Book Reviews – Page 22 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Book Review: The Girl On The Train

Posted on September 29, 2015September 28, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Honestly, I’m not sure if The Girl on the Train or Go Set Watchmensold more copies this year. Either way, The Girl on the Train was a runaway bestseller and I can see why.

I absolutely loved this novel. This is what I like to call “Miss Your Stop On The Train” good. I was so sucked into everything going on this novel. Told in three different women’s point of views: Rachel’s, in the present; Anna, the wife of Rachel’s ex, also in the present; and Megan (“Jess”), in the past.

Recently divorced and an alcoholic, Rachel is having a tough go at it. She’s struggling to let go of her past with her ex-husband, Tom, and gets enthralled with a couple that lives a few houses down from her former home. Referring to them as “Jess and Jason” Rachel sees them as the perfect couple she wishes she and her ex-husband could be, or rather, could’ve been.

Paula Hawkins perfectly weaves the narratives of these three women together, giving readers and air of mystery by making us wonder who to believe. Each woman has her own story of events and it’s impossible to figure out the truth until the near end. I was happily shocked once I figured it out and wasn’t disappointed by the ending at all.

At times, I will say, Rachel and the other narrators did annoy me with their whining, but I’d say the only one I really couldn’t stand was Anna and I believe she had the smallest parts so that was fine. Rachel was my favorite. Although she definitely has her faults, I couldn’t help but root for her to get better. Of course a lot of her troubles were of her own doing but not all of it was and I felt sorry for her. More than that, Rachel consistently tried to do what she believed was right and I loved her all the more for it.

I greatly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I’m interested to see what Hawkins will come up with next.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!! So great. I’d love to give it a second read, knowing how it ends now.

Favorite Line:

It’s possible to miss what you’ve never had, to mourn for it.

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Book Review: Why Not Me?

Posted on September 22, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.

In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,” Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.”) “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.”) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,” she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.”) And in “Soup Snakes,” Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.”)

Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.

I loved Mindy Kaling’s first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, and although Why Not Me? was great, I don’t think it was as good as her first book.

For this book I actually bought the audiobook, which is something I rarely do because I cancelled my Audible membership so I have to pay the outrageous price to get it and I don’t have money like that. However, for Kaling I did it because I love her and honestly I don’t regret the decision because it was great to listen to the book but it’s definitely not something I needed to purchase.

Kaling had me laughing as she recounted stories about starting her own show, her dating woes, and what it means to be confident. I loved her anecdotes, especially her one about meeting President Obama, and she gave valuable life advice. Honestly, my only complaint about this book was that it felt like it was missing something. Maybe it was because I couldn’t help but compare it to her first book, but this one just didn’t do it for me the way her first book did.

I will say I loved learning more about her and B.J. Novak’s interesting relationship, or as they affectionately refer to it, “Soup Snakes”. That was one of the highlights of this book for me. Also, if I ever do meet her in person my first question is going to be is the airplane scene between Mindy and Danny on her show based on the airplane scene that she describes between herself and Novak in this book? I would guess it is because the two scenes are too similar not to be.

Overall, I do recommend this book to read but not to buy. I don’t think this is one I would reread. I think I got everything I needed from it in the first read and although it’s nice to have it’s not a necessary addition to my audio bookshelf. Definitely check out if you haven’t yet. It is pretty good.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow.

Favorite Line:

If someone really wants to see you they always find a way. Always

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Book Review: City of Heavenly Fire

Posted on September 18, 2015September 18, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Shadowhunters and demons square off for the final showdown in the spellbinding, seductive conclusion to the #1 “New York Times” bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Darkness has descended on the Shadowhunter world. Chaos and destruction overwhelm the Nephilim as Clary, Jace, Simon, and their friends band together to fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. Nothing in this world can defeat Sebastian–but if they journey to the realm of demons, they just might have a chance… Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world will change. Who will survive the explosive sixth and final installment of the Mortal Instruments series?

If you’ve been following by blog for at least the last month then you know that I have fallen deeply in love with The Mortal Instruments series. I have now read every book in the series and have made most of the main characters either a Man Crush Monday or Woman Crush Wednesday. Needless to say I was obsessed. And, sadly, now it’s all over and I’m at a loss as to what to do with myself.

Thankfully, there’s more books to read! The Infernal Devices! The Bane Chronicles! The Dark Artifices (which hasn’t come out yet but I will get my hands on it as soon as it does or as an ARC if I can)! I can’t wait to get my hands on these.

Until then I’ll be taking a break from the Shadowhunters world to read other things to cater to those of you that don’t actually read books by Cassandra Clare (although you really, really should!). If you haven’t read the first five books in the series please stop here unless you want to get spoiled. It’s review time!

City of Heavenly Fire was everything I needed it to be and more. There were some parts I could do without and definitely some sections I skimmed but overall I absolutely loved it. The story began with Emma, a young Shadowhunter in L.A. who will be the main character in the spin off series that comes out next year. I loved Emma and her friend, Julian, and their whole story and I’m excited to get to know them better.

The focus of this novel, however, was Jace, Clary, Alec, Isabelle, Simon, and Magnus. So much happened in this book and I was enthralled by it all. By beginning the novel with new characters I was thrown off a little bit but liked how Clare didn’t just jump into the drama right away. She eased us into it, showing us just how bad things were for the Shadowhunters and what Sebastian was doing.

Sebastian is probably my favorite character to hate. He’s so diabolical but also a cunning, evil genius. He’s smart, which is what made him successful. Thankfully, Clary and Jace are smarter. I loved seeing Jace and Clary work together in this book. Of course, with every war there were many losses in the novel as well, some of which I wasn’t expecting at all, but there was also victory and romance and enough happy moments to keep me satisfied.

Clare’s ability to bounce from character to character, setting to setting, in her novels is what makes them so great. I never got bored because as soon as we spent time with one or two characters we were then moving along to the next. The third person narrative really works here and I loved reading this book. I found myself so sucked into the story there was definitely a day I almost missed my stop on the train because I was so into the story.

The ending of the book didn’t satisfy me and honestly that’s probably because of two things. One, I hadn’t wanted the series to end but also, for Clare the story’s not really done. Sure the spin off will focus on Emma but it’s still a continuation of this story and I’m sure we’ll be seeing Clary and her crew again.

Even so, I wanted something more final about the ending. I won’t spoil it but I will say I was a little disappointed with the ending for Simon. I need more closure than that but apparently there’s a bunch of short stories about him so I guess I’ll have to read those to know more. Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to read them. More Shadowhunters!

Overall, I really did love this book. I still wanted more from it although I’m not sure what exactly. I don’t think this is my favorite book in the series, I think City of Lost Souls was better, but I still really loved it.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! You need a complete set. I wish I had one.

Favorite Line:

“There are a hundred trillion cells in the human body, and every single one of the cells of my body loves you. We shed cells, and grow new ones, and my new cells love you more than the old ones, which is why I love you more every day than I did the day before. It’s science. And when I die and they burn my body and I become ashes that mix with the air, and part of the ground and the trees and the stars, everyone who breathes that air or sees the flowers that grow out of the ground or looks up at the stars will remember you and love you, because I love you that much.”

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Book Review: City of Lost Souls

Posted on September 15, 2015September 14, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

If you haven’t read City of Fallen Angels yet stop here because spoilers ahead!

My life has been officially taken over by The Mortal Instruments series and I regret nothing. I’ve been speed reading through these because I have to know what happens next. God bless those of you that read these as the books came out. I don’t know how y’all did it. I would’ve lost it having to wait to read the next books. I almost lost it having to wait to get these from the library.

But now to the review. Cassandra Clare never ceases to amaze me with her writing style, excellent plot, and character development. I’m honestly so upset the movie didn’t do well because I would’ve loved to see all these books in film form. Granted I haven’t watched the movie yet so maybe not.

The point is these books get better and better like a fine wine. Every time I think I know what’s going to happen next I don’t. This book was filled with action, drama, romance, fear, and sass. I don’t want to give too much away so I’m not going to talk about the plot too much. What I will say is Jace and Clary’s relationship is tested more than it ever was in the first three books. Clary is playing with fire by trying to get between Jace and her evil brother, Sebastian, and she’s forced to make some hard choices.

Meanwhile Alec and Magnus are having their own relationship issues, which drove me crazy because I love them together. Speaking of love, Simon and Isabelle have their own stuff to deal with as does Maia and Jordan.

As I said, lots of romance and drama but as always this book doesn’t fall short on action or bloodshed. There were excellent fight scenes and moments that made me so stressed I found myself asking why I still voluntarily read these books.

Seriously, though I can’t put these books down. If I didn’t have a job I probably would’ve finished them already but unfortunately responsibilities call.

I can’t tell you guys again to read these series because I’ve said it about a million times at this point. So in the words of Nike, “Just do it.”

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Go! Now! Buy it!

Favorite Line:

“Not enough,” [Jace] said, letting [Clary’s] hair slip through his fingers. “If I kiss you all day every day for the rest of my life, it won’t be enough.”

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Book Review: Sharp Objects

Posted on September 10, 2015September 5, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.

Sharp Objects is Gillian Flynn’s first novel and I think it’s her best. Gone Girl may have the bigger plot twist but this book not only had a great plot twist but also an amazing protagonist and plot overall.

There’s so many things I loved about this book I’m not sure where to start. First, Flynn’s mind for the dark and twisted never ceases to amaze me. I literally just finished the book and knew I had to write this review right now before I forgot this feeling of terrifying fear and shock this book has left me in.

Word to the wise, do not read this book right before bed. It’ll take you forever to fall asleep because you’ll either be too caught up in the book to stop reading or you’ll finish it and just find yourself lying in bed staring up at the ceiling wondering what in God’s name made Flynn come up with this insane story.

The combination of the scarred protagonist, Camille, her unkind mother, Adora, and Camille’s creepy younger half-sister, Amma, makes for a family dynamic that’s scarring, strange, and at times will sometimes make your skin crawl. Add in the mysterious murders of two preteen girls, a small town that’s filled with gossip and secrets, and an out of town detective with a lot of questions and this book will keep you on your toes the whole ride.

Then, just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, Flynn hits you with a twist that makes this freaky story go from strange to downright nightmarish.

Definitely a page turner and definitely worth every cent. I feel like I need to read this book again and look for every clue I missed. I’m blown away. If you haven’t read this book yet do yourself a favor and pick it up. And maybe only read it when the sun’s up or with the lights on. This one really messed me up guys. If anyone needs me I’ll be reading a nice romance novel to get over this.

Borrow or Buy: Buy this. Buy this right now. Go!

Favorite Line:

Problems always start long before you really, really see them.

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Book Review: Where She Went

Posted on September 8, 2015September 7, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Picking up several years after the dramatic conclusion of If I Stay,Where She Went continues the story of Adam and Mia, from Adam’s point of view. Ever since Mia’s decision to stay – but not with him – Adam’s career has been on a wonderful trajectory. His album, borne from the anguish and pain of their breakup, has made him a bona fide star. And Mia herself has become a top-rate cellist, playing in some of the finest venues in the world. When their respective paths put them both in New York City at the same time, the result is a single night in which the two reunite – with wholly satisfying results.

It’s been a long time since I read If I Stay but I know I loved it. Therefore when I learned there was a sequel I had to read it. Finding out it was in Adam’s point of view was an extra bonus because he’s one of my favorite book boyfriends ever.

Adam is sweet, moody, and the type of rock star boyfriend I’m sure many girls dream of. Going into this book I knew Mia and Adam had broken up and I was heartbroken. After everything she went through just to decide to wake up, Adam being the deciding factor, to discover their relationship then ended was heart wrenching to say the least.

The greatest thing about this novel is that it starts several years later. Following a similar format of If I Stay, there’s a lot of flashbacks to the time between when Mia woke up to Adam’s present. Of course we only get to see Adam’s point of view in this but I think seeing Mia’s might of made me hate her and for that I am grateful to Gayle Forman because I don’t, in fact, want to hate Mia.

Adam goes through a roller coaster of emotions in this book. He starts out depressed and then seeing Mia again for the first time in years doesn’t really help his dark feelings. However, the two of them decide despite the terrible way in which things ended between them they’re going to ignore all their responsibilities and run around New York City together. Both Mia and Adam have found their own pockets of fame in the world and will be leaving New York for their own separate tours the next day. This one night is there chance to enjoy New York before their fast paced lives kick up again and they have to face reality, including discussing why Mia left and what they’ve both been up to since.

I loved that this story took place mainly all in one night. Getting to see these two reconnect and deal with their warring emotions of seeing each other again was fantastic. There was so much tension and heartache but also moments of happiness that made me smile. Additionally, the flashbacks of moments between Adam and Mia before the car crash were brilliant and perfectly placed.

In If I Stay we didn’t really get to see Mia and Adam fall in love. The novel just jumped right in and honestly Mia’s relationship with her family was really the focus, as it should have been. However, in this book it was mainly about Adam and Mia and it felt like seeing them fall in love for the first time, even though it wasn’t. Heart felt and honest, this book is one for the shelf.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Favorite Line:

“You don’t share me. You own me.”

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Book Review: City of Fallen Angels

Posted on September 3, 2015August 30, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon:

Trust is dangerous, and to love is to destroy. Plunge into the fourth installment in the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly)—now with a gorgeous new cover, a map, a new foreword, and exclusive bonus content! City of Fallen Angels is a Shadowhunters novel.

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

I’m so hooked on this series. I don’t how it took me this long to start reading it but now I’m playing catch up and reading through them as fast as I can. Then I can start reading the Clockwork series and learn what the fuss is about Will Herondale.

But for now let’s talk about the City of Fallen Angels. If you haven’t read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series be warned there will be spoilers!

As I said before, the series could’ve ended with City of Glass. It was a good ending. However, I’m so glad it didn’t because this book was crazy good.

In this novel we got some new, interesting characters, a lot more background for various characters including Magnus and Maia, and just a lot of good plot. This novel picked up a little while after the last book and of course everything seems to be fine and dandy but it’s really not.

Despite having the Mark of Cain on him, someone is looking for Simon and quite possibly trying to kill him. Clary and Jace’s new found relationship is on the rocks and as always Jace is struggling with his communication skills. Magnus and Alec are taking a well deserved vacation until unfortunately Magnus is called back for an emergency and Magnus and Alec are forced to question the reality of their relationship. Oh, and did I mention Simon’s having girl troubles? How geeky Simon went from pining away for Clary to having two girlfriends is still a mystery.

The point is this book had a lot going on but Cassandra Clare did an excellent job of keeping everything together and not making anything confusing or hard to understand. I found the story easy to follow and once again I enjoyed being able to bounce around from character to character and get a full scope of what was going on in everyone’s lives.

I’m impatiently waiting to get City of Lost Souls because this book ends with a major cliffhanger that honestly I saw coming but still. I need to know what happens next!

If you haven’t given this series a try yet, despite me giving you about a thousand reasons why you should, do yourself a favor and check it out. You won’t regret it.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! Buy the whole series. I would if I had some money.

Favorite Line:

“It means,” [Jace] said, “that love is the most powerful force in the world. That love can do anything.”

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Book Review: Traffick

Posted on September 1, 2015March 22, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

Five teens victimized by sex trafficking try to find their way to a new life in this riveting companion to the New York Times bestsellingTricks from Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank.

In her bestselling novel, Tricks, Ellen Hopkins introduced us to five memorable characters tackling these enormous questions: Eden, the preacher’s daughter who turns tricks in Vegas and is helped into a child prostitution rescue; Seth, the gay farm boy disowned by his father who finds himself without money or resources other than his own body; Whitney, the privileged kid coaxed into the life by a pimp and whose dreams are ruined in a heroin haze; Ginger, who runs away from home with her girlfriend and is arrested for soliciting an undercover cop; and Cody, whose gambling habit forces him into the life, but who is shot and left for dead.

And now, in Traffick, these five are faced with the toughest question of all: Is there a way out? How these five teenagers face the aftermath of their decisions and experiences is the soul of this story that exposes the dark, ferocious underbelly of the child trafficking trade. Heartwrenching and hopeful, Traffick takes us on five separate but intertwined journeys through the painful challenges of recovery, rehabilitation, and renewal to forgiveness and love. All the way home.

*I received this book as a digital ARC from Simon and Schuster. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on November 3, 2015.*

I first fell in love with Ellen Hopkins’ writing style in high school when I read Crank. Since then I’ve read every single one of her books (including the adult novels) except one. I’m still waiting to get my hands on Smoke.

The point is I’m a huge fan and Traffick did not disappoint. If you haven’t read Tricks yet be warned there will be spoilers from that book here. I’ll try to keep it minimal but it’ll be hard not to mention a few key points.

If you’re like me it may have been a while since you read Tricks and therefore I urge you to reread it, or at least look up a summary because when I first started reading Traffick I thought everything would just come back to me but I was very mistaken. I had to read up on Tricks to remember all the crazy that went on before I could dive into the sequel.

Traffick begins pretty close to where Tricks left off. We start with Cody who wakes up from a coma after being shot and then move through all my favorite characters from the first novel.

Seth is still struggling on his own, not being able to return home since he came out to his father. Ginger, Whitney, and Eden are all recovering from their life of turning tricks and trying to figure what will be next for them although they all handle this in very different ways.

I found this novel very interesting because it shows what happens after being trafficked. Seth is the only main character in this novel who’s still turning tricks. Everyone else is dealing with the repercussions and effects of what happened to them.

What Hopkins does very well is show the variety of ways in which a child could end up in this life and unfortunately often do today. There was no stereotype of all these kids coming from a bad home or a poor neighborhood. Of course that was the case for some but not for all. Each of these characters were different with different stories and experiences and I think Hopkins demonstrated that well.

This book took me through a roller coaster of emotions. When one of the characters succeeded I cheered with them. When one failed I cried along with them. I thankfully can’t say I know what living a life like this is like but I can only imagine how difficult it would be to get out. Hopkins doesn’t sugar coat her characters’ struggles but she also showed their triumphs.

My one issue with the book was the typical description of a person of color in reference to food, i.e. using words like “chocolate” and “espresso”to describe skin color and eyes instead of just saying dark skin and brown eyes. But because this book was excellent overall I’ll give Hopkins a pass although really you don’t have to describe us like food. Just say our skin tone color. It’s fine, really.

Moving on, this was an excellent novel and I urge you all to pick it up. If nothing else it made me want to learn more about sex trafficking, and specifically, child trafficking and what I can do to stop it. Hopkins brought light to a real issue and although I know sometimes people look down on YA fiction, Traffick just goes to show that any book, no matter the genre, can have a real message and an even more real impact.

Borrow or Buy: Buy! And while you’re at buy Tricks too.

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Book Review: How to be Brave

Posted on August 25, 2015March 22, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Reeling from her mother’s death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave – all the things she’s wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she’s always been afraid to do – including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most – and you learn that you’re stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

*I received this book as a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on November 3, 2015.*

I wanted to like this book. I truly did but I just could not.

The author’s style of writing infuriated me to no end. To be fair, it’s quite possible this type of book is just not my cup of tea but it wasn’t for me at all.

First my biggest issue was at least once every chapter E. Katherine Kottaras would write, “This is what it’s like,” and then proceed to have the character tell us what it indeed was like. I cannot stand this type of writing. Why do this? Why not just write what it is like? There’s no need for a preamble.

To me, this book felt more like a journal. It felt as if the main character, Georgia, was writing in her journal about her experience but she wasn’t the best writer so she would sometimes just stop and do a flashback and say, “This is what it was like,” or tell a story about the present and say, “This is what it is like,” and then proceed to say so. Maybe the book is meant to feel that way but I didn’t like this style.

Moreover, I struggled to like any of the characters. I couldn’t feel sympathetic for Georgia because she switched between being a sad girl to cursing and doing out of line things. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to get from her character. At the beginning she seems to have a low self-esteem and needs her bestie, Liss, to step in for her but then also in the beginning of the novel she feels confident enough to make fun of another girl for being fat. This happens within the same part (the book is broken up into two parts). It’d be one thing if this was a character development over time but it just seemed like Georgia (or the author) didn’t know what kind of person Georgia was.

Her Liss didn’t seem like a good friend at all. The crush, Daniel, was okay but not swoon worthy. Georgia’s Dad infuriated me with his lack of understanding and then his ridiculous quick change in personality that seemed very unrealistic. And Georgia’s teacher, Marquez, seemed okay but would sometimes be so rude I’d question if a teacher would really say those things to a student and if so, would that even be considered okay.

Additionally, because of the ways in which Georgia chose to “be brave” I couldn’t find sympathy for her. Maybe Georgia and I just have widely different definitions of what makes a person brave but I just thought a lot of things on her list were just reckless behavior.

Lastly, there’s a lot of events in the book that don’t make a lot of sense to me and just seemed to come out of nowhere. I won’t spoil the book but I will say is someone goes through a serious mental health issue and the way in which it was handled in this book didn’t sit well with me. It felt like the root of the issue was just glossed over and I think if the author was going to touch on that it shouldn’t have been something that just happened but something that had a bigger effect and meaning in the book.

Overall, I think I get what the author was trying to do with this book and as I said I did want to like it but there’s just too many issues with it, plot and style wise, for me to recommend it.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow.

Stars

Book Review: Dark Places

Posted on August 20, 2015August 18, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Gillian-Flynn.com:

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club… and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.

As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer.

After reading Gone Girl, much like most people I wanted to see what else Gillian Flynn had to say. Apparently it was another crazy story. This one I didn’t like as much as Gone Girl but I still enjoyed it.

The story follows Libby, the sole survivor of the murder of her family. Well excluding her brother, Ben, who’s been locked up for life for the murders and her father, Runner, who was never really part of the family to begin with. Similar to Gone Girl, the deaths of Libby’s family is really a mystery.

Although at the start of the novel Libby wholeheartedly believed her brother was responsible for the murders, after meeting the Kill Club, a group of somewhat strange people who make it their mission to solve crime mysteries, and hearing other people’s thoughts on the murders and what happened that night, Libby starts to question herself and her memories. She knows she lied about seeing Ben actually commit the murders but could there be more she was wrong about?

It took me a second time getting this book from the library before I actually finished it. It starts pretty slow and despite all that Libby’s been through it’s hard to sympathize with her. She’s not a pitiful character that needs to be comforted. She’s an adult with hard edges who steals, lies, and does whatever it takes to survive.

The way the story is written is what really pulled me in. It alternates between Libby’s point of view in the present, Ben’s in the past, and their mother, Patty’s, also in the past. As Libby digs deep deeper and deeper in the mystery of the murders, the past is moving closer and closer to the actual morning of the murders.

It was interesting to read what leads up to the murders and how both Patty and Ben’s actions got misconstrued into something dark and terrible. I found the resolution of the mystery a little lackluster and was hoping for a bigger twist but it was still unexpected and still interesting. I definitely think the gotcha moment in Gone Girl was much bigger and more exciting.

Overall, Flynn once again dragged me into a murder mystery that once I was sucked in I couldn’t be pulled out of.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow. It was good but it wasn’t rock my socks good. I wanted more from the ending. I’m not sure what exactly, but more.

Favorite Line: