Review: The Weight of Souls

The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Sixteen year old Taylor Oh is cursed: if she is touched by the ghost of a murder victim then they pass a mark beneath her skin. She has three weeks to find their murderer and pass the mark to them – letting justice take place and sending them into the Darkness. And if she doesn’t make it in time? The Darkness will come for her…

She spends her life trying to avoid ghosts, make it through school where she’s bullied by popular Justin and his cronies, keep her one remaining friend, and persuade her father that this is real and that she’s not going crazy.

But then Justin is murdered and everything gets a whole lot worse. Justin doesn’t know who killed him, so there’s no obvious person for Taylor to go after. The clues she has lead her to the V Club, a vicious secret society at her school where no one is allowed to leave… and where Justin was dared to do the stunt which led to his death.

Can she find out who was responsible for his murder before the Darkness comes for her? Can she put aside her hatred for her former bully to truly help him? 

And what happens if she starts to fall for him?

Bryony Pearce has created a ghost story with a twist in her debut, The Weight of Souls. Taylor Oh is far from popular, in fact, she is often the butt of the popular kids jokes because she's different. But she can't tell anyone why she's so different, even her best friends who are one more lie away from giving up on her. Taylor is cursed to see the spirits of murder victims, and if the spirits touch her she must find their killer before the darkness comes and claims her instead. Taylor goes out of the way to avoid the spirits if possible, but when one of the popular kids, Justin, is murdered and he doesn't know he's dead, let alone who's killed him. Taylor has to try and get in with the popular kids and uncover the mysteries around a secret society in order to find his murderer before the darkness comes for her.

Right from the premise I was intrigued by this novel, and I wasn't sorry. Taylor is a brilliant character who is struggling between having friends and living with this curse (as well as trying to convince her father that it is a curse and she's not crazy). The tension that the novel opens up between Taylor and Justin adds for wonderful suspense and chemistry between them once she is forced to help him or be doomed to take the darkness on herself.

The plot never slows down and there are plenty of twists and turns as Taylor tries to uncover who Justin's murderer is, especially when Justin doesn't even know who killed him (or that he's dead at the beginning), leading to a surprising revelation when the murderer and reason is revealed… but I won't say any more here as it will give too much away.

The Weight of Souls is just another wonderful addition to Strange Chemistry's ever building book list and I look forward to Taylor's continuing adventures in future books. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a great mystery or ghost story, especially books like Marlene Perez's Dead is the New Black series.

Source: NetGalley

2013 Debut Author Challenge: #11 of 12

Review: Pretty Dark Nothing

Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid

Synopsis (From Goodreads): It’s been twenty three days since Quinn has slept for more than minutes at a time. Demons have invaded her dreams, stalking her, and whispering of her death. The lack of sleep and crippling fear are ruining her life. Energy drinks and caffeine pills don’t make a dent. When Quinn dozes off in the school hallway, Aaron, an amnesiac with a psychic ability, accidentally enters her nightmare. The demons are determined to keep them apart, and Aaron from discovering the secret locked away in his memory. Together, they could banish the darkness back to the underworld for good. That is, unless the demons kill them first.

I have to admit that the first thing that drew me to this story was the cover. I didn't even know anything about the story, but the cover looks creepy and beautiful all at the same time so it definitely had my attention, and then I read the premise, which made me want to read this story.

Pretty Dark Nothing is about Quinn, a girl who used to be top of her class, a cheerleader and popular, but that was before demons began invading her dreams. Now she's an insomniac, barely surviving on more than a few minutes of sleep at a time and living off energy drinks and caffeine pills. She keeps all of her weird dreams and demonic shadows a secret, afraid that if she told anyone they would think she's crazy - which she could be. When Quinn dozes off at school she could swear she's rescued Aaron. Aaron also has a secret. He's an amnesiac with a psychic ability and has the ability to enter her dreams. Maybe together they will be able to banish the darkness, but will the demons kill them first?

Heather L. Reid has created an interesting story and it could have been a very strong and creepy story, what with her ability to describe such vivid dark and deadly scenes, as well as portray Quinn's 'episodes' in a way that could make the reader question whether Quinn is actually being attacked or if she is crazy, but it's not easy to overlook some of the behaviours that Quinn has throughout the novel. Quinn plays the character of damsel in distress quite well, and it's easy to understand how that can work and be more realistic than if she were to be more capable, but the fact that she was too reliant on a particular boy, and not Aaron. Quinn's obsession with her ex-boyfriend was quite distracting and it became overwhelming, having me thinking why she's constantly pining over him when he's treating her like dirt.

Aaron's side of the story provided a good twist, but he was too nice. I couldn't stand how he kept coming back to Quinn's rescue when she barely even acknowledged him, let alone thanked him for helping her in dire situations.

Getting back to the plot, the story was full of twists and turns and the demons were perfectly describe, leaving the reader with a creepy crawling feeling. The demons attacking through dreams were very reminiscent of Nightmare on Elm Street (and I absolutely love Freddy Kruger), and I can't wait to see where the story continues in the next novel. I would recommend this to anyone who loves the darker YA paranormals, especially for fans of Nightmare on Elm Street.

Source: NetGalley

2013 Debut Author Challenge: #10 of 12

Review: When the World was Flat

When the World was Flat by Ingrid Jonach

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.

But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in love.

When she at last learns the truth about their connection, Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also discovers that once you finally understand that the world is round, there is no way to make it flat again.

I was first drawn to this book because it's a Strange Chemistry title and they haven't let me down yet, and this definitely stood up to their standards. Ingrid Jonach introduces an intriguing sci-fi/romance about a girl who is plagued by dreams of her death and a boy who is always around to save her. Lillie would like to say it was love at first sight, but for Tom, she doesn't think he feels the same way, especially when he acts so cold towards her when he's around other people. There's a mystery that surrounds by Lillie and Tom and Lillie is determined to find out why she feels this way about Tom and what secret Tom has been hiding from her, but does she really want to know the truth?

For me, the start of the novel was a bit slow and I was stuck thinking 'is this even science fiction?', yeah, there was plenty of signs that it was romance, but absolutely no signs of any of the out of the ordinary stuff happening, unless you call an insomniac teenager who dreams of her own death out of the ordinary. I'm glad I didn't give up on the story, because once it jumps over that hurdle, Jonach plunges the reader into a world of mystery and suspense as Lillie tries to discover what secret Tom is keeping from her, as well as why she feels so strongly for a boy that doesn't reciprocates her affection.

The characters are strong and well-rounded, with an interesting background cast that makes the story interesting to read. The only other issue I did have with this story was the little bit of insta-love that happened, as well as the infatuation for the boy, but when the secret is revealed it actually makes sense as why their love has been written this way.

This novel was an interesting take on the sci-fi genre, one with a definite unique twist, and I look forward to reading more stories from Ingrid Jonach and Strange Chemistry in the future. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good teenage romance story with a unique twist or slice or sci-fi.

Source: NetGalley

2013 Debut Author Challenge: #9 of 12

Review: Prep School Confidential

Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor

Synopsis (From Goodreads): In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn't care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school. 

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

When I first heard about Prep School Confidential I was instantly drawn to it because of it's comparison to the TV shows Pretty Little Liars and Revenge, two shows I absolutely love, and what's not to love about a murder mystery at an exclusive boarding school? Well, I was not sorry for reading it. The story starts by introducing the reader to rebel, Anne Dowling who goes a little too far in her troublemaking when she accidentally burns down a bart of her school and her parents are forced to send her to an exclusive boarding school.

The only thing Anne wants to do is get back to New York, but that all changes when her roommate, Isabella's body is found in the woods behind the school. Determined to find the killer, especially when everyone else is remaining oddly silent, Anne sets to work with the help of Isabella's twin brother and Brent, a cute classmate, but will searching for the killer put her own life in jeopardy or even get her framed for Isabella's murder?

Taylor creates a cast of vastly different characters, each with secrets and motives of their own for wanting to harm Isabella that leads to a lot of twists and turns throughout the entire story. From page one, the story doesn't let up. It really draws the reader in and the one thing I really loved was Anne's sassy and sarcastic attitude. The mystery was also something that kept me guessing, and that was what made me want to keep reading.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves the show Pretty Little Liars or Revenge, or just a good thrilling mystery because that is what you will get with Prep School Confidential. I look forward to seeing what other mysteries await with the next of Anne Dowling's stories.

Source: NetGalley

2013 Debut Author Challenge: #7 of 12

Review: Ink

Ink by Amanda Sun

Synopsis (From Goodreads): On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

The first thing that drew me to Amanda Sun's debut, Ink, apart from the gorgeous cover, was that it's a story set in Japan and I'm a sucker for all things Japanese and I was not let down. After a family tragedy Katie is forced to move to Japan to live with her aunt. She barely knows the language and the culture, and she never even wanted to move to the country. When she sees Tomohiro, the star of the school's kendo team, with his drawings that start moving, Katie soon learns that Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan and being near Katie is causing his abilities to go haywire. If it's not the drawings coming to life that's going to endanger Katie's life it's going to be the Yakuza who is trying to prove that Tomo has some sort of power. Now Katie might not get out of Japan alive, especially if she continues sticking with Tomo, but can she really stay away from him?

The best thing about this story was the setting. It was good to see a story take a different culture and setting and describe it perfectly in the story. Sun shows a deep understanding of the Japanese culture, and it was good to see that the Japanese language was thrown in to emphasise some dialogue. It should be warned that there is quite a bit romaji thrown in, although there is a glossary (but I didn't find the glossary until after I had finished reading the story so I found the glossary pointless or else it would have been time consuming).

The mythology behind Ink was interesting and something different as I had never read another story with Kami and it was great to learn about another paranormal creature.

The only problem I had with this story all came from the characters. Although I liked Katie, a lot of her choices I found as idiotic like why she keeps following Tomo around when he threatens her, I can understand wanting to solve the mystery of his paintings, but there's also a fine line between detective and stalker and she actually crosses over to the stalker area and I have no idea why she can possibly like Tomo because his attitude for the majority of the story is that of an arse, even if he's just putting it on to get people to stay away from him. For me the characters were full of cliches and were not fully fleshed out.

Other than that, I actually enjoyed this story quite a bit. I could get past the characters and delve into the culture and the mythology and I will give the second one a go to see how the story plays out. I recommend this for anyone who loves paranormal romances or stories set in Japan.

Source: Netgalley

2013 Debut Author Challenge: #7 of 12

Review: Level 2

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Three levels. Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).

'I pause to look around the hive - all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories ... I've wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.' 

 Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend ... and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her. Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. 

Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves.

Felicia is trapped in limbo, an afterlife between heaven and hell, with nothing to do but replay memories of her family, friends, boyfriend and the boy she doesn't want to remember, Julian. When that very boy breaks into Level 2 to find her Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing and she might be the key to either its success or its failure. Now Felicia has to decide whether she can trust Julian enough to follow him, but also she has to find enough strength to replay those memories she has tried to avoid... not only the one of her death, but one far worse.

I didn't know much about Level 2 besides it was an afterlife story when I first picked it up, although the cover is what made me want to read this, and Lenore Appelans has created an original debut that gives a different take on what happens after death before one has a chance to move on. Appelhans presented a unique way to tell Felicia's story through all the flashbacks and memories she was viewing, which kept me engaged and wondering what was going to come next, and no they are not in linear order so it made it quite unexpected in places.

All of the characters were interesting and had personalities of their own. Felicia is a strong character and it was interesting to find out about her personality and her traumas through her flashbacks. Neil was so sweet and charming, it wasn't hard to fall in love with him, and Julian, well he acted like a douche at times, but at other times it felt like he really cared for Felicia. All the characters, together with the twists and turns of the story, made this an exciting adventure into the afterlife and I look forward to reading more of Felicia's story (Level 3).

Source: audible
2013 Debut Author Challenge: #2 of 12

2012 Audio Book Challenge: #2 of 25

Review: Altered

Altered by Jennifer Rush

Synopsis (From Goodreads): When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe? 

 Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. 

 Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities. 

 Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Jennifer Rush has created an action-packed debut with a bit of sci-fi thrown in with mystery and romance, all tossed in to make a thrilling read. Anna's father works for a secret branch of the government, monitoring the treatments of four boys (Nick, Cas, Trev and Sam) who are being kept below their farmhouse. When the branch decides to take the boys, Sam decides it's time to escape.

Anna is caught between the dilemma of following Sam or staying behind with her old life, but her father makes Sam promise to take Anna with them and keep her away from the branch. Now outside, there's only one problem. The boys don't remember anything about living outside the branch and now they have to piece together fragments of memory from their old life to find out the truth about who they are before the branch catches up with them all.

Altered has everything that a good action story should have. Right from the start, there's the lies, deceit and the mystery, not to mention the tortured hot guys who just want to get their memories back. That's not all, it also has a heroine that's not afraid to put in a few punches too and break a few rules if necessary. I'm sure Anna could take on any of those boys if she ever needed to.

Each of the characters have their own distinct personality which was fantastic to see, and as the story progressed the reader learned more about each of the characters. The one thing that was great about this novel was the evolution of the emotions and feelings of Anna and Sam, it was great to see how they evolved and grow naturally and their emotions did not feel forced.

At times I did feel some of the characters did some stupid things, and didn't question how the branch found them so easily at times, but other than that it was a fast and enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing where the second book takes this group.

Source: audio book
2013 Debut Author Challenge: #1 of 12

2012 Audio Book Challenge: #1 of 25

2013 Reading Challenges

Last year I managed to succeed in my reading goal mainly due to the reading challenges I challenged myself in, and I found plenty of good challenges out there. This year, I've decided to take up the challenge again. Here are the challenges I'm going to be tackling throughout the year:

The challenge is to read 12 debut authors in the year, and at the moment my list is as follows:

1. Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum
2. Broken by A.E. Rought
3. Insomnia by J.R. Johansson
4. The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell
5. Pantomime by Laura Lam
6. My Sister's Reaper by Dorothy Dreyer
7. Altered by Jennifer Rush
8. The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
9. Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans
10. Echo by Alicia Wright Brewster
11. The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door by  Karen Finneyfrock
12. Lawless by Jeffrey Salane

This challenge is to read 10 sophomores (second in the series or second novel published in 2013). Some of the books I plan to read include:

1. Pretty Sly by Elisa Ludwig
2. Fragments by Dan Wells
3. The Elite by Kiera Cass
4. Vortex by Julie Cross
5. Everbound by Brodi Ashton

The challenge is to read books from my TBR list (and I have a LOT of books waiting to be read). This year I'm aiming for the level Sweet Kiss (21-30 books). Some of those books I plan to read include:

1. Torment by Lauren Kate
2. Specials by Scott Westerfield
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
5. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
6. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
7. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
8. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
9. I'd Tell you I'd Love you but then I'd have to Kill you by Ally Carter
10. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

This challenge is all about reading audio books (which I absolutely love and devour), so I'm going all out and selecting the goal of Married (25+ audio books). Some of those books I've already got on my list to listen to include:

1. Altered by Jennifer Rush
2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
3. Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
4. Endlessly by Kiersten White
5. Revived by Cat Patrick

Last year I definitely outdid myself, reading 10 more books than the previous year, reading a total of 70. This year my goal is 75, so I'm aiming for the goal Getting my Heart Rate up (1-5 books more).

Yay!!! So, that's my reading goals for this year. What reading challenges, if any, are you going to be participating in?