Prep School Confidential Series by Kara Taylor

Title:Prep School Confidential
Author: Kara Taylor
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: July 30, 2013
Received From: Bought
Synopsis:  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.

 Review: 
I have always loved mystery books. When I was younger I devoured the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. So one day when I was in the bookstore and saw Prep School Confidential and read the back I knew that I had to check it out. I read it in almost one sitting and could not wait for the next book.

The synopsis describes it as gossip girl meets twin peaks. And while I have never seen Twin Peaks I can see where they are coming from. I see it as Gossip Girl meets Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars if Veronica was an '09er.
Anne is a spoiled, entitled high school student until something goes wrong and she is forced to go to a small elite boarding school in Massachusetts. Next thing she knows her roommate is found dead behind the school. That would be enough to send most people running for the hills but Anne is determined to find out who did it.

Each book has a new mystery that is tied into the past book. Each mystery gets mostly resolved by the end of the book, but more questions come up and there is a new focus in each book. I appreciated this because it meant that the book had closure but I was still waiting for the next one.

I was really happy with the ending of Deadly Little Sins. It left open the possibility for more books or a spin-off, but had enough closure that wouldn't be mad if there weren't any more.
If you like mysteries, drama, boarding school books, class struggles, and sneaking around then this series is for you!

Readalikes:
The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roeker
Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter (One of my first reviews, don't judge me)
Also Known As by Robin Benway
Heist Society by Ally Carter

Witherwood Reform School Blog Tour!

Today I have the pleasure of being one of the hosts of the Witherwood Reform School blog tour. I will be reviewing the book and then there is a contest at the end! Also be sure to check out the rest of the book tour, linked below!

Title: Witherwood Reform School

Author: Obert Skye
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: March 3, 2015
Received From: Publisher for review

Synopsis:  After a slight misunderstanding involving a horrible governess, gravy, and a jar of tadpoles, siblings Tobias and Charlotte Eggars find themselves abandoned by their father at the gates of a creepy reform school. Evil mysteries are afoot at Witherwood, where the grounds are patrolled by vicious creatures and kids are locked in their rooms. Charlotte and Tobias soon realize that they are in terrible danger—especially because the head of Witherwood has perfected the art of mind control. If only their amnesiac father would recover. If only Tobias and Charlotte could solve the dark mystery and free the kids at Witherwood—and ultimately save themselves.

Review:
When I was younger I read the Series of Unfortunate Events books and liked them pretty well. Witherwood Reform School is in that same vein of books.

It is similar to A Series of Unfortunate Events in that there is a narrator who says things that are not exactly hopeful throughout the book. It is also similar in that it is a book about some kids who are in a horrible situation and it never seems to get better.

I liked Witherwood Reform School. It was a fast read, with lots of twists and turns and a scary school that just continues to get creepier and creepier as the book goes on. This book is also good at making you think things might get better and then bam, something else happens.

Tobias and Charlotte are not the smartest kids in the world or else they wouldn't have ended up in the situations they did. But they are resourceful and smart to a point, I also liked their relationship. Also their reactions to things that happened were genuine.

I have always loved books that take place in boarding schools or reform schools because there is so much that can be done to add mystery and intrigue to the story. Witherwood Reform School definitely falls under that category. In fact I wish there had been slightly more information given about certain aspects of what happened, and things that appeared. Though keeping the reader almost as in the dark as the characters adds to the anxious feeling you get when you know something bad is going to happen. Hopefully those things will be addressed in later books because  I would be really interested to know more.

Overall I liked this series and would recommend it to kids/adults who are fans of A Series of Unfortunate Evens or who want a creepy read that will make you stay far away from random mansions.

Enter to win a copy of Witherwood Reform School! Open to US addresses only (sorry) ends 2/252015 at 11:59 pm central time.

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Check out the rest of the tour!

2/18: Little Red Reads

2/19: A Reader’s Adventure

2/20: Stories & Sweeties

2/23: The Hiding Spot

2/24: Bumbles and Fairytales

2/25: Manga Maniac Café

2/26: The Book Monsters

2/27: Mundie Kids

3/2: Milk & Cookies: Comfort Reading

3/3: Green Bean Teen Queen

The Body in the Woods blog tour: Guest Post and Giveaway!

Click to see the other stops on the tour!

Today I have the pleasure of having April Henry author of The Body in the Woods stop by to talk about the most bizarre thing she ever did in the name of research! Don't forget to read down to the end to have a chance to win a copy of The Body in the Woods as well as a whistle!

What’s the most bizarre thing I ever did for research? That’s an easy one. Last year I heard about a class through my kung fu school about how to fight back in close quarters. I signed up. I’ll admit I did not think about who the class was meant to appeal to, ie, not 54-year-old females who are not cops.

The class was held at a martial arts studio where they practice the Russian marital art called Systema. I walked into a huge space, almost like a hangar. Twelve men were already there.

Twelve men in their 30s. Who all turned out to be cops. Cops on SWAT teams at various agencies. (I’m only exaggerating a little. One guy was a retired cop. And there was one young guy who was the son of a cop.) I felt decidedly out of place. In fact, as soon as I opened the door, I wanted to leave.

Then when I saluted onto the training floor the way we do at my kung fu school, I was informed, “This is America! You don’t have to do that!” Then the same guy barked at us that we should begin by doing knuckle push ups.

I have never done knuckle pushups in my life.

I soldiered on.

But things got better after that. The guys were intrigued that I was taking the class for research. They were taking it to save themselves from injury or possibly to save their lives, but they respected that I wanted to get it right.

Since I’m the only woman at my kung fu school who regularly spars, I’ve come to enjoy being the fly on the wall around guys, hearing how they talk among themselves. During the breaks in this class, the guys talked shop, like why you never want to try to shoot through a BMW headrest, as one of them had learned the hard way (the core is made of stainless steel).

I like cops. They remind me of emergency room physicians (I used to work in health care). The emotional distance, the macabre jokes, the high energy, the lack of hesitation. In both types of jobs, you would do nobody any good if you freaked out, shrieking, “Oh my God, what just happened here, somebody just stabbed that lady and there’s blood all over!” No. You need to be able to do what needs to be done, whether it’s subdue the suspect or stop the bleeding.

At the very end of class, you sat in your own car and someone sat behind you. On the seat beside them were a training gun, a training knife, a length of rope, and a plastic bag. They attacked you with these one by one and you had to fight back using what we had just learned. For example, you might be able to hammer their hand against the steering wheel, or slam the seat back into them. If a plastic bag is ever placed over your head, what you do is suck it in, bite it with your front teeth, and stick your tongue out the hole. You still have a plastic bag over your head, but you can breath.

The first time, I panicked when I felt the plastic clinging to my face. I sucked it into my mouth, but then I tried to gnaw it with my molars. Not only did I not succeed, but I started to get pretty low on oxygen, which raised my panic level even further. The second time, though, I remembered my training.

Will I ever write about a character who has a plastic bag put over his or her head? Hell, yes! Plus the principles of Systema are applicable in everyday life (Keep moving, breathe, relax, and maintain your posture.)

Right now I’m considering taking a three-day “Urban Escape and Evasion” course. As part of the course, you are kidnapped, hooded, cuffed and taken somewhere dark and uncomfortable to start your day. You are expected to escape, find your own transportation using “social engineering,” and make your way to a location.. Meanwhile, expert trackers hunt you down, and if they catch you, you have to start again from further away.

The same folks also offer a class called “Surviving Deadly Contact. When I read the description, it talked about how you would learn where the most dangerous spot in the room is and how to handle multiple attackers. I was nodding along, thinking it all sounded interesting, until I came to this: “Open to civilians. You will need an AR type rifle, handgun, and ammo. Camping free.”

I'm pretty game for anything, but I have to admit I am not THAT game.

For every sale made in person or online at Powells.com the first week The Body in the Woods is on sale, I will donate $1.69 to MCSO SAR.

 Author Links/Info

·         Check out April Henry’s website, full of research information!

·         Follow April Henry on Twitter!

·         Become a fan of April Henry on Facebook!

·         Read an excerpt of The Body in the Woods on the book page.

More about The Body in the Woods:
In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods.

Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.

This first book in April Henry’s Point Last Seen YA mystery series is full of riveting suspense, putting readers in the middle of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations.

Pre-order the book: Barnes and Noble, IndieBound


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The Lies That Bind (The Liar Society #2) by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Title: The Lies That Bind (The Liar Society #2)
Author: Lisa and Laura Roecker 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Received: From Library

Summary:  Just when Kate Lowry thought she had life at elite private school Pemberly Brown figured out, she cracks open a fortune cookie to find a message from her best friend Grace--who's supposed to be dead.

Another Sister Gone

A classmate has gone missing, and Kate soon realizes that the disappearance is tied to the secret societies that rule her private school. Her best friend died for their secrets, and there's no way she'll let them get away with it twice. It's up to quirky outsider Kate to get some answers, but in a school where every answer leads to more questions and nothing's as it seems, who can she trust?

 Review:  If you like books with prep schools, secret societies, or mystery then why aren't you reading this series? No seriously, these books have all three. AND they are done brilliantly so yeah.

I really liked Liar Society which is the first book in the series so I was excited for this next installment and the Roecker sisters did not let me down! 

It had been a while since I had read the first book so it took me a few minutes to get back into the book, but once it got going I was immersed yet again. The Lies That Bind is a great title for this book because I, like Kate never knew who to trust, and was surprised by the ending. I had inklings of what might happen but when it really happened I was not expecting what played out.

Pemberly Brown looks like such a cool place. I mean secret tunnels and secret societies, yes it gets out of hand, but still so cool. 

Kate is so awesome. She is tough, loyal, and a little reckless. She is determined to save another girl from the same fate as her friend, even if it was a girl she did not like very much. No matter what the cost, she keeps trying. She also dyes her hair blue. I wish I had the guts to dye my hair blue!

Basically if you like, mystery, secret societies or just witty books you should pick up this series!

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan Review

Title: Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)   
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan    
Publisher: Random House 

Release Date: September 11, 2012
Received: Bought 


Summary:  Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him? 


Review:  I've been having trouble writing this review. Not because Unspoken was sub-par or just okay. Which is when I usually have trouble writing reviews. No the reason I am having trouble is just the opposite. Unspoken is amazing and I don't know if I can adequately convince you of its awesomeness.

Let me just get it out there that Unspoken is AWESOME and I cannot be held responsible for the amount of fangirlyness that will be in this post.

Kami is a great main character. She is resourceful, loyal, and curious, all things I look for in a good protagonist. As for the rest of the characters they are awesome as well. Each one brings their own brand of snark and hilarity that really made me feel as if they could be real people from a real town. Holly and Angela are my particular favorites especially because they don't have that girl-on-girl tension with Kami that is a central point of antagonism in many other books. They are Kami's friends and they are willing to put up with her eccentricities because they love her. Unspoken has a rather large cast of characters but Sarah Rees Brennan had made it so you will fall in love with all of them and yearn to know more about them.

Speaking of the town, Sorry-in-the-vale is gorgeously written. I want to book a trip and go, Sarah Rees Brennan has created a place that while filled with magic is a place that I can totally see existing. It is almost a character in of itself, it adds so much to the story and I cannot image Unspoken taking place anywhere other than Sorry-in-the-Vale.

I really liked how the whole voice in her head thing was handled, I think it was mature and not ridiculous like it could have been. It was central to the conflict without taking it over. There were other people involved and how it came about was really interesting to me. 

The plot of Unspoken is great. It is paced well and Sarah Rees Brennan constantly brings up little things that seem insignificant but are really very important. As for the climax, I was pleasantly surprised. It was not completely what I thought it was going to be and I cannot wait for the next book.

As for the ending... It is terrible and not okay by any stretch of the imagination. But it is not a cliffhanger so that is good.

Basically you should go buy Unspoken. And if you ever have the chance to meet Sarah Rees Brennan DO IT. She is hilarious and so nice. I had the chance to meet her at the Austin Teen Book Festival and she was one of the nicest authors I met that day. Even if she takes pleasure in making people cry at her books. Also the odds that she will stand on a chair are high.

Lets be honest it is a 6/5

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Title: The Book of Blood and Shadow

Author: Robin Wasserman

Publisher: Random House

Release Date: April 10, 2012
Received From: Publisher via NetGalley

Summary:

I feel like the summary is spoilery so don’t read it if you want to be completely surprised.

It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up.  When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love.  When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.
But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead.  His girlfriend Adriane, Nora's best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora's sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.
Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life.

Review:

I do not think I can express to you how good this book was. but I am going to try to.

Spellbinding, beautifully written and completely transporting is the way I would describe it.

I had read Robin Wasserman’s other books and I enjoyed them, but when I heard about her newest book The Book of Blood and Shadow I knew I had to pick it up.

I am the biggest fan of mysteries and this is an epic one that spans centuries and continents. It all begins with the book of blood and shadow and letters written by a girl named Elizabeth. Only Nora can see that Elizabeth’s letters may actually be important and eventually life-changing.

 'I should probably start with the blood.' is the first line of this book. Are you kidding me? I was drawn in from the first page and brought along on this whirlwind of a journey through Prague and essentially through time.

Let me tell you, I never knew who to trust! Once, like Nora, I thought I knew what was going on something would happen that would throw me for a loop. And then that perception would get changed, it was so much fun.

I loved learning about Elizabeth and her story, learning what happened to her and how she got tangled up in all of this was so exciting. Even though we only got to see Elizabeth’s actions through the letters that Nora translates I really felt as if Elizabeth was another main character who was brought to life in such an interesting and different way.

Nora was awesome, I loved her drive and her yearning to find the truth. I also really appreciated that all of her friends helped figure things out. I hate when the main character is the only one who can figure things out. It is so unrealistic. But thankfully that was not the case.

PRAGUE! Prague was almost a character in of itself. It was so richly written that I felt like I was there, it also made me need to go there someday.  Also secret societies.

The Book of Blood and Shadow was more than I ever could have imagined. It left me more than satisfied and hooked the entire time I was reading it. It is a must read and the perfect example of what I mean by A Reader’s Adventure.

Also don't forget to check out my interview with Robin Wasserman!

The Traitor in the Tunnel Review

Title: The Traitor in the Tunnel

Author: Y.S. Lee

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Release Date: February 28th 2012
Received From: Netgalley

Summary:

Get steeped in suspense, romance, and high Victorian intrigue as Mary goes undercover at Buckingham Palace - and learns a startling secret at the Tower of London.
Queen Victoria has a little problem: there's a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency puts quick-witted Mary Quinn on the case, where she must pose as a domestic while fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales. But when the prince witnesses the murder of one of his friends in an opium den, the potential for scandal looms large. And Mary faces an even more unsettling possibility: the accused killer, a Chinese sailor imprisoned in the Tower of London, shares a name with her long-lost father. Meanwhile, engineer James Easton, Mary's onetime paramour, is at work shoring up the sewers beneath the palace, where an unexpected tunnel seems to be very much in use. Can Mary and James trust each other (and put their simmering feelings aside) long enough to solve the mystery and protect the Royal Family? Hoist on your waders for Mary's most personal case yet, where the stakes couldn't be higher - and she has everything to lose.

 

Review:

First of all if you haven't read this series and you even kind of like historical fiction or mystery. RUN don’t WALK to pick up the first two books before this one comes out on February 28th! Here is my review for the second book The Body at the Tower if you need more convincing.

 

The Traitor in the Tunnel is the third book in this series and trust me when I say I was DYING to read it. And while it was really, really good it wasn’t my favorite book of this series.

 

Mary as usual was strong, smart, and resourceful. These are some of my favorite qualities in a heroine which is one of the reasons I like these books so much.

 

James. Oh, James. I love James, but he was very different in this book than in the others and I don’t really know how I felt about that. Toward the end he started to act like the James I love and so I hope he will be the same in the next book.

 

There were a lot of twists in this story which I really appreciate in mysteries. I also liked how the case started off really tame and then became more sinister. Something that was really different from this book and the others was the fact that Mary got to dive deeper into her heritage which I really enjoyed.

 

Overall, not my favorite book of the series but I still definitely recommend it for any fans of historical fiction, mysteries, or just plain good books.

 

 

Kiss of Frost Review

Title: Kiss of Frost (Mythos Academy #2)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Publisher: Kensington

Release Date: November 29, 2011
Received From: Publisher in return for a honest review

Summary: 

Logan Quinn was try­ing to kill me. My Spar­tan class­mate relent­lessly pur­sued me, swing­ing his sword at me over and over again, the shin­ing sil­ver blade inch­ing closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes prac­ti­cally glowed with the thrill of battle...
I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword...

Review:

(Teeny, tiny spoilers for the first book, they are hardly even consequential.)

If you read my review for the first book Touch of Frost you know that I loved it and was eagerly awaiting the next book!

 

Kiss of Frost did not disappoint! In fact I liked it even more than Touch of Frost. The little things that bothered me from the first book were not issues in this next installment. Especially the explanations about the other student’s and their powers. After this book I finally understand what all their powers are.

 

Like in Touch of Frost there was an element of mystery, and while I had my suspicions it did not turn out exactly how I had imagined, and I loved trying to figure it out at the same time as Gwen! I also felt like Gwen grew a lot in this book, she became more sure of herself and discovered new (awesome) facets of her powers.

 

One of my favorite characters in this series has to be Vic, he is hilarious and adds just that little bit of humor that is needed in the story. I also liked getting to know characters that had just been mentioned in the previous book, better, and having them become an integral part of the plot.

 

I also liked getting to know more of mythology and finding out more about Loki’s plan. Mythology has always interested me and so it was cool to see this spin on it, as well as learning about some more creatures like the Fenris wolf.

 

Finally, I enjoyed the dynamic between Gwen and Logan a lot better in this book, it was still awkward and there was the whole Savannah thing but it was much better than in Touch of Frost.

 

I only had one gripe with Kiss of Frost and it is so unimportant I wasn’t sure whether to even mention it in this review. It was the fact that Carson (Daphne's boyfriend) was constantly referred to a “band geek” while the other characters were referred to by their lineage (Spartan etc..) I would have preferred if he would have been referred to as the Celt instead. It was just really jarring for me while I was reading. But that’s being really nitpicky and honestly I cannot think of anything else that I didn’t like about this book.

 

If you have not read the first book go RUN and pick it up, and while you’re at it pick up this one as well, because you will want to read it as soon as you are done! I cannot wait for Dark Frost!

 

Sorry for the longer than normal review but I just really liked this book!

 

 

The Liar Society

Title: The Liar Society

Author: Lisa and Laura Roecker

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: March 1, 2011
Received From: ATWT

Summary:  

Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure.
To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)
Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.
Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...

Review:

I love Lisa and Laura’s blog they have such a hilarious dynamic which helps give this book its hilarity!
I adore mysteries and this one was so cool, I never knew what was going to happen next. This story was fast paced and expertly weaved.
Kate was such a fun character! She was sarcastic, witty, and hilarious. But you could see how her friend’s death had really effected her. I also liked Liam and Seth, they added a lot to the plot, and really helped the story move along!
A great addition to the sparse mystery genre in YA I cannot wait for the next book!