Categotry Archives: Thriller
If You’re Lucky
Juvenile Fiction
Algonquin Books
2015-10-20
288
Is Georgia's mind playing tricks on her, or is the entire town walking into the arms of a killer who has everyone but her fooled? When seventeen-year-old Georgia's brother drowns while surfing halfway around the world in Australia, she refuses to believe Lucky's death was just bad luck. Lucky was smart. He wouldn't have surfed in waters more dangerous than he could handle. Then a stranger named Fin arrives in False Bay, claiming to have been Lucky's best friend. Soon Fin is working for Lucky's father, charming Lucky's mother, dating his girlfriend. Georgia begins to wonder: did Fin murder Lucky in order to take over his whole life? Determined to clear the fog from her mind in order to uncover the truth about Lucky's death, Georgia secretly stops taking the medication that keeps away the voices in her head. Georgia is certain she's getting closer and closer to the truth about Fin, but as she does, her mental state becomes more and more precarious, and no one seems to trust what she's saying. As the chilling narrative unfolds, the reader must decide whether Georgia's descent into madness is causing her to see things that don't exist-or to see a deadly truth that no one else can. "A remarkable page-turner . . . Keep[s] readers wondering, twist by twist, if Georgia's universe will simply burst apart." --Andrew Smith, author of "Grasshopper Jungle"
Review:
In what is a rarity in young adult books, the topic of schizophrenia is tackled head-on in “If You’re Lucky”, a taut thriller that leaves the readers as confused as the narrator as to what is real and what is not.
Georgia, the main character, is a teenager with paranoid schizophrenia who is dealing with the loss of her brother Lucky, the town’s golden boy. One of his best friends shows up to the memorial and creates a whirlwind of emotions for her. Georgia is an extremely well-developed character, and her descent into a schizophrenic episode is written beautifully. It truly feels as though you are trying to navigate the world through the distortion in her mind. This adds a great deal of twists and turns to the mystery of what happened to Lucky. The rest of the characters are also well-developed and relatable, with my favorite being Fin. I won’t say anything else about him because it may ruin some of the reading experience.
I loved the plot and found it to be the perfect mix of thriller and standard mystery. At some points I literally had goosebumps from the creepiness. However, the reason for me giving three stars instead of four is because of the plot. It seemed to begin slowly, and while the entire book is well-written, I didn’t realize I was actually into it until I was about a third of the way through. This points to a slight problem with the pacing. It would have been nice to add a bit of “oomph” to the setup.
In spite of the slight pacing problem, I still wholeheartedly recommend “If You’re Lucky” to those who enjoy mysteries and thrillers. There is some adult content, but it is still a safe choice for middle schoolers and up as long as they’re not opposed to things that can be disturbing.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
Language, Brief Sexual Situations, Violence, Underage Drinking
A Magic Dark and Bright (Asylum Series)
A Magic Dark and Bright
Asylum, Book 1
Bookish Group Press
February 5, 2015
Paperback
328
She meant to help a ghost...not unleash a curse. Amelia Dupree hasn’t seen the Woman in White since the night her brother died. The ghost seems to have disappeared from the woods surrounding Asylum, Pennsylvania—that is, until Charlie Blue moves into the creepy old MacAllister House next door. Amelia can’t help liking him, even though she spent her childhood thinking his grandmother was a witch. And she definitely can’t ignore the connection between his arrival and the Woman in White’s return. Then Amelia learns that the Woman in White is a prisoner, trapped between the worlds of the living and the dead. Devastated by the idea that her brother could be suffering a similar fate, Amelia decides to do whatever it takes to help the Woman in White find peace--and Charlie agrees to help her. But when Amelia’s classmates start to drown in the Susquehanna River, one right after another, rumors swirl as people begin to connect the timing of Charlie’s arrival with the unexplained deaths. As Charlie and Amelia uncover the dark history of Asylum, they realize they may have unleashed an unspeakable evil. One they have to stop before everything they love is destroyed.
Review:
When I was given the opportunity to review and arc of “A Magic Dark and Bright”, the first book in the Asylum series, I was expecting a few creepy feelings in the vein of the Fear Street Series. Here is what really happened:
I had insomnia, and for whatever reason decided that 2 am was a good time to start a ghost story. By 2:30 am I was convinced a visitor from the grave was looking at me from the yard and spent the next thirty minutes trying to convince myself I needed to peek out of the curtains. Then I decided that would be the type of the idea that is acted upon in the first three minutes of a slasher film, so chose instead to hide under the covers.
I was reading Stephen King in elementary school, so I wouldn’t exactly consider myself a horror genre wimp. This book really managed to hit a fear center for me. I don’t anticipate looking out of the window at night any time in the near future. The characters are compelling, it’s a quick and easy read, the imagery is perfectly creepy, and it doesn’t rely on gore for the fright. The only reason I made it four stars, instead of five, is that there were some timeline shifts that became a bit disorienting at points.
I recommend “A Magic Dark and Bright” for upper middle graders to adults, providing they enjoy being scared while reading. Make sure you have curtains in your bedroom. Shut them before reading. Trust me.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
Violence, Language, Sexual Content, Intensely Creepy Stuff
The Memory Hit
The Memory Hit
Hachette Children's Books
June 4, 2015
Paperback
352
On New Year's Eve, Jess's life is unrecognizable: her best friend is in the hospital, her boyfriend is a cheater. A drug-dealing cheater it would seem, after finding a stash of Nostalgex in his bag.
Nostalgex: a drug that stimulates memory. In small doses, a person can remember the order of a deck of cards, or an entire revision guide read the day before an exam. In larger doses it allows the user detailed access to their past, almost like watching a DVD with the ability to pause a moment in time, to focus on previously unnoticed details and to see everything they've ever experienced with fresh eyes. As Leon, the local dealer, says 'it's like life, only better.' What he fails to mention is that most memories are clouded by emotions. Even the most vivid memories can look very different when visited.
Across town Sam Cooper is in trouble. Again. This time, gagged and bound in the boot of a car. Getting on the wrong side of a drug dealer is never a good idea, but if he doesn't make enough money to feed and clothe his sister, who will?
On New Year's Day, Jess and Cooper's worlds collide. They must put behind their differences and work together to look into their pasts to uncover a series of events that will lead them to know what really happened on that fateful New Year's Eve. But what they find is that everything they had once believed to be true, turns out to be a lie ...
Review:
“The Memory Hit” is an old-fashioned thriller for the young adult crowd. Think “Scream” type thrills with a drug-dealing setting.
If you’re looking for romance, “The Memory Hit” is not for you. There are some brief moments of it, mostly through memories, but that is all. One of my favorite things about the book is the fact that there is an abusive boyfriend who is not portrayed as some misunderstood hero and a girlfriend whose thoughts are shown both before and after she realizes he is abusive. Those portrayals are rare, and I like to point out any time a book treats abuse realistically and doesn’t in any way condone it.
The characters are well-developed in the way that you expect from a standalone thriller. There are strengths and weaknesses in all of them, with realistic reactions to some really terrifying things going on around them. There are several moments that had me jumping out of my seat and an overall atmosphere of general creepiness. Add in the mystery of “whodunnit” and it makes for a fun and fast read. Readers will feel thankful that nostalgex is not a real drug by the end of the story.
I recommend it to upper middle grade readers and up who enjoy a good scare and are looking for a quick read.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
Language, Very Mild Sexual Content, Violence, Drug and Alcohol Abuse
The Third Twin
Delacorte Press
February 24, 2015
Hardcover
336
Identical twins. Identical DNA. Identical suspects. It’s Pretty Little Liars meets Revenge in this edge-of-your-seat thriller with a shocking twist.
When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia’s guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything.
The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they’d never, ever be with in real life.
Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect—Alicia. The girl who doesn’t exist.
As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer . . . or Alicia is real.
Review:
I really wanted to like “The Third Twin”, and for a little over half of the book, I did. Somewhere around there it really jumped the rails in several aspects. The first half is why I gave it three stars, but the second would most certainly would be a two star book, in my opinion.
The premise is a very interesting one, and an unsolved murder for which the protagonist is a suspect holds a lot of promise. The stakes rise as it goes on, delivering a mix of the predictable and good surprises. The set-up was the best part of the book.
The characters are not well-developed, relying mostly on tropes to establish their personalities, and by the end they are quite grating. The ending, without spoiling it, is everything that a mystery should not be. While unpredictable, which is a good quality, it comes out of nowhere with absolutely no clues to lead it there, which is anything but good.
For most mystery lovers, I would recommend giving this one a pass. If the little details are not something you care about in a mystery or thriller, it may be worth a try. If nothing else, “The Third Twin” is a quick read.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning:
Mild Sexual Situations, Language, Violence
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