Idea from here!
Mini reviews are going to work differently from my normal reviews. I follow a different format for my normal reviews which is a lot easier when I have a lot to say. Mini reviews are for books that I didn’t enjoy as much as I wanted to or I don’t have a ton of stuff to say. This way, it is a lot more pleasing for you all. I don’t have to rant about what an insufferable brat a character is or just write random stuff and you won’t actually read it because it is so boring. This is going to be an ongoing thing on my blog.
This is the mystery and horror edition with a couple of books that I've read and don't really want to write full reviews of.
This is the mystery and horror edition with a couple of books that I've read and don't really want to write full reviews of.
Let's dive in.
#1: Tangled Webs
Rating: 3 Crowns
Author: Lee Bross
Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Historical Fiction/Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Pages: 305
Edition/Source: Library
Summary:
London, 1725. Everybody has a secret. Lady A will keep yours—for a price. This sumptuous, scandalous YA novel is wickedly addictive.
Lady A is the most notorious blackmailer in the city. With just a mask and a gown to disguise her, she sweeps into lavish balls and exclusive events collecting the most valuable currency in 1725 London—secrets.
But leading a double life isn't easy. By day Lady A is just a sixteen-year-old girl named Arista who lives in fear of her abusive master, Bones, and passes herself off as a boy to move safely through the squalor of London's slums. When Bones attempts to dispose of his pawn forever, Arista is rescued by the last person she expects: Jonathan Wild, the infamous Thief Taker General who moves seamlessly between the city's criminal underworld and its most elite upper circles. Arista partners with Wild on her own terms in the hopes of saving enough money to buy passage out of London.
Everything changes when she meets Graeden Sinclair, the son of a wealthy merchant. Grae has traveled the world, has seen the exotic lands Arista has longed to escape to her whole life, and he loves Arista for who she is—not for what she can do for him. Being with Grae gives something Arista something precious that she swore off long ago: hope. He has promised to help Arista escape the life of crime that has claimed her since she was a child. But can you ever truly escape the past?
London, 1725. Everybody has a secret. Lady A will keep yours—for a price. This sumptuous, scandalous YA novel is wickedly addictive.
Lady A is the most notorious blackmailer in the city. With just a mask and a gown to disguise her, she sweeps into lavish balls and exclusive events collecting the most valuable currency in 1725 London—secrets.
But leading a double life isn't easy. By day Lady A is just a sixteen-year-old girl named Arista who lives in fear of her abusive master, Bones, and passes herself off as a boy to move safely through the squalor of London's slums. When Bones attempts to dispose of his pawn forever, Arista is rescued by the last person she expects: Jonathan Wild, the infamous Thief Taker General who moves seamlessly between the city's criminal underworld and its most elite upper circles. Arista partners with Wild on her own terms in the hopes of saving enough money to buy passage out of London.
Everything changes when she meets Graeden Sinclair, the son of a wealthy merchant. Grae has traveled the world, has seen the exotic lands Arista has longed to escape to her whole life, and he loves Arista for who she is—not for what she can do for him. Being with Grae gives something Arista something precious that she swore off long ago: hope. He has promised to help Arista escape the life of crime that has claimed her since she was a child. But can you ever truly escape the past?
Tangled Webs was an interesting historical fiction, mystery novel. I was drawn to it by the cover and had seen it a lot. I ended up liking the main character but could have done without some of the other characters who weren't as well developed.
18th Century: I loved how this book was set in the 18th century which is something you hardly ever see with YA books. Plus, it's very early 18th century which is so exciting and I loved the historical fiction aspect.
Lady A: I loved Arista's secret identity and how she wore a feathered mask who trades secrets and blackmails the rich.
Arista: I loved Arista and how she showed so much growth throughout the novel and how she had so much strength despite things that she went through. She's very fierce but also kind-hearted. Arista was my favorite character in the book.
The Romance: I did not enjoy the romance as it was very insta-lovey and I don't like that trope in YA books. It just seemed to happen too fast for my liking.
#2: Survive the Night
Rating: 3 Crowns
Author: Danielle Vega
Genre: Young Adult/Thriller/Horror
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Pages: 263
Edition/Source: Library
Summary:
We're all gonna die down here. . . .
Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.
In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .
. . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.
Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.
They’re being hunted.
Trapped underground with someone—or something—out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to her friend’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here. . . .” in this bone-chilling sophmore novel by the acclaimed author of The Merciless.
We're all gonna die down here. . . .
Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.
In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .
. . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.
Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.
They’re being hunted.
Trapped underground with someone—or something—out to get them, Casey can’t help but listen to her friend’s terrified refrain: “We’re all gonna die down here. . . .” in this bone-chilling sophmore novel by the acclaimed author of The Merciless.
Survive the Night is an interesting book. Yes, it is cheesy and the ending is a little bit predictable but it is still fun and good for a scare.
Casey: I really liked her even though she wasn't treated that well in the book. I still liked her bravery and independence.
Shana: Shana was so manipulative and pushed Casey to do things she didn't want to do. It bothered me so much throughout the whole book.
#3: The Lies They Tell
Rating: 3 Crowns
Author: Gillian French
Genre: Young Adult/Thriller
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Pages: 304
Edition/Source: Library
Summary:
Everyone in Tenney’s Harbor, Maine, knows about the Garrison tragedy. How an unexplained fire ravaged their house, killing four of the five family members. But what people don’t know is who did it. All fingers point at Pearl Haskins’s father, the town drunk, who was the caretaker of the property, but she just can’t believe it. Leave it to a town of rich people to blame “the help.”
With her disgraced father now trying to find work in between booze benders, Pearl’s future doesn’t hold much more than waiting tables at the local country club, where the wealthy come to flaunt their money and spread their gossip. This year, Tristan, the last surviving Garrison, and his group of affluent and arrogant friends have made a point of sitting in Pearl’s section. Though she’s repulsed by most of them, Tristan’s quiet sadness and somber demeanor have her rethinking her judgments. Befriending the boys could mean getting closer to the truth, clearing her father’s name, and giving Tristan the closure he seems to be searching for. But it could also trap Pearl in a sinister web of secrets, lies, and betrayals that, once untangled, will leave no life unchanged . . . if it doesn’t take hers first.
With her disgraced father now trying to find work in between booze benders, Pearl’s future doesn’t hold much more than waiting tables at the local country club, where the wealthy come to flaunt their money and spread their gossip. This year, Tristan, the last surviving Garrison, and his group of affluent and arrogant friends have made a point of sitting in Pearl’s section. Though she’s repulsed by most of them, Tristan’s quiet sadness and somber demeanor have her rethinking her judgments. Befriending the boys could mean getting closer to the truth, clearing her father’s name, and giving Tristan the closure he seems to be searching for. But it could also trap Pearl in a sinister web of secrets, lies, and betrayals that, once untangled, will leave no life unchanged . . . if it doesn’t take hers first.
Pearl: I enjoyed Pearl's character and her family aspect with her father.
Reese: Reese is Pearl's best friend and I enjoyed his character even though he was completely oblivious.
The Story: I thought the story was a little too similar to other thrillers which I didn't like and thought it was really repetitive.
Tristan: I did not like Tristan, and I don't think we were supposed to. Tristan was creepy and manipulative which was scary and I did not like.
