Tag: suspense

adult

Review: Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

blue smoke -nora robertsReena Hale grew up with an intimate knowledge of the destructive power of fire. When she was a child, her family’s restaurant was burned to the ground, and the man responsible was sent to jail. The Hale family banded together to rebuild, and Reena found her life’s calling.She trained as a firefighter and then as a cop, always with the end goal in sight: to become an arson investigator.

Now, as part of the arson unit, she is called in on a series of suspicious fires that seem to be connected-not just to each other, but to her. And as danger ignites all around her, Reena must rely on experience and instinct to catch a dangerous madman who will not stop until everything she loves has gone up in smoke.

1 Drink Me Potion

DNF’d at ~25%

I was itching for a good mystery with a sprinkling of romance, and I thought, Hey I really adored some of Nora Robert’s mysteries before. Let’s give another one a try. Unfortunately, Blue Smoke may have sounded interesting in the synopsis but it’s really such a bore to get through.

The synopsis states in a concise manner how our protagonist Reena first encountered a fire and thus, set her on the path in becoming an arson investigator. But oh no! The prologue in this novel isn’t like, one chapter long like you may think. It stays in the good ol’ past for several chapters when Reena was 11. And then, when there’s finally a flash forward (thank heavens!), it only moves 7 years to when she’s 18 and in college and experimenting with things.

The pacing is way too slow in my opinion. Yes, the mystery and the fires revolving around her start in her past but I swear Roberts could have written it in a more concise manner. Descriptions of everything , from the food laid out (’cause they’re Italian so there’s gotta be a lot of food) to wedding decorations and planning, it just gets overwhelming. Not to mention, the names of different people coming in and out of the story in just the first several chapters.

Honestly, I think this plot had a lot going for it, but I just can’t make myself go through 20 more years of Reena’s life in this slow cadence of things. I hate giving up on books, but this one really deserves my DNF shelf.

And by the way, I could already tell who the culprit of all these mysterious fires was even from where I stopped.

Overall Recommendation:
With plenty of intrigue that has become one of Nora Roberts’ signatures, Blue Smoke seemed to have a lot of potential. However, with the slow progression in plot, moving in increments by the years through Reena’s life since she was a child, I just couldn’t make myself follow along with the intensity I wanted. It just became so boring, especially with the ridiculously in-depth descriptions of the tiniest details. I’m a little disappointed as I’ve loved some of her mysteries in the past, but if you’re okay with a slow pace and detailed paragraphs, then this might be an okay book for you. As for me? Hasta la vista.

YA

Review: It Wasn’t Always Like This by Joy Preble

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

it wasn't always like this -joy prebleIn 1916, Emma O’Neill is frozen in time. After sampling an experimental polio vaccine brewed on a remote island off St. Augustine, Florida, she and her family stop aging—as do the Ryans, her family’s business partners. In a way, this suits Emma fine because she’s in love with Charlie Ryan. Being seventeen forever with him is a dream. But soon a group of religious fanatics, the Church of Light, takes note. Drinking the elixir has made the O’Neills and Ryans impervious to aging, but not to murder—Emma and Charlie are the only ones who escape with their lives.

On the run, Emma is tragically separated from Charlie. For the next hundred years, she plays a cat-and-mouse game with the founding members of the Church of Light and their descendants. Over the years, a series of murders—whose victims all bear more than a passing resemblance to her—indicate that her enemies are closing in. Yet as the danger grows, so does Emma’s hope for finding the boy she’s certain is still out there . . .

1.5 Drink Me Potions

**It Wasn’t Always Like This comes out May 17, 2016**

Thank you Edelweiss and Soho Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review

DNF’d at 58%

I honestly thought I would enjoy this book. At first, I thought my discontent was from the writing style. This is my first book from Joy Preble, although I was very intrigued with her previous novel, Finding Paris. I laid that aside and just kept going.

I thought it’d be more romantic. Two protagonists who loved each other. No matter how long their separation was (like, seriously a 100 years?), they’d somehow find their way back to each other and try to get rid of the threat from some lunatic religious organization hell-bent on destroying them, unperturbed by killing other innocents whom they’d mistaken for her.

Unfortunately, it just fell flat. The boy never really makes an appearance in her life for the most of the story that I reached. Just the occasional flashback of what happened in their lives that changed everything (i.e. how they practically became immortal). He wasn’t physically present in her current and modern life. Kinda hard to appreciate that aspect of the story if he was all but just a fond memory.

I told myself to keep on reading. It’ll just get better, ya know? Right? But once I stopped for a break (at 58%), I just couldn’t continue and pick it up again. I was just so tired of the constant fear from some crazed church group who could be hiding in plain sight and re-branded from their original name. So with huge regret, I’m sorry to say that It Wasn’t Always Like This just didn’t end up working for me. I gave it my best shot.

I just hope that at the end of it, they find each other and get their second chance, after everything.

Overall Recommendation:
Well, I couldn’t really finish this book, stopping at 58%. However, it could’ve just been something that personally didn’t click with me. There was suspense from being chased by religious fanatics – who were also killers, by the way. The romance didn’t work for me because, well, they hadn’t seen each other in like 100 years. It’s not that I hated this novel, but I just couldn’t bring myself to finishing it, try as I may. Maybe it’d be a better read for others.

YA

Review: Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Study #4

shadow study -maria v. snyderOnce, only her own life hung in the balance…

When Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. She survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia.

Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands—and protect her relationship with Valek.
Suddenly, though, dissent is rising. And Valek’s job—and his life—are in danger.


As Yelena tries to uncover her enemies, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked.And now she must find a way to keep not only herself but all that she holds dear alive.

4 Drink Me Potions

Oh, Yelena, I didn’t think it was possible, but I had forgotten just how much I adore your adventures.

Shadow Study was the novel that fans like me have been waiting for since the conclusion of Fire Study several years ago. With the crazy antics Yelena and her friends just seem to be drawn into, this novel is both reminiscent of her old adventures as well as introduces some new ones.

First off, it’s not totally necessary to have read the previous Study books or Glass books by Maria. However, with the huge amount of characters from both those series showing up in all sorts of roles in this book, it’s definitely a bigger treat for you to read if you knew who they were. It still makes sense even without that context as Snyder worked hard to make it understandable for first time readers, so no worries if you don’t wanna read all of that in one go.

Written with 3 POVs (I know, what a treat, right?), the story quickly develops from all different angles. Yelena is just a magnet for trouble, which starts literally from the first page. Her adventures in Sitia are constantly threaded with suspense as some unknown danger is out stalking her (once again cause honestly, when is she NOT in danger?).

Her and Valek, oh dear Valek, are separated (that’s not a surprise there, either, huh?), but it doesn’t feel so bad as with Magic Study or Fire Study because we get to see what he’s up to in his own POV. Back in Ixia, something iffy is going on up there with the Commander. There are just subtle hints but you can totally tell something bad is brewing up in this country. Meanwhile, we finally get more than a glimpse into Valek’s backstory. Oh my, how he became an assassin and how’d he met Ambrose. Oh, and how’d he fulfilled his duty as the King Killer. Fangirling here.

With all this intensity from both those POVs, good ol’ Janco gets his own POV as well. I suppose out of the power twins, Janco is the funnier friend and so he makes for great comic relief. Snyder’s characteristic sarcastic humour was at its highest with him, although the others also had their own moments.

Favourite cameos and secondary characters pop up throughout. My personal favourites were Yelena’s brother Leif (he surprisingly has a very similar humour going for him as Janco) and the Sandseed Story Weavers. Those who loved the Glass series (unfortunately, not me) would appreciate the appearance of major characters like Opal and Devlen.

So with a fulfilling adventure in both Sitia and Ixia (back in Valek’s memories), as-expected crazy action scenes, loveable characters and a sense of nostalgia, Shadow Study provided a great start to a new line of danger Yelena the Soulfinder has to face. It’s no wonder I can’t help but use Maria V. Snyder’s works as my gold standard for fantasy adventures. They suck you in until you never quite want to leave it, and for good reason too. I’d say this made for a wonderful installment in the series, especially after so many years.

Overall Recommendation:
Shadow Study is the book that all you diehard Study fans are wishing for. It lives up to this claim, as even I, a long time fan, can’t help but relive the wonders of being in the land of Ixia and Sitia. Yelena’s adventures are just as crazy and dangerous, but good thing her good friends are always around to have her back. The characters still leap to life and the world building is familiar and well-developed. For first time fans, it’s not completely necessary to read other books before it, but it definitely amplifies the experience by a lot. I definitely recommend you read this, especially if you loved the first three Study books. It’s worth the wait after all these years.