Four in the Morning

Jun 25, 2012 Tanja (Tanychy) St. Delphi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Here we have a story about young girl Kathleen. She has a bad relationship with her mother. Her mother tries to peruade her to lose some weight and Kathleen believes that she is ashamed of her. Her best friend Aka as well as other friends are called “freaks“. But things change when one “popular“ guy from the school asks her to do him a favour. In the meantime strange things happen, suddenly Rigel pops up in her life. Kathleen must deal with a lot of crazines at the time.

This story is different....more

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Jun 18, 2012 S.M. Boyce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, new-adult, magic, urban-fantasy, paranormal-fantasy, paranormal

The Short Version:

Excuse me for a moment. I’m still geeking out from this awesome book. Though the pacing was a little slow in the beginning, I couldn’t put it down once the action picked up. It’s just so good: the characters were detailed and imperfect; the story was intriguing and had plenty of twists, turns, betrayal, and deception; and the ending left me salivating for a sequel. Urban fantasy and paranormal fans alike should read this book.

The Details:

Four in the Morning has a snarky wit tha...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Ivana added it

Shelves: for-review

As I'm writing this review, I'm contemplating what rating to give it. By the time I spill my thoughts, I may decide to leave it ratingless (starless?) because from where I stand, there's no convenient rating for this novel as a whole.

At the beginning of the novel I was more than satisfied. Kathy, the main character is my favorite kind of character-imperfect, intelligent, sharp-tongued and quirky. Everything flowed well, Goddard brings Kathy to life and gives her a fresh and engaging voice. When...more As I'm writing this review, I'm contemplating what rating to give it. By the time I spill my thoughts, I may decide to leave it ratingless (starless?) because from where I stand, there's no convenient rating for this novel as a whole.

At the beginning of the novel I was more than satisfied. Kathy, the main character is my favorite kind of character-imperfect, intelligent, sharp-tongued and quirky. Everything flowed well, Goddard brings Kathy to life and gives her a fresh and engaging voice. When Rigel appeared-a talking white skunk with a British accent, I may have raised my eyebrows, but decided that this would definitely be fun. Well, it was. The banter between Rigel and Kathy often made me laugh. At that point I didn't question anything, but waited with bated breath for the story to explode. It held so much promise and potential to be, if nothing else, insanely entertaining. Until 60% percent into it, I saw myself giving it four stars.

But sadly, that's when things get messy. As the demons start wrecking havoc in Kathy's life, more and more questions popped up, most of them never answered, the others resolved into something completely unsatisfying. What's the thing with her mother(s)? How does Aka, the wonderful and protective best-friend-becomes-love interest, know so much about Rigel? And then, when the climax came, I was so completely let down. It was such a major disappointment.

(view spoiler)

From there, my enthusiasm plummeted into depths of impatient despair. Add to it the perfect sister who is constantly mentioned but makes a short and useless appearance, a rushed romance and confusing ending, and I was completely lost. The final third of the novel was thin and felt unfinished and I didn't like it at all.

So there you have it. Now you see why I'm torn on the rating. I have very mixed feelings about Four In The Morning. I liked it a lot in the beginning, but was so disappointed later on that it ruined the entire book for me. (less)

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Jan 05, 2013 Georgianna Simpson rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Paranormal, humor readers

Four in the Morning Review by Georgianna Simpson
(copy of book provided by author for purpose of honest review)

Kathleen is a very intelligent young teenage girl with severe parental issues, her “less than teen model” size and Goth look keep her out of the popular stream of high school life. Her talent at writing and intelligence lets her see much of the world around her differently. It seems at first she’s exaggerating her issues with her mother, but in reality they’re incredibly dysfunctional....more

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Nov 13, 2012 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons

This book has been given to be by Rebecca Hamilton for an honest review.

To be honest I wasn’t sure about this book until I start reading it. After a couple of pages, I was already drawn by the story! “Four in the Morning” by Christi Goddard is a dark and fast-paced book and definitely a read for all the fans of the paranormal and mystery.

The story is about Kathleen. She is a teenager with a lot of problems. The biggest one? Her mother. But she could handle her. One day things become pretty weird...more This book has been given to be by Rebecca Hamilton for an honest review.

To be honest I wasn’t sure about this book until I start reading it. After a couple of pages, I was already drawn by the story! “Four in the Morning” by Christi Goddard is a dark and fast-paced book and definitely a read for all the fans of the paranormal and mystery.

The story is about Kathleen. She is a teenager with a lot of problems. The biggest one? Her mother. But she could handle her. One day things become pretty weird: a former childhood friend asked her for a favor and a weird magical creature makes an appearance in her life. Soon, she finds herself in a lot of trouble and things go from bad to worse.

I liked Kathleen because she an honest girl. She had an awful childhood full of problems because of her mother and although she doesn’t admit it, because of her, she has also low self-esteem. She has a great mind and just want to do her own business but lately that seems very difficult. I liked her, also, because she doesn’t want to depend on other people, although it’s not always right because there are times that she is very alone and she doesn’t let anyone else know.

Aka is her best friend and a very weird guy. He speaks like a poet and with riddles. I found him very interesting character and it was good that the mystery about him it was until the end. I liked him but I would love him to be more spontaneous and more bold.

Josh is the former childhood friend who wants a favor. I found him very interesting and I really think that he should have more part in the book! At first he seems a jerk but after a while I realized that he’s a nice guy and he had some nice moments in the story.

Should I say something about Rigel? Yeah, to be honest, I didn’t like him from the beginning! Also, not only I didn’t like her mother but I really believe that she is the ultimate bitch!

The plot was very interesting and I have to admit that it was one of the most weird books that I’ve ever read! I hope that there will be a second book because the ending was… OMG!! Finally, I have to say that this story brings up the subject of the bullying in school. The main character has a lot of problems because of her looks and I liked the way the author writes about it.

So, this is a very nice read and I am sure that all the fans of dark/paranormal/urban fantasy will enjoy!!
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Jul 27, 2012 Shae Carcar rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://understandingshaestory.blogspo...

Overall Thoughts:
This was a very quick and unconventional read with thrilling, hair-raising moments!

Four in the Morning is about a girl in high school named Kathleen Hayson, who is the epitome of sarcasm. Her mother is a pretty terrible person, who verbally abuses Kathleen about her weight and her smart mouth, and her father is always absent because of work reasons. Because of that, Kathleen has always used her sarcasm and bitterness to guard her, and is o...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Roxanne Kade rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wasn't quiet sure what to make of this book. Christi Goddard is a wonderful storyteller, and I enjoyed her writing style but the story as a whole was a little strange. It was unique in so many ways, which kept me reading, but I just can't help feeling like there should have been more to it.

I initially liked Kathleen for her quick wit and sarcasm but after a while she just became annoying and precocious. Yes, she's had a hard life with a more-absent-than-not father, a control freak mother, and...more I wasn't quiet sure what to make of this book. Christi Goddard is a wonderful storyteller, and I enjoyed her writing style but the story as a whole was a little strange. It was unique in so many ways, which kept me reading, but I just can't help feeling like there should have been more to it.

I initially liked Kathleen for her quick wit and sarcasm but after a while she just became annoying and precocious. Yes, she's had a hard life with a more-absent-than-not father, a control freak mother, and having to live in the shadow of her beautiful, charming sister, but some of the things she did, and the way she treated people, especially her friends, made me dislike her. At one point she even insulted herself in the process of ridiculing everyone else.

Some of the events in Kathleen's life were brutal, and I would hate to see anyone suffer the way she did, so naturally there were times when my heart ached for her. I just wish I could have warmed to her a bit more.

At first glance Josh Colby seems like a real jerk, he doesn't particularly care about Kathleen and his only interest in her is so she can help him get into another girl's pants. But then something happens and his interest shifts to her. I wasn't sure what his intentions were so I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but then he became stalkerish and after a particular phonecall, I ruled him out as being a good guy.

Aka, on the other hand was wonderful the entire time. He was the typical good guy, a friend you can rely on in any situation. He really deserved a medal for putting up with Kathleen. He was just so genuine and I was aghast when she chose to believe Rigel over Aka. For all her quick wit and smarts, I thought Kathleen would have known better - her best friend or the magical creature that appeared so suddenly...hmm...

When the truth about Rigel is revealed I was thrown for a loop. I was not expecting it at all. The explanation for his appearance seemed a little odd. It wasn't too farfetched, but it just didn't fit into the rest of the story. It felt like a bit of an afterthought.

For the most part, this book flowed well. There were times when it lagged in pace, and then there were times when it was so rushed, I felt like I had missed something. The latter refers to the ending, when the answer to all the strange happenings jumps into focus and then the story is over.

I had such high expectations for this story but in the end it failed to impress me. I wish I could have loved it more, but as I have learnt, not every book is for every reader...
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Jun 11, 2012 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, urban-fantasy, paranormal

What a fast paced crazy fun time of a read! Right from start to finish you are really inside the main character's head and feeling exactly what she is feeling. It made me really feel an instant rapport with Kathleen. I really "got" her and her bitter, jaded look at life.

The character development of Kathleen was really in depth and well done. She's yet another rebellious teenager with a lousy home life. Yet she is damaged a bit more than the average teenager, too. The typical bad ass kid with the...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Charity Bradford rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fantasy

First thing I noticed? The voice. It's excellent! You should read the book just to see how an author can ooze voice. Yeah, it's that good.

I loved everything about Kathleen--the fact she wasn't your normal skinny beauty queen teen or sickly sweet. She had a scathing wit that she wore like chain mail. and it was AWESOME. This story is NOT your typical YA. Not even close. I'm not even sure how to explain how it's different, but the words raw, real, snarky, angry, surprising all come to mind.

The onl...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Brianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

First, I have to say a huge THANK YOU to Rebecca Hamilton (author of The Forever Girl) for offering Four In The Morning in exchange for a review. I am so glad she did because I absolutely LOVED Four In The Morning!!

When I read the blurb, I knew I had to read it because I have a weirdo cat named Rygel. What I didn't expect was how much I loved Kathleen. She is my new idol. Her snarky attitude was written perfectly. I also highly enjoyed Rigel and AKA, I loved what their characters brought to the...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Mirrani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-and-reviewed

I found that I had to read this book in a place where outbursts were acceptable, preferably in private, because I simply couldn't contain the moments of random laughter or shouts of surprise that would erupt from my mouth as I read this. I was really drawn in from the very beginning. The main character is witty and believable and I found myself deeply involved in most of her emotional situations. I will admit to being sick and tired of hearing about this letter she promised she would write for s...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

So… my brain is still like this:

- days after reading Four in the Morning because…I can’t even begin to process that incredible jaw dropping ending.

I love that the cover reflects the theme of the story and the main character Kathleen so well.The cool fall day in the background plays perfectly into the creepy mysterious aspects and the cover model who is pale and dressed in black portrays the spitting image of Kathleen.

The story begins with an introduction to Kathleen and several different aspects...more So… my brain is still like this:

- days after reading Four in the Morning because…I can’t even begin to process that incredible jaw dropping ending.

I love that the cover reflects the theme of the story and the main character Kathleen so well.The cool fall day in the background plays perfectly into the creepy mysterious aspects and the cover model who is pale and dressed in black portrays the spitting image of Kathleen.

The story begins with an introduction to Kathleen and several different aspects of her life. She’s always butting heads with her slightly neurotic mother, the school’s most popular boy Josh engaged her writing skills for a love letter, her philosophical best friend Aka and a magical talking white skunk named Rigel shows up in her room to warn her of impending danger.

I loved that the character of Kathleen isn’t your archetype pretty blond, size 0, perky and agreeable heroine. She’s got a snarky sharp wit with a vocabulary that can dance circles around any dimwitted jock and an iron will to endure all the crap her mother or classmates throw at her regarding her appearance and slightly bitter attitude. What was a bit jarring was how well she accepted a talking woodland creature into her life - albeit with some initial assertions that it was a sugar induced hallucination.

The boys of the book were such an amazing mix. Riley - the arch-nemesis of Kathleen, really takes hateful bullying to whole new and terrifying level that left me shaking with a mix of anger and fear for Kathleen. Aka - the cryptic best friend who spoke in riddles and rhymes was interesting, but like Kathleen I had issues understanding him until she shook him and demanded it in simple English. However, Aka surprised me as a character that you could always depend on solidly to be there for Kathleen no matter what. Josh - who originally struck me as a really daft and useless character, ended up showing moments of intelligence and depth that engaged my interest, I’m actually kind of sad that we don’t get to see a more explicit explanation of him, especially after some huge revelations.

A lot of this story revolved around a really traumatic childhood for Kathleen. The character of her mom is all the extremes of a psychotic TV mom, such as being super pretty (by sheer will she could yell her hair back into place), shallow (I think she lives off of other’s praise and approval), with a dash of overly religious cult follower (which probably created Kathleen’s extreme dislike of religions later on) - who expects nothing but perfection from her children. So when you get a wilful disobedient daughter who isn’t afraid of you anymore… it’s a recipe for disaster.

Enter the very “Alice in Wonderland: White Rabbit” character: Rigel the proper British white skunk who shows up during a very difficult time in Kathleen’s life with a dire warning that someone will betray her, and that there’s a great tragedy that he’s there to prevent. But first - he needs to know every intimate detail about her life as he shadows her daily and gives her riddled answers that could rival Aka. I really loved Rigel’s character, he provided a surreal view of the events coupled with fur filled comic relief.

When I was first reading this, I wasn’t really sure what to make of these divergences to all these aspects of Kathleen’s life, it really felt like everything was random and coming at me out of nowhere. I was throughly confused as to what the whole point of the story… right up until the bodies started dropping… then I was HOOKED!

Goddard’s writing style is stunning!! She crafts distinct character voices that I could hear with clarity as I read and she definitely knows how to drive home tense and viscerally graphic details (I can’t look at eggplant the same anymore…). While the beginning was a bit slow to start, it lulled me into a false sense of security. Then it gets dark. I got to this part right before bed - it was a bad idea because as soon as Kathleen starts falling down this insane spiral of murder, missing people, and suddenly boys tripping over her I was screaming in my head “What is going on?!”. Before I knew it, I was taken on an intense plot twist roller coaster that was flinging me in a thousand unpredictable directions, with bombshell after bombshell being dropped until we get to the climactic tipping point and all the horrible secrets are revealed and Kathleen has to decide who pays the price for all the complaints of her life. Then, just when you think Goddard is done, she drops the biggest twist of all - that left Kathleen and I both in utter shell shock. It’s one of those endings where it’s so insane, I still wonder if all of it happened… just for THAT. (less)

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May 20, 2012 Lindsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of Four in the Morning and finished it in two days. Despite the quick read, the story stayed with me for days afterward. The flawed, but often hilarious, Kathleen leaped off the pages, as did every other character in the book.

There were many times throughout the story when something so unexpected would happen, I would backtrack and reread just to experience that shock again. The surprises made sense to the story though, and Kathleen’s reactions made them realistic.

Kathleen seem...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

My Thoughts
We start Four In The Morning Kathleen the protagonist, as she is moaning about her Mum lying to Josh Colby. Josh want's Kathleen to write a letter to a girl for him, but to pretend it's off him. She initially refuses, but after her Mum hears Kathleen's nickname, Elchubba, she puts Kathleen on a strict diet. Kathleen now agrees to write the letter in return for payment. We soon learn who josh wanted a letter written to and why. As the story progresses we learn more about Kathleen an...more

My Thoughts
We start Four In The Morning Kathleen the protagonist, as she is moaning about her Mum lying to Josh Colby. Josh want's Kathleen to write a letter to a girl for him, but to pretend it's off him. She initially refuses, but after her Mum hears Kathleen's nickname, Elchubba, she puts Kathleen on a strict diet. Kathleen now agrees to write the letter in return for payment. We soon learn who josh wanted a letter written to and why. As the story progresses we learn more about Kathleen and her friends, but we also get to see a different side to Josh. Soon people are dying or missing and it all leads back to Kathleen. She must find out what is happening before it's too late.

Before starting Four In The Morning I had not read or heard about the author beforehand, so I did not know what to expect in the book. When I began reading I was pleasantly surprised and found myself enjoying the book more than I thought I did. Although there were some small parts that didn't grip me as much as the others I still found myself wanting to know what happens next.

When Rigel the skunk was introduced I loved him, he just appeared and talked and was a general pain but in a funny way. Can I have one please...possibly one that doesn't stink the house out after finishing the book I think I'm quite happy with cats, dogs, hamsters, you know, the usual pets :)

Love the idea behind AKA's name and it made me chuckle. I may not like my middle name, but I am glad my parents decided on a sensible first name for me. During Four In The Morning Kathleen receives a shock during an argument with her mother, one that changes how she saw her entire life. It does explain a lot of things but I did feel sorry for her, having this discovery thrown at her in the heat of the moment rather than being sat down and told about it was not the best way to learn about it.

As the story progresses more things happen and while Kathleen was trying to discover what was going on, I was discovering along with her. As the story slowly comes to a conclusion we get to see the truth behind it all, and it was one I did not suspect.
I enjoyed reading about the world and characters Christi has created, and AKA will be stuck in my mind for a long time.(less)

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Jun 09, 2012 Mini rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-adult, urban-fantasy, paranormal-fantasy, paranormal

WOW!!! I absolutely loved it. It was a wonderful read. I loved Kathleen, she is witty and knows how to carry herself with confidence, and has a sharp tongue. I wish I was more like her in my school days when things were difficult at times, but who doesn't go through tough times growing up, Kathleen can prove to be an idol to all those- there is much to learn from her. But again, nobody is perfect, through the pages you will see her growing as a person.I had many LOL moments,oh, Kathleen and her...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Maghon Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, young-adult, review-4-author

Ok this is a oddly weird but enjoyable book. First, I completely understand Kathleen. She’s cute but chubby, so she has some issues in high school. I can’t relate to her on the parent issue though, I had a great mom and she has horrible ones. I like the characters, and the story is very interesting but I did feel there could have been a little bit more in the climax. The story builds very well and the climax happens and it’s all over. Now let me make clear that I’m not saying this story isn’t we...more Ok this is a oddly weird but enjoyable book. First, I completely understand Kathleen. She’s cute but chubby, so she has some issues in high school. I can’t relate to her on the parent issue though, I had a great mom and she has horrible ones. I like the characters, and the story is very interesting but I did feel there could have been a little bit more in the climax. The story builds very well and the climax happens and it’s all over. Now let me make clear that I’m not saying this story isn’t well written or it’s a bad story. I did NOT have trouble getting through it, or find it boring, just a lil sumtin more could be there.

Now with that said, I really like Kathleen. I completely feel her food habit- I have one of my own lol- but I live in south Louisiana Cajun country, so everyone here does when her mother-evil- takes away all edible food and leave veggies and cardboard, she takes a payoff for writing a letter for a boy she doesn’t like to a girl she hates and they are both friend with her arch enemy. Hehhe so high school, eh!

I like the mystery part. Trying to figure out who did what to whom was what really kept me interested. Her mom goes missing, her arch enemy attacks her then shows up dead, she finds out mind blowing info about her parents and the big whopper of a lie they’ve told her, and to top it off, a talking albino skunk is making her insane.

The part I felt missing is this, I’m all about the “why”. Ya know, vampires and werewolves hate each other because….. Well, all these actions lead to this conclusion because… I didn’t like that explanation. Lol yes I know, I didn’t write the book, so I shouldn’t get to pick the “why” it happened. I DID like how it unfolded, and even the conclusion, so please don’t NOT read this book because I’ve said I didn’t like the “why”. If this book continued into a series, I would still pick up book 2 cuz I did like it. There’s many good things about this book which is why I’m not giving it a bad rating. I actually hope it does continue. I’m glad how things turned out for Kathleen, Aka and Josh and I’m not at all sorry about her mom nor her dad! so now you can add this book to your huge TBR pile
3.5 PAWS(less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Fara Nani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, received-for-review

3.5 stars.

Review on blog: Four in the Morning Review

OK. First of all, the description wasn’t kidding when it said that Kathleen, the protagonist has a big mouth. Kathleen’s attitude, the words that comes out from mouth more specifically, was kind of annoying at first. But as you turn the page, you kind of get used to it and sometimes even laughed at what she said.

The night she was grounded by her mother, a talking skunk appeared in her room. When her mother was gone missing and Ryan found that,...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Nikki Jefford rated it 5 of 5 stars

What I loved most about FOUR IN THE MORNING was the main character, Kathleen’s voice. There were many comments she made that I could relate to back in my high school days… back when I considered myself a dark minded wit surround by idiots. LOL

This story took a completely unexpected turn.

You have to be patient and let the plot play out. At first I was really starting to wonder what the heck was up with the talking skunk. WTF? And the whole letter writing scheme – what happed to that scenario?

I w...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Ruby Tombstone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: okay-okay-its-ya, youre-living-in-a-fantasy-man

I'm going to do something here I've never done before. I'm rating this book not for what it is, but for what it very easily could have been (indeed should have been) with a few simple edits. There is a lot to like about this book: a strong, highly relatable voice to the lead character, good dialogue, a unique story, fast pacing and plenty of unexpected shocks. There were a couple of scenes in particular, relating to issues of abuse, that were highly disturbing and very nicely written. Goddard kn...more I'm going to do something here I've never done before. I'm rating this book not for what it is, but for what it very easily could have been (indeed should have been) with a few simple edits. There is a lot to like about this book: a strong, highly relatable voice to the lead character, good dialogue, a unique story, fast pacing and plenty of unexpected shocks. There were a couple of scenes in particular, relating to issues of abuse, that were highly disturbing and very nicely written. Goddard knows how to write about difficult subjects without descending into cliche, or losing the consistency of her character's tone. Those scenes are all the more shocking and believable for it.

The only issues I have with this story are very simple fixes, subtle things that a half-decent editor would have been able to tweak. I'm not talking about typos or obvious grammatical errors, (the proof-reading has been done very well), but just some basic tweaks to prevent the reader from being pulled out of the story in key points, and the fleshing out of a couple of key story elements, particularly the superquick resolution of the story at the end. Specifically, what I would love to have seen fixed up was this: (view spoiler)

See what I mean? All these issues - EASILY FIXED!

This book has great potential, hence the four stars, but the editing just lets it down. If I were this author, I would seriously consider re-releasing an edited version of the book. A few small changes would have made a world of difference.(less)

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May 30, 2012 Fel rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Disclaimer, I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review).

Told from the perspective of protagonist Kathleen Hayson, Four in the Morning is a dark tale about struggling to be a teenager when stranger than normal events begin to happen. Kathleen comes from an abusive home–one in which her mother sets her up as an example of bad teen behavior, and life at school isn’t more pleasant. Unfortunately, Kathleen’s mouth does little except get her in deeper trouble. Her former ch...more (Disclaimer, I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review).

Told from the perspective of protagonist Kathleen Hayson, Four in the Morning is a dark tale about struggling to be a teenager when stranger than normal events begin to happen. Kathleen comes from an abusive home–one in which her mother sets her up as an example of bad teen behavior, and life at school isn’t more pleasant. Unfortunately, Kathleen’s mouth does little except get her in deeper trouble. Her former childhood friend, Josh Colby asks her to write a letter to a girl he’s interested in and then a talking skunk named Rigel shows up and promises to help her with something. After Kathleen is attacked and her assailant turns up dead and Kathleen’s mother goes missing, Kathleen struggles to find her way off the police’s radar.

I’m still struggling to put together my thoughts on this novel. It was a highly character driven novel. Kathleen is a spunky character and you can never predict what’s going to pop out of her mouth or into her head. Often the story takes a detour through her train of thought.

"What is a gift horse? Why look in its mouth? Is it a hygiene thing? Is it because the Trojans would not have been fooled by the Greeks if they had looked in the Trojan Horse’s mouth and seen soldiers? If so, wouldn’t it be wise to look a gift horse in the mouth? Yet it’s an implication of stupidity if you do. It’s illogical."
Goddard, Christi. Four in the Morning (Kindle Locations 1316-1318).

Most of the reviews I’ve seen have praised Goddard for her ability to weave these streams of consciousness into the storyline, but I can’t say it’s something I personally enjoyed. They’re usually smart and witty but I always found myself wanting to get on with the story. Most readers will relate to Kathleen in some way; being bullied at school, not wanting to be just like everyone else, having a messed up family, or having strange animals come through the bedroom window for a chat . . . Her best friend Aka (my favorite character) brings new meaning to “a man of few words.” He spends most of his time drawing or waxing poetic.

Overall, the story was interesting, and it came with plenty of twists I never saw coming. I would have preferred something a bit more moving however. The beginning of the novel sets up the characters, but I wanted an event or some edge of my seat mystery that would keep me going through the novel. The first we get of this is when Rigel, the talking skunk, shows up. But even then we’re just left to wonder why there’s a strange talking skunk. As I said, it’s a character driven story. If you read the first few chapters and fall in love with Kathleen, you’ll have no problem making it through the rest of the story.

The ending . . . Well that was quite a twist and when you get there you’ll definitely be surprised. Kathleen ends up with life or death decisions on her shoulders, and has to figure out exactly who she should trust. At one point she even question the intentions of her best friend Aka. It’s a wild ride.

My verdict – check out the first few chapters, if you love Kathleen, and Goddard’s unique voice, you’ll love the story.

Find more of my reviews at Scotzig.com(less)

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Oct 09, 2012 Tona rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book!!

I loved the character of Kathleen. I loved her wit and sarcasm!! I found myself laughing and crying. I couldn't believe the terrible treatment she endured from her "mother" and how her father just pretended nothing was wrong. No matter what happened to Kathleen she never cowered. She stood strong and survived.

Not only did she survive her family but also whatever the supernatural world threw at her. I hope that there is more to this story. I really want to know what happens to h...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 12x12-challenge, 2012-challenges, abc-challenge, author-review-requests, ebooks, family, friendship, high-school, magic-paranormal, technology, young-adult

This review was originally posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings on December 3, 2012.

Let me start off by saying, I finished this book and the first thought that popped into my mind was "What the fuck?" Excuse the swearing but that really was the first thought I had. The last portion of the book is just so strange, so that phrase fits perfectly.

The story does a good job of pulling you in immediately. Kathleen is a tough character full of sharp wit and snark, which I really liked. Kathleen sure as...more

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May 22, 2012 Thomas Winship rated it 5 of 5 stars

Four In the Morning is quite an interesting read. In it, author Goddard takes dark humor, teen angst, a real knack for wordplay, and generous splashes of psychological drama and horror ... and blends them into something unpredictable and delightful. Each time I thought I had the story figured out, I was proven wrong.

I look forward to the next release from Ms. Goddard.

BTW-am I the only person who spent the majority of the novel viewing Rigel as a modern-day Mr. Tumnus?

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Jul 18, 2012 Vix (TToria) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: last-reads, ya

Brief thoughts: Pleasantly surprised by this one! A murder mystery of sorts, which is something I don't really read. But add a splash of paranormal & I'm there. In this case it was an albino talking skunk. I'm not kidding...
Heroine Kathleen is one of those girls that really touches your heart. I loved her sharp wit and blunt attitude despite her unfortunate situation(s).
Recommended
Full review & excerpt live for the Dark Minds Book Tour on Jul 30th - ttoria.blogspot.com

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Dec 11, 2012 Andrew Carlson rated it 4 of 5 stars

My rating is more like 4.5 for Four in the Morning by Christi Goddard. This is an engaging, quirky story and a quick, entertaining read. (Or maybe I was enjoying it so much that I flew through it.)

The story follows the wacky twists and turns in Kathleen's life, which the reader comes to find aren't all her own doing. (I won't go any further for fear of spoiling.) You will empathize and sympathize with Kathleen, and share her shock and surprise as events unfold.

The only criticism I have was wanti...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Ashley Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I loved it!! This was a fun read! This is quite a unique book.. I couldn't have imagined the direction that it took. There was a good mixture of LOL moments and WTF moments. The main character was easy to relate to. The first few set up chapters were kind of dry, but it picked up and never stopped. I would definitely recommend this book, it was different from most YA books.

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Jun 23, 2012 Malissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal

huh....I am not quite sure what to think. I didn't not like it, but I am not sure how to feel about it. It is a good book, just maybe a bit out there. I think I just need to sit on it a few days and roll it all around in my brain before I make a firm decision. Will there be a second? I am curious to know more.

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Jun 19, 2012 Steven Ramirez rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is an interesting novel. I especially enjoyed the way the author got into the head of an intelligent, sullen high school girl with a body image problem and a harpy for a mother. The dialogue is often sharp and surprising—something I appreciate. Definitely worth reading.

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Aug 29, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

I finished this book last night and I am still thinking about it, which is why I gave it 4 stars. There were times I wasn't sure about it but I also couldn't stop reading it. In the end I enjoyed all the characters...their positives and their negatives, and the writing style sucked you in and wouldn't let you go.

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May 10, 2012 Mirely rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: mature readers

Shelves: ya-paranormal-mystical, ya-dark, 2012-reading-challenge, 2012-reviews, arc

WOW! Just WOW! What a freaking roller coaster ride. This is how I felt the entire time I read the book. Not because there were ups and downs but because that can only describe this book's fast pace and intensity.

This author's writing style is amazing. I wish I could be as quick witted as Kathleen is in this book. I had laugh out loud moments, O.M.G.! moments and what the hell moments. For the majority of the book it feels like a dark contemporary more than a paranormal/fantasy/mystical type of...more

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BBCode	[url=http://gr-assets.com/book/show/13279622-four-in-the-morning?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1324580835l/13279622.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://gr-assets.com/book/show/13279622-four-in-the-morning?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Four in the Morning by Christi Goddard[/url]

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