Review: Someone Is Always Watching

Someone Is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Blythe and her friends are very close.  They almost have to be since they attend a very small and private school for kids of a tech company.  After a violent act causes a rift between two in their group … their group dynamic changes … and then Gabrielle is discovered with their dead principal and doesn’t remember what happened.  Each of them is starting to have strange memories resurface and they question everything about their families.  Which memories are real and which are not?  Who can the friends trust?

Someone is Always Watching is a stand-alone mystery that was a little slow in getting started but kept me reading once it took off.  Readers must suspend disbelief because although this is not technically sci-fi, there are some scientific/technical things happening that can’t happen right now (or can they?).  Armstrong has written a strong young adult mystery that is relatively easy to read without any red flags for cautious readers.  A good read but not to be rushed to the top of a TBR list.  

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Review: Silver in the Bone

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tamsin never wanted to be a thief.  Unfortunately, she has no magical talent and thievery was the only thing her foster father taught her … before he disappeared.  She has kept it together, barely, for ten years when she hears a rumor about what he was looking for.  This powerful ring was connected to an Arthurian legend and might be the key to breaking a curse on her brother.   Other Hollowers are looking for this ring and Tamsin must pair up with Emrys to hunt the ring down.  They must overcome dark magic and deep secrets while also attempting to save her brother.

Silver in the Bone is the first book in a series with the same name.  This fantasy novel has many Arthurian legend components, but it isn’t a story of King Arthur.  I just want to clear this up before you go into it thinking it is.  Bracken has taken liberty with many Camelot stories and crafted a completely independent tale.  Even readers who are only loosely knowledgeable about King Arthur and Camelot can enjoy this story.  Silver in the Bone is a fresh twist on an old legend.

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Review: In Nightfall

In Nightfall by Suzanne Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Theo and Marco got caught throwing a party and now they have to spend the summer in Nightfall, Oregon with their dad and grandmother.  Not only is it miles away from their friends in Arizona, but they have a population of a whopping 846!  They quickly learn that their grandmother is antisocial and very superstitious, but they plan to make the most of their summer.  There is something off about the girls in this town and Theo wonders if she should be listening to her grandmother’s warnings after all.

In Nightfall is a stand-alone supernatural novel that was a fun escape without being a deep read.  I found myself laughing at the beginning when they said “welcome to Nightfall” because I was wondering if I was reading the “Welcome to Night Vale” book.  This is not gory or scary, but readers should enjoy the supernatural element throughout.  The story is wrapped up well and I don’t think there is a need for this to become a series.

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Review: Girl Forgotten

Girl Forgotten by April Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Piper is new in town and recently learned she must complete a passion project at school.  As a true-crime podcast fan, she decides she wants to create a podcast about what happened 17 years earlier to Layla Trello.  She doesn’t think she can solve the case, she just wants to spark interest and see if people would give answers now that they are older.  As Piper gets further into the podcast, she begins to get threats.  Is the killer still around? 

Girl Forgotten is a stand-alone mystery that was a very quick read.  Fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will enjoy this story and I also liked the sidebars about what it takes to create a podcast.  Piper has some secrets of her own that are revealed and when the killer is discovered … I was pleasantly surprised.  This mystery won’t keep you up worried about your safety, but you may stay up trying to finish before sleeping.

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Review: Archenemy

Archenemy by Christina Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The angel Xavier has a plan to capture Set, the Egyptian chaos god, and lock him away.  Everything is going well until a mysterious woman appears and tells him she is from his future.  If that wasn’t weird enough, Camilla tells Xavier that they must work together to defeat Set.  That goes completely against Xavier’s plan and he does everything he can to avoid her help.  Of course, it doesn’t help that he is unexpectantly attracted to her.  Is Camilla’s appearance part of Set’s chaos magic?  Will Xavier be able to save humanity and himself?

Archenemy is the first book in the Angelbound Xavier series.  This is a new spinoff series of Angelbound and takes place many years before the original books.  Bauer has made another short book that had the action and adventure almost turning the pages themselves.  I believe this book could have been even better if it was longer and some additional details were given throughout, but I also enjoyed a book I could finish in one sitting.  I’m looking forward to the next book being released.

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Review: Stars and Smoke

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Winter had made it big with sold-out shows in major cities.  He is now on the radar of The Panacea Group, a covert ops organization that has been around since the Revolutionary War.  Why are they interested in him?  Penelope is the daughter of a criminal billionaire and she wants Winter to give her a private concert for her birthday.  The Panacea Group wants him to say yes … and spy for them.  They have never had a chance to get this close and they want him to join their team.  The mission goes sideways and Winter and his Panacea partner must decide what they will do next.

Stars and Smoke is the first book in the series by the same name.  I can’t put this in one genre, but if I need to … I believe the best place is an adventure book.  There is a little bit of a mystery, but that is not the overarching theme.  There is romantic tension, but this isn’t a romance.  This is the first book in the series, but the major plot points are wrapped up and there is no cliffhanger.  This was a wild ride of a book and I look forward to the sequel.

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Review: Three Drops of Blood

Three Drops of Blood by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kate has finished her first season as an actress on a TV show and is looking forward to filming the next season.  Drama on the set causes the show to get canceled, but she doesn’t want that to slow her down.  She still plans to pursue acting full-time, even though that will require her to skip her senior year of high school.  Her parents don’t want her to stop her education and require her to pay rent if she isn’t in school.  Since she hasn’t been able to get an acting gig, she takes a boring office job to pay the bills.  The only bright spot is the window that lets her see a romance between a woman and her assistant … that is until the romance turns into a double murder.  What will she do, since no one believes her?

Three Drops of Blood is a stand-alone mystery that was lauded as a blend of A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Hitchcock, but I don’t agree.  The murder didn’t take place until I was 59% through the Kindle version, so over half of the book was character development.  Please, no one needs that much for a stand-alone story.  The last 40% (which is the actual mystery) would make a wonderful novella, but as a novel … it was a disappointment.

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