Review: Not Quite Dead Yet

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and RHPG Ballantine/Bantam for the pre-release copy of Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. Below is my honest review.

This one was a ROLLERCOASTER of emotion and action and reveals.

I had a really hard time putting this one down when it was time to sleep, which should tell you what you need to know - I recommend this one completely.

Jet has been murdered. Well, she's been mortally injured and only has a week to live, and the odds are pretty much impossible for her to survive. So while she's not dead... yet... someone tried to murder her, and pretty much succeeded. But the kicker? She's got nothing to lose and a week to figure out who killed her.

Talk about a fun twist! (for us, of course, it really, really sucks for Jet). Little does Jet know, her quest to figure out who killed her will dig into the skin of her town, revealing connections previously unknown, mysteries people have tried to bury, and the sins of the past that have somehow continued to haunt all the way up to the present.

The pacing on this one was fantastic, making it hard to not just read a little more, a few more pages, one more chapter until BAM, I was done. The characters were great. The twists were well done. The solution was excellent.

And, well, Billy. That's all I can say. BILLY <3.

Highly recommended. Five stars.

View all my reviews

Review: Codebreaker

Codebreaker by Jay Martel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Wednesday Books for the pre-release copy of Codebreaker by Jay Martel. Below is my honest review.

If you loved National Treasure (I did), this book is for you. If you love secret codes and treasure hunts (I do), this book is for you. If you're a fan of YA (I am), this book is for you.

What's the fuss? This one is an absolute thrill ride of fun. Secret codes galore, danger around every corner, twists and turns and plot twists, a road trip of museums and libraries and monuments, and so much more are mixed into the pot for Codebreaker and I loved it!

Highly recommended (with the caveat that it does include parents dying, so trigger warning!).

View all my reviews

Review: The List

The List by Steve Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for the pre-release copy of Steve Berry's upcoming novel The List. Below is my honest review.

Fans of Steve Berry know that his genre tends to be adventure thriller tied up closely with history - the events of the past having a major impact on the storyline, and lessons about history weaving in and out of the writing. In The List, Berry has stepped out of that genre and into pure thriller, setting up a plot where the company elites are so concerned about the bottom line that they have turned to murder to save corporate funds. While there was one history lesson in this one, it was extremely brief.

I absolutely loved this one. Sadly enough, it was believable, and I wouldn't be surprised if something similar has actually occurred (or is still happening!).

Berry notes in his post-novel details that this is one of the first novels he ever wrote, and he never submitted it for publication all those years ago, that he pulled it out and began tweaking it and tightening it up, and making sure it was up to date with technology and current events. That's really impressive to me because while some of the high quality of the novel might have been because he's much more experienced now, you can tell that even back then, it had the right bones and the right parts to be a great story.

Highly recommended, and it's a standalone so no need to invest in a long series to avoid spoilers or missed information. But I'd still recommend his Cotton Malone series if you end up liking this one!

View all my reviews

Review: The Last Wizards' Ball

The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for the pre-release copy of The Last Wizards' Ball by Charlaine Harris. Below is my honest review.

I really loved the beginning of this series, but I'm not as pleased with the prior book and this book. It felt like she didn't really know how to tie things up, and I was hoping for more of a happy ending than we got. Kinda felt like the last few books of Sookie's series... just not as good as the rest, almost like she'd checked out. I hate to say that, but it's how I felt then and it's how I feel now about Lizbeth's series.

One thing that I adored from the first half of the series was Lizbeth and Eli's relationship, which took a nosedive in the last two books, and I was very unhappy with the end of the series and how it left things.

On a better note, the events of this one were superb. It was Bridgerton meets dystopian alternate universe, with a mix of magic and historical fiction mixed in. But it also felt like this one didn't really have a plot - there wasn't a whodunnit, there wasn't a main thread that drove the story and had a beginning, middle, and end. It just had a story that we watched happen and then it was over, without much closure as we only get Lizbeth's viewpoint so we never know the rest.

All in all, I liked the series, but the first few books set up a fantastic story and the last few let me down. Three stars for this one, and I guess three stars for the series overall. Still recommended for Charlaine Harris fans, as the characters are great.

View all my reviews

Review: The Woman in Suite 11

The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the pre-release copy of The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware. Below you'll find my honest review.

I really love Ruth Ware's novel, but her most famous isn't my most favorite. I liked The Woman in Cabin 10, and it was the first Ruth Ware book that I read. After reading more though, it just wasn't as good, to me at least, as some of her others. So when I saw that we were revisiting Lo Blacklock in a sequel, I was a little apprehensive.

I'll be the first to admit it: my trepidation was unfounded. In one of her best books, Ware has redeemed Lo Blacklock for me and made me really love her and hope for more (which I doubt we will get, as Ware isn't a fan of writing sequels and prefers standalone writing). This one was plotted well, the mystery was great (even if certain parts of the solution felt a little obvious, the getting there was fun), and Lo was developed even more into a much more deep and likeable character.

Highly recommended for mystery fans, Ware fans, and fans of book 1.

View all my reviews