Matthew Anthony Kojo Telles's Blog, page 3
March 9, 2022
The Reunion
I did have to get used to the story changing in the first chapter from first person to third person, which isn't a big deal at all, just something to take note of so you can keep reading with haste.
The introduction, where straight away, it showed something that I really liked: just how unreliable human memory is. Our memory is our own, and we think of it as mostly infallible. Of course, if we don't remember something we know it is lost, but if we remember we assume that is the correct course of events. That isn't the case at all however as even if you think you remember something, it is never going to be spot on. Other factors have to be taken into account. Like whether the person giving the information was under duress while giving that statement.
Another factor, one that is more relevant to this story is that if it is a mundane day, where you don't think anything is going to happen, and there isn't anything special going on, you aren't going to have the clearest recollection of events. I really appreciated this small detail that, at least with many books of this genre that I read, usually if left out.
We are shown third-person perspectives for a lot of different characters because the narrator is not omniscient, but rather only in one character's head at a time. We are meant to feel instantly connected to the character because they have been living their whole lives before we entered the fray, so they don't think about everything about their lives and tell us all about themselves. For example, when Rain is first given the spotlight we are let in on a major secret that she is keeping and yet it is treated as if there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. Which, for her to keep doing it means that she doesn't really see much wrong in it in the first place.
This familiarity is again shown because every character seems to always be thinking about something that they don't mention. We can later infer what this was, but when first introduced we know nothing, which is exactly how the author intended it to be.
Another thing is how the mundane is made to be a veil for everything else. Things are shoved into the normal story, where they are having fun, doing what they normally would, and then in the middle of that something is revealed, or hinted at that is like a punch in the gut. The contrasting between these is excellently thought out, but I am not the biggest fan of this. While it makes sense and is done well, the way it incorporates Samantha's writing style doesn't hit the right notes for me and sometimes feels a little too mundane. I am not one to only talk about how much I enjoyed the book, that is what my rating is for, but I also try and analyse these books objectively, so that others can get a good idea of what to expect, from the book rather than the feelings I feel when reading it. Throughout this half, I felt like putting the book down multiple times and didn't feel the urgency to read as much as possible. Objectively I can appreciate this half of the book, but it didn't draw me in and wasn't in line with my other interests.
Hidden behind the kind words and mundane lifestyle are secrets just bursting at the seams, waiting to be revealed. Hints are thrown, but nothing is ever certain. Inklings are had, but they don't give much and you are left wondering what had happened in all those years. Although the main focus, the cause of a lot of the things that happened is the disappearance of Eleanor, that doesn't mean that is all there is to it. There is a lot more going on beneath the surface, and we are first introduced to this new angle once the new disappearance happens.
Before I had started reading the second half of the book I considered dropping it. I wasn't enjoying it much and although it was brilliantly crafted, I just wasn't sure how it was all going to come together, and whether the reveal was going to be worth it.
I am so fucking glad that I didn't drop this book because I was on the edge of my seat for the entire second half of this book. The first scumbag, who was a horrible human being, knowing that we had seen inside their head and yet weren't able to pick up on the signs at first. And even after the main event they still carried on as if they had done nothing wrong as if the rest of the world was in the wrong, not them. This wasn't that shocking, as we all know that people can be horrible, but that wasn't what made this great. The construction of this book was amazing, through the second half it never felt like it was going on for too long and there was always the right amount of action and information to always keep you drawn in. This wasn't the reason that I rated the book so highly though, a well-constructed mystery thriller book can only be taken so high by its writing.
The reason that I rated this book as I did is because of the final reveal. All this time, right under our noses and yet we never knew. Of course, there were hints, if there weren't it would've been a horrible reveal as it would have made no sense. But the number of people listed as suspects, and yet nothing came of it, and one of the few people who wasn't put under the microscope was the person who had actually been doing it the whole time.
I had jokingly thought about this possibility, knowing that the rating would be raised a lot if that ending came to fruition, and as the ending got closer I realised just how much it was looking like Samantha was taking it in that direction.
Everything built up to the finale, where even more information was given about why that person did what they did to Lenni. From a sick twisted way, you could see where they were coming from, but at the same time any normal, rational human being wouldn't have done what they did.
At the end of the day, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, even if mystery thrillers aren't your favourite. When that final reveal happened it felt like my heart stopped, and I think that any book that can accomplish that is deserving of being read.
8.9/10
book: The Reunion
author: Samantha Hayes
The introduction, where straight away, it showed something that I really liked: just how unreliable human memory is. Our memory is our own, and we think of it as mostly infallible. Of course, if we don't remember something we know it is lost, but if we remember we assume that is the correct course of events. That isn't the case at all however as even if you think you remember something, it is never going to be spot on. Other factors have to be taken into account. Like whether the person giving the information was under duress while giving that statement.
Another factor, one that is more relevant to this story is that if it is a mundane day, where you don't think anything is going to happen, and there isn't anything special going on, you aren't going to have the clearest recollection of events. I really appreciated this small detail that, at least with many books of this genre that I read, usually if left out.
We are shown third-person perspectives for a lot of different characters because the narrator is not omniscient, but rather only in one character's head at a time. We are meant to feel instantly connected to the character because they have been living their whole lives before we entered the fray, so they don't think about everything about their lives and tell us all about themselves. For example, when Rain is first given the spotlight we are let in on a major secret that she is keeping and yet it is treated as if there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. Which, for her to keep doing it means that she doesn't really see much wrong in it in the first place.
This familiarity is again shown because every character seems to always be thinking about something that they don't mention. We can later infer what this was, but when first introduced we know nothing, which is exactly how the author intended it to be.
Another thing is how the mundane is made to be a veil for everything else. Things are shoved into the normal story, where they are having fun, doing what they normally would, and then in the middle of that something is revealed, or hinted at that is like a punch in the gut. The contrasting between these is excellently thought out, but I am not the biggest fan of this. While it makes sense and is done well, the way it incorporates Samantha's writing style doesn't hit the right notes for me and sometimes feels a little too mundane. I am not one to only talk about how much I enjoyed the book, that is what my rating is for, but I also try and analyse these books objectively, so that others can get a good idea of what to expect, from the book rather than the feelings I feel when reading it. Throughout this half, I felt like putting the book down multiple times and didn't feel the urgency to read as much as possible. Objectively I can appreciate this half of the book, but it didn't draw me in and wasn't in line with my other interests.
Hidden behind the kind words and mundane lifestyle are secrets just bursting at the seams, waiting to be revealed. Hints are thrown, but nothing is ever certain. Inklings are had, but they don't give much and you are left wondering what had happened in all those years. Although the main focus, the cause of a lot of the things that happened is the disappearance of Eleanor, that doesn't mean that is all there is to it. There is a lot more going on beneath the surface, and we are first introduced to this new angle once the new disappearance happens.
Before I had started reading the second half of the book I considered dropping it. I wasn't enjoying it much and although it was brilliantly crafted, I just wasn't sure how it was all going to come together, and whether the reveal was going to be worth it.
I am so fucking glad that I didn't drop this book because I was on the edge of my seat for the entire second half of this book. The first scumbag, who was a horrible human being, knowing that we had seen inside their head and yet weren't able to pick up on the signs at first. And even after the main event they still carried on as if they had done nothing wrong as if the rest of the world was in the wrong, not them. This wasn't that shocking, as we all know that people can be horrible, but that wasn't what made this great. The construction of this book was amazing, through the second half it never felt like it was going on for too long and there was always the right amount of action and information to always keep you drawn in. This wasn't the reason that I rated the book so highly though, a well-constructed mystery thriller book can only be taken so high by its writing.
The reason that I rated this book as I did is because of the final reveal. All this time, right under our noses and yet we never knew. Of course, there were hints, if there weren't it would've been a horrible reveal as it would have made no sense. But the number of people listed as suspects, and yet nothing came of it, and one of the few people who wasn't put under the microscope was the person who had actually been doing it the whole time.
I had jokingly thought about this possibility, knowing that the rating would be raised a lot if that ending came to fruition, and as the ending got closer I realised just how much it was looking like Samantha was taking it in that direction.
Everything built up to the finale, where even more information was given about why that person did what they did to Lenni. From a sick twisted way, you could see where they were coming from, but at the same time any normal, rational human being wouldn't have done what they did.
At the end of the day, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, even if mystery thrillers aren't your favourite. When that final reveal happened it felt like my heart stopped, and I think that any book that can accomplish that is deserving of being read.
8.9/10
book: The Reunion
author: Samantha Hayes
March 4, 2022
The Girls I've Been
Broken down into parts and we're given the timing for each part. Within this, we are also given an update on how much time has passed during each new chapter. It allows easy tracking of where we are in the book, and how long until the bank robbery is over.
We're instantly able to see the dynamic of the relationships between the three characters. Iris and Wes don't really have one, Wes doesn't like Nora, and Iris is defensive about her. While we are shown the characters straight away, what we do not know is why they are at the bank. They are, and they are trying to get something over quickly, but it isn't established what, 'that' is yet.
We are also introduced to her way of thinking. As soon as the gunman pulls his gun out, she takes note of everything of importance. His eye colour, how tall he is, what he is wearing etc. which just shows what kind of life she had lived beforehand.
Every few chapters a new part of her life is introduced. Someone that she cares about, with it first being Iris, and then moving over to her sister Lee. This way of introducing characters when the main character knows them already is much better than trying to shoehorn it in whilst something completely different is going on.
As the chapters go on we are sent all over the place. At times it seemed a little random, but by the end, it would perfectly link in with what was going on during the bank robbery. We are able to not only be told about her past but also see certain parts. How far her mother was willing to go for a heist, she didn't really care about the harm that came to her daughter, not unless it jeopardised the plan.
These details aren't only being revealed to us slowly But also to her current girlfriend. Quite early on she is able to tell her some things, talking to her about certain parts of her life but never having the time to go on a deep dive and let her know everything. She doesn't want to lose her, so she feels helpless when Iris slowly learns more and more details. She has to focus on the main task at hand though, which is why she doesn't have the ability to tell her everything. She has to work through this con while also wanting to, trying to protect the other people trapped with her, which is not her usual style.
More insights into her past are given and we are able to see how she was slowly broken down by the people around her. How she really has no sense of herself. She wasn't able to grow and experience things like a normal kid. As she mentions when talking about a guy, one of the marks, tried to groom her but wasn't able to. It was because her mother got to her first. Grooming her into the con artist that she grew into. Like a younger version of herself.
However, that isn't the end of the story. Just because she was taught who to be by her mother doesn't mean that she didn't learn things on her own. Not only did she become someone who was an accumulation of all her mother's lessons, but she also improved on everything. Surpassing her mother, and getting her put in jail.
The story isn't over though. This arc might have ended, but there is still so much that could happen. We don't know what is going to happen to Nora, Wes, Iris or Lee. We only know that there is a storm brewing. Whether Raymond, her stepfather and the one who wants to kill her, catches up or chooses to let it go, we don't know.
I would definitely recommend this book. Not only are the characters interesting, and the story intriguing, but the way this book is constructed is wonderfully done. It isn't a linear storyline. There are a lot of different fonts, and information about timings are constantly given. Not only that, but every little thing collected, that could possibly help them in their quest for freedom, is shown at the start of each chapter along with the current plan, what number it is and all the failed ones beforehand.
There is a lot more to this book than initially meets the eye. It might seem to be only about the bank robbery at first, but there is an underlying story throughout the whole thing that accumulates at the end and the final scenes of the heist-gone-wrong show who Nora is as a character now. The exploration of abuse was done really well too. It was convincing, made me angry on their behalf, and being one of the main messages from this book I can say that the job done here was amazing. Loved this book.
book: The Girls I've Been
author: Tess Sharpe
We're instantly able to see the dynamic of the relationships between the three characters. Iris and Wes don't really have one, Wes doesn't like Nora, and Iris is defensive about her. While we are shown the characters straight away, what we do not know is why they are at the bank. They are, and they are trying to get something over quickly, but it isn't established what, 'that' is yet.
We are also introduced to her way of thinking. As soon as the gunman pulls his gun out, she takes note of everything of importance. His eye colour, how tall he is, what he is wearing etc. which just shows what kind of life she had lived beforehand.
Every few chapters a new part of her life is introduced. Someone that she cares about, with it first being Iris, and then moving over to her sister Lee. This way of introducing characters when the main character knows them already is much better than trying to shoehorn it in whilst something completely different is going on.
As the chapters go on we are sent all over the place. At times it seemed a little random, but by the end, it would perfectly link in with what was going on during the bank robbery. We are able to not only be told about her past but also see certain parts. How far her mother was willing to go for a heist, she didn't really care about the harm that came to her daughter, not unless it jeopardised the plan.
These details aren't only being revealed to us slowly But also to her current girlfriend. Quite early on she is able to tell her some things, talking to her about certain parts of her life but never having the time to go on a deep dive and let her know everything. She doesn't want to lose her, so she feels helpless when Iris slowly learns more and more details. She has to focus on the main task at hand though, which is why she doesn't have the ability to tell her everything. She has to work through this con while also wanting to, trying to protect the other people trapped with her, which is not her usual style.
More insights into her past are given and we are able to see how she was slowly broken down by the people around her. How she really has no sense of herself. She wasn't able to grow and experience things like a normal kid. As she mentions when talking about a guy, one of the marks, tried to groom her but wasn't able to. It was because her mother got to her first. Grooming her into the con artist that she grew into. Like a younger version of herself.
However, that isn't the end of the story. Just because she was taught who to be by her mother doesn't mean that she didn't learn things on her own. Not only did she become someone who was an accumulation of all her mother's lessons, but she also improved on everything. Surpassing her mother, and getting her put in jail.
The story isn't over though. This arc might have ended, but there is still so much that could happen. We don't know what is going to happen to Nora, Wes, Iris or Lee. We only know that there is a storm brewing. Whether Raymond, her stepfather and the one who wants to kill her, catches up or chooses to let it go, we don't know.
I would definitely recommend this book. Not only are the characters interesting, and the story intriguing, but the way this book is constructed is wonderfully done. It isn't a linear storyline. There are a lot of different fonts, and information about timings are constantly given. Not only that, but every little thing collected, that could possibly help them in their quest for freedom, is shown at the start of each chapter along with the current plan, what number it is and all the failed ones beforehand.
There is a lot more to this book than initially meets the eye. It might seem to be only about the bank robbery at first, but there is an underlying story throughout the whole thing that accumulates at the end and the final scenes of the heist-gone-wrong show who Nora is as a character now. The exploration of abuse was done really well too. It was convincing, made me angry on their behalf, and being one of the main messages from this book I can say that the job done here was amazing. Loved this book.
book: The Girls I've Been
author: Tess Sharpe
February 28, 2022
One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying #2)
Being a continuation from the first book, 'One of Us is Lying' it features a lot of the same characters. They don't have as central a focus as they did in the first one, as this book is basically about the next generation. We are once again introduced to Maeve, Bronwyn's little sister, who is now almost the age her sister was when everything started previously. We can already see that Maeve, although she likes the friends that her sister left behind when going to college, she wants other people of her own. She wants people that she made friends with because of herself, and not ones that she made because of her sister, no matter how much she actually likes them.
It was really interesting seeing everything that happened from outside perspectives, especially from Phoebe and Knox. They weren't involved at all in the first book, but seeing them being a part of this one, and talking about everything that happened makes what happened throughout the first book seem more real. There was also the mention of people trying to copy what Simon did, although to less extreme scales. The only one that lasted more than a few days was eventually forcefully shut down by the school. However, as they get used to these copycats, thinking it distasteful, someone decides to raise the stakes and actually restart Simon's work properly. First sending a message to Phoebe, who we know did something during a party and feels terribly guilty about it, which she of course ignores as no one would think otherwise, especially with how many other people had tried to do the same thing without succeeding.
As the story progresses, the levels that the person giving the truth or dare game increase. Instead of being a small thing like putting a toy chicken head on the top of a building, the dares become more deadly. Everyone has secrets, and no one wants those secrets revealed which is why they are always picking dare instead.
I should say that it is crazy how many people have secrets that they don't want to be revealed. It is a given that the people around us have a lot of secrets that they won't tell us, but the amount these people have, and the severity of them is insane. It is hard to imagine, even with the amble secrets that everyone has, that they would even be this big, or despair-inducing.
It was really great how Karen was able to separate herself from her characters, the ones from the last book, and look at them from an outside perspective, and look at their flaws as if she were the other character. It was something that I noticed straight away, and something that made this book feel more real.
The final sequence felt underwhelming at first. It was over too quickly and we didn't really know much about what had happened. However, as more and more was revealed we were given shock after shock. The first person being involved wasn't much of a shock. In the previous book, we had seen another person who was showing the same symptoms and both their roles turned out to be very similar in the end. Not the same, but there were a lot of similarities between their situations.
This book felt like a different book. One thing that can happen when you're writing about different characters while also including the previous ones is that you start to fall into those same habits and it makes the book feel the same and more boring. This didn't happen once, however, which is a massive testament to Karen, who did an amazing job making sure that she didn't fall into the trap that a lot of authors accidentally fall into.
Every character felt real, and none of them had lacking characteristics which was really nice. It is always hard to fully flesh out a character when they only have one-third of the book at their disposal. To achieve this she really utilised the others' perspectives to add more to the ones whose heads we weren't inside.
And the ending. Wow!
I didn't have a clue about that. I thought that they didn't have any involvement, but I should have guessed it earlier. Karen left a lot of clues, that at the time didn't seem really important, but looking back now I can see that they really were. Like in her first book, she left a lot of clues about who the person/people could be, and we had to piece together which one made the most sense if we wanted any information beforehand.
It wasn't even something I had taken into consideration, so when she revealed it, using one singular word, I instantly knew who it was and I felt extremely shocked.
This was an amazing book and I would definitely recommend it. I was apprehensive about reading it because I don't like reading books where the main characters/character are no longer the main characters/characters. This, however, made up for that as it gave me everything I could have wanted and more.
Loved it!
book: One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying, #2)
author: Karen M. McManus
It was really interesting seeing everything that happened from outside perspectives, especially from Phoebe and Knox. They weren't involved at all in the first book, but seeing them being a part of this one, and talking about everything that happened makes what happened throughout the first book seem more real. There was also the mention of people trying to copy what Simon did, although to less extreme scales. The only one that lasted more than a few days was eventually forcefully shut down by the school. However, as they get used to these copycats, thinking it distasteful, someone decides to raise the stakes and actually restart Simon's work properly. First sending a message to Phoebe, who we know did something during a party and feels terribly guilty about it, which she of course ignores as no one would think otherwise, especially with how many other people had tried to do the same thing without succeeding.
As the story progresses, the levels that the person giving the truth or dare game increase. Instead of being a small thing like putting a toy chicken head on the top of a building, the dares become more deadly. Everyone has secrets, and no one wants those secrets revealed which is why they are always picking dare instead.
I should say that it is crazy how many people have secrets that they don't want to be revealed. It is a given that the people around us have a lot of secrets that they won't tell us, but the amount these people have, and the severity of them is insane. It is hard to imagine, even with the amble secrets that everyone has, that they would even be this big, or despair-inducing.
It was really great how Karen was able to separate herself from her characters, the ones from the last book, and look at them from an outside perspective, and look at their flaws as if she were the other character. It was something that I noticed straight away, and something that made this book feel more real.
The final sequence felt underwhelming at first. It was over too quickly and we didn't really know much about what had happened. However, as more and more was revealed we were given shock after shock. The first person being involved wasn't much of a shock. In the previous book, we had seen another person who was showing the same symptoms and both their roles turned out to be very similar in the end. Not the same, but there were a lot of similarities between their situations.
This book felt like a different book. One thing that can happen when you're writing about different characters while also including the previous ones is that you start to fall into those same habits and it makes the book feel the same and more boring. This didn't happen once, however, which is a massive testament to Karen, who did an amazing job making sure that she didn't fall into the trap that a lot of authors accidentally fall into.
Every character felt real, and none of them had lacking characteristics which was really nice. It is always hard to fully flesh out a character when they only have one-third of the book at their disposal. To achieve this she really utilised the others' perspectives to add more to the ones whose heads we weren't inside.
And the ending. Wow!
I didn't have a clue about that. I thought that they didn't have any involvement, but I should have guessed it earlier. Karen left a lot of clues, that at the time didn't seem really important, but looking back now I can see that they really were. Like in her first book, she left a lot of clues about who the person/people could be, and we had to piece together which one made the most sense if we wanted any information beforehand.
It wasn't even something I had taken into consideration, so when she revealed it, using one singular word, I instantly knew who it was and I felt extremely shocked.
This was an amazing book and I would definitely recommend it. I was apprehensive about reading it because I don't like reading books where the main characters/character are no longer the main characters/characters. This, however, made up for that as it gave me everything I could have wanted and more.
Loved it!
book: One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying, #2)
author: Karen M. McManus
One of Us is Lying
Ever-changing perspectives, this book establishes the characters from the offset really well. We get to understand more about why Bronwyn is so particular, that Addy's life isn't anywhere near perfect and she relies on Jake a lot, Nate might be a criminal but is not a bad person, Cooper has a lot of pressure on him from the other around him not thinking that maybe he isn't always as strong as the person he projects himself as and Simon the writer for the school's gossip app that leaks everything about everyone, but he dies as the story id starting from drinking some water that somehow had peanuts in it.
Everyone one of those people might have motivation for this killing, but who was the one who actually did it? Or was it none of them at all?
The author shows at first hints that every person in this story hold some sort of secret and that it is a secret that could change their lives. They are all aiming for something, something that could be taken away from them if their secrets were revealed- is what we are led to think.
I really liked the way that each character reacted significantly different to the reveal of their secret. Bronwyn was much more scared of the opinion over what she did, rather than the actual consequences. She worried in ways that the other people didn't and was able to tell her parents straight away that what was said wasn't a lie.
Addy did what she did, which wasn't a nice thing to do, but it felt like it ended with the best outcome. She wasn't happy in that situation and she found out more about herself once the secret was revealed, no matter how painful it was at first.
Nate was affected the least in the moment, but obviously, because he is on probation, he doesn't have any room for error. He was still struggling in his own ways, as his family not only isn't as wealthy as some of the others but also wouldn't be willing to help him out by any kind of monetary payment for some kind of lawyer.
Cooper on the other hand isn't as affected by all this as people don't know whether the rumour about him is true or not, and he doesn't clear it up one way or the other so most just assume that there isn't much truth to the allegations. What is revealed when we are able to go inside his head is that there is more to the allegations than we think. He is doing something else that he doesn't want anyone to find out and we are led to believe that it is a certain thing that involves his girlfriend, or should I say doesn't involve her.
It was beautifully crafted, being able to see how they all reacted differently. Not only in how they dealt with the revelations, or how it affected their relationship, or what kind of reproductions they worried about but also in the way they thought of it. Every person had a different way of thinking things through. A clear voice that came through without any trouble.
It is shown in a way that almost resembles waves. First, it affects one person more, then the next person, until it hit Nate last, in the most severe way. The mystery, wondering if it was one of the four, or if somehow someone else got involved themselves and made it look like that. The hardest part about all these theories was figuring out why. Why would someone want to kill Simon, frames four other students and try and ruin their lives? What would be the motive, especially since only Addy and Cooper were close from the start. Their secrets didn't relate to the other in any way, and it wasn't like they all screwed over one specific person who was trying to get revenge.
Throwing suspicion around made it extremely hard to know who was the real killer, who was excluded from being the real killer, and it felt like everyone who was suggested was a realistic person to have a motive for killing Simon. All the theories presented were believable, and I never knew which one was going to be the one to get that little bit of extra information to make it the most believable.
There had been hints at the ending the whole time, they were just together with all the false information so it was hard to find out whether it was real or not. It all made sense and I really liked how they ended the story.
I would recommend this book, it was a very fun and intriguing read, and it had a satisfying ending that answered all the questions that had previously been brought up.
book: One of Us Is Lying
author: Karen M. McManus
Everyone one of those people might have motivation for this killing, but who was the one who actually did it? Or was it none of them at all?
The author shows at first hints that every person in this story hold some sort of secret and that it is a secret that could change their lives. They are all aiming for something, something that could be taken away from them if their secrets were revealed- is what we are led to think.
I really liked the way that each character reacted significantly different to the reveal of their secret. Bronwyn was much more scared of the opinion over what she did, rather than the actual consequences. She worried in ways that the other people didn't and was able to tell her parents straight away that what was said wasn't a lie.
Addy did what she did, which wasn't a nice thing to do, but it felt like it ended with the best outcome. She wasn't happy in that situation and she found out more about herself once the secret was revealed, no matter how painful it was at first.
Nate was affected the least in the moment, but obviously, because he is on probation, he doesn't have any room for error. He was still struggling in his own ways, as his family not only isn't as wealthy as some of the others but also wouldn't be willing to help him out by any kind of monetary payment for some kind of lawyer.
Cooper on the other hand isn't as affected by all this as people don't know whether the rumour about him is true or not, and he doesn't clear it up one way or the other so most just assume that there isn't much truth to the allegations. What is revealed when we are able to go inside his head is that there is more to the allegations than we think. He is doing something else that he doesn't want anyone to find out and we are led to believe that it is a certain thing that involves his girlfriend, or should I say doesn't involve her.
It was beautifully crafted, being able to see how they all reacted differently. Not only in how they dealt with the revelations, or how it affected their relationship, or what kind of reproductions they worried about but also in the way they thought of it. Every person had a different way of thinking things through. A clear voice that came through without any trouble.
It is shown in a way that almost resembles waves. First, it affects one person more, then the next person, until it hit Nate last, in the most severe way. The mystery, wondering if it was one of the four, or if somehow someone else got involved themselves and made it look like that. The hardest part about all these theories was figuring out why. Why would someone want to kill Simon, frames four other students and try and ruin their lives? What would be the motive, especially since only Addy and Cooper were close from the start. Their secrets didn't relate to the other in any way, and it wasn't like they all screwed over one specific person who was trying to get revenge.
Throwing suspicion around made it extremely hard to know who was the real killer, who was excluded from being the real killer, and it felt like everyone who was suggested was a realistic person to have a motive for killing Simon. All the theories presented were believable, and I never knew which one was going to be the one to get that little bit of extra information to make it the most believable.
There had been hints at the ending the whole time, they were just together with all the false information so it was hard to find out whether it was real or not. It all made sense and I really liked how they ended the story.
I would recommend this book, it was a very fun and intriguing read, and it had a satisfying ending that answered all the questions that had previously been brought up.
book: One of Us Is Lying
author: Karen M. McManus
February 26, 2022
Eight Pieces of Silva
I thought that some parts of the start felt a little unnecessary as it was almost like a stream of conscious thoughts. All over the place, but piggybacking off of the last one to build and make sense in the context. It did, but not all the information felt particularly relevant, especially since some of it could have been accessed only when it was needed. Such as including it in the story so there isn't just a massive exposition dump at the start where a lot of different things are set out right away. Things like that can work sometimes, but not all the time, and especially not when the book is just starting.
I liked the inclusion of the other voice, very clearly Silva, and how she never revealed too much about specifics. Only the letting us in on the overall themes and what she was thinking at that moment. We slowly get a look into her life and what it is like from her perspective, rather than what the other people around her think about her.
I definitely think that there could have been more done to include the interactions with her friends as something to do with the story. The first time they are shown it feels like something completely removed from the book, and just placed in here. There wasn't anything crazy in these scenes, only introductions, but it still didn't feel like it was in the correct place. Like there could have been a much better way of showing these characters off and looking at the dynamics between all of them.
I think that the actions in this book were very believable. The thoughts of Silva and why she was doing what she was doing made sense in context. Just looking from an outside perspective it would be much harder to understand why she acted the way she did. Why she was so obsessed with Logan and why she felt like she needed him to be complete. After seeing her inner thoughts and what she was thinking we got a much better idea of why she acted the way she did and I think it is in line with someone that has those mental health challenges. He was the first one that she felt saw her. At no point does it really feel like he does, but that is only with the privilege of looking at the situation from an outside perspective.
However, I also thought some of the themes were poorly executed and needed more exploration rather than just a couple of paragraphs ever so often. The breakdown of a certain relationship felt like it should have been a lot more drawn out as the relationship looked very strong.
Also, the way that her romantic life was shown and developed didn't feel very natural. It felt rushed, like a lot of other parts of human relationships in this book, while the story was dragged out too much in certain parts.
Overall certain parts felt like they held weight, but others didn't at all. This story wasn't hard to follow, but certain things didn't have enough development to end up where they did which definitely takes away from the immersion in the story. I did like the diversity of the characters which makes the story more appealing to me, but I cannot justify giving this book a higher rating than I did once I added and took away everything that it was lacking and what it did well.
I thought this book was okay. Nothing special and this book certainly could have got a higher rating if it just fixed up on the descriptive parts and made them less all over the place, which is especially prevalent at the start, and also if Patrice had spent more time developing relationships, whether they be degradation or the blooming of a changing one.
A different book, one I appreciate but not one that I would go out of my way to recommend to people unless they are really drawn in by the blub. Don't expect something crazy either, as it is more real-life, mental illness, and is something that is much more common in our society than the usual mystery thriller books.
book: Eight Pieces of Silva
author: Patrice Lawrence
I liked the inclusion of the other voice, very clearly Silva, and how she never revealed too much about specifics. Only the letting us in on the overall themes and what she was thinking at that moment. We slowly get a look into her life and what it is like from her perspective, rather than what the other people around her think about her.
I definitely think that there could have been more done to include the interactions with her friends as something to do with the story. The first time they are shown it feels like something completely removed from the book, and just placed in here. There wasn't anything crazy in these scenes, only introductions, but it still didn't feel like it was in the correct place. Like there could have been a much better way of showing these characters off and looking at the dynamics between all of them.
I think that the actions in this book were very believable. The thoughts of Silva and why she was doing what she was doing made sense in context. Just looking from an outside perspective it would be much harder to understand why she acted the way she did. Why she was so obsessed with Logan and why she felt like she needed him to be complete. After seeing her inner thoughts and what she was thinking we got a much better idea of why she acted the way she did and I think it is in line with someone that has those mental health challenges. He was the first one that she felt saw her. At no point does it really feel like he does, but that is only with the privilege of looking at the situation from an outside perspective.
However, I also thought some of the themes were poorly executed and needed more exploration rather than just a couple of paragraphs ever so often. The breakdown of a certain relationship felt like it should have been a lot more drawn out as the relationship looked very strong.
Also, the way that her romantic life was shown and developed didn't feel very natural. It felt rushed, like a lot of other parts of human relationships in this book, while the story was dragged out too much in certain parts.
Overall certain parts felt like they held weight, but others didn't at all. This story wasn't hard to follow, but certain things didn't have enough development to end up where they did which definitely takes away from the immersion in the story. I did like the diversity of the characters which makes the story more appealing to me, but I cannot justify giving this book a higher rating than I did once I added and took away everything that it was lacking and what it did well.
I thought this book was okay. Nothing special and this book certainly could have got a higher rating if it just fixed up on the descriptive parts and made them less all over the place, which is especially prevalent at the start, and also if Patrice had spent more time developing relationships, whether they be degradation or the blooming of a changing one.
A different book, one I appreciate but not one that I would go out of my way to recommend to people unless they are really drawn in by the blub. Don't expect something crazy either, as it is more real-life, mental illness, and is something that is much more common in our society than the usual mystery thriller books.
book: Eight Pieces of Silva
author: Patrice Lawrence
February 16, 2022
The Reunion
Classified as a mystery thriller, this book establishes itself as one quickly, going to great lengths to describe a lot of different things. Some may be important, and some not, but if you don't set this precedent early then it is much harder to shoehorn in later. A lot of long, descriptive paragraphs frame this story, giving us a view into what is going to be coming next. Everything is necessary as everything plays a part in creating the atmosphere of the story. To further add a sense of being within this story, there is a 3d map at the start that allows us to see where everything is placed and what it looks like. Not every book needs this, but what this does show is that they are going to be travelling to many different areas around this small town.
However, at times this became too much. It felt like the narrative was disappearing at certain points, and instead, the descriptive writing started taking over. This isn't the worst thing, but when it is consistent and feels like it takes away from the rest of the book because it happens so frequently, it starts to become a problem. One that this book holds.
Small things, such as showing the perspective of Vinca, the girl who disappeared in 1992. This appearance, alongside the story in the present-day and from 25 years ago gives us great depth and perspective into the disappearance of Vinca, and what skeletons her recently reunited friends have in their closet. Chapters are short, which is why a lot of information is condensed into each one. Each chapter seems experimental. The whole book has a feeling that the author was just trying different things, which I always appreciate, but sometimes this allowed the reader to be thrown all over the place too much. Since this is heavily prevalent at the start it can make this book intimidating for a first-time reader as they wouldn't know what to expect in the first place.
A lot of looking into the past, self-introspection, was done here as the main character looked back on his life as he tried to solve the mystery in the present. Things like not knowing whether to trust his own memory or not were things that he had to deal with. He also had to deal with all the skeletons that were jumping out of the closet from some of his friends and family.
This part did feel rushed though as if more time could've been spent establishing certain relationshipS through showing rather than telling. Not everything needs to be shown, and some can just be told, but there was so much telling. So many times we were told what is going to happen, or what a person was like, rather than just shown this through the interaction with other people. It works to an extent, but this book takes it a bit too far for me and makes the narrative take up less room and seem less important.
Other things that I did appreciate were how well crafted the finale for this story was. Everything came together and made complete sense in the way it was written. That doesn't mean that I was particularly interested in this conclusion though. This conclusion didn't feel satisfactory to me and was only interesting in the sense that I hadn't been expecting everything that happened to happen. This was sort of offset by how much I didn't care about the characters. There wasn't much set-up for all the different characters, it felt like there were too many to fit into such a small book, so caring about them wasn't something that the author could really accomplish. The reveals, although nice, were hindered by this as everything felt like it was being viewed from another perspective. The main character felt like he was too leisurely for someone who had to experience so much tragedy. Even when he was going through it I didn't feel like I was really connected to the character as it was something he glossed over, not giving it enough attention. So many other things were explained, not shown, and yet this was the opposite, with only small things (I don't consider them big enough in my opinion), hinted at the effects that all this tragedy was having on his mental state overall.
Not the sadness he was feeling, or the obsession he had with finding Vinca's killer, but moreso his feelings. I wanted to know what was going on inside his head but felt like his head was filled up with descriptions of the environment and people. Some will definitely like this, and it could even be argued that this was done purposefully to properly show how he now copes with what he did, and Vinca's death. Those things still don't mean that the construction of this book was the correct choice to make. Books can be expertly constructed, and yet not feel like you are involved with the characters, which is the main thing that this book missed.
Maybe someone more familiar with the area being described might have a better connection to them, but I assume that the highest audience isn't people from this specific town and that people across the world are buying this book, making that point moot.
I appreciated how some of the characters who weren't good people were able to get off scot-free. With the way everything else was set up, this was the right choice and fell into line with the messages that the rest of the book was trying to convey.
Overall, I thought that this was a decent read. Not something that I could see myself going back to and reading again, but something that I think was mildly interesting while I was reading it. If you are interested in all that description then go right ahead. It does that very well. But if you are trying to form bonds with the characters and feel like you are a part of the story, joined together in their friend group. One of them. Then this book might not be the best one for you.
book: The Reunion
author: Guillaume Musso
However, at times this became too much. It felt like the narrative was disappearing at certain points, and instead, the descriptive writing started taking over. This isn't the worst thing, but when it is consistent and feels like it takes away from the rest of the book because it happens so frequently, it starts to become a problem. One that this book holds.
Small things, such as showing the perspective of Vinca, the girl who disappeared in 1992. This appearance, alongside the story in the present-day and from 25 years ago gives us great depth and perspective into the disappearance of Vinca, and what skeletons her recently reunited friends have in their closet. Chapters are short, which is why a lot of information is condensed into each one. Each chapter seems experimental. The whole book has a feeling that the author was just trying different things, which I always appreciate, but sometimes this allowed the reader to be thrown all over the place too much. Since this is heavily prevalent at the start it can make this book intimidating for a first-time reader as they wouldn't know what to expect in the first place.
A lot of looking into the past, self-introspection, was done here as the main character looked back on his life as he tried to solve the mystery in the present. Things like not knowing whether to trust his own memory or not were things that he had to deal with. He also had to deal with all the skeletons that were jumping out of the closet from some of his friends and family.
This part did feel rushed though as if more time could've been spent establishing certain relationshipS through showing rather than telling. Not everything needs to be shown, and some can just be told, but there was so much telling. So many times we were told what is going to happen, or what a person was like, rather than just shown this through the interaction with other people. It works to an extent, but this book takes it a bit too far for me and makes the narrative take up less room and seem less important.
Other things that I did appreciate were how well crafted the finale for this story was. Everything came together and made complete sense in the way it was written. That doesn't mean that I was particularly interested in this conclusion though. This conclusion didn't feel satisfactory to me and was only interesting in the sense that I hadn't been expecting everything that happened to happen. This was sort of offset by how much I didn't care about the characters. There wasn't much set-up for all the different characters, it felt like there were too many to fit into such a small book, so caring about them wasn't something that the author could really accomplish. The reveals, although nice, were hindered by this as everything felt like it was being viewed from another perspective. The main character felt like he was too leisurely for someone who had to experience so much tragedy. Even when he was going through it I didn't feel like I was really connected to the character as it was something he glossed over, not giving it enough attention. So many other things were explained, not shown, and yet this was the opposite, with only small things (I don't consider them big enough in my opinion), hinted at the effects that all this tragedy was having on his mental state overall.
Not the sadness he was feeling, or the obsession he had with finding Vinca's killer, but moreso his feelings. I wanted to know what was going on inside his head but felt like his head was filled up with descriptions of the environment and people. Some will definitely like this, and it could even be argued that this was done purposefully to properly show how he now copes with what he did, and Vinca's death. Those things still don't mean that the construction of this book was the correct choice to make. Books can be expertly constructed, and yet not feel like you are involved with the characters, which is the main thing that this book missed.
Maybe someone more familiar with the area being described might have a better connection to them, but I assume that the highest audience isn't people from this specific town and that people across the world are buying this book, making that point moot.
I appreciated how some of the characters who weren't good people were able to get off scot-free. With the way everything else was set up, this was the right choice and fell into line with the messages that the rest of the book was trying to convey.
Overall, I thought that this was a decent read. Not something that I could see myself going back to and reading again, but something that I think was mildly interesting while I was reading it. If you are interested in all that description then go right ahead. It does that very well. But if you are trying to form bonds with the characters and feel like you are a part of the story, joined together in their friend group. One of them. Then this book might not be the best one for you.
book: The Reunion
author: Guillaume Musso
February 13, 2022
Shattered (Slated #3)
Now that Kyla has been wiped from the system by Dr Lysander, Nico holds the belief that she has been killed in an explosion caused by him. Now she is completely off the grid and ready to sort everything out. Although this is the case, that doesn't mean that Kyla isn't still struggling with all the trauma that she has just remembered at the end of the second book. Katran is killed and remembers that the cause of her personality split was because Nico killed her dad right in front of her. This obviously isn't something that you can get over quickly and takes a lot of time and effort to lessen the pain, time and effort which she cannot afford to expend for that purpose.
The first major act of this book involves a shocking event that makes Kyla want to give up the ruse of her new identity. She is convinced not to, but for the rest of the book, this is something that is going to be hanging over her, something to convince her to act as swiftly as possible so that she can rectify this situation.
Even situations like her finding her mother and trying to remember everything about her are filled with tension. Never knowing what is going to happen, just knowing that eventually, something is going to go wrong. Why? How? When? Who knows, but that foreboding sense isn't something that disappears in this book at all.
Some parts of the story feel like they make no sense. Like they aren't going to lead anywhere, but as she has always done, Teri expertly joins these pieces together and is able to create coherent and conjoined plotlines.
I would have liked Katran to be mentioned more, as he wasn't someone that held much weight over this final chapter in the story for the most part, and yet he was a massive part of her life. Not everyone that is dead needs to be mentioned, but I thought that they had a relationship where such thoughts would've been commonplace.
As with the first and second books in this series, you can never tell who is going to do what. Who supports Kyla, or who is against her. Things may seem off around a character, and then it is revealed that they weren't against her, they seemed shady for a completely different reason. You're perfectly put into her shoes. Never knowing what is going to happen next, who is on her side, and who is going to betray her trust.
A lot of death is used to show how awful the Lorders actually are. Including the showing of kids being treated the same way an adult, only further shows just how horrible the Lorders are, and how they need to be stopped. Their actions have not been justifiable in any context throughout the whole book. Neither have the AGT's either. In fact, their actions are as bad as the Lorders. Using kids and brainwashing them into blindly following the leader and never questioning any orders given. Torturing these kids, training them to fight even if they don't want to, making sure that they are dependant on their leader, Nico, and then letting them die whenever he wants. The MIA are the best of the three. They still aren't perfect, but who is?
The trilogy ends off in a thrilling way that leaves some questions unanswered, some that I wanted to know more about, but also some that didn't need to be answered for the book to be finished. When the book was concluded I was worried that Ben was going to stay with Kyla, that they were going to be together again after what he did. But I am glad that the author didn't minimise his actions. What he did wasn't done by the Ben that Kyla knows, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't done by a variant of him. Being capable of doing everything he did, and the reveal that he had actually deserved to be slated, leaving the crime he committed up to the reader, was the right choice. It allows interpretation. Maybe he did actually do something horrible, or maybe he thought his actions so bad, when he got all those people massacred, that he didn't want to live with himself after the fact.
This final book is a fitting end to the series. Not everything has to be a massive reveal. Not everything has to be answered. Not everything should be, and wasn't, resolved.
Would recommend reading this book, and the series as a whole. Definitely a page-turner!
book: Shattered
author: Teri Terry
The first major act of this book involves a shocking event that makes Kyla want to give up the ruse of her new identity. She is convinced not to, but for the rest of the book, this is something that is going to be hanging over her, something to convince her to act as swiftly as possible so that she can rectify this situation.
Even situations like her finding her mother and trying to remember everything about her are filled with tension. Never knowing what is going to happen, just knowing that eventually, something is going to go wrong. Why? How? When? Who knows, but that foreboding sense isn't something that disappears in this book at all.
Some parts of the story feel like they make no sense. Like they aren't going to lead anywhere, but as she has always done, Teri expertly joins these pieces together and is able to create coherent and conjoined plotlines.
I would have liked Katran to be mentioned more, as he wasn't someone that held much weight over this final chapter in the story for the most part, and yet he was a massive part of her life. Not everyone that is dead needs to be mentioned, but I thought that they had a relationship where such thoughts would've been commonplace.
As with the first and second books in this series, you can never tell who is going to do what. Who supports Kyla, or who is against her. Things may seem off around a character, and then it is revealed that they weren't against her, they seemed shady for a completely different reason. You're perfectly put into her shoes. Never knowing what is going to happen next, who is on her side, and who is going to betray her trust.
A lot of death is used to show how awful the Lorders actually are. Including the showing of kids being treated the same way an adult, only further shows just how horrible the Lorders are, and how they need to be stopped. Their actions have not been justifiable in any context throughout the whole book. Neither have the AGT's either. In fact, their actions are as bad as the Lorders. Using kids and brainwashing them into blindly following the leader and never questioning any orders given. Torturing these kids, training them to fight even if they don't want to, making sure that they are dependant on their leader, Nico, and then letting them die whenever he wants. The MIA are the best of the three. They still aren't perfect, but who is?
The trilogy ends off in a thrilling way that leaves some questions unanswered, some that I wanted to know more about, but also some that didn't need to be answered for the book to be finished. When the book was concluded I was worried that Ben was going to stay with Kyla, that they were going to be together again after what he did. But I am glad that the author didn't minimise his actions. What he did wasn't done by the Ben that Kyla knows, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't done by a variant of him. Being capable of doing everything he did, and the reveal that he had actually deserved to be slated, leaving the crime he committed up to the reader, was the right choice. It allows interpretation. Maybe he did actually do something horrible, or maybe he thought his actions so bad, when he got all those people massacred, that he didn't want to live with himself after the fact.
This final book is a fitting end to the series. Not everything has to be a massive reveal. Not everything has to be answered. Not everything should be, and wasn't, resolved.
Would recommend reading this book, and the series as a whole. Definitely a page-turner!
book: Shattered
author: Teri Terry
February 9, 2022
Fractured (Slated #2)
Secretive: Keeping things, even things that don't matter, from the people who care. Trying to make sure that they don't know anything but the bare minimum and changing from an open to closed book.
Change: Doing things that they never would have usually done before. Usually more associated with criminals acts, whether that be drugs, violence, or going against authority in ways that could get them in trouble.
Isolation: Drawn from everyone that you cared about. Made to distrust the people that you are supposed to rely on.
Attention: Constantly vying for the attention of someone that they shouldn't be speaking to, or interacting in the intimate ways in which they are doing. Feeling happy, elated even, when they get the slightest bit of praise from that person, and taking it over all other people.
Rain.
The second book in the Slated series picks up right where the other one left off. Some questions are slowly being answered, but others, still lack clarity or information. Kyla has been going through a lot. Trying to sort through everything she has learned and also gone through. This, of course, is extremely hard, and not something that she can just do because she wants to. These problems have to be slowly worked through, but as she learns more, she realises that maybe she doesn't have as much time to think and ponder on these thoughts as she previously thought she did.
Her struggles between her slated state and pre-stated state only grow as she tries to find what she can do to rectify everything that has happened so far. All the people who had been hurt for no reason. Hurt because they question, hurt because they are worried or just hurt because their opinions are different from what Lorders and government think.
Those struggles are only further amplified as she starts changing. Not believing certain people to be on her side anymore, but learning more about them, about what they did and starting to wonder if maybe they aren't the person she previously thought. It was hard watching her struggle with this, as a lot of the behaviour she was exhibiting was because of her life before Slating, or that is what we are meant to believe anyways.
This book features more description than the first one, which lets it give its own vibe off, and separates it from the first one. Although this doesn't make it feel like a different series, the author's style is definitely able to come through without any issues. I also think that this works in the context of the book because as she regains more of her memories, there is more to think about, more that is continually going through her mind and I really liked this small detail, whether the author meant it or not.
Although there is a lot of information packed into the start, we start to learn a lot of things about her life beforehand. Little snippets of before she was slated, before everything bad that happened, happened. This doesn't mean that we know everything, no. She regained a lot of her memories but some are still stuck, only brought to the forefront by things that she experiences.
As we get closer to the end, things start to get solved. One half of her life, one that has been plaguing her, and the root of a lot of her distress. Distress that has followed her through her life thus far and been causing the actions that she took.
Leaving everything finished and starting new problems in the next book wouldn't be the correct thing to do, which is also what this author thinks herself. While loads of questions are answered in this book, including some of the most glaring ones. Ones that have stayed with us through the first two books but have now been resolved for good. Others have been allowed to fester, grow and become even greater reveals in the third book, at least I hope that is what is going to happen.
Would definitely recommend it. It had a slow start, and Kyla was very frustrating to read about, but her decisions made sense based on the life she lived and the people she knew. When it picked up, the story really sucked me in and enthralled me for the rest of the duration of the book.
book: Fractured
author: Teri Terry
Change: Doing things that they never would have usually done before. Usually more associated with criminals acts, whether that be drugs, violence, or going against authority in ways that could get them in trouble.
Isolation: Drawn from everyone that you cared about. Made to distrust the people that you are supposed to rely on.
Attention: Constantly vying for the attention of someone that they shouldn't be speaking to, or interacting in the intimate ways in which they are doing. Feeling happy, elated even, when they get the slightest bit of praise from that person, and taking it over all other people.
Rain.
The second book in the Slated series picks up right where the other one left off. Some questions are slowly being answered, but others, still lack clarity or information. Kyla has been going through a lot. Trying to sort through everything she has learned and also gone through. This, of course, is extremely hard, and not something that she can just do because she wants to. These problems have to be slowly worked through, but as she learns more, she realises that maybe she doesn't have as much time to think and ponder on these thoughts as she previously thought she did.
Her struggles between her slated state and pre-stated state only grow as she tries to find what she can do to rectify everything that has happened so far. All the people who had been hurt for no reason. Hurt because they question, hurt because they are worried or just hurt because their opinions are different from what Lorders and government think.
Those struggles are only further amplified as she starts changing. Not believing certain people to be on her side anymore, but learning more about them, about what they did and starting to wonder if maybe they aren't the person she previously thought. It was hard watching her struggle with this, as a lot of the behaviour she was exhibiting was because of her life before Slating, or that is what we are meant to believe anyways.
This book features more description than the first one, which lets it give its own vibe off, and separates it from the first one. Although this doesn't make it feel like a different series, the author's style is definitely able to come through without any issues. I also think that this works in the context of the book because as she regains more of her memories, there is more to think about, more that is continually going through her mind and I really liked this small detail, whether the author meant it or not.
Although there is a lot of information packed into the start, we start to learn a lot of things about her life beforehand. Little snippets of before she was slated, before everything bad that happened, happened. This doesn't mean that we know everything, no. She regained a lot of her memories but some are still stuck, only brought to the forefront by things that she experiences.
As we get closer to the end, things start to get solved. One half of her life, one that has been plaguing her, and the root of a lot of her distress. Distress that has followed her through her life thus far and been causing the actions that she took.
Leaving everything finished and starting new problems in the next book wouldn't be the correct thing to do, which is also what this author thinks herself. While loads of questions are answered in this book, including some of the most glaring ones. Ones that have stayed with us through the first two books but have now been resolved for good. Others have been allowed to fester, grow and become even greater reveals in the third book, at least I hope that is what is going to happen.
Would definitely recommend it. It had a slow start, and Kyla was very frustrating to read about, but her decisions made sense based on the life she lived and the people she knew. When it picked up, the story really sucked me in and enthralled me for the rest of the duration of the book.
book: Fractured
author: Teri Terry
February 8, 2022
Slated (Slated #1)
Jumping right into the action, the flashback instantly draws you in. It is hard to understand what is really going on, but as more of the book is read things become clearer. The transitioning into the introduction of everything that is currently happening in the present is very smooth, and only further adds to the intrigue. So many unanswered questions posed towards the start that you are always just itching to be answered. Teri did a great job creating tension in the book. Showing the character in each person quickly and precisely, but also diligently.
The introduction to certain key plot points is quick, as she throws some of them right at us and let us figure them out from the cues. This allows the reader to have a better connection with the world and feel like they themselves have been slated, as things aren't explained right away.
You get some hints about the way the story is going to go straight away by the words that are used and the attitudes of the characters surrounding our protagonist. As the story continues, and new parts of the story, like flower blossoms, blooming, are revealed one by one, we start to learn more and also garner more questions.
Very simple, subtle, one sentence or word, are combined and add a sense of foreboding. Adding to our already massive gap in knowledge about what is going on, what this story is about, and what the conflict is going to be. I really appreciated this part, because it only added to the mirror that was created to allow us further into Kyla's mind. Showing us how she thinks, as well as the usual why she is thinking and what she is thinking.
As the story progresses further you only start to question things more. Questioning the world that the author has built. What about it that we have been told thus far than we can trust, or if we cannot trust any of it. Because the narrative is being driven by what Kyla knows, we can only assume that what she is seeing, what she is thinking, is the correct way to see things.
One part of the author's repertoire that I really appreciated is how not everyone was as they first seemed. Some people didn't see them too nice, but later on, when we got to know them more, they were. And others, who had seemed friendlier, in comparison, weren't. It added to the whole atmosphere of the book. Only further pushing the agenda as we moved through with haste.
The way the author creates Kyla, her decision being realistic, her action also mirror that. I really appreciated the details that went into making sure that the way Kyla handled decisions wasn't something trivial. It became a big moment. Very few of us like to get ourselves involved in actions that can potentially get us hurt or killed. This is only heightened when friends and family are also involved. The inner struggle that Kyla had throughout this book only further made her real and added weight to every decision she made for the rest of the story.
Not everything in this book is black and white either. There are some people who you think are going to be against Kyla, and then they turn around and start supporting her, or have covertly helped her in the past. This doesn't mean that every person is good, or that people who don't help are bad, which is why this story features so many grey moments that are perfectly illustrated by Teri.
The ending. Pieces coming together. Not to finish and wrap everything up, but to make reading the next book a necessity. Something that we feel compelled to do to find out all the answers to the questions raised in this book.
Very interesting concept and I like how while the world reflected our own, there were a lot of differences, some that I could even see happening in parts of the world, and others that have been eradicated from most societies.
I would definitely recommend this book.
book: Slated
author: Teri Terry
The introduction to certain key plot points is quick, as she throws some of them right at us and let us figure them out from the cues. This allows the reader to have a better connection with the world and feel like they themselves have been slated, as things aren't explained right away.
You get some hints about the way the story is going to go straight away by the words that are used and the attitudes of the characters surrounding our protagonist. As the story continues, and new parts of the story, like flower blossoms, blooming, are revealed one by one, we start to learn more and also garner more questions.
Very simple, subtle, one sentence or word, are combined and add a sense of foreboding. Adding to our already massive gap in knowledge about what is going on, what this story is about, and what the conflict is going to be. I really appreciated this part, because it only added to the mirror that was created to allow us further into Kyla's mind. Showing us how she thinks, as well as the usual why she is thinking and what she is thinking.
As the story progresses further you only start to question things more. Questioning the world that the author has built. What about it that we have been told thus far than we can trust, or if we cannot trust any of it. Because the narrative is being driven by what Kyla knows, we can only assume that what she is seeing, what she is thinking, is the correct way to see things.
One part of the author's repertoire that I really appreciated is how not everyone was as they first seemed. Some people didn't see them too nice, but later on, when we got to know them more, they were. And others, who had seemed friendlier, in comparison, weren't. It added to the whole atmosphere of the book. Only further pushing the agenda as we moved through with haste.
The way the author creates Kyla, her decision being realistic, her action also mirror that. I really appreciated the details that went into making sure that the way Kyla handled decisions wasn't something trivial. It became a big moment. Very few of us like to get ourselves involved in actions that can potentially get us hurt or killed. This is only heightened when friends and family are also involved. The inner struggle that Kyla had throughout this book only further made her real and added weight to every decision she made for the rest of the story.
Not everything in this book is black and white either. There are some people who you think are going to be against Kyla, and then they turn around and start supporting her, or have covertly helped her in the past. This doesn't mean that every person is good, or that people who don't help are bad, which is why this story features so many grey moments that are perfectly illustrated by Teri.
The ending. Pieces coming together. Not to finish and wrap everything up, but to make reading the next book a necessity. Something that we feel compelled to do to find out all the answers to the questions raised in this book.
Very interesting concept and I like how while the world reflected our own, there were a lot of differences, some that I could even see happening in parts of the world, and others that have been eradicated from most societies.
I would definitely recommend this book.
book: Slated
author: Teri Terry
January 31, 2022
Beauty Sleep Review
I'm glad that this book got right into the premise. It didn't dawdle, didn't linger and made sure that you knew exactly what was going on straight away. Not only does this make it a better read, and more enticing straight away, but it also doesn't allow Laura's thoughts to loiter too much so that her thoughts, confusion, anger, sadness doesn't have to be overly expressed.
I also like how the other point of view was introduced, quick and without much introduction. It gave us a clear idea of the character and his personality, but it also gave us quite a few hints as to who he was if you pay close attention.
A couple of times I noticed how some descriptions were done, in ways that didn't feel like they fit with the book too well, although it didn't take away as much as I thought it would. "Eyebrows like slugs." It takes a little away from the book in my opinion, based on what I specifically like, but from a writers point of view, I can see how well this encapsulates the feature, even with the small exaggeration. However, on the flip side, I liked how this gave characterisation to each person. Everyone has different thoughts, and using language like this allows that distinguishment to be made much easier and earlier.
This book really encapsulated how any of us would react to being put into a new technological era. It is very hard to imagine what could potentially come in the future that we haven't already theorised or thought about before and because of that, if something new, something that we hadn't seen previously suddenly appeared as we woke up, far in the future, I think that the reaction is genuine and mirrors life.
The feeling that this book brings up when you are reading it is a massive credit to the author. She does a great job leaving small gaps, things that could mean something and some that might mean nothing. You never know which and are always on your toes looking for these things, wondering if they mean anything, or if you're just being paranoid. The reason I really like this is that it is something that Laura would be experiencing herself, having been thrown into a whole new world, new everything, and not having everyone from her past able to hold her through it. Rather than showing the reader how she feels mainly, she provides the feeling through her writing, the words she uses and how she puts them together.
One thing that I made a connection to, was how certain parts of the story seemed to mirror some prison systems across the world and how they aren't for rehabilitation, but for profit. There were also other problems, more explicit problems that were clearly stated. Such as homelessness, and how we end up treating a lot of them as criminals and excluding them from our society because of how everything is slowly moving towards only online. Another thing, that was obvious was how big pharma gets away with a lot of things, mainly doing experiments on animals to further research, and how there most definitely are places that involuntarily take people and experiment on them in ways that they didn't consent to.
While the story, at points, felt a little stagnant, I was happy to carry on reading, wanting to finish the book and find out everything that happened in the end. I also really liked the irregular length of each chapter. It keeps you on your toes, you never know what is going to happen next, who is going to be speaking of the two, and how long their thoughts and dialogue are going to last. It is right in line with the rest of the book, being unpredictable and intriguing. As the book moved towards the end things became faster-paced. More information started making sense as we learned more.
The ending was also satisfying. It felt real, like something that could happen in real life. Not everything was resolved, and there were still some things that were left unanswered even once the book ended but I think that fits in with the rest of the story. Not everything needs to be solved to have a satisfying conclusion, in fact, making things unresolved, certain things adds to the realism in the story. A few parts in the ending did feel like they were too perfect as if they were written to make the book wrap up nicely, which doesn't take too much away from the overall feeling and messages in the book.
The twists and turns that I experienced through this book only made it better, and the realism only further drew me in. I would recommend this book as something that can be enjoyed a lot, especially if you have read the blurb and like the sound of it. It definitely lives up to expectations.
book: Beauty Sleep
author: Kathryn Evans
I also like how the other point of view was introduced, quick and without much introduction. It gave us a clear idea of the character and his personality, but it also gave us quite a few hints as to who he was if you pay close attention.
A couple of times I noticed how some descriptions were done, in ways that didn't feel like they fit with the book too well, although it didn't take away as much as I thought it would. "Eyebrows like slugs." It takes a little away from the book in my opinion, based on what I specifically like, but from a writers point of view, I can see how well this encapsulates the feature, even with the small exaggeration. However, on the flip side, I liked how this gave characterisation to each person. Everyone has different thoughts, and using language like this allows that distinguishment to be made much easier and earlier.
This book really encapsulated how any of us would react to being put into a new technological era. It is very hard to imagine what could potentially come in the future that we haven't already theorised or thought about before and because of that, if something new, something that we hadn't seen previously suddenly appeared as we woke up, far in the future, I think that the reaction is genuine and mirrors life.
The feeling that this book brings up when you are reading it is a massive credit to the author. She does a great job leaving small gaps, things that could mean something and some that might mean nothing. You never know which and are always on your toes looking for these things, wondering if they mean anything, or if you're just being paranoid. The reason I really like this is that it is something that Laura would be experiencing herself, having been thrown into a whole new world, new everything, and not having everyone from her past able to hold her through it. Rather than showing the reader how she feels mainly, she provides the feeling through her writing, the words she uses and how she puts them together.
One thing that I made a connection to, was how certain parts of the story seemed to mirror some prison systems across the world and how they aren't for rehabilitation, but for profit. There were also other problems, more explicit problems that were clearly stated. Such as homelessness, and how we end up treating a lot of them as criminals and excluding them from our society because of how everything is slowly moving towards only online. Another thing, that was obvious was how big pharma gets away with a lot of things, mainly doing experiments on animals to further research, and how there most definitely are places that involuntarily take people and experiment on them in ways that they didn't consent to.
While the story, at points, felt a little stagnant, I was happy to carry on reading, wanting to finish the book and find out everything that happened in the end. I also really liked the irregular length of each chapter. It keeps you on your toes, you never know what is going to happen next, who is going to be speaking of the two, and how long their thoughts and dialogue are going to last. It is right in line with the rest of the book, being unpredictable and intriguing. As the book moved towards the end things became faster-paced. More information started making sense as we learned more.
The ending was also satisfying. It felt real, like something that could happen in real life. Not everything was resolved, and there were still some things that were left unanswered even once the book ended but I think that fits in with the rest of the story. Not everything needs to be solved to have a satisfying conclusion, in fact, making things unresolved, certain things adds to the realism in the story. A few parts in the ending did feel like they were too perfect as if they were written to make the book wrap up nicely, which doesn't take too much away from the overall feeling and messages in the book.
The twists and turns that I experienced through this book only made it better, and the realism only further drew me in. I would recommend this book as something that can be enjoyed a lot, especially if you have read the blurb and like the sound of it. It definitely lives up to expectations.
book: Beauty Sleep
author: Kathryn Evans
