Tag Archives: Book Review

2014, action, Book Review, contemporary, mystery, realistic fiction, romance, standalone, YA

[Review] Minders – Michele Jaffe

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Book Title:                      Minders (Standalone)
Author:                             Michele Jaffe
Number of pages:     400

Michele Jaffe - Minders - Cover

Synopsis:

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?

Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She’s been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she’ll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There’s just one problem: Sadie’s fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?

Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford’s life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.

 (re: Goodreads @ Minders by Michele Jaffe)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • Enjoy looking through kaleidoscopes? Well, thoughts and emotions are seen in Technicolor. That’s pretty neat.
  • World building takes on contemporary realism with subtle science-fiction elements that aren’t overwhelming for non sci-fi fanatics.
  • The narrative is not anchored by romance in pacing (although I’d imagine you could still ship them); I mean, she’s pretty normal and he exudes the troubled bad boy.

minders-michele-jaffe-scorecard-600x300

Initial Thoughts:

Hmm, neat cover and premise but even neater opening prologue to the story. That’s really all I got for initial thoughts. Ha.

Lettuce explore my mind.

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

Continue reading [Review] Minders – Michele Jaffe →

2014, adventure, Book Review, dystopian, romance, science-fiction, series, YA

[Review] The Runner – J.M. Johnson

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Book Title:                     The Runner (Avi Bloom Series #01)
Author:                            J.M. JohnsonThe Runner_Cover
Number of pages:    199

Synopsis:

Ten years ago the president of the United States declared that global warming had reached a tipping point from which it would not recover. In answer to this dilemma, modern technology was shut down. The elderly and other volunteers could opt to live out the rest of their lives in a virtual world, but all others were left to fend for themselves.

Seventeen-year-old Avi Bloom lives in a world in which each family must contribute one child as a runner. A runner risks life and limb to travel from village to village delivering news and other small items. Avi is one run shy of retiring when she discovers that whole villages are disappearing, leaving only a few dead bodies and the youngest children behind. Now, Avi must find out who or what is responsible for these missing people as she goes on a journey and discovers friendship, love, and betrayal. She also discovers that the forces behind these disappearances are much larger and more frightening than she could ever have imagined.

 (re: Goodreads @ The Runner by J.M. Johnson)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • Elements of intrigue include Amish concepts and computer programming language.
  • Heroine is underwhelming in development. Love triangle exhibited through underdeveloped relationships.
  • Action sequences are fast-paced.
  • There’s a degree of wishful thinking and lacking urgency in plotting.
Initial Thoughts:

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest critique.

The premise is intriguing and certainly made me want to read this. The unfortunate thing is that while it does start off with a bang, there are avenues which lack substance in allowing this narrative to thrive in this genre.

Let me run these thoughts by you:

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

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2014, Book Review, contemporary, cultural, death, japan, realistic fiction, Reviews, romance, standalone, YA

[Review] When You Were Here – Daisy Whitney

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Book Title:                    When You Were Here (Standalone)
Author:                           Daisy Whitney
Number of pages:    264daisywhitney_whenyouwerehere

Synopsis:

Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

(re: Goodreads @ When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • Predominately takes place in Japan and exposes its culture.
  • Male perspective on grieving losses, optimism, and discovering the nature of life and love.
  • Some characters are refreshing, others are one dimensional, but they’re all interwoven and linked to some degree.
Initial Thoughts:

This book was suggested to me by Savindi.

I had a brief moment after I read the synopsis: could it be that Daniel Kellerman will redeem the name “Daniel/Danny” after my experience with Daniel Kelly (re: Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas)? It’s totally not a coincidence that their names are practically identical right? Twins in another life, maybe. This is a young-adult contemporary about grieving death and meandering through clouded vision of acceptance and finding a way to move on. It has the inner workings to be one of those heart wrenching discovery reads where streams of figurative (or physical) tears eventually flow out of your sockets. But it didn’t get to that point for me.

Let me regale you with my grief:

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

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