[Book Review] Alive by Scott Sigler

Alive
by Scott Sigler

A teenage girl awakens to find herself trapped in a coffin. She has no idea who she is, where she is, or how she got there. Fighting her way free brings little relief — she discovers only a room lined with caskets and a handful of equally mystified survivors. Beyond their room lies a corridor filled with bones and dust, but no people ... and no answers. 

She knows only one thing about herself — her name, M. Savage, which was engraved on the foot of her coffin — yet she finds herself in charge. She is not the biggest among them, or the boldest, but for some reason the others trust her. Now, if they’re to have any chance, she must get them to trust each other. 

Whatever the truth is, she is determined to find it and confront it. If she has to lead, she will make sure they survive. Maybe there’s a way out, a rational explanation, and a fighting chance against the dangers to come. Or maybe a reality they cannot comprehend lies just beyond the next turn.

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

"Consequences have actions. We all own a piece of the blame - but only a small piece, because we wouldn't have made those bad decisions if someone hadn't put us down here in the first place."

Everything starts with pain. 

Girls wakes up what feels like a coffin and tears up her retrains. Something woke her up. She tried to get out of the coffin and ends up breaking the lid. After discovering others that laid there just like her, she decides that need to get out of that place and fast. All of them don't remember anything but have slight fuzzy memories that come up on surfaces. They look like adults but it couldn't be possible - it's the day of their 12th birthday. Salvage becomes the leader and she doesn't know anything that could be more perfect for her, even though she has doubts. After stumbling on another groups of "kids" , they try to figure out the tunnels and avoid areas where the skeletons and bones are not as bad. 

The story itself is hard to summarized without any spoilers because after you know the truth, everything just makes sense! In the beginning it's pretty unclear what happened to them or what the world building actually includes. But it doesn't make the book boring, the actions and the discoveries of kids' memories is exciting and made me fall in love with the book. I cannot wait for the next book, I'm really curious on what happens next!

*Thanks to Random House Publishing Group for providing me ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Full review includes my own opinion and is spoiler free.*

[Release Day #Giveaway] The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

It's almost time to find out who killed Nolan Hotchkiss! June 2nd is just around the corner, and with it come the release of THE GOOD GIRLS The Perfectionists #2 by Sara Shepard.

THE GOOD GIRLS
The Perfectionists #2Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | IndieBound

From Sara Shepard, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series, comes the shocking sequel to The Perfectionists—with an ending you'll have to read to believe!

Mackenzie, Ava, Caitlin, Julie, and Parker have done some not-so-perfect things. Even though they all talked about killing rich bully Nolan Hotchkiss, they didn't actually go through with it. It's just a coincidence that Nolan died in exactly the way they planned . . . right? Except Nolan wasn't the only one they fantasized about killing. When someone elsethey named dies, the girls wonder if they're being framed. Or are theyabout to become the killer's next targets?

For as long as she can remember, Sara Shepard has been writing. However, when she was young she also wanted to be a soap opera star, a designer for LEGO, a filmmaker, a claymation artist, a geneticist, and a fashion magazine editor when she grew up. She and her sister have been creating joint artistic and written projects for years, except they’re pretty sure they’re the only ones who find them funny. 
She got her MFA at Brooklyn College and now lives outside Philadelphia, PA with her husband and dogs. Her first adult novel is called The Visibles/ All The Things We Didn’t Say. 
Sara’s bestselling young adult series, Pretty Little Liars, is loosely based on her experiences growing up on Philadelphia’s Main Line…although luckily she never had any serious stalkers. The series has also inspired the ABC Family television series of the same name. 
www.sarashepard.com | @sarabooks 

One winner will get finished copies of both THE PERFECTIONISTS and THE GOOD GIRLS!Ships in US only | Must be 13 + To Enter

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[Book Tour Review] Love is Red by Sophie Jaff

Love is Red
by Sophie Jaff

Katherine Emerson was born to fulfill a dark prophecy centuries in the making, but she isn’t aware that this future awaits. However, there is one man who knows the truth: A killer stalking the women of New York, a monster the media dubs the “Sickle Man” because of the way he turns his victims into canvasses for his mesmerizing, twisted art.

Unleashed upon Manhattan after lying dormant for centuries, the Sickle Man kills to harvest the precious hues of his victims. As his palette grows, so too does his power. Every death brings him closer to the one color, and the one woman, he must possess at any cost.

While the city hunts the Sickle Man, Katherine must decide what to do about two men who have unexpectedly entered her life: handsome and personable David, and alluring yet aloof Sael. Though she’s becoming increasingly torn between them, how well does she really know them? And why is she suddenly plagued by disturbing visions?

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Katherine and the Sickle Man,Love Is Red is a riveting thriller that unfolds into an intense story of obsession and control, desire and fate. Katherine may not realize it yet, but with this haunting novel—as arrestingly original as Marisha Pessl’s Night Film, Patrick Süskind’s Perfume, and Lauren Beukes’s The Shining Girls—her moment of awakening is here. And soon she will find herself fighting a battle at the edges of our world, among forces more dangerous than we can possibly imagine. 

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

Love is Red took me by surprised. A Mystery Thriller mixed with romance and a slight twist of fantasy, this book will leave you breathless and even if you decide to put the book down to do Earthly things like eat and sleep, the whisper of the words from the book still stay with you. 

Going between two different POVs of Katherine and the serial killer called the Sickle Man, the story stays disturbed and intense the whole way through. Through the chapter we discover that the Sickle Man is preparing some sort of ritual that involves Katherine, his "beloved, the only one". Being born to fulfill the dark prophesy, she does not know what impact she has on the universe. 

While Sickle Man is killing woman after woman and engrossing them with carvings using a unique knife, Katherine meets two attractive guys that she is attracted to but has different connections with them. David is sweet and caring, while Sael is dramatic and intense. But Katherine has more things happening in her life than trying to juggle two men - like pennies that appear under her bed every time a new girl is killed. 

………………………………………………………………………

This was book was intense. I don't think I could find any other word that would describe what was going through my head when I was reading it. One of the things that really got to me was the way the serial killer talked. He was smooth. OH HE WAS SO SMOOTH! The thoughts he could hear, the girls that he picked were all spoken by this smooth, a little disturbing and arrogant tone. I loved it. Love is Red is definitely a book to read, it has flipped my head upside down. 

About Sophie Jeff

A native of South Africa, Sophie Jaff is an alumna of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and a fellow of the Dramatists Guild of America. Her work has been performed at Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, the Duplex, the Gershwin, and Goodspeed Musicals. She lives in New York City.

Find out more about Sophie at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

[Book Review] The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson

The Five Stages of Andrew 
by Shaun Hutchinson 

Andrew Brawley was supposed to die that night. His parents did, and so did his sister, but he survived.

Now he lives in the hospital. He serves food in the cafeteria, he hangs out with the nurses, and he sleeps in a forgotten supply closet. Drew blends in to near invisibility, hiding from his past, his guilt, and those who are trying to find him.

Then one night Rusty is wheeled into the ER, burned on half his body by hateful classmates. His agony calls out to Drew like a beacon, pulling them both together through all their pain and grief. In Rusty, Drew sees hope, happiness, and a future for both of them. A future outside the hospital, and away from their pasts.

But Drew knows that life is never that simple. Death roams the hospital, searching for Drew, and now Rusty. Drew lost his family, but he refuses to lose Rusty, too, so he’s determined to make things right. He’s determined to bargain, and to settle his debts once and for all.

But Death is not easily placated, and Drew’s life will have to get worse before there is any chance for things to get better.

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

"There's a hole in me. A gaping wound. Every part of me misses every part of them. And it never stops hurting. I can't bear the thought of missing you, too."

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley is a lot more emotional read that I expected it to be. With so much pain, loss, and grief, it is no wonder this is one of the book that I was mostly excited about in the new year.

"Life is about more than hate. It takes more than anger to make a hero."

He lost his family and could not stop blaming himself for it. There is no more life outside of the hospital for Andrew because everyone who he considered to love has died because of him. The stupid text that he just had to read while driving. But Death was late coming from him and now he tries to escape Her while living in the hospital and pretending to be one of the staff. 

He makes some friends with the nurses and patients, especially Trevor and Lexi. And then there's Rusty. The most beautiful boy that Andrew have seen and who might make him want to live again. Although he was on fire. And the pain and memory of that fire does not escape the mind that easily. 

"This hospital isn't my purgatory. It's my hell. The punishment I deserve. I will stay here until the end of my days. Until the sun finally sets. Until the worms rise up and devour me. Until Death extends her long-fingered hand and drags me away."

I'm sure there was definitely something wrong with Andrew. No one can escape the car accident and completely be normal and just walk away. I had to wonder if Death was actually real when everyone was seeing just a regular woman so it was interesting how it was a cross between reality and fantasy. All the characters were lovable, especially Trevor and Lexi. They were so simple but yet perfect for the story itself. 

Comic strips between the story were a little off hand but I loved how they ended up playing at the end. Definitely haven't seen that coming & had the *gasp* moment. Just incredible!

[Release Blitz + Giveaway] Bold Tricks by Karina Halle

Bold Tricks
by Karina Halle

The Faster They Live, the Harder They Fall . . .Raised by con artists, Ellie Watt has a lot of crazy childhood memories-but none crazier than being scarred with acid by the demented crime boss Travis Raines. Now Ellie is a full-grown woman who lives for revenge, and Travis is a full-blown drug lord who kills for pleasure. The sadistic bastard has kidnapped her good friend Gus as well as her mother, whom he's been holding as prized possessions in his heavily guarded lair. And Ellie has only one chance in hell of getting them out alive-using two dangerous men who love her to death . . .

One is Camden McQueen, a talented tattoo artist who's made a permanent mark on Ellie's heart. The other is Javier Bernal, her fiery ex-lover who's busted more than a few heads in his time. From the crime-ridden streets of Mexico City to the predatory jungles of Honduras, this unlikely trio forms an uneasy alliance in the deadliest game of all-a gun-blazing battle to the finish that will pit enemy against enemy and lover against lover. And Ellie must choose the right man to trust . . . or die.

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

excerpt

The motel room was a lot nicer than the one we stayed at before. Sort of a Best Western, middle-ground quality of place. No roaches on the floors, no geckos on the wall. Shit mattresses, I discovered as I pounded my fist on the bed, but I didn’t care.

Camden had just put the final box on my bed, Violetta sprawled out on hers in a state of drug-induced euphoria, when I noticed Javier lingering at the doorway.

“I’m going to be meeting Dom in about twenty minutes,” Javier said to me. “Is that enough time for you to get ready?”

I frowned and he quickly added, “You know he’ll want you there, if this is going to get anywhere. I figured you might want to shower and look nice.”

He rapped his fingers along the doorframe, his mouth opening as if to say something else, then he turned and walked off.

Camden eyed me. “I’m going with you.”

“You might be kind of drunk, Camden,” I told him, though the determination in his voice warmed me like the finest cognac.

“I’ve never felt better,” he said, enunciating each word. His eyes, my god they were still such a clear fucking blue, even in the pallid light of the hotel room. They bore into me with such startling clarity, sending shivers down my back like trailing fingertips. He would be coming with me.

I wished he’d be coming in me. A vision of us in this hotel room, alone, him nailing me to the bed, the headboard banging, slammed into my head.

“Are you okay with that?” he asked.

I suppressed the thought, the flare of heat between my legs, and smiled quickly. “Yes, of course.”

Meanwhile Violetta’s head flopped to the side, her arm still bound to her stiffly in the sling, and started snoring lightly. I motioned to her. “Do you think it’s safe to leave her here?”

He watched her for a few moments, blinking a few times, before saying, “I think she needs to sleep it off.” He went and sat down on my bed. “I’ll be here when you get out.”

I grabbed my bag of clothes I had brought out of the car and brought it into the bathroom. I had a quick shower, trying to rub off all the grim – both real and imagined – with the flimsy hotel soap, then picked through my clothes. Everything that had been in my trunk was musty and wrinkled, some even dirty. I had a packet of unopened (and decidedly unsexy) Hanes underwear, a bra, another pair of jeans, a pair of gladiator sandals that I thought were dressy enough, a pair of Timberland hiking boots, a plain white tee shirt, a couple of wife-beaters, a coral-colored blouse, a plaid shirt, and a light blue tank dress that went to the ground. I wasn’t exactly known for my fashion sense and even with the cherry blossoms covering the scars on my leg, bringing me beauty that I didn’t have before, I didn’t see myself branching out anytime soon. Dressing up in my old clothes for Javier hadn’t exactly helped either.

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[Best-Book-Ever Review] Dangerous Denial by Amy Ray

Dangerous Denial
by Amy Ray 

Denying the past proves deadly for BK Hartshaw and Trevor Mayhew in this gripping noir novel where nothing is as it seems. 

BK is a rising star at a public relations firm, and tonight's charity ball should be a high point in her career. But a closely guarded secret threatens to destroy her chance for happiness with the only man she's ever loved... a man who is also hiding a deadly secret. 

Trevor has tried to put the past behind him, pretending it never happened. But the conniving father he's been running from for years has finally found him-and is determined to settle the score once and for all. 

BK and Trevor's deeply buried secrets are about to catch up with them-and everyone they know and love. 

Who will pay the ultimate price for their dangerous denials? 

"The sins of the parents are visited upon their children in this entertaining thriller. BK's (short for Beatrice Karen) and Trevor's lives collide when a charity ball erupts into violence. Tightly plotted suspenseful moments and a deftly-executed plot twist combine to keep readers holding onto this novel until the wee hours." - Publisher's Weekly (2008 ABNA review)

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

Dangerous Denial has left me on the edge of my seat the whole time and in absolute shock. There I have said it and stand 100% behind my words. 

As you start to review more books, the excitement that you felt before might be dulled out compare to when you first start reading. It's like getting used to a delicious cake that you ate way too much. But Dangerous Denial definitely recaptured my reading-taste buds. 

The story takes us to the past, to the time when Trevor or BK still haven't been born and the guy who claims to be Trevor's dad made an incredibly horrible plan to get the girl he wants only to himself. With this background on before they even existed, the author really shows us the history of these two and how messed up their situation is. 

I loved both Trevor and BK. Obviously, Lenny was mental because who else would act like that around anyone? I didn't want the story to end and the writing style itself definitely made me turn the pages without being bored or confused. 

My final thought? Hands down, one of the best suspense stories I've read in awhile. Must read!!

[Release Day Review] The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

The Walled City
by Ryan Graudin 

There are three rules in the Walled City: Run fast. Trust no one. Always carry your knife. Right now, my life depends completely on the first. Run, run, run. 

Jin, Mei Yee, and Dai all live in the Walled City, a lawless labyrinth run by crime lords and overrun by street gangs. 

Teens there run drugs or work in brothels—or, like Jin, hide under the radar. But when Dai offers Jin a chance to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, she begins a breathtaking race against the clock to escape the Walled City itself.

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

*ARC copy was received from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

This is a standalone.

Yes, I just wanted to point that out because there are so many Dystopia novels that have sequels and trilogies so it's refreshing to see a story end how it's supposed to end. The Walled City is an incredible book! It was full of actions, had great characters that were easy to love or hate and it made you want to keep reading. 

This needs to be made into a movie. Period. 

The actual story is actually based on a real city. Kowloon was known as Walled City, based in Hong Kong. Just as in the book, it used to be a military fort that was highly populated and later was torn down and recreated into a New Kowloon which area is mostly a beautiful and peaceful park. I loved how the reality and fiction met in the place because it shows how author can take an idea and breathe area into it. 

Book itself was told in three different POVs - Dai, Mei Lee, and Jin Ling. Every one of them has a different story. Jin Ling has been looking for her sister, Mei Lee, ever since their father sold her to a brothel in Walled City. She has to dress and act like a boy so that others wouldn't touch her. The only thing that's saving her is that she's fast. Really fast. And that's what Dai needs to escape Walled City and take it down. 

This might have been the most detailed city that I have ever read about. Once you get familiar with the story, you can actually feel like you're there and where places are. One of my favorite things about Walled City is the relationship between the characters. Dai and Jin Ling have a bound but even after he finds out that she's a girl, there's no sobby emotions. He treats her with respect, as if she was his sister and he would do anything for her. That's why relationship with Dai and Mei Lee seems even stronger because even without saying much, you know that they meant to be with each other. 

So GO READ the book! Just go. You'll love it :)