The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Title: The Witch Hunter
Author: Virginia Boecker
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 2nd 2015
Source: ARC received from publisher

Summary from Goodreads: The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

Review

Dark, magical, and entertaining - three words that I would say sum up my feelings on The Witch Hunter. The vivid imagery painted such an enchantingly dark image of witchcraft, hunters, and royal politics; it was one of my favorite aspects of the book!  While at times the plot did slow down, there was still a great mix of world building and action throughout the story.  With that being said, here are 5 reasons I really enjoyed The Witch Hunter:

1. Awesome dark magical witch dinners - Nicholas Perevil is one rad wizard! What I would do to sit at a table full of magical folks...

2. Surprising twists and turns - There were aspects of the plot that took me by surprise and kept me on my toes.

3. The romance -  The romance was not a huge player in the story; instead it complimented the adventure and action.  While there were some hints of a love triangle, I think in the end the romance was a nice slow build and ended with a fairly solid one love option.

4. The ending -  The ending was a well-delivered conclusion with enough explanation yet still questions and intrigue setting up for the rest of the series.

5. Adventure - I enjoyed the adventure and crazy scenarios that Elizabeth continued to conquer.  She was a stubborn, yet very strong, female lead.  She had to face her fears and adjust her stereotypes to survive and face the various challenges.

The Witch Hunter move along at a much slower pace then I sometimes preferred at times but I still found this book to be a fun, enjoyable read.

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green

Title: Truth or Dare
Series: Truth or Dare #1
Author: Jacqueline Green
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 14th 2013
Pages: 389
Source: Audiobook, Library

Summary from Goodreads:
When a simple round of truth or dare spins out of control, three girls find it’s no longer a party game. It’s do or die.

It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t eventhere; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.

How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?

Review

I have to agree with the masses that this story is very Pretty Little Liars esque, except in Truth or Dare fashion. A group of High School girls start getting mysterious notes that dare them to do one thing or other else a horrible truth about them will be shared. Of course these girls have all kinds of skeletons in their closets – plastic surgery, pyromania, therapy sessions, you name it – so the dares were always less threatening than the truths.

It’s not that I got bored with the story, the premise itself kept the plot moving, but I was hoping for more. I wish the girls would have tried to find out who the darer was, rather than occasionally point fingers based on little to no evidence. Or at least show a little resistance. The darer kept setting these girls up and leaking the truths anyway and yet the girls kept playing along with very little fight or whit. I was just hoping for something more to the story to make it less repetitive.

And despite the dramatic ending, I just feel very ‘meh’ about this one. The girls all read very similarly and lacked much by way of a personality. This was all very stereotypical high school. I think I’m just too old for this one *le sigh*. I would recommend it to a younger audience who like Pretty Little Liars.

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Title: Torn Away
Author: Jennifer Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Pages: 276
Source: ARC, ALA

Summary from Goodreads:
Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.

Review

Let me start by saying that I am a huge Jennifer Brown fan. I think she has a way with storytelling and dealing with tough subjects that is unparalleled. I will always recommend her work to others. 

The first 100 pages of this book blew me away. I could see and sense the destruction left behind in the wake of the tornado. I could feel the fear, confusion, and pain of  the townspeople. I could understand the waring hope and hopelessness within Jersey as she waited for her family to come home. These 100 pages were spellbinding and the epitome of everything I love about Jennifer Brown's writing. 

But after that I lost my connection with the story. Jersey is sent to live with her biological father and I was shocked over the lack of compassion this family had and furious over how they treated Jersey. Their behavior was so foreign to me that consequently it didn't feel real. 

And then when Jersey is sent to live with her grandparents on her mother's side I got mad at her. She has never met her grandparents before. They disowned her mother when she got pregnant with Jersey and so Jersey was raised believing they were horrible, judgmental people. Yet when they pick her up, they show her nothing but patience and kindness, and still Jersey treats them horribly. Now, I am very sensitive to treating old people unkindly, especially when they don't deserve it, but I understand this is a personal thing. Nevertheless, I was mad that it took Jersey so long to form her own opinion of her grandparents. Especially since, in hindsight, I feel she was blessed to have gotten away from that train wreck of a family on her father's side. 

But I can't imagine losing everything in an instant - my home and my family - and being taken away from whatever normalcy remains without being allowed to grieve. Jersey was overwhelmed with so many different feelings, and just trying to hold it together while her life got turned upside down. In that regard, I think she was incredibly strong. And I think, given the circumstances, she's allowed to act a little erratically. 

This was not my favorite Jennifer Brown book, but like I said, I would recommend any of her books. I had some problems with Torn Away that kept me from loving it, but I don't think everyone will feel the same.

Boy Nobody (Boy Nobody #1) by Allen Zadoff

Title: Boy Nobody
Series: Boy Nobody #1

Author: Allen Zadoff
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Release Date: June 11, 2013
Pages: 337
Source: Audiobook, Library

Summary from Goodreads:
They needed the perfect assassin.

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die-of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.

But when he's assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter is unlike anyone he has encountered before; the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching. Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission.

In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero.

Review

Boy Nobody has a somewhat predictable plotline – boy assassin gets too close to his new assignment and starts to question the motives of his higher-ups/deviate from the plan. But Boy Nobody still has its merits. I love assassin stories and so I found this one to be fun. And it excelled to me in the way Ben was so calculating. Ben is very intelligent and controlled, and in almost every situation, before he acted, he analyzed his options and each potential outcome for the best possible course of action. This was very assassin-like and is the kind of stuff I love so I was totally into it.

And the predictability did not extend to the ending. The ending was very surprising and very strong. I didn’t anticipate the plot twists (any of them) and I was blindsided by some of Ben’s actions (in a good way). Boy Nobody definitely ends on a good note which motivates me to read the next book.

The predictability isn't really even what bothered me, it was the dialogue throughout. I am not sure if I noticed it more easily because of the audiobook, but it was very juvenile and fed into popular high school stereotypes – geek, aggressive jock, dumb hot girl. And I couldn't help but feel a little insulted - like like the girls were done a disservice since they were made to seem dumb, easily influenced, clingy, etc. The author did not write a very convincible female character. 

Moving on, I did like this book, but some small things kept me from really loving it. Yet, since I was so impressed by the ending and was entertained while listening, I have every intent to read/listen to the next book. I do recommend this one for readers looking for an assassin story with a strong male lead.