them. As a reader it made me understand her fear and worries about her new gift. I love this book for the family values it instills in the children by the end, and how the adults in the book work with the kids to learn from them too. I have already bought a copy for my daughter to read and I am recommending it to all parent with children 8-12.

    

Review: Creep

 

 

 

 

Creep

Jennifer Hiller

Pocket Books

 

IF HE CAN’T HAVE HER . . .

Dr. Sheila Tao is a professor of psychology, an expert in human behavior with her own hidden past. But she’s not the only one keeping secrets. . . . When Sheila began an affair with her sexy graduate assistant Ethan Wolfe, she knew she was playing with fire. Consumed by lust when they were together, she was riddled with guilt when they were apart. Now she’s finally engaged to a good man, and it’s time to end the dangerous liaison. But Ethan has something different in mind. He intends to make her pay for rejecting him.

. . . NO ONE CAN.

As Sheila attempts to counter Ethan’s increasingly threatening moves, he schemes to reveal her darkest, most intimate secrets by destroying her prestigious career . . . and then her. Caught in a terrifying cat-and-mouse game, Sheila must fight for her life and free herself from the ex-lover whom she couldn’t resist—who is now the manipulative monster who won’t let her go.

 

 

 

 

My Review: Wow what an intense book. I forgot why I like adult thrillers and now I know why. This book was amazing. I love a story that makes you think about it when you can't read it and this is one of them. I thought about this book when I was working so much so I looked to be daydreaming. This book was a fast and compelling read. I keep reading into the wee hours of the morning and jumping at every little noise that I heard. The writing style was wonderful and the characters were complex and interesting. An edge of your seat thriller that has chills running up my spine till the rollercoaster ended.  Wow!!!! Look forward to reading more from this amazing author.

 

 





Review: Renegade

 

Renegade

Amy Carol Reeves

Flux

 

 

The Conclave—a secret group with twisted ideals and freakish practices—has been wiped out, thanks to Arabella Sharp. Now there’s a new malevolence afoot. Fishermen are getting killed, their partially devoured bodies washing up on the shores of Scotland. Is the Ripper responsible? Or have the Conclave’s sinister experiments left behind something more monstrous? Abbie fears the worst when her beloved Dr. William Siddal vanishes. To save the man she loves, Abbie must comply with the Ripper’s dreadful orders—and put her own life in grave danger.

 

 

 

My Review: This book is a second in a series so I am not going to go too mush into the story because I don't want to spoil it for others. I will say I loved this book just as the first. The Conclave was defeated but the legacy lives on. This book is fast paced and very suspenseful. I also like the supernatural aspect of this book. My heart was racing and pulse pounding as Arabella faced down  new and old enemies in this riveting follow up to Ripper. 

     If your looking for a great supernatural thriller this is a great series. I look forward to the third book and hope there are more I could read this for years too come. Just wish I had them all now LOL.

 

 

                              

 

 

Review: The Name Of The Star

 

The Name of the Star

Maureen Johnson

Putnam Juvenile

 

 

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

 

 

 

My Review:  I really enjoyed new take on an old story. The aspects that I like about this book is it is based on a true story. Jack the Ripper is one of the unsolved crimes that every one wonders about. Well I know I do. I have read several adult book on the murders and when I saw this YA book about them I was intrigued too say the least. I started reading it not knowing anything about the story except it was about Jack the Ripper. That was enough for me. I was pulled into the story immediately.

 

   I felt lost in the streets of London just like Rory. The descriptive writing style transported me to a city I love and have visited. The streets came alive and I thought that was amazing. As for the characters. I understand and sympathize with Rory being thrust into a different country and not knowing anyone. She does not even get settled in and the murders start. Wow this was fast paced and keep you reading. Rory life seem to intertwine with the murders and she is thrust into a cat and mouse game with the killer. I found this interesting and compelling. I found myself thinking what should we do next and who is the killer. Yes I put myself in Rory's shoes and accused everyone of the murders. To have a story that pulled me in so completely tell you I was trapped in the story and loved it.

 

   This is for anyone who like dark edgy tales that weaves facts with paranormal aspects. Ms. Johnson does this flawlessly. I look forward to reading more of Rory's adventures and hope this continues for years to come.

 

                                            

   

Review: You Are So Undead To Me

 

You Are So Undead To Me

Stacey Jay

Razorbill

 



Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues.

All Megan wants is to be normal and go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead.

Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party the bloody kind.

Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her life and more importantly, homecoming depends on it.


My Review -  I have a few book by Stacey Jay and I wanted to read something of hers to get a feel for her writing style, so I picked this up and started it. I am glad I did. Not only is the writing done well and the flow of the story keeps you reading, but it is a fun story. I enjoyed the distinct twist she put on a story involving zombies, Not just mindless creatures, but people who have passed and still have unfinished business.
   The main character Megan is a very likeable girl. She seems like all the girls in high school I remember trying to fit in and be popular. Megan's greatest fear is her secret will be uncovered and she'll be an outcast at her school. ( you do risk that when the walking dead seem to track you down.) When the dead seem to rise more often Megan discovers that black magic is afoot. So Megan must find out who is raising the dead and why then put a stop to them.  I enjoyed this book and will continue to read Stacey Jay's works because this had me laughing and rooting for Megan.

Review: Skin

  

 

 

Skin

Donna Jo Napoli

Amazon Children's Publishing

 

 

My lips are white. Sixteen-year-old Sep stares into the bathroom mirror. It's not some weird lipstick (she never wears lipstick). Her lips are just white. In a panic, she digs up an old lipstick and smears it on her colorless lips. But soon, more and more white spots begin to bloom, spreading their chalky tendrils across her olive brown skin. Does she have a disease? Is she turning into some kind of freak? Sep is usually the one who knows all the answers. With a quicksilver mind and a supple body, she's happiest when she's delving into the mysteries of animal biology or giving herself over to sweet, hot moves in Jazz Dance Club. Unlike her best friend, Devin, she's never been in a rush to get a boyfriend. But as the white blotches spread, her dating days, like the endangered species she studies seem numbered. So when Joshua, a boy she's always liked, makes a flirty advance, she wonders: why not grab pleasure while she can. Frank, funny, and full of passion, this is the empowering story of a strong gifted teen who, as her life spins out of control, desperately tries to prove to the world and herself that she is deeper than skin.

 

 

 

My Review:  I really enjoyed this book. I Imagined myself being 16 again and having to cope with a disfiguring condition. I don't know if I could have done it as well as Sep. She is such a strong character that you feel for her instantly. I found her at times too mature but you have to grow up fast when there is nothing you can do about the situation your in. I also like how she struggled with real life issues as how will her friends react ( face it in high school we all dealt with these problems.) She struggles with how her boyfriend would react too.

 

    This book is for the older young adult crowd. I would have liked if my daughter could read it but the sexual content is a little much for her. I will be recommending this book to my friends daughter who is older and a contemporary lover. I am sure she will enjoy it as much as I did.