The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Kaite Alender

This is not the first book for Alender, she has a decent amount of books published and more on the way. As far as I know this is a stand alone. There hasn't been any talk of another book. I do have a Youtube video up as well!



Delia just got bequeathed a "house". It's more like a mansion, though, that was a correction facility for women a long time ago. Her so-many-great-grandpa used to run the place but it was shut down once the women that were sent there quit getting better, and deaths started to occur. The correction facility was more like an asylum, none of the girls left once placed into its care. The house wants to keep the troubled in even after it was shut down. Delia gets trapped, and that's when she learns that the house is still very much alive. Ghosts are all over the place but you can't see them until something happens, and none of the ghosts can leave or move on. Nothing like spending eternity in a asylum, huh?

There was ghostly action! This is what I was looking for with Diary of a Haunting, but I know that these are two separate books. Hysteria starts off with a bang and I was wondering if things would continue to be good through the rest of the book. It was for the most part. I like that time moves differently when you are not human. Again, I love that the point of sibling love was made. You don't know how long you are going to have with your family or anyone and you shouldn't take things for granted. I was kept interested for the most part. I did like the ending, it felt right.

It took Delia half of the book to piece everything together though, but I almost knew right away how things were going to end up. This was the biggest thing that bugged me too. Things got a little dull because she couldn't see what was right in front of her face. Granted most people don't. It didn't really make me want to stop reading but I did want to skip ahead. I did see the end coming, Florence didn't trick me one bit! I would have been more surprised if it was someone else.

Overall I really did like this book, I didn't love it though. It isn't scary, so if that's what you are looking for you will have to look somewhere else. I do think everyone could like this book definitely young adults. Alender did a very good job and I would like to read more from her. I don't think another book will be coming out because of how the book ended but you never know. I don't exactly want to own this book, I know I could live without it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Page Count: 329 pages (hardcover)

Price: $18.99

Next Book: Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks

Thank you for reading!
~Jade

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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I know, I know, I'm a little late on reading this book (more like four years). This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone...but it's better late than never! To be perfectly honest I have had this book for a good year or so and I just now got around to reading it. For those of you unaware this first book in the Peculiar Children trilogy is going to be a movie in 2016 and rumored to be directed by Tim Burton! The second book is out and I do own it, though I don't know when I will get around to reading that. The final book is not published yet, but is set to be in September of this year.

If it weren't for a family tragedy Jacob wouldn't have been driven to a little island off the coast of Wales. While there he finds Miss Peregrine's Hone for Peculiar Children, it's in ruins but after looking around he sees that these peculiar children are more than what they seem. There's a chance they are dangerous, and have been quarantined here for a reason. There's a chance that they may still be alive.

I very much enjoyed this book, Riggs did a fantastic job of drawing me in but I wasn't kept there which I will get into in the next paragraph. I really enjoyed the idea that peculiar children need to be protected from this greater evil. Once the backstory is told of the greater evil I was really intrigued and I wished that there was a novella or something that goes along with the backstory more. I sympathize with Jacob, because if I had a grandparent telling me tales like Jacob's I wouldn't believe them either. It would take for me to come face to face with what they were talking about before I where to believe, like Jacob. I couldn't pick just a few characters that I liked, because I liked basically all of the peculiar children. They are unique and all really cool on their own, and I love how they are kept a secret from the "real world" for their protection too. I was surprised to see that I recognized a few of the photos that Riggs included.

The only real problem I had with Peculiar Children is that I found I could be drawn away from reading it. In between starting and finishing this book I also read 3 or 4 other books. I did always go back to it but if something caught my attention I didn't feel the need to finish Peculiar Children. Now this isn't so much as a dislike, but more of a annoyance. It also takes away from the full 5-rating that I was intending to give. My attention just wasn't kept by Riggs. I will hold off reading the second book for a little bit because of how easily distracted I was from this one.

I did enjoy Peculiar Children very much, I just wish my attention had been kept all the way through. I do recommend this book to everyone, not just young adults. I think that adults could enjoy this book easily. I also think younger readers could enjoy this book, I don't think there is anything in this book that they wouldn't come across worse just listening to the afternoon news. I already own this book and the second, it remains to be seen whether I decide to get the final third book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Page Count: 382 pages (paperback)

Price: $10.99 (I bought this around $7-$9 at my local Sam's Club)

Next Book: The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

Thanks for reading!
~Jade

I had reviews going up every Saturday (for me) but seeing as I have a class on Saturdays now, I will just push back the reviews by one day. Now it will be every Sunday that I put a review up.

Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

This is the first book in the Touch series by Stolarz. It's a book published way back in 2008, and I really wish I had picked it up when I was in high school. I remember seeing it but I wasn't out of my phase of "every book I read needs to have vampires in it, some way some how or else I am not reading it." Thankfully I am no longer like that *cough*sort-of*cough*. Stolarz has a number of other books out besides this one and I might pick another up eventually. Sorry that this review got up a little late.

Three months ago Camelia's life had been pretty normal for a sixteen year old. It was all changed when a mysterious boy named Ben started going to her school. The rumor is that Ben killed his ex-girlfriend, even though it was ruled an accident. Everyone casts judgment upon Ben, as this is high school. Camelia, however, does not, in fact she's drawn to him and his touch. Bone chilling phone calls and packages left with even more chilling notes ensue not too long afterwards. Ben says that Camelia is in danger, he wants to help but Camelia doesn't know if she can trust him. He has a lot hiding, but he's not the only one.

It's been a while since I have read a book with a psychometric in it. I forget how much I like books that give humans supernatural powers. For a first book I would say that it was great. I wonder how the next four books are going to go, seeing as the "main" problem for this book was solved. I guess the characters will provide more problems, and I would like to find out more about a few of them. I did like the characters, Camelia is trying to make it through high school like most of the other kids. Wes was the much needed comic relief, though I did suspect him for the bad guy every once in a while. With Kimmie I don't know if I like her or not. I find that she is that complete and utter randomness that Camelia needs to shake up her life, but Kimmie outright annoyed me half of the time. Ben is your typical "bad boy with a bad reputation that has a soft side" character. I liked him though, he has a lot more to be seen. Deadly Little Secret was a quick and pretty easy read, but it wasn't so easy that things where spelled out. At least not for me. The ending was a little of a cliffhanger but not that much, I can live with the ending so long as I get the second book eventually.

There was a lot of internal conflict with Camelia, she would be set going one way and then one thing would throw her the complete opposite way. I understand why Camelia was thinking the way she was and the going back and forth, because I am the same exact way. But after a few times I get tired of it and figure out which way I am going or if I am remaining neutral. Yes, Camelia couldn't remain neutral when her life is on the line, but I would have had whiplash from all the back and forth she did. The ending was a little predictable, although its understandable for Ben's reasoning. It makes certain parts of the next book predictable, which I am not looking forward to but I will not let it kill the book for me. Not until I have read and formed my own opinion of it.

Overall I would say that Deadly Little Secrets was a great read. I would most definitely reread this book over a few times. I do hope the other books stand up to this one and do better as well. The formatting of my book made it a pretty quick read as I said, so I do recommend this for anyone wanting a quick read. If you want a longer read, save this book for later. I also recommend this to everyone, though I can see where "adults" may not like this as much as young adults. I wouldn't mind owning this book by Stolarz, and I wouldn't mind picking up another book by her to read.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 252 pages (paperback)

Price: $9.99

Next Book: The Farm by Emily McKay

Thanks for reading!
~Jade

Fade by Lisa McMann

Second book in the Wake trilogy, I do have the first book Wake reviewed and it is linked. I will have the third book reviewed soon. I made darn sure to check out both books this time instead of one at a time. Gone won't be next, but it will be after the next book review. If you are interested keep on the look out for it, or just wait until I link it back in this review.

Things haven't changed, yet. Janie and Cabel still have a secret relationship and trying to find time for themselves is near impossible. With little clues, something very wrong is happening at Fieldridge High, but no one is speaking up about it. It isn't until Janie enters a classmates dream that things begin to open up. Nothing goes as planned, nothing is easy. Janie has a lot on her plate, and Cable is no help. His behavior ends up getting them both in trouble. It's one hit after another for Janie, she learns the truth about her ability, and it's not the greatest. Her fate is all but sealed as a dream catcher, but what's to come is what could break a person.

Oh the feels, oh so many feels with Fade. This was just as good as the first, and I have high hopes for the third and final book. There was just as much excitement, and drama as the first, only I would say there is more emotion this time around. You're heart can't help but go out to Janie, and everything that she is going through. I'm grateful that she has Cable, but there is more growing that needs to be done mentally and emotionally for them both. I love the fact that I was glued to the book from page one. I had to finish it once I started, things got in the way of that but I was grabbing Fade every chance I got. I was most definitely kept interested throughout the book. I loved the plot and how we got to see Janie go undercover and deal with a problem. I'd say that Janie grows some in Fade she begins to see that she has to be a big girl about her life and not about another's life. She really has to start thinking about her own life and what is going to happen. I love Captain, she's like the tough mother that both Cable and Janie need. Captain is for sure on my top five favorite characters.

I was a little disappointed in a few things. They were minor and shouldn't pose a problem, but I was hoping for one of them not to happen. I know I have mentioned this before. I've noticed that with second books if the two main characters are love interests, this reoccurring theme almost always happens. *SPOILER-ALERT* After the bust goes down and Janie does her job, Cable pretty much breaks up with her. This is more at the end of the book, but it happened nonetheless. *SPOILER-ENDED* I was hoping that McMann would stay away from this, but I understand. Cable's reasoning for this though, had me wanting to bang my head against the wall. I understand with his father being majorly abusive, but still Janie? Janie wouldn't be like that. Also, there was a huge predictable spot in the book, as to the drawback to being a dream catcher. I saw that coming from the very beginning. I think a lot of people also did too. I wouldn't say that it ruined the book for me because there was so much more going on in the book.

Without really intending to, I have been reading books lately that need a sort of trigger warning. Fade is one of them, but it is still a very clean book. There is talk of rape, a number of times throughout the book. It goes with the plot, and the undercover work that Janie has to do. There is nothing graphic, and there are no details. There is also talk of being drugged. This next one is more of a warning for parents. There is talk of sex, once again, not graphic and not detailed. It is hinted toward. If you think you can handle mentions, and hints, then you can handle reading Fade. I guess I will do this more often if I see a need to put a trigger warning on a book.

I recommend this book and the previous Wake to everyone, young and "old". I would love to own this book. I don't see a problem with younger people reading, I don't think the topics in this would be anything that they can't handle. Obviously if a parent hasn't had a few talks with them they may be curious as to what is going on. For a young adult book, I loved it. Even with the predictable parts I wanted to keep reading. It was just a little bump in the road. I just wish that this were a longer book, along with the first. I would most definitely reread Fade again.
 

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 248 pages (hardcover)

Price: ???

Next Book: I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer

 

Thanks for reading!

~Jade

Wake by Lisa McMann

The first book in the Wake trilogy, and I wonder where the hype for it is? Or maybe I missed it? I am going to go with I missed the hype, because that's usually how it happens. I've had my eye on this trilogy for a little while now, and I have never been able to get the first book until now. I was warned by someone who has read these books to read them in order if I really don't want to spoil anything. I took the warning and I am glad I did. I hope you enjoy.

Seventeen-year old Janie has a lot on her plate, and being sucking into other people dreams isn't helping any. She's getting tired of it, and sadly has no one to talk to about it because honestly who wouldn't think she was crazy if they knew about it? She can't control it either and it doesn't matter what time of day it is, if someone is dreaming around her she is getting pulled into it. But the dream of a kid named Cabel, is different. He dreams of killing someone, but he also dreams of her.

To say I devoured this book is an understatement. I began reading at about 1AM and was half way through by 3:30AM. I slept, woke up, and read the rest of the book in just a hour and a half more. It was a very quick read for me but I think that has to do with how fast paced it was, for the most part. The pace did slow but never for very long, which I loved. It fit the book perfectly. In the POV of Janie, I find that she was very relatable, which is nice for a reader. Anyone who wasn't very privileged, had to work for their things, and almost an outcast could really relate to Janie. I feel if I can't 'connect' with one of the main characters, the book isn't that enjoyable. Unless the author does something amazing. I don't even know how to explain Cabel, he seems like a bad boy but that's just too stereotypical for him. *SPOILER-ALERT* I did not see him working under cover as a agent at his age coming. I had to read a couple of pages over just to be sure. Though in the end it made sense why and how he came to be in that position. *SPOILER-ENDED* I have never read a book before where a character has been drawn into anyone and everyone's dreams, so long as they are in close enough proximity, and awake. It was what drew me in in the first place when I picked it up a while ago, and read the back cover. I got annoyed with Janie and Cabel in the beginning and kept yelling at the book. It was good yelling, and I was cracking myself up.

Quite honestly I don't have any real complaints about Wake. I was upset by how fast I read it, and how small the book is compared to some of the other books I have read. I have a feeling that unless Ms. McMann makes some stereotypical moves for the next two book, I may just love them as well. Even with the shortness.

I loved this book to say the least. It is a great relaxed read for adults. I made my mom read it once I was done with Wake and she really liked it as well. I recommend this book to everyone of all ages, I personally don't see a problem with someone in 8th grade reading this. There are a couple of spots where Janie gets sucked into a sexual dream but even then it isn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I think I could reread Wake a few times before I would get tired of it. I don't own the book but I surely want to one day, as for the rest of the trilogy, that remains to be seen.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 210 (paperback)

Price: $9.99

Next Book: Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Thanks for reading!
~Jade