Tag Archives: Murder

Review: Hunt for Eden’s Star by D. J. Williams

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,
The Hunt for Eden's Star by D. J. Williams

Hunt for Eden’s Star
D. J. Williams
Tyndale House
Published April 4, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

The Hunt for Eden’s Star

A coming-of-age teen is thrown into a world of ancient secrets when he discovers a supernatural compass that protects a weapon of mass destruction. With the help of a diverse group of friends, he embarks on a global adventure, seeking the truth about his sister’s death. He uncovers two clandestine, supernatural societies waging an epic, hidden war that threatens the future of civilization.

D. J. Williams’s suspenseful, page-turning style whisks readers into a wildly exciting, supernatural adventure that grabs hold of the imagination and never lets go. As Jack races to collect ancient artifacts critical to the survival of the world, readers are transported to incredible locales across Asia, including the lush jungles of the Philippines and the high-energy streets of Hong Kong. Themes of addiction, revenge, faith, and friendship emerge as Jack battles literal and psychological demons, and even his own friends and family members, on his quest to thwart the forces of evil.

My Review

This was a tough one for me. Suspense is always a bit of an iffy genre, so it could be that I’m generally less comfortable reading that type of story. I found myself struggling not only with some of the suspense elements, but also other elements of the story as well.

One of the things I wrestled with most was the portrayal of characters. I felt like a lot of the characters came across as kind of flat. Jack and his friends kind of acted a bit like frat boys, only interested in girls when they were attractive or could offer the boys a benefit of some kind (a key to an exclusive area, for example). Do high school boys act like that? Yeah, I’ve known some who did. But I found it to be an odd choice to cast those boys as the heroes of the story?

I also felt like Jack never really gained real forward momentum. There were a few scenes where he would make a grand statement about having a goal (one time this was about getting revenge for his sister’s death), and in the next scene, another character would basically tell him that was the wrong goal because reasons. And Jack would abandon his stated goal and kind of be back to trying to figure out his next move. I think I expected him to at some point become the character making things happen.

He does have moments where he accomplishes this. For example, he rescues a bunch of girls who are prisoners being trafficked by the bad guys. It’s a cool scene, but it didn’t really connect to the larger story other than to remind us that the bad guys are super bad.

Conclusion

HUNT FOR EDEN’S STAR has a lot of interesting elements in it. For example, Jack and his friends attend a coed, elite boarding school with four houses. Each house is identified with a particular set of virtues. Students are assigned to a house by a sort of magical process. Very reminiscent of a certain wizarding school. It was cool, and maybe the various houses are more involved in later books in the series, but I didn’t really catch much connection to the story in this first book.

Lots of the story takes place in Hong Kong, so I enjoyed the connection to history and politics/current events happening there. I kind of wish the story had featured that more in connection to the plot.

So, there were some really cool elements. I don’t know if the author just wanted to include all the things that will be relevant to later books to kind of garner reader interest for those things and set up some elements for later? It made the book kind of a long one for YA, especially for YA suspense, at almost 500 pages.

On the whole, I think this series really isn’t for me. Parts of it reminded me of the TIME ECHOES series by Bryan Davis which also has kind of a secret society, murder mystery thing going on. If you liked that one, then HUNT FOR EDEN’S STAR might be a good fit, too.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Jack is white. Some minor characters are BIPOC.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some comments by boys about girls being attractive. A man brings a girl who is bound and blindfolded to Jack’s room and hints that Jack is to have sex with the girl.

Spiritual Content
Some characters worship Elyon. It seems like this might be supposed to be a representation of Christianity. (The book is published by a Christian publisher.) The religion is pretty transactional. Characters earn supernatural gifts by fully committing to the faith. Jack must pass tests where he must master his fear and instead have faith. If a servant of Elyon goes to a forbidden place, they lose their supernatural abilities and eventually die. Jack’s sister made a kind of contract with Elyon– her life for his– and this means Jack must be the one to complete a mission she left unfinished.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some battle scenes involving gunfire. Jack witnesses a political protestor murdered by police in the street. Jack discovers a group of girls who are victims of human trafficking. All are bound and blindfolded.

Drug Content
Jack and his friends visit a club and drink alcohol. Jack takes a pill that a stranger hands him in passing. He reflects on his past as an addict and credits his sister with saving him.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE HUNT FOR EDEN’S STAR in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Stateless by Elizabeth Wein

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stateless
Elizabeth Wein
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published March 14, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Stateless

When Stella North is chosen to represent Britain in Europe’s first air race for young people, she knows all too well how high the stakes are. As the only participating female pilot, it’ll be a constant challenge to prove she’s a worthy competitor. But promoting peace in Europe feels empty to Stella when civil war is raging in Spain and the Nazis are gaining power—and when, right from the start, someone resorts to cutthroat sabotage to get ahead of the competition.

The world is looking for inspiration in what’s meant to be a friendly sporting event. But each of the racers is hiding a turbulent and violent past, and any one of them might be capable of murder…including Stella herself.

My Review

I’ve been a fan of Elizabeth Wein’s books since first reading CODE NAME VERITY. I missed a few of her books since then, but when I saw that STATELESS was coming out this spring, and that it was about a lady pilot, I had to read it!

This book delivers a rich historical setting in a 1937 Europe still reeling from the first World War. Already, the tension is building toward World War II. The whole story is from Stella’s point-of-view, which I loved.

Stella has both a sharpness and a softness that I really liked. She’s a woman, a rarity in the world of aeroplanes and pilots of her day. She’s aware that everyone from her colleagues to the press to her own family members will treat her differently because of her gender. Sometimes she second-guesses herself. Sometimes she worries about being too emotional. But she also recognizes her strengths and finds ways to create space for herself.

When Stella witnesses one of her fellow race participants attacked by an unidentified plane, she realizes reporting everything she saw may place her own life at risk. Instead, she begins to quietly investigate the other racers and support staff, trying to identify the murderer before he or she has a chance to strike again. That part of the story had me turning pages as quickly as I could. The tension ratchets up so quickly in some scenes. I held my breath as all the pilots gathered, ready to take off from one of their stops. I felt like I couldn’t breathe until I knew they would all escape.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a little bit less violent than CODE NAME VERITY, but still delivered that same rich historical setting and unforgettable characters. I think Elizabeth Wein’s fans and fans of historical fiction will be absolutely delighted with this one.

Content Notes for Stateless

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are from different countries in Europe. One of the pilots is Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently. A couple instances of British swear words.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The pilots attend a vigil for a missing comrade. One, a young Jewish man, does not attend the church service as entering a Christian church isn’t permitted per his family/faith.

Violent Content
Pilots discuss battles and a murder case that were recently in the news. Stella sees what appears to be one pilot sabotaging another, causing a fatal crash. Other pilots experience evidence of sabotage in their aircraft. A man shoots multiple people. Multiple planes crash.

At one point, Stella listens to a soldier recount being shot down and gravely injured in an attack.

Drug Content
Characters smoke cigarettes.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of STATELESS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Junkyard Dogs

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Junkyard Dogs
Katherine Higgs-Coulthard
Peachtree Teen
Published February 21, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Junkyard Dogs

Some people dream of happily ever after, but all 17-year-old Josh Roberts wants is a roof over his head and for his little brother to be safe.

Josh’s father has gone missing without a trace. Now Josh and his 9-year-old brother, Twig, are stuck living with Gran in her trailer. Problem is, Gran didn’t ask to take care of any kids, and she’s threatening to call social services unless Josh can find his dad. After paying off Gran to take in his little brother, Josh risks truancy and getting kicked off his basketball team to take to the streets and hunt for his dad. But when Josh digs too deep, he suddenly finds himself tethered to a criminal scrapping ring that his father was accomplice to. If Josh wants to keep Twig out of the system and return to some sense of normal, he’ll have to track his dad down and demand honest answers.

My Review

I have some mixed feelings about this book. First, I found the writing super compelling. I could feel my heart beat faster as I read some of the intense scenes about Josh and his desperation to keep his brother out of the foster care system. His fear when he discovers what’s happening to the people on their crew who’ve “disappeared”.

I also found the characters believable. There were some who didn’t get what Josh was going through, and some who figured it out. They didn’t all respond the same way. Even Josh’s grandma, who was cruel and neglectful, also had some pretty deep layers. I liked that depth.

The one thing I struggled with, though has to do with a character Josh describes as having OCD. He does things like avoiding cracks on the sidewalk, repetitive hand motions, and rituals. So that fit some of the stereotypical presentation of OCD. He’s kind of the only character really portrayed as having mental health issues. Some of the directions the story takes align with some stigma about mental health issues. That made me a bit uncomfortable. I found myself wishing that his OCD had been left out of the story or that maybe a different character had those symptoms.

I do really like that the author drew attention to the plight of homeless children and teens in the United States. There’s also an author’s note that explains that there are more than one million kids in the US who are homeless. More than any other industrialized nation in the world, according to the author’s note.

If you want to learn more about homelessness and how to find ways to help in your community, I recommend SHELTER: HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY by Lois Peterson.

Content Notes for Junkyard Dogs

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Very few physical descriptions. I’m not sure what race the characters are.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used pretty frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A kiss between a boy and girl. References to a boy and girl kissing under a blanket.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to people getting stabbed. An armed man and his crew confront Josh and his friends. Josh discovers the bodies of two men who’ve apparently been murdered. He has some scattered memories of the fire that burned down his house and killed his mom.

Drug Content
Josh’s grandmother and reluctant guardian smokes pot and drinks alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of JUNKYARD DOGS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Pledge by Cale Dietrich

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Pledge
Cale Dietrich
Feiwel & Friends
February 14, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Pledge

Scream meets Clown in a Cornfield in this young adult horror novel by bestselling Cale Dietrich featuring a masked killer who targets frat boys.

Freshman Sam believes that joining a fraternity is the best way to form a friend group as he begins his college journey – and his best chance of moving on from his past. He is the survivor of a horrific, and world-famous, murder spree, where a masked killer hunted down Sam and his friends.

Sam had to do the unthinkable to survive that night, and it completely derailed his life. He sees college, and his new identity as a frat boy, as his best shot at living a life not defined by the killings. He starts to flirt with one of the brothers, who Sam finds is surprisingly accepting of Sam’s past, and begins to think a fresh start truly is possible.

And then… one of his new frat brothers is found dead. A new masked murderer, one clearly inspired by the original, emerges, and starts stalking, and slaying, the frat boys of Munroe University. Now Sam will have to race against the clock to figure out who the new killer is – and why they are killing – before Sam loses his second chance – or the lives of any more of his friends.

Elements of horror, mystery, and a gay romance make this a story readers won’t want to miss.

My Review

I received this book as part of a package of books from the publisher, and I was the most nervous about it of all the others in the set. I’m still pretty touch and go with horror, so it’s always hard to tell from the cover or cover copy whether something is going to be a good pick or end up being too much.

Ultimately, I didn’t think the horror elements were too much for me. In some ways, THE PLEDGE reminded me of some of the R. L. Stine or Christopher Pike stories that I used to read. I also enjoyed that it was a story centered around a gay character– something different from the romance or contemporary stories I often read with LGBTQ+ protagonists.

It’s definitely a slasher story– so expect lots of scenes showing a masked assailant with a knife overpowering their victims and stabbing them. I’m a bit of a wimp about that stuff, but I didn’t find the descriptions overly graphic or gross.

The part of the story that really hooked me, though was the mystery element. Some people suspect Sam of being the killer, and he ends up getting involved in trying to figure out who is hurting people. He works with the police, trying to stop the killer before they strike again. I definitely got wrapped up in trying to guess who it was and what their motive was. I didn’t guess either one.

The story also includes Sam’s relationships with his family, which drew me in. He has issues with his mom, and he has a younger brother he loves a lot. I liked both those relationships and the way they impacted the story.

All in all, a slasher book is never going to be my go-to, but I enjoyed checking this one out. I think fans of THE WHITE RABBIT by Caleb Roehrig will like the mystery elements and romance of THE PLEDGE.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Sam and some other characters are gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to Sam’s past relationship with Eli. He’s attracted to a new guy at college. In one scene, they kiss and retreat to a bedroom to have sex. The scene shows them naked together and vaguely describes that they have sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
It’s a slasher, so there’s a bad guy with a knife who stabs some people in some scenes.

Drug Content
Sam attends parties with the fraternity brothers and drinks alcohol. One of the boys in the process of joining the fraternity smells like pot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE PLEDGE in exchange for my honest review.


Review: One of Us Is Next by Karen McManus

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying #2)
Karen McManus
Delacorte Press for Young Readers
Published January 7, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About One of Us Is Next

Come on, Bayview, you know you’ve missed this.

A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.

Until now.

This time it’s not an app, though—it’s a game.

Truth or Dare.

Phoebe’s the first target. If you choose not to play, it’s a truth. And hers is dark.

Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.

But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it’s that they can’t count on the police for help. Or protection.

Simon’s gone, but someone’s determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there’s a whole new set of rules.

The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller everyone is talking about, One of Us Is Lying! There’s a new mystery to solve at Bayview High, and there’s a whole new set of rules.

My Review

I had a little bit of a rough start with this book. It’s been a while since I read ONE OF US IS LYING, but actually, ONE OF US IS NEXT does a great job reacquainting us with the characters from the previous book. The downside of that was that it also introduced a lot of characters in the first couple of chapters and it took me a bit to get everyone and their connections all sorted out.

Once I had that all figured out, I pretty quickly got into the book. As with the first book, clues about what’s happening come from surprising places. Everyone has secrets and motives that aren’t always clear cut.

I liked this cast of characters, too. Maeve is a cancer survivor, and she begins having symptoms of a relapse but doesn’t want to face it. So she decides not to tell anyone. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to reach into the story and beg her not to do that. I loved the way we got to know her and the things she learned about herself in the story.

Phoebe was also a great character. Her rocky relationship with her sister resonated with me a lot. And I loved all that happened as she got to know and grow closer to Maeve and Knox. The story left me with one Phoebe question that I really wanted answered. She discovers a connection to her past and doesn’t ever seem to consider whether the person who had that connection sought her out knowing who she was or if it was a terrible coincidence. Maybe that question gets answered in ONE OF US IS BACK, which comes out next summer?

On the whole, I liked this one. It had a lot of reveals in the places I needed them. It kept me guessing in some places and kept me turning pages, super tense about what would happen, in other places. If you liked ONE OF US IS LYING, definitely check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Maeve is Colombian American and a cancer survivor.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. References to a boy being bullied in the past because he was outed as gay. A girl gets bullied because of rumors she slept with someone. A boy gets bullied because of rumors he wasn’t aroused when his girlfriend was prepared to have sex with him.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to an accidental death at a construction site. Threatening messages online and through text messages. A high school student dies. Four other students witness his death. A boy hits another boy hard enough to give him a concussion.

See spoiler section below for additional information.

Drug Content
One scene shows a house party at which teens are drinking alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

****

****

SPOILER

A bomb explodes, injuring people.

Review: Friends Like These by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Friends Like These
Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Delacorte Press
Published November 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Friends Like These

Twisted secrets that will have readers guessing with every flip of the page. Perfect for fans of GONE GIRL, WE WERE LIARS and Karen M. McManus.

An end-of-summer party. A prank gone wrong. A body on the beach. Who’s to blame?

Tegan Sheffield’s annual end-of-summer beach party is the only way to start their senior year. At least that’s what Jake Healy tells his girlfriend Jessica Sanchez.

But when a video prank from the party goes viral and a body is discovered at the beach, Jake and Jessica find themselves at the centre of a national media storm and a police investigation.

It’s a race to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.

Readers love Jennifer Lynn Alvarez:

‘An emotional rollercoaster!’
‘You won’t be disappointed’
‘Damn this was entertaining’
‘A mystery thriller done to perfection’

My Review

One of the things I discovered reading this book is that I don’t enjoy books where the most significant thing about a character is that they love a boy. I felt like the obsession with Jake was the majority of what both Tegan and Jessica’s characters were about. I would have liked to know more about Tegan’s tense relationship with her mom. Or about anything that isn’t Jake that Jessica loved to do or was interested in.

Jake also spent a lot of time wrestling with his feelings about the girls, but he had a lot more going on, I felt like. He’s recovering from losing his dad, and from his alcoholism. After the night of Tegan’s party, he’s wrestling with the truth that he was assaulted and what that means. So I felt like his character was deeper and more complex than the girls were.

I liked the twisty-ness of the plot, though. A lot of things happened that I didn’t expect, and I liked the way the story made me question information I took for granted without really examining it. I also thought the decision to explore recovery from sexual assault but from a guy’s perspective was an interesting choice.

On the whole, if you’re looking for a twisty, fast-paced story, FRIENDS LIKE THESE could be a great pick for you.

Content Notes

Content warning for domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, and sexual assault.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. One scene shows two teens undressing leading up to having sex.

A seventeen year-old boy and an eighteen year-old girl are caught having sex. Police intend to press charges on the girl. The age of consent in California, where the story takes place, is eighteen, so the girl can be charged with statutory rape.

See spoiler section at the bottom of the post.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to domestic violence (happens off-scene). More than one scene shows or references people fighting. In another scene, a boy slams a girl’s face into a tree accidentally.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol and take drugs at a party.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of FRIENDS LIKE THESE in exchange for my honest review.

SPOILER

Jake learns both him and Tegan were drugged the night they slept together.