Book Review: The Stuttering Tattoo

Author: Greg Logsted
Genre: Fiction, YA, Mystery
Release:December, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3/5

Description: Steven Bishop is extraordinarily ordinary. He goes to school. He rides his motorcycle. He stutters. His best friend is a former Colombian cartel hit man turned cook/construction worker. You know, ordinary. All that changes the day Becky Moore walks into his classroom. Becky is dazzling, enigmatic.

One day Steven gives Becky a ride home on his motorcycle. There, they discover a severed arm, one of the fingers of which still has an unusual ring attached: a circle, in the middle of which is a heart, at the center of which is a bold number 37. While comforting Becky, Steven discovers a tattoo at the base of her neck: it is the same symbol. And so begins a thrilling descent into a world of crime and murder, a ride wilder than any Steven has taken before.

Review: The blurb and cover are what attracted me to the book. Sounded interesting. It turned out to be ok...not terrible, but not awesome. It was just ok.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• It started out a little slow. The action didn't pick up until after Steven and Becky discovered the severed arm. 
• Quite irritating at times. Sometimes, I wanted to shake some sense into Steven. And some scenes left me saying, "Seriously?"

WHAT I DID LIKE

• It was short and sweet, perfect for teens (& even adults) with short attention spans. 
• After Steven and Becky discovered the severed arm, the novel became fast-paced and interesting. 
• I like Steven's support system. His dad, a cop, isn't a big part of the novel. Steven has Carlos, a Colombian ex drug enforcer turned coworker/mentor, and Hank, owner of a small diner. Hank gives Steven valuable advise while Carlos helps Steven when he tries to take down the gang, Thirty-Seven.

This books is perfect for reluctant readers. The action will hold the reader's attention til the end.

ARC Review: The Lying Game

Author: Sara Shepard
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery/Suspense
Release: December, 2010
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3/5

Description: I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

Review: The Lying Game is a game where Sutton and her friends get together and plan elaborate pranks on other people as well as each other. One particular video, with Sutton as the star, is posted on Youtube and Emma, Sutton's long-lost twin,sees it. She contacts Sutton through Facebook and decides to leave her current foster home to meet the twin (they were separated from each other as litle girls). But when Emma arrives, she quickly finds out that there's more to the video than meets the eye. Sutton is a victim of The Lying Game. Emma has two choices: become Sutton or die.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• The story is narrated in both Emma and Sutton's voice. This caused the story to get confusing at times...sometimes, you didn't know if it was Sutton or Emma, tho Sutton was actually a ghost.

• Some things were revealed to Sutton and the reader, but not to Emma. So we kind of knew what happened before Emma did.

• Sutton's character is quite unlikeable, tho I understand the "mean girl" image. There were a few (very few) times I actually felt sorry for her.

WHAT I LIKED

• The story, though unbelievable at times, pulled you in. I couldn't put stop reading cos I wanted to know what was going to happen.

• The mystery, "whodunit", element was cool. I won't spoil the ending for you. Just know that it's a series.

• I like Emma's character. She's definitely the more likeable twin!

Fans of Pretty Little Liars (also by Sara Shepard) will definitely dig into this mystery. If you like "whodunit" mysteries, this is the book for you.

P is for The Paris Secret

Author: Angela Henry
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Mystery
Release January, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4.5/5

Description:Less than twenty-four hours after fleeing to Paris, Maya Sinclair is the prime suspect in a brutal murder—and targeted by the real killer. When she's viciously attacked in the gardens of Versailles, Maya barely escapes with her life thanks to sexy French journalist Simon Girard.

Simon has been investigating the mysterious death of his brother, an art forger with ties to the woman Maya is suspected of killing. Still healing from heartbreak of his own, Simon reluctantly joins forces with Maya, who has awakened feelings within him he thought long dead.

Their search for answers uncovers the existence of a secret society, and puts them on a quest to find a missing crucifix rumored to hold the key to everlasting life. Together, Maya and Simon race through Paris one step ahead of a killer who will do anything to ensure some secrets remain buried forever...

Review: Ok, can I just say that I love Angela Henry? Cos I do. She's such an awesome writer. I got The Paris Secret expecting awesomeness and I'm glad to say Ms. Henry delivers.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

• While wearing the ring that supposedly belonged to the Black Nun of Moret, a 17th century nun, Maya has flashbacks of the nun's life. This would've been cool if this were a paranormal/fantasy/mystified book, but it's not. It's a romantic suspense. The flashbacks kind of came out of nowhere. Ms. Henry really didn't need them. With that being said, it didn't take away from the awesomeness that is this book.

WHAT I DID LIKE

• I LOVE the character of Maya. She's feisty and strong. Her boyfriend broke her heart, but instead of staying home an wallowing in self-pity, she flies off to Paris to mend her broken heart. What she goes through didn't break her.

• I like the fact that Maya's a librarian, but not a stereotypical librarian.

• The action. I've mentioned it so many times before, but I love action. The Paris Secret had it. It kind of reminds me of something like The Da Vinci Code with secret societies and the "whodunit" factor.

• Simon is a worthy hero for Maya. He's sexy and passionate. He's masculine, but not too masculine enough where you don't see his emotions as he tries to solve his brother's murder. The romance between Simon and Maya is HAWT!

• Through Ms. Henry's descriptions, I can "see" Paris. Her descriptions are vivid.

If you like romance, mystery, and suspense, The Paris Secret is definitely the book to get!

ARC Review: Hacking Timbuktu

Author: Stephen Davies
Genre: YA, Adventure, Mystery
Release Date: November, 2010
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 3.5/5

Description: Long ago in the ancient city of Timbuktu a student pulled off the most daring heist in African history, the theft of 100 million pounds worth of gold. The stolen treasure has remained hidden until now, when teenage hacker Danny Temple discovers a cryptic Arabic manuscript. It's a good job that Danny is a keen traceur (free runner) because he has to run across rooftops and leap from buildings to stay one step ahead of his pursuers. His nightmarish and adrenalin-charged quest leads him all the way to sub-Saharan Africa, and the mysterious cliffs of Bandiagara.

Review:

What I Didn't Like:

• My main issue is the fact that the main character, Danny, is 16 and lives alone (parents are in Australia, I believe). Also it's kind of....far-fetched that a 16 year-old kid could find what the pros haven't been able to in seven centuries. I don't know. It seemed a little far fetched to me. With that being said...

What I Did Like:

• The book was action-packed and fast-paced...especially towards the end. I could so see this as an action thriller.



• It introduced my to the phenomena of parkour. According to Parkour Visions website, parkour is "the art of moving through your environment as swiftly and effectively as possible using only the human body." In Hacking Timbuktu, Danny and his best friend, Omar, use parkour to get away from the ones after them.

Hacking Timbuktu shows what 100 million pounds of gold can do to your morals (like, uh, forget them). This book is definitely "boy" book, especially with the action and parkour tricks. I mean, being able to jump from building to building without having to be a superhero? Awesome.