Waiting on Please Remain Calm

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Please Remain Calm (This is Not a Test, # 2)

By: Courtney Summers

Expected Publication: January 20th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Zombies, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic

( Goodreads )

Goodreads description--In this gripping sequel to THIS IS NOT A TEST, Rhys and Sloane are headed for a safe haven when they get separated along the way. Rhys is determined to reunite with Sloane until he discovers people who might need him more--people who offer him the closest he'll get to everything he's lost, if they can just hold on long enough.

Rhys thinks he has what it takes to survive and find the girl he lost, but in a world overrun by the dead, there are no guarantees and the next leg of his journey will test him in unimaginable ways ...

AH!!!!! A sequel!!!! YAY!!! Loved This is Not a Test! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

This feautre is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - Strange and Ever After

Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly, # 3)

By: Susan Dennard

Published: July 22nd 2014 by HarperTeen

400 pages

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Zombie, Horror, Paranormal, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

*Sigh* I hate when someone I like and respect loves a book or a series, and I find that I just don’t connect with it for whatever reason. That seems like it’s been happening to me more frequently. Maybe I’m more exposed to book friends than ever before. Maybe it’s because of a starred rating system and just discussing books with my friends before blogging didn’t involve giving a book a rating. And maybe it’s because my tastes are changing. For whatever reason I just hate when it happens. I also hate when I love a book that one of my reading friends doesn’t. But as much as it sucks. It happens. I didn’t hate this series, but I didn’t love it either. And I find myself feeling relieved that it’s over.

I think the biggest reason why I struggled with this book was because I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Jie jumped to conclusions about Eleanor and her bond with Oliver simply because Oliver is a demon. Allison was never really likable in the past, even if she was making an effort now. Joseph was just as bad as Jie about his assumptions and prejudice against magic and Eleanor’s use of it. Daniel, Eleanor, and Oliver were each so all over the place all the time that I wasn’t ever sure what to expect from any of them. Eleanor & Daniel fight like no one’s business. They make assumptions. They judge each other. They both snap and pop off. And Eleanor and Oliver are the same way. Eleanor herself would be up one minute and down the next. And it wasn’t always a result of her use of magic that affected her like that.

And so yeah, maybe that’s a better explanation. I didn’t feel like anything was consistent. One minute Joseph was saying Eleanor’s use of magic was evil and the next minute he’s nodding his approval. One minute Oliver is in love with Elijah. The next minute he seems to be in love with Eleanor. One minute Allison is a friend to the Spirit-Hunters, and the next minute she’s been exacting her plan of revenge since the very beginning. One minute Oliver is scolding Eleanor for becoming more and more like Elijah (corrupt), and the next minute everything is hunky-dory and she’s saving the world with her magic with his help and guidance. One minute Daniel and Eleanor are madly in love. The next minute she’s pushing him away or he’s pushing her away. Or they’re both pushing at each other. Typically the reader needs to connect with the main character on some level and I just couldn’t. She was mean, snappish, a jerk, volatile, partially corrupted, an addict. Yet I’m supposed to see her as a hero?

I find that it’s extremely rare for me to jump ship on who I want the main character to end up with. This process was such a slow transformation for me throughout the series that I almost didn’t notice it was happening until I was an out and out turncoat. But I saw the pieces of this part of the story coming from a mile away at the same time. Strange and Ever After ended the Something Strange and Deadly series in exactly the way I would have hoped for it to end. But I still didn’t find myself connected.

Here…I’ll give you some examples of the places I was huffing and puffing in frustration or show what I’m talking about:

-”You are as volatile as Daniel is.” “Temperamental, perhaps,” Oliver admitted, swinging his gaze to me. “But only when you have earned it. Daniel is cruel whenever his feelings are hurt.”

-”Use me, Eleanor.” Oliver leaned toward me. “Betray me so that for that brief moment while my magic keeps you warm, you can pretend your life is not broken. Why, I bet if you try hard enough, you could even pretend your mother is still alive.” His words crashed into me. I rocked back on my heels, and all my guilt for mistreating him vanished. “Heal me,” I said. “Heal my woulds now, Oliver. Sum veritas.” …”You will push everyone away,” he growled beneath his breath. “Just like he did, you will lose us all.” … I stepped toward him. “I am not Elijah.” “Yet you are becoming him.”

-The further I sank into it, the less I had to feel. The less I had to think. Yet I could not seem to make the heady contentment come. It wasn’t muffling my troubles as it usually did. The magic was fading too fast—so quickly, in fact, that I feared there was a hole in my chest through which it leaked.

-”You cannot stay with us, Allison. You must return to Philadelphia. There’s no place for you here.” “No place for me here,” she said sharply. “Of course there isn’t. You are Eleanor Fitt. You do not want me now, just as you never wanted my company before.”

Eleanor who refuses to answer to the name “Miss Fitt” has told someone else that she doesn’t belong.

-It isn’t your fault, I told myself. It is Oliver who pushes your friends away.

-Perhaps Oliver was right: perhaps I did push my friends away—but it was not only me. They pushed back. From all directions, everyone wanted something from me. Oliver wanted his freedom, Allison wanted companionship, and Daniel wanted my heart. Jospeh was the only person on this ship who seemed to understand that all that mattered right now was Jie and Marcus. But even Joseph wanted me to stay away from necromancy—even Joseph made stupid demands regarding friendship and power that I could not meet. … But at least with no one telling me what to do, I would be left with the lone person who could kill Marcus and get this job done. Me.

-”My loss is part of me, El. I cope with it as best I can. But you?” His gaze roamed over my face. “You fight to keep what you cannot have back.”

-”What is the line, El? From A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Something about a spaniel…” “’I am your spaniel,’” I said hollowly, watching him cross the cabin. “’And the more you beat me, I will fawn on you.’” He snapped his fingers. “That’s the one. Except…” He pulled the door lightly open and glanced back at me with a pained smile. “I am not a spaniel, and the more you beat me, I will run.”

-”It amazes me how easily you forget all the darkness surrounding you, El. How blind you are to your own corruption.”

-”Remember this, El: not everyone who you invite in will wish to be there.”

For one reason or other, the only character I really ended up liking was Oliver and even that was tenuous.

As I guess you can see, I had some struggles and frustrations with Strange and Ever After and with the Something Strange and Deadly series altogether. I can’t say that I would really recommend this series to other readers. It wasn’t awful, but I just didn’t have much of a connection to it either. In the end, I’m giving Strange and Ever After 3 Stars. Have you read Strange and Ever After? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - A Darkness Strange and Lovely

A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly, # 2)

By: Susan Dennard

Published: July 23rd 2013 by HarperTeen

406 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Zombies, Paranormal

Source: Won in a giveaway

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Darkness has come to the City of Light...

With her brother dead and her mother on the verge of insanity, Eleanor Fitt is utterly alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor begins to hear the vicious barking of hounds and see images of haunting yellow eyes, she fears the worst—that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are coming for her.

To escape and search out the Spirit-Hunters, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. Though friendly, Oliver entices Eleanor with necromancy and black magic, yet as long as she can resist his powerful temptation, she'll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over the city...and there's a whole new evil lurking. With the body count rising, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for.

In Paris, there's a price for this darkness strange and lovely...and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.

In this spellbinding sequel to Something Strange and Deadly, Susan Dennard delivers a thrilling mix of intrigue, romance, and revenge, all set against the wonderfully enchanting backdrop of nineteenth-century Paris.

I started off A Darkness Strange and Lovely feeling really bad for Eleanor. Her only friends have moved to Paris, France. Her brother is dead and his body is possessed by a dead necromancer. Her friend Clarence died at her brother’s hands. She is alienated from all of her old friends from prior to meeting the Spirit Hunters. And her mother has pretty much lost all the marbles she had left and gone insane. Eleanor is broke and having to sell off her family’s possessions one at a time—furniture, dresses, everything. Daniel told her before leaving for Paris that he wasn’t in love with her. Oh and she had her hand amputated. Needless to say, things just aren’t going well for her at all.

When Marcus (the dead necromancer possessing her brother’s body) threatens Eleanor again, she knows that she can’t take him on alone. She needs the help of the Spirit Hunters and so she takes what little money she has left and buys herself a ticket on a ship to France. During the process, we learn that Eleanor is being pursued by the guardians that keep watch over the veil between the Spirit realm and the physical realm. In an act of desperation Eleanor ends up binding herself to being of dark magic—Oliver. The description kind of led me to believe that Eleanor might start to develop feelings for Oliver which would put us into that lovely relationship shape that everyone complains about (love triangle). But that’s not really the case so no worries if that’s one of the things holding you back from starting this book. Oliver and Eleanor do develop a bond and a friendship of sorts, but it isn’t romantic.

Because Oliver is a being of dark magic, Eleanor keeps getting pulled into her own bits of necromancy. She begins to taste of the darkness that is both strange and lovely and thus begins down a dangerous slope that could get out of control at any moment. She feels the draw to use more and more magic despite the consequences. Eventually she arrives in Paris, but she decides to keep her relationship with Oliver and her dabbles with black magic a secret from the Spirit Hunters because she knows they would not approve. But things aren’t always in black and white.

Of course, the Spirit Hunters HAVE to find out that Eleanor has been keeping secrets and lying to them. And she begins to alienate the only friends she has left. Still, I felt bad for Eleanor. She’s been through so much, and her friends don’t take much time to listen to her. But yet, I saw her making stupid decision after stupid decision.

The main villain of this book wasn’t much of a secret. As a matter of fact, almost everything that happened felt obvious to me which was a bit of a drag. I like being able to predict what’s going to happen…sometimes. But not all the time. And I LOVE when a book can surprise me. By the time I ended A Darkness Strange and Lovely I felt kind of “meh” over the whole thing. However, given a day of separation from it I found myself craving to go ahead and pick up Strange and Ever After so I could see how it would all end. As frustrated as I was with Eleanor’s choices and the predictability, something was pulling me back to this series.

I have to say that I’m getting a little bored with the typical trilogy arc and I sometimes feel like I should just skip book 2 altogether. Book 1 is the build up, and Something Strange and Deadly was definitely better to me than A Darkness Strange and Lovely. Book 2 is the lull—the filler—the bridge from book 1 to book 3. And well book 3 is where the overall arc gets the ultimate climax and resolution. So yeah…A Darkness Strange and Lovely definitely fell into this pattern. But here’s to hoping for that big climax and resolution in book 3, Strange and Ever After.

I had some frustrations with A Darkness Strange and Lovely, but I also find myself getting drawn back into the series since finishing this book. I can’t say I loved it, but I liked it enough to be glad that I read it. A Darkness Strange and Lovely gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read A Darkness Strange and Lovely? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Something Strange and Deadly - Review

Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly, # 1)

By: Susan Dennard

Published: July 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

388 pages

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Zombies, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

My first reaction to Something Strange and Deadly was a result of the girl on the cover with the big poofy dress. Apparently bloggers tend to dislike covers with the girl in a fancy dress on them. I’m not really one of them, but I wasn’t sure what would be different about Something Strange and Deadly from other girl-with-poofy-dress-covered books that I’ve read. What I didn’t know was that Something Strange and Deadly has ZOMBIES in it. And it is historical fiction, so the poofy dress is actually appropriate for this cover. But I was still misled. Although Something Strange and Deadly has zombies in it, this is NOT a zombie book. At all.

Something Strange and Deadly had a bit of a slow start for me. Even though there’s a “zombie attack” fairly early on in the book. These zombies have the capability to be the scary zombies that seek out human flesh to satisfy their hunger, but for the most part all of the zombies within Something Strange and Deadly are controlled by a necromancer who has used black magic to raise the dead and bend them to his will and become his army. BORING.

Something Strange and Deadly is one of those books where we’ve got the ordinary leading female character that has a mission that is bigger than herself. Eleanor’s mission is to find and save her brother from the hands of the evil necromancer. When her brother was in school, he was tormented by bullies. Eleanor always kind of felt like it was her responsibility to take care of him. And then Elijah went off to study ancient texts and such, traveling the world. And now he’s unable to come back home due to the necromancer. Eleanor is convinced that she needs to save him and so she sets off to hunt down the Spirit-Hunters that fight against the walking Dead and various other spirits.

The Spirit-Hunters comprise of Joseph, the face of the Spirit-Hunters, Jie, a Chinese immigrant who dresses like a boy, and Daniel, who appears to be the bull-headed inventor that automatically assumes that Eleanor is a pompous, entitled debutante. Joseph, Jie, and Daniel make a good team, but Eleanor is determined to force herself upon them in hopes of finding and releasing her brother. What she finds is a group of friends who don’t care that her family is poor. There’s chemistry between Eleanor and Daniel, but Eleanor really needs to marry for money and Daniel’s background isn’t all blue-skies and rainbows.

The conflict was a bit obvious. Yet I had a few questions about specific characters, namely Clarence, that I just couldn’t nail down for sure as being a good guy or a bad guy. Ironically enough, there is a gray area, and almost all of the characters fall somewhere in between.

Quotes:

-Why is it that no matter how realistic or rehearsed a lie is, it always rings false in the teller’s ears?

-“You have the curiosity of a cat and the common sense of a goldfish.”

-Wounds will heal, grief will pass, but a reputation can never be recovered.

-He slung off his cap and pressed it to his chest. Then, with the casual grace that marked all of his movements, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. He was declaring fealty to his empress.

I will say that one frustration I had with Something Strange and Deadly was Eleanor’s desire to rid herself of her fancy dresses. She’s described as being soft, curvy, not necessarily fat, but not skinny. And so, sure, being laced up into a corset isn’t pleasant I imagine. And trying to run and fight off zombies in a petticoat and fluffy dress isn’t easy when one can throw on a pair of trousers, but I found myself wondering why even set the book in this time period if Eleanor is going to fight these customs? The very idea of fighting the Dead in this kind of outfit is one of the very things that drew me into the series. It just kind of felt like the wrong direction to go to me. Maybe the rest of the series will make me feel differently.

At this point, I enjoyed Something Strange and Deadly, but it wasn’t at all what I expected it to be—but not in the good kind of way. The pacing was a bit slow, I really only connected with Eleanor (and still had some frustrations with her) and Daniel (who we didn’t get to spend nearly as much time with as I wanted), and I found myself confused as to why this story might have been marketed as historical zombie fiction, when all of the wonderful elements that would comprise weren’t what I imagined them to be. I will proceed with the story as I already have the other two in my possession. Thankfully, a fellow blogger, Rachel @ Paper Cuts, has given me hope that the remaining two books might be better. Something Strange and Deadly gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Something Strange and Deadly? What did you think? Let me know!

Deadlocked 3 - Review

Deadlocked 3 (Deadlocked, # 3)

By: AR Wise

Genre: Horror, Zombies

Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

( Goodreads | Amazon Currently $2.99 )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The Deadlocked series continues as Billy heads into the city in search of his mother. During his quest, he will meet a strident military figure that will alter his journey and two brothers that will become his closest allies. However, his trip will endanger the family he has only just met, and he might not be able to save them.

Billy's journey into the city will reveal many of the secrets of this penultimate novella. No characters are safe from the terror that has engulfed the city, and as the motives of those in charge begin to be revealed, the fate of all mankind will be in question.

Keeping with AR Wise's pattern for the Deadlocked series, Deadlocked 3 switches from Laura's POV to Billy. Billy is leaving Laura and the girls at the docks and heading into the city to find his mother. Billy's story and Laura's story (Deadlocked 2) actually take place simultaneously unlike Laura and David's story (Deadlocked) where Laura picks up where David left off.

Billy's a likable character. He's a good guy, and he's trying to hold onto that through this horrible new world he's found himself in, yet it's practically impossible when there are enemies on every side. And to be truthful, Billy isn't even sure who all his enemies are. It's kill or be killed. And Billy has to do what it takes to survive and make it back to the docks where Laura and the girls are.

The thing that I like about this series by AR Wise is that the characters don't just have everything handed to them because they're the main characters. Sometimes the main characters die. But situations like shooting a pad lock don't always work out for the main characters of Deadlocked. And truthfully you just never really know what will happen.

I did find Deadlocked 3 to be very much less gruesome than Deadlocked 2. Laura's story was brutal. And in some ways it seemed like Billy had it a lot easier than she did. But at the same time, not every character's experiences will be the same. Of course, like the other stories, Billy comes across other characters who have all kinds of intentions.

I wasn't sure about the addition of Levon and Mark. Levon seemed to be a play on a stereotype which I typically get annoyed with, but Mark balances him out I think. And then there's Captain Reagan who we're told will play an crucial part in Deadlocked 4.

As with the other books, I enjoyed the author's notes at the end. AR Wise explains his thinking process in a way that gives more meaning to the series. I sometimes wish all authors would do the same thing. There are just so many thousands of decisions authors make throughout the writing process that make the stories into more than they appear on the surface.

Deadlocked 3 does have a ton of cursing. There are f-bombs left and right. While I understand this is the apocalypse and people probably aren't all concerned about their language, I don't see everyone in the world suddenly developing a need to drop f-bombs like this. This also falls into one of my frustrations with authors who don't differentiate enough between characters. Not every character thinks, talks, or acts the same way. And I think a lot of times authors fall into the trap of writing only characters who behave and speak exactly the way the author themselves think, act, and speak. I imagine it's difficult to make each character unique in all aspects, but this is one that is important to me. While AR Wise's characters definitely have distinct personalities, I have picked up on them having too similar (for my taste) speech patterns.

All in all, I'd give Deadlocked 3 3.5 stars. It's a really solid zombie read, but not as intense as Deadlocked 1 or 2. Have you read Deadlocked 3? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my "All Things Halloween" October review event.

This is Not a Test - Review

This is Not a Test

By: Courtney Summers

Published: June 19th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

323 pages

Genre: YA, Post-Apocalyptic

Source: Won in an Armchair BEA giveaway from Andi's ABCs

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Wow! Guys, I loved This is Not a Test. I'm honestly not even sure where to begin. Courtney Summers has some major writing talent and while I don't think her other work is zombie related, I've seen enough to prompt me into reading more of her writing.

This is Not a Test is told from the POV of a girl during the zombie apocalypse who doesn't really want to live. And while throughout the zombie books I've read there always seems to be a character that just can't hack the way the world has gone to pot and said character decides to off themselves, but that's not how things go down with Sloane. Sloane had pretty much given up BEFORE the world goes nuts. Thus the contrast of seeing the zombie apocalypse from the point of view of someone who isn't trying to survive. It was different, and I love different.

Of course, I'm not condoning suicide at all, and Sloane is prevented from letting the zombies or herself take her life time and time again by conscience and a variety of other things. It's was so refreshing to watch Sloane find reasons to live rather than the other way around. I think in a lot of zombie books the character becomes so beat down with the way their new world is and seeing friend after friend die that they lose hope by the end, but this was the exact opposite of This is Not a Test and I loved it for that.

I did struggle with Sloane a little bit in the beginning because of how she wanted to give up and just give in, but I still felt extremely connected to her as a character. I LOVED Rhys. He latches on to Sloane pretty early on and I love how he slowly showed her what it is to open her heart back up. The other characters were pretty easy to get attached to as well, Cary, Grace, and even Harrison. The only character I had a hard time liking was Trace.

This is Not a Test is a story about finding hope, finding a reason to live when there might seem like there are no more reasons. It's about seeing how far you're willing to go to survive, who you can trust, and who can trust you when the worst comes to worst. We didn't see much interaction with the actual zombies throughout the book--really just the beginning and the end. But I didn't mind because there were so many dynamics going on within this group of characters.

As I said before, Courtney Summers has some mad writing skills. She reminds me a little of Maggie Stiefvater in that her writing comes off as truly poetic at time. I'm not quite sure it's as lyrical as Maggie S, but here are some examples:

pg 9 - He stares at her body and sits there, drenched in someone else's life, and he looks so calm, like he knew this was coming, like the way this morning started it was only ever going to end up like this.

Pg 22 - Harrison starts to cry. he stands in the middle of the room and holds himself because no one else will and it's the loneliest thing I've ever seen.

pg 89 - It must be awful to find out your life is worth nothing to someone else. I want to tell Cary he's not worthless. Harrison probably needs him. (Ok this one had me busting out laughing...Oh Sloane....)

Pg 263 - Each step forward is a slow and hateful thing.

Like I said, poetic. This is Not a Test exceeded so many expectations for me. 4.5 Stars. Have you read This is Not a Test? If so, what did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my "All Things Halloween" October review event.

Contamination Prequel - Guest Review

When TW Piperbrook contacted me about reviewing the prequel to his Contamination series, I found myself completely overwhelmed with the books already on my TBR list that I had in my possession needing to be read. But seeing that it was a zombie series (and a short read), I knew just the person to ask to read it and do a guest review.

My friend Amanda and I met at work. At the time neither of us were readers. After being exposed to Twilight, I went to work and begged Amanda to read it--she was the only one who got to work as early as I did at the time. Sure enough, she read it and loved it. She then entered my circle of friends who read. She was usually 2nd in line after I finished a book to pass it off to next (after Paula because Paula reads faster--or more). Well Amanda and I share a love of all things zombie and so this was the perfect read for her--I thought. Without further ado, here's Amanda and her review.

Contamination Prequel (Contamination 0)

By: TW Piperbrook

Published: November 25th 2012 by Post Script Publishing

93 pages

Genre: Horror, Zombie

Source: Amanda's personal library (currently free on Amazon)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--St. Matthews, Arizona

The infection starts with Frank, one of the locals at the town bar. In just a few hours, it has consumed the entire town.

Dan Lowery, one of only four police officers in St. Matthews, soon realizes he is no match for the impending destruction. Violence and bloodshed litter the streets, and the infected roam freely. No one is safe here—not even his family.

Somewhere, someone knows what is happening, and about the horrors to come…but is it too late?

I enjoyed this book for the realistic way the story is told. The main character, Dan lowery, is just your average police offerer with a wife and daughter. Like all of us, he's thinking about what he will do when he gets home at the end of his shift and expects all to be the same...But he walks in to absolute terror. From then on, he's fighting to survive and find his daughter.

When we get the perspective of his daughter, it takes us to a darker, creepier place. Quinn Lowery is running alone and scared. This poor girl is trying to save herself but she is flooded with awful visions and memories. I couldn't stop reading until she got somewhere semi-safe. But I quickly found out people once trusted had evil ties.

The only thing I would have changed is the length of the book. I would have liked some more background and that kind of thing. But to me that's just how a good book is.

The book was short but so much happens. Just about every chapter has a twist and left me wanting to know more. At the same time, I liked getting some answers along the way. I am glad there is more to come! If you enjoy zombie stories, this one is a good quick read!

I would give Contamination Prequel an overall rating of 4 out of 5. But only because I wanted to read more.

Sandy here again. I saved an email from Amanda telling me that she stayed up until she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore reading this one. She actually said that she didn't want to read it on breaks at work because she'd get frustrated when she had to put it down. She also told me that the way TW Piperbrook uses his descriptions made her feel like she was "right beside him in this little adventure."

Have you read Contamination Prequel? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my "All Things Halloween" October review event.

Hare Moon - Review

Hare Moon (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, # 0.7)

By: Carrie Ryan

Published: April 5th 2011

40 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Zombie, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Tabitha can’t shake the feeling that something exists beyond the fences of her village. And when she sneaks out, past the gates and down the path into the Forest of Hands and Teeth, she meets a boy who teaches her heart things she never knew. But love in a world surrounded by so much death doesn’t come without its sacrifices, and Tabitha gradually realizes just how much she’ll have to give up to live among the Unconsecrated.

From New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ryan comes an original story of love after the Return.

Hare Moon gets 3 Stars.

Hare Moon is a prequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth and it tells Sister Tabitha's story. Some of this makes The Forest of Hands and Teeth make a little more sense because it is just another piece of the puzzle. Sister Tabitha, when she was younger, it turns out was very much like Mary (or should I say, turns out Mary was very much like a young Sister Tabitha). Tabitha feels a call to the forest, to see if there's more to the outside world than what she's always been told. She feels a call to anything that remains hidden or forbidden from her. Sound familiar? It makes her being so hard on Mary make more sense because she sees herself in Mary, but Tabitha made a very different choice than Mary will make. And I believe Sister Tabitha can see that coming.

Tabitha meets a boy and falls in love. And this shows us that the Sister Tabitha we thought we knew from The Forest of Hands and Teeth wasn't always cold and uncaring. She wasn't always without feeling or ambition. She didn't always know which course she was going to take. You get the impression from The Forest of Hands and Teeth that Sister Tabitha views Mary as this horrible person, that Sister Tabitha believes Mary will bring about the downfall of their village, the village she gave up everything to protect, but Mary didn't even push the limits as much as Tabitha did when she was younger. Mary never ventured outside the gates until the breech occurred first. Tabitha did. Mary didn't choose to pursue the ocean until no other option presented itself. Tabitha did. Mary didn't let infection inside the village. Tabitha did. And even though Sister Tabitha could undoubtedly see herself in Mary, it wasn't Mary who brought about the downfall of their village like Sister Tabitha feared.

Tabitha is faced with the decision to flee and pursue love or to stay and sacrifice it all for the protection of her village. We all know what she chose.

That's the story. Now to how I felt about the story. Tabitha's story so closely follows Mary's own story that it frustrated me. I felt like I was re-reading parts of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I understand why they needed to be similar in some ways and almost exactly the same in others, but that doesn't mean that experiencing it again under a different name made it feel any different (or any better). The best parts weren't fully explored and the things that frustrated me about Mary I just got to relive through Tabitha. So while I felt this was an addition to The Forest of Hands and Teeth and it did make me understand Sister Tabitha more and why she behaves the way she does in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, this was only worth 3 Stars for me.

Have you read Hare Moon? What did you think? Let me know!

Updated: January 30, 2015

Hollowland - Review

Hollowland (The Hollows, # 1)

By: Amanda Hocking

Published: September 28th 2010 by Amanda Hocking

312 pages

Genre: YA, Horror, Zombies

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

Let see… I’d give Hollowland 4 Stars. For not having this book go through the typical publisher with editor and line editor process that most books go through, Amanda Hocking did a really superb job and I really have to commend her for that.

Hollowland kept my interest the entire way. I did have some opportunities to put it down in the beginning but that was mostly because I was finishing up some other books and not because I wasn’t interested in the story. Some of the storyline felt convenient, like finding a fully gassed up vehicle at the first house they stop. And then being provided with another fully gassed vehicle later. However, I’m sure the same could be said for plenty of other books on the market. In the same way, the condition of Remy’s brother Max was really convenient as well.

I can’t really think of any plot twists that threw me for a loop or that I couldn’t see coming. But I also didn’t feel like everything was predictable. The characters definitely faced ongoing peril instead of persistent safety. And then there’s the ending. It pretty much just ended. I mean I think she was going for a cliffhanger. And while I do really want to know what happens next, overall the ending felt…unpolished.

Good book. Much better than I could have done self-published. And also much better than some books I’ve read over the last year that had the help of seasoned publishers and editors. 4 stars. Check out Hollowland.

*Updated: September 6, 2013

The Dark & Hollow Places - Review

The Dark and Hollow Places (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, # 3)

By: Carrie Ryan

Publication: March 22nd 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Zombies, Horror

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day, and she's been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn't feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again. But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

I just finished The Dark & Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan. I just love Carrie Ryan. Her writing is beautiful and heartbreaking. It took me a little longer to get into the beginning of this book versus the other two, but looking back I really like the way she leads into Annah's story.

All of my predictions for this book were off except two. I won't tell you what those predictions were, right or wrong, because I don't want to ruin anything for a potential reader. But, I'm stoked that my predictions were off because there's nothing more disappointing than knowing exactly what's going to happen before you even get started. I also really liked the last couple of paragraphs in the book binding the beginning of the story, the essence of The Forest of Hands & Teeth, to the ending.

Although I really enjoyed this book, The Dead Tossed Waves is still my favorite in the series and possibly one of my favorite stand-alone books of all time. And though I wish I could give this book 5 stars just because Carrie Ryan is awesome, it fell a little short of The Dead Tossed Waves for me...meaning I'll have to give this book 4.9 stars.

Updated: July 7, 2018