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  • Tag: genre: thriller

    • Book Review: “A Madness So Discreet” by Mindy McGinnis (ARC)

      Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on October 2, 2015

      24376529A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

      Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
      Publishing Date: October 6
      Genre: young adult, historical fiction, mystery, thriller
      ISBN: 9780062320865
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: 
      ★★★★★

      Grace Mae knows madness.

      She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

      When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

      If being silent over a terrible secret makes Grace Mae a madwoman, then she’ll resign to the title and live peacefully away from the man who made her life a living hell. She’s discovered by criminal psychologist, one who looks at crime scenes differently from the police and helps nab the culprit. With Grace’s help, they work together within an ethical Ohio asylum to hunt down a murderer who stalks and rapes young women. In doing so, Grace’s past comes back to haunt her, and the madness she didn’t think she was capable of takes hold.

      “Sometimes the loveliest places harbor the worst monsters.”*

      Holy wow, the triggers. This is one incredibly dark, twisted YA that grapples with the definition of sanity. Rape is a prevalent topic, and assault is detailed, so if either of these bother you, then approach this book with caution.

      “[…] I’ve smelled you, smelled the wrongness of all that’s been done to you by hands familiar and those of strangers. You chose to stop acknowledging a world that has treated you foully. What’s saner than that?”

      Grace’s journey as a rape victim and a woman wrongly placed in an insane asylum, is absolutely remarkable. My favorite moments in this book are when she and Dr. Thornhollow discuss insanity. I find it one of the most fascinating things in history, the way psychologists treated humans in the beginning years, how it’s changed, how it’s more ethical now than then, how we still put such stigma on individuals with mental illness or who are different from the “norm.” Toss in the fact Grace, a woman, is considered insane, dull, and “not all there,” the men in her life (apart from Thornhollow) treat her as less than property.

      “Most men are always so proper in the presence of a lady. To hear men speak to other men as they would if I weren’t there was enlightening.”
      “And not to my gender’s credit, I’m sure,” Thornhollow said. “However, what you say is true and part of the reason why I agreed to take you with me from Boston in the first place. Your mind is quick, your attention to detail established, your memory infallible. But the bandages on your forehead — and the scars that will form — provide the perfect cover for all your assets. It’s established; you’re insane.”
      “And therefore I am not human,” Grace finished for him.

      There’s a whole array of colorful characters in this book! My favorites include Nell — her lovely Irish accent and sexual “forwardness,” the way she’d tease other characters but also protect them from her disease — and Thornhollow’s sister Adelaide — a liberated woman in high society who is incredibly blunt about feminism and the rights of women. Both women are brusque in manner, with very similar personalities and mindsets, but one remains outside the walls of an asylum (three guesses who!) and one is trapped within. Even by today’s standards, which woman would you declare sane?

      “Cover yer ears, lassies, then hit the boards.” Nell said, a split second before putting her fingers in her mouth and letting out a wolf whistle. Grace dropped to the roof, dragging Elizabeth down next to her. Nell fell in a pile of skirts, red-faced with laughter.
      “Nell!” Elizabeth gasped. “What were you thinking?”
      “I was thinkin’ it’s a lovely night, and ‘e’s a good-lookin’ man who don’t ‘ave no one to tell ‘im so. So I did, and damned if ‘e didna look straight up ‘ere as if ‘e knew there’s be someone in the turret.”

      Elizabeth is another wonderful character that Grace befriends in the Ohio asylum. She’s locked away because she listens to String, a presence invisible to all but her, who knows and sees everything. Elizabeth relies on String to understand people, although the nurses in the asylum are sure Elizabeth is just a very observant individual who uses String as a crutch or excuse. But then there are moments when Elizabeth exposes the truth about a person’s history, without that person having divulged it, ever. It makes you wonder — is String real? Or is she really that in tune with humanity?

      “Just because I’m insane doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” Elizabeth said.

      Finally, Dr. Thornhollow. What an individual. And what an opportunity for Grace to fall in love and forget her entire past and the scars it left behind, an opportunity for a scientific man to crack open his shell and break free and fall in love. Thank goodness McGinnis did not go that route! Thornhollow and Grace acknowledge the other is attractive, and they put up with plenty of teasing from colleagues and friends, but they are not in love. Not once. This completely platonic working relationship is a breath of fresh air in YA, and incredibly fitting for the time and place of this book.

      “There is more to you than beauty. There is more to you than strength. There is more to you than intelligence. You are a whole person, and I would have you treat yourself as such.”

      Have I convinced you yet of the greatness of this book?

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Katherine Tegen Books for review!

      *quotes taken from uncorrected proof.

      This book fulfills 4 of 7 #ARCAugust reads.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, genre: thriller, genre: young adult, review
    • Book Review: “Black Ice” by Becca Fitzpatrick (ARC)

      Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on October 2, 2014

      Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick 20651947

      Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
      Publishing Date: October 7
      Genre: young adult, thriller, mystery
      ISBN: 9781442474260
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: 
      ★★★.75

      Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

      In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there… and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

      But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

      Britt’s trained hard in the past year for her backpacking trip the Teton Range in Wyoming. She knows how to survive the weather, the mountains, and exhaustion. But she’s not prepared to be taken hostage. Britt is positive that one of these men is responsible for the murders of intelligent, beautiful girls whose bodies were discovered in these very mountains. In an effort to save her friend, Britt agrees to help two young men off the mountain during a terrible snow storm — all the while hoping her ex-boyfriend will find her before she becomes the killer’s next target.

      I read this thriller in a day and loved every minute of it. It was fresh and exciting. I loved reading about a physically and mentally strong, independent female character who doesn’t have superpowers to get her through tough situations. She’s still very much a heartbroken girl after her ex, Calvin (who is also her best friend’s older brother), unexpectedly ended things with her several months prior to this trip, and I think that’s what drew me to her. The female protagonist doesn’t need to be cold-hearted to be strong and independent. She acknowledges she’s spent her life depending on the men who surround her, and this trip would be a message for them and to herself that she can go out on her own and literally survive. Loved it.

      While I was able to piece together the real killer and the connections everyone had to other characters in the story about 75% of the way through, I was still incredibly curious as to the killer’s motives — and that alone was spine-chilling. It’s that charm and hidden misogynistic hatred that all girls fear in men, and it felt so incredibly real. It’s a message to men, as well. I hope boys read this book. It’s the perfect peek into a self-sufficient girl’s mind, and her ongoing calculations about men who are kind as well as severe. It gives the reader an idea of what it’s like to walk in a girl’s shoes, only heightened by the immediacy of a kidnapping.

      I’m not sure what else to say other than it’s a great thriller! It’s perfect for YA, too. I’d imagine that, if this book were geared for adults, more suspenseful passages would have been written to heighten the tension. This YA is fast, and I will not be surprised if it’s one day turned into a movie. It really has that cinematic feel to it. Oh, love it!

      Thank you, Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster, for providing the digital and BEA print copy for review! And thank you/shout out to my grad pub friends, Hannah and Morgan, for standing in line at BEA to get this!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: mystery, genre: thriller, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Panic” by Lauren Oliver (ARC)

      Posted at 11:15 am by Laura, on February 22, 2014

      Panic by Lauren Oliver Panic_HC_JKT_des4.indd

      Publisher: HarperCollins
      Publishing Date: March 4
      Genre: young adult, thriller, contemporary
      ISBN: 9780062014559
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: 
      ★★

      Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

      Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

      Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

      For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

      Heather and Dodge, participants in a thrilling post-graduation game where the winner takes all, have different reasons for entering Panic. Heather jumps in to prove something to herself. Dodge, in a sense, plays for revenge. But Panic must be kept a secret from the adults and police of Carp — a small, poor town in the middle of nowhere — because Panic is the only chance any of the students have to escape and start a fresh, new life.

      First of all, this is not dystopian and it is not another Hunger Games. Yes, it sounds like THG, and yes it sounds dystopian, but this is a thriller contemporary novel through and through. The high school graduates of Carp of years past devised a daring, life-threatening game where the winner takes $50,000 — money raised from the school population, $1 donated from each student for every day of high school attendance — and escapes the awful, poor, messed up town. The winner can do whatever they want: go to college, get surgery, travel the world, pick up and leave, become athletes or actresses, you name it. These students are desperate, and they will put their lives on the line for that chance to escape.

      And that’s what fuels Panic, the desperation of the participants. Heather is deeply insecure, feels unloved and worthless, and she enters Panic blindly thinking she’ll catch the eye of her ex-boyfriend, when in reality she realizes she entered to prove something to herself and to the world. Every participants has a sad, angry, desperate story, and it fuels them throughout their frightening game. Jumping off tanks, crossing highways blindfolded…anything for the $67,000 pool for this year’s winner.

      So why 2 stars? While this was well-written, dirty and gritty, honest, and filled with intense emotion, it just wasn’t the book for me. I continued reading because I love Oliver’s work, but this particular book was not meant to be read by me. Maybe I’ve never felt this angry, scared, insecure, or desperate, or maybe I’ve had a sheltered upbringing, or maybe I just never interacted with people in these dire situations. Who knows? This is not a reflection of the book’s quality, but rather my enjoyment of the book.

      Thank you, Edelweiss and HarperCollins, for providing the book for review!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: fiction, genre: thriller, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “The Book of Blood and Shadow” by Robin Wasserman

      Posted at 10:01 am by Laura, on August 2, 2013

      The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman 14823593

      Publisher: Ember
      Published: paperback July 2013
      Genre: young adult, thriller, gothic
      ISBN: 9780375872778
      Goodreads: 3.61
      Rating: ★★★★

      One night is all it takes to change Nora Kane’s life forever. Her best friend is dead; her boyfriend has vanished. And the trail of blood leads straight back to her: The person who might be responsible. The person who might be next.

      Desperate to save the people she loves and determined to find justice for the ones she’s lost, Nora unearths a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. Something to which Nora herself might hold the key. It turns out her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries—and solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

      On the night Nora’s boyfriend disappears, her best friend is murdered, and his girlfriend is sent to an institution, she realizes the Latin translations of letters and manuscripts they worked on was not their crazy professor’s idea of torture but his truly sane quest to attempt to uncover an ancient, world-changing secret. Nora takes it upon herself to flee to Prague to exact revenge, but soon discovers she is key to centuries-old secrets, lies, and conspiracies.

      Deeply intelligent and immensely witty, Nora is quite the protagonist to follow and a pleasure to read. Already a wounded character from the start — dead older brother, workaholic mother, and recluse father — she shares the slow-building and enriching friendship she forges with Chris, Adriane, and Max. They work together to translate Latin manuscripts their strange, presumably insane, professor claims will change the world, and constantly reminds them that someone is watching their progress. None of them believe it till the night all four are ripped apart.

      Having been to Prague, I loved the descriptions of Old Town, and the wild history the city endured for centuries. The quest spent there was full of surprises, and it was difficult to know who to trust in this thriller. With two secret societies warring one another over an ancient machine that could potentially speak to God, Nora is dragged into making the discovery and destroying it. I had to remind myself there are no good guys in this story. One society aims to create the machine to speak to God, to know there is a Creator and we can communicate with Him; the other society aims to destroy the machine, to prove that God’s existence is in faith in Him, not in proof. In this sense, the book is quite realistic: there is no way to tell who is good and who is bad, and the decisions to be made have dire consequences either way.

      Wasserman’s writing style is artistic, with long descriptive sentences that have the potential to become run-ons till she loops it back to the subject. In these descriptions, we learn Nora’s thoughts and feelings, what she sees and hears, what brings back memories and what can link us to a clue into the future. While overabundant, and some sections unnecessary, it was easy to get pulled into the descriptions and the vast historical references, and fall into the story, making this book incredibly difficult to put down.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: gothic, genre: history, genre: thriller, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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