Wishlist Wednesday #89

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper Blog where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wish-list for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wish-list and onto our wonderful shelves.

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Release Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Genre: Young Adult – Mystery, Horror
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Three students: dead.

Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace.

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere."

Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson.

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it.

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.

When I first started watching Booktube videos again this book was making the rounds. Since I am a major fan of Young Adult horror/mystery this caught my interest right away. I love the creepy look of the cover and the synopsis sounds great. Not to mention I love finding a new debut author.

I have heard some mixed reviews on this book which is the one downfall. Many of the people say that it isn’t as scary as it seems it would be and that is a letdown for people. I have also heard some people say they got bored while reading it. I of course can’t wait to get my hands on it so I can find out for myself!

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it?

Review: Snitch (Bea Catcher Chronicles, #2) by Olivia Samms

Snitch by Olivia Samms

Series: Bea Catcher Chronicles, #2
Release Date: April 1^st 2014
Publisher:  Skyscape
Format: eArc
Pages: 246
Genre: Young Adult – mystery, fantasy, paranormal
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Secrets. Lies. They smother. But the truth—sometimes the truth is worse. It kills. Leaves blood on your hands.

As the days count down to her eighteenth birthday, Bea feels trapped. Trapped by her dark past, by her parents’ expectations, even by her own dreams for the future. The road ahead is unclear, blurred with secrets and lies.

The only constant, sure thing in her life is Sergeant Dan Daniels. He’s faced with a gang-related murder case and asks Bea to use her “skill” to see and then draw the truth out of the suspect...literally. But when she does, it leaves her with more unanswered questions. And then another teen is shot—clinging for his life.

Time is running out. Can Bea find the killer before someone else gets hurt?

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Bea is only days away from turning 18. Ever since she convinced Willa, her now best friend, to turn in the serial killer that beat and raped her, she has been secretly working with the sheriff to solve some small cases. A new case has come up, involving a lot of weed and a dead 17 year old. The Sergeant thinks that the kid that has confessed to the killing is innocent and knows things that he isn’t saying. The sergeant asks Bea to draw what she sees from him.

Bea is starting to feel lonely. Her best friend Chris has been accepted to the college of his dreams and Willa is dating a bully that just happens to be Bea’s next door neighbor. Bea’s parents are also having problems of their own. Bea makes some mistakes interfering in her parent’s problems and she is just ready to leave and get some space of her own.

I love the relationship between the sergeant and Bea. Since there is an age difference they are obviously not allowed to be together. When the two of them are interacting it is probably my favorite parts. I found myself rooting for the Sergeant even though Bea has a boyfriend who is super friendly. I did feel sort of bad for him. She was sort of leading him on by not telling him her true feelings for him.

As with the first book, Bea has placed herself right in the middle of a murder case by trying to solve things without telling people. She has a tendency to put herself in the mist of drama with no regard to her own safety. Sometimes I wish she would think about what she was doing before just jumping into things.

The writing is nice and it is a pretty fast paced book so I didn’t have any problems reading it. I never found myself getting bored or wanting to put down the book. Because I enjoyed the first one, and it is a pretty short read, I knew this would be the perfect book to pick up to get over a reading slump.

I’m not sure if there is going to be a third book because this book has a pretty open ending but I would love to see what happens next. Especially with what happened at the end, there are many possibilities. I recommend picking this series up if it sounds interesting to you! This is definitely a pretty unknown series, as I haven’t heard anyone talk about it. I read the first one for review also so if you would like to read my review for it, check that out HERE! I would love to own physical copies of both of these books!

My Rating:

Review: Poor Little Dead Girls by Lizzie Friend

Poor Little Dead Girls by Lizzie Friend

Release Date: November 29th 2013
Publisher: Merit Press
Format: ebook

Pages: 285
Genre: Young Adult – Mystery/ Thriller
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Perfect people aren't just born. They're made.

The first time she is blindfolded and kidnapped, star-athlete and posh boarding school newbie Sadie is terrified. She wakes up in a dark room surrounded by hushed whispers, hooded strangers, and a mysterious voice whispering not-so-sweet nothings in her ear.

But once the robes come off, she realizes it’s just an elaborate prank designed to induct her into the group that’s been pulling the strings at Keating Hall for generations. The circle has it all--incredible connections; fabulous parties; and, of course, an in with the brother society’s gorgeous pledges.

The instant popularity is enough to make Sadie forget about the unexplained marks on her body, the creepy ceremonial rituals, and the incident that befell one of her teammates the year before. So the next time Sadie is kidnapped, she isn’t scared, but she should be. The worst of Keating Hall is yet to come.

I went into this book without reading the synopsis and that made a big different to me. Not knowing why she was being abducted made a more suspenseful story. Because of that I am not going to talk about that part of the story, just in case there are other people that do the same thing as me.

This story follows around Sadie. She has received a full ride Lacrosse scholarship to Keanting Hall, a prestigious, all female, boarding school for the rich. She is very worried that she won’t fit in, but she feels it is a good change. This also almost guarantees she will get scouted and land a scholarship to college. Her dad had apprehensions on her attending this school because it is across the country from her home in Portland, Oregon. She is an only child and her mother passed away from suicide after being committed to a mental hospital. Dealing with her mother has left her family in major debt.

The school is very set on its rules, although with enough money, who needs rules. At least that’s how it seems in this school. Sadie’s roommates are minor celebrities and they pretty much come and go as they please with no repercussions. This also seems to happen quite a bit with Sadie and some of her other classmates. With how strict the head lady was I really thought that we would see the girls getting into more trouble. That was pretty much nonexistent though.

After Sadie is kidnapped, drugged, and interrogated for hours, she is thrown into a world that she never could have imagined. She also starts to learn things about her own life and mother. With the help of her friends that she has acquired at Keating and a special boy from the boy’s equivalent of Keating, she has to save herself.

Without giving too much of a spoiler. I feel that a lot more could have been done with her boyfriend, Jeremy. This could have made the story much more suspenseful. This book is categorized as a thriller but I’m not sure if it quite falls into that. There is definitely some mystery though and I enjoyed those parts. There seemed to be quite a bit of research done to make this story more believable. I enjoy the writing and the story was successful in holding my interest. I would recommend this for older teens because there is drinking and some sexual references made.

The ending was good but it was sort of anti-climactic. I wasn’t too worried about what was going to happen. It was a quick read though and I finished it in one day. So I would still recommend it if you are into boarding schools and interrogations from hooded figures.

My Rating:

closer to a 3.5/5 star

*I received this book from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.