Feature and Follow Friday: Off my Radar

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

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Q: Do you post your reviews anywhere besides your blog?

Like many of you, my reviews are not kept hidden on the blog. Feel free to friend me on Goodreads, whether you have a blog or not. I love checking out what other readers thought about the books I've read. It feels awesome when you find someone who either liked or disliked the same book as you.

I also post my reviews on Amazon.ca


Where do you post your reviews?

Review: Reached

It all comes tumbling down...

With finales, unfortunately accompanied by great character loses and love triangle disasters, Reached  felt suspenseful from page one. It takes a long time to overthrow a society. As Cassia, Xander and Ky learned in the sequel Crossed, there is a pilot a.k.a leader who began the Rising before they were even born. An immunity was given to some citizens at birth to prevent them from a paralyzing virus in the future. The time has come to take over the society once and for all by bribing them with the cure. But what no one expected was that viruses tend to mutate. What happens when there's no longer a cure?

Control is a theme seen throughout the book as our main characters are left at their work posts waiting for the pilot to decide what action comes next. Not all are immune, and therefore a race against the clock begins and the possibility of death puts many things (like love) into perspective. Sometimes we must take matters into our own hands.

Since Cassia's love preference always seemed clear from the start, Condie's decision to add the virus into the mix gave the book the suspense it needed for a gran finale.

Review: All Fall Down

Grace's mom was murdered and nobody believes her.

Adding to the tragedy, she must now move back to Embassy Row, where she shared so many memories with her mom. She's seen as a rebel and mentally unstable. But Grace has no time to worry about fitting in, because the killer's still on the loose, and seems to have his eyes on her. Will someone believe her before she becomes the next target?

Ally Carter filled her story with a great supporting cast. We've got the charming and protective Russian, the hacker, the spy and the wingman -- all from different countries bringing their own spice to the story. The background is an amazing plus, allowing for lavish parties and powerful antagonists.But what makes All Fall Down particular is Grace's mental instability. Is there actually a killer or does Grace just need someone to blame?

Piece after piece, the puzzle revealed at the end is anything but what was expected.

Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest

Once up a time, there was a horned boy sleeping in a glass coffin. He was beautiful. And two siblings fell in love with him... 

Fairfolk's not a town like any other. The Fae have their own hidden community and expect the humans to keep out while they roam about kidnapping children. But now that the horned boy is free, the Fae vow to cause greater havoc until he is returned.

Siblings Fae hunters, Hazel and Ben, have their own plans on how to put an end to this mess. But deep down both of them carry secrets that could hinder their quest. Together with the help of part/fae- part/human Jack, they embark on a mission to end the Fae's control over the town once and for all.

Although Holly Black put in a huge effort to include romance into the story, none of the characters really felt worthy of such love. They were selfish, particularly Hazel, who's major sacrifice served mostly for her benefit than anyone else. For this reason I was glad that romance took second place in the story, which focused the attention on sword fights and understating the complete world of the Fae. Too bad the ending felt rushed.

Review: Hit

The Crush and the Crash

Sarah's in love with her poetry teacher, Mr. Haddings, in ways that would be considered unethical. Still, she decides to pour her heart out and writes him a letter. Unfortunately, on her way to deliver said letter, Haddings, who inadvertently looked at his cellphone, runs her over with his car. The story takes us through the following two days post accident. And how both  Sarah and Haddings, must come to terms with what happened. 

Hit seems like the kind of story that would have benefit immensely from having more than two point-of-views. Sarah's parents were uncomfortable being around each other, her brother was too preoccupied with looks while her best friend found solace being near him. But Mr. Haddings wasn't allowed to approach the family and Sarah was... injured. So the untold stories lingered int he air. If only the flashbacks would have gone deeper than poetry and claim that five star rating.

Grover based Hit on a true story, and encourages us to follow The Red Thumb Reminder and paint our nail red as a warning not to text and drive. Let's make a difference.