Review: The Luminaries

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Winnie wants to be a part of the Luminaries, but since she had to stop training four years ago when her family was shunned, she isn’t sure she has what it takes to survive the three tests.  When Winnie unexpectantly accomplishes the first test, her family is quickly welcomed back into the community.  She asks Jay to help train her before the next two tests and he seems to understand what she saw the night she “killed” her first monster.  What is the creature that is stalking the already dangerous forest?  Does Winnie have what it takes to join the Luminaries? 

The Luminaries is the first book in a series by the same name.  This fantasy/supernatural novel took elements from older stories and weaved in new and updated creatures that made it a refreshing read.  Dennard has created a new world that has the promise for many stories and the end left readers with no doubt that there will be more books in our future.  Readers don’t need to be diehard fantasy or supernatural fans to enjoy this story.

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Review: Wait for Me

Wait for Me by Sara Shepard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Casey may only be seventeen years old but she is already a college sophomore and is dating one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors.  When she starts hearing voices, she thinks it is the stress of school and takes an impromptu trip to Avon, a small coastal town.  The voices don’t go away and now she is seeing visions.  She doesn’t know if these visions are trying to tell her something, but she does know that there is something about Jake that draws her to him.  Will Casey discover why she has these voices and visions?  Why is she pulled to Jake and Avon?

Wait for Me is a stand-alone romantic mystery.   Yes … I did just make that genre up.  This book does not fall easily into a genre and I could even be compelled to add supernatural to the mix.  The story was easy to follow, but I feel that Shepard wrapped it up too quickly.  One minute we discover a small piece of the back story and suddenly the book is over.  Other than that, Wait for Me was a wonderful escape read that will satisfy many different reading profiles.

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Review: Going Rogue

Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephanie is as ready as she can be to start her day at work when she arrives at Vinnie’s Bail Bonds and it is locked up tight and Connie, the office manager, is nowhere to be found.  The truth is discovered when they receive a call from the kidnapper.  They will let Connie go if-and-when a coin used for collateral is returned.  The coin is no longer at the bail bonds office and it is now up to Stephanie and her friends to discover where the coin went and return it to Connie’s captor.  Why is this coin so important?  How will Stephanie and her friends get out of this situation?

Going Rogue is the twenty-ninth Stephanie Plum book and it was a fun and easy escape.  The overall story is only slightly different from past escapades, yet it is still enjoyable.  Stephanie is just as accident prone and the bad guys aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed either.  Although there are a lot of repeats, Evanovich has still created an entertaining story that left me feeling lighthearted and pleased.

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Review: No Plan B

No Plan B by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jack Reacher sees a woman being pushed in front of a bus.  Another witness says she jumped and that it was suicide.  Reacher won’t accept what the police say and is determined to discover why the woman was murdered and it is being covered up.  He quickly learns that it is larger than one woman and once again Reacher is determined to assist the underdog. 

No Plan B is the twenty-seventh book in the Jack Reacher series.  As readers of this series know, no one can outsmart or get one over on Jack and this story is no different.  Lee has developed a storyline that was easy to fall into and fun to unravel.  Adventure books are always great because readers get to live vicariously through the characters while staying perfectly safe in their own lives; this book is no exception.  My kindle almost turned its own pages as the book revealed its secrets.

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Review: Mad Honey

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Olivia never thought she would be living in her childhood home taking care of bees, but when the love of her life became abusive, she fled with her son.  Lily has also started a new life.  She had been bullied at her last school and believes a fresh start is what her senior year needs.  These two meet up because of Olivia’s son, Asher.  He quickly falls for Lily and Olivia believes this is the change she was waiting for.  That is until Lily is dead and the police believe Asher did it.  Olivia knows her husband was abusive, but could her son have done the unthinkable?

Mad Honey is a realistic fiction story that covers domestic violence, small-town relations, and gender identity.  The overarching story was wonderful and I’m glad I invested the time in the book, but I feel as if Picoult was jumping on the social issues bandwagon to push an agenda.  I believe everyone needs a voice, but sometimes it feels as if agendas are the only topics acceptable now.  A good read, but know there is more to the book than just a good story.

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