Category Archives: suspense

2014, Book Review, coming of age, death, dystopian, science-fiction, series, survival, suspense, YA

[Review] The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness

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Book Title:    The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #01)
Author:            Patrick Ness
Number of pages:   479

Synopsis:

patrick ness - knife of never letting go (cover)Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee — whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not — stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden — a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

(re: Goodreads @ The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

– Relationships between protagonists and man and dog are all genuine and platonic. Manchee is the best effing ruddy dog, ever, and I’m sure this foolish man’s best friend will become your favourite character.
– The world isn’t burdened with description as it allows for basic tangible scenery to become fully realised in thought. Follows the first person perspective of an illiterate boy; there will be words made up, misspelled enunciated words, and lots of repetition.
– Basically one long chase scene where the primary antagonist is almost a carbon copy of Terminator.
– Handles the social and human issues with ease; focusing on choice and self-identity in a dehumanized society of power tripping baddies mirroring the novel concept of community.
– An unfortunate cliffhanger that may require the second instalment ready to go.

knife-of-never-letting-go-patrick-ness-scorecard-600x300

Initial Thoughts

So stuff happens. And then more stuff happens. Then someone slaps me in the face and I’m like ????? but other things happen. Then someone shoots my leg and as I’m slow to get up, they gun down my knee-cap, too. And then the cycle repeats a few more times until all feels have been exhausted.

And that’s basically The Knife of Never Letting Go in a nutshell notwithstanding all that violent stuff actually happening (or maybe it does, differently).

Never have I read an initial installment for a trilogy where nothing really changes from the first to the last page (re: considering ~500 pages) yet it’s an oscillating thrill-ride of questions, answers, and a goldmine of atmospheric suffocation and tension. Between all the moments I hated and the moments that I relished, there’s something worth buying into.

And if it’s any consolation, I shed some tears. So, that’s worth something I guess.

This and more (~3k words more) under the cut—

Side note: I wrote a companion post (re: Music Monday) where I matched a song to elements of this novel. You can find that post by clicking here.

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.

Continue reading [Review] The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness →

2014, Book Review, contemporary, death, mystery, paranormal, romance, science, standalone, substance abuse, suspense, thriller, YA

[Review] Nearly Gone – Elle Cosimano

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Book Title:                  Nearly Gone (Standalone)
Author:                         Elle Cosimano
Number of pages:  388

Synopsis:

nearlygone_coverBones meets Fringe in a big, dark, scary, brilliantly-plotted urban thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end.

Nearly Boswell knows how to keep secrets. Living in a DC trailer park, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Like her mother’s job as an exotic dancer, her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone’s skin. But when a serial killer goes on a killing spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the one person she shouldn’t trust: the new guy at school—a reformed bad boy working undercover for the police, doing surveillance. . . on her.

Nearly might be the one person who can put all the clues together, and if she doesn’t figure it all out soon—she’ll be next.

(re: Goodreads @ Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

– Riddles and clues galore to be solved involving a large pool of suspects — to me, it reads like a mix between The Zodiac Killer and Criminal Minds
– Narrative pacing is on-point with it’s focused genre and will keep you questioning till the very end with various twists
– Underdeveloped characters; protagonist has book-smarts but lacks the alternative and often leads to making bad decisions
– There’s a paranormal element involving empathy which isn’t fully explored to it’s potential and is easily glossed over
– Romance is a love-square and also involves reformed bad boys, jealousy, and friend-zoning

Initial Thoughts:

I had some pretty high expectations with this read being in line with all them crime/mystery/suspense shows I watch on the daily. It’s not nearly as good as I thought it could have been but it wasn’t horrendous if one overlooks some key aspects. Being a murder-mystery centric, sometimes you just have to take that skepticism hat off—or at least lower your inquisitive mind a bit to actually not be particular picky.

Disclaimer: There may be spoilers inherent to this review from this point onward.

Continue reading [Review] Nearly Gone – Elle Cosimano →

2014, action, adventure, ARC review, Book Review, death, mystery, new adult, romance, science-fiction, speculative fiction, standalone, status & class, supernatural, suspense, thriller

[Review] The Furies: A Thriller – Mark Alpert

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Book Title:                   The Furies: A Thriller (Standalone)
Author:                           Mark Alpert
Number of pages:    320

Synopsis:The Furies - Mark Alpert

For centuries, the Furies have lived among us. Long ago they were called witches and massacred by the thousands. But they’re human just like us, except for a rare genetic mutation that they’ve hidden from the rest of the world for hundreds of years.

Now, a chance encounter with a beautiful woman named Ariel has led John Rogers into the middle of a secret war among the Furies. Ariel needs John’s help in the battle between a rebellious faction of the clan and their elders. The grand prize in this war is a chance to remake the human race.

Mark Alpert’s The Furies weaves cutting-edge science into an ingenious thriller, showing how a simple genetic twist could have inspired tales of witchcraft and sorcery, and how the paranormal could indeed be possible.

(re: Goodreads @ The Furies: A Thriller by Mark Alpert)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

– A “chase-thriller” with a variety of fast-paced action sequences involving guns and explosives, a ferryboat, and many bullet ants.
– Despite romance driving the protagonists actions and the synopsis sounding as if it’s a paranormal romance… it’s not.
– Speculative-fiction that considers a variant genome which has caused disparity and civil unrest between the genders of the Furies.
– Generally immaculate world building that gives nod to historical timelines and paints a realistic landscape of various settings.
– Narrative pacing is a hit or miss as perspectives change between major and minor characters.

Initial Thoughts:

Sooooo…the Salem Witch Trials lay the groundwork for this mixed grab bag of witchy woo-woo speculative fiction which isn’t as paranormal as I initially thought. To be frank, I thought the Furies were the name for a species or something. Nope, it’s actually a family lineage. With the tagline of being a thriller, its success is a toss-up erring on the side of being flat through the course of its journey. While not a disastrous read by any means, there is a considerable nod given toward historical attributions emphasized by differing societies concerning the unordinary superstitious behaviours of [insert-your-religion-of-choice-here]. With this in mind, it isn’t executed to the potential that I thought it could have been. But the cover is kind of rad though.

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of The Furies: A Thriller through NetGalley for an honest review. I extend my thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing me the opportunity to review this book.

Disclaimer: There may be spoilers inherent to this review from this point onward.

Continue reading [Review] The Furies: A Thriller – Mark Alpert →