Review: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco

The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

Series: The Girl from the Well, #1
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Format: Hardcover/e-galley
Genre: Young Adult - Horror
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story.

I read this book over a year ago, right when my blog pretty much stopped because I had gotten a new job. So this review is strictly going off memory. I entertained myself on my lunch break by reading this book since I didn't really know anyone there. It did a fine job and made my lunch go by way too quickly.

The Girl from the well is told from the POV of Okiku, the ghost of a young girl that was murdered and thrown down a well. She hunts murderers, specifically child killers. She has a special way of killing the men, which are very creepy. Those were definitely my favorite scenes in the book. A little back story, The Ring and The Grudge are two movies that scare the crap out of me. Those dead Japanese girls are just way to creepy. So naturally, since that is what they compared this book too, that is what I was picturing in my head the entire time. If those movies don’t scare you then you probably won’t find this book quite as creepy as I did.

The other main character in the book is Tarquin, a half Japanese tattooed boy. He doesn’t know much about his past but that his mother is dead and she tried to strangle him numerous times when he was little. He also has strange tattoos that he is constantly trying to hide. Okiku is drawn to this boy and she is unsure why. She finds herself becoming attached to him and has an almost need to protect him from the dark shadow that follows him.

Chupeco did a great job incorporating Japanese culture into the story. Her writing style really added to the creepiness of the book also. This was a fantastic debut. I believe this is just going to be a duology, which I enjoy much more than a series. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, although I’m not sure on the direction that will go (I haven’t read the synopsis yet).

In the end, I highly recommend this book. If you are into this type of story then I believe you will really enjoy this one.  

*This book was provided by NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Emily and the Strangers Vol. 1 by Rob Reger

Emily and the Strangers Vol. 1 by Rob Reger & Mariah Huehner
Illustrated by Emily Ivie

Series: Emily the Strange Dark Horse Comics Book Series, #13-16
Release Date: May 20^th 2014
Publisher:  Dark Horse Comics
Format: egalley
Pages: 96
Genre: Young Adult – Graphic Novel,
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

In order to win a legendary haunted guitar, Emily is determined to create the most rockin' song the world has ever known! But can she do it solo? Emily isn't known for playing well with others, but she's going to have to rely on the help of some strangers if she's going to succeed on her musical journey to the true heart of rock 'n' roll! Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger teams up with co-writer Mariah Huehner (True Blood, Angel) and artist Emily Ivie (The Locked Maze, Rotsterarsil) for a brand-new, full-color Emily the Strange mini-series full of troublemaking cats, mad science, new friends, and killer guitar riffs!

Over the course of the book Emily is in an inventing slump. A couple of her inventions aren’t working and she can’t seem to come up with any new ideas. When one of her cats (there are a ton and they just keep showing up) turns on the radio Emily hears a song from her favorite deceased musician. She also finds out about a contest to win his haunted guitar. All she has to do is write a song. She tweaks a bunch of her inventions to make a band out of them and then writes an awesome song. Emily wants to do everything solo, and is known for not working well with others. In this book though, she just might have to.

This book is a volume of three different issues from a comic book series that Dark Horse put out. I didn’t even know that they existed. I also didn’t realize that this book was also technically in the middle of a series. This doesn’t matter when you read it though because it is technically the start of a new story line and this is the first book in the volumes. I believe this is still an ongoing series so I am not sure how many volues this is going to contain. If you are going to check out this book then most likely you are already familiar with Emily the Strange. If you aren’t then I would recommend checking out the books first. I currently own three of the books and I enjoy reading them. They are written in Diary form.

Emily is a very dark and mysterious character that tends to hang out with only cats, so the artwork in this book is heavy dark pictures. Definitely gives off a good feel for Emily. There are some extra posters included in the back of the book that are pretty cool, along with some sketches and explanations of each one. I really enjoy it when a graphic novel includes things like that at the end of the book.

I recommend checking this book out, especially if you have already read some of the Emily the Strange stuff.

My Rating:

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

Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Release Date: June 3^rd 2014
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Format: egalley
Pages: 208
Genre: Young Adult – Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Everyone has a lot to say about Alice Franklin, and it’s stopped mattering whether it’s true. The rumors started at a party when Alice supposedly had sex with two guys in one night. When school starts everyone almost forgets about Alice until one of those guys, super-popular Brandon, dies in a car wreck that was allegedly all Alice’s fault. Now the only friend she has is a boy who may be the only other person who knows the truth, but is too afraid to admit it. Told from the perspectives of popular girl Elaine, football star Josh, former outcast Kelsie, and shy genius Kurt, we see how everyone has a motive to bring – and keep – Alice down.

The Truth About Alice is a fantastic book. This book has four points of view Elaine O’Dea, Kelsie, Josh, ad Kurt. All these people have different things to say about Alice Franklin. They all live in the small town of Healey and everyone knows that Alice slept with two guys at a party, Brandon Fitsimmons, high school quarterback and Tommy, some college sophomore. Brandon, dies in a car accident soon after when Alice was sexting him. Everyone knows everything about Alice but nobody knows the truth and Alice doesn’t even try to fight back.

Elaine O’Dea is the popular girl in school. She loves her small town and it was her party that caused the commotion that started it all for Alice. Kelsie is a former outcast who will do anything to stay in the popular crowed with Elaine, including talking about her former best friend Alice. Kelsie was a nerd at her old school and became the “runner up” popular girl when she moved to Healey. Popular enough that people know her and want to hang out with her but she doesn’t quite live up to Elaine’s popularity. She was sick at home during the party at Elaine’s house. Josh was Brandon’s friend and the wide receiver on the High School football team. He was in the car when the accident happened and told Brandon’s mom that Alice was sexting him when he crashed. He’s known Alice for years. Finally we have Kurt Morelli, Brandon’s next door neighbor. He is super smart and orphaned when he was young and is living with his grandmother. He has had a crush on Alice and is the only one that is nice to her.

This book is not a fluffy read. It focuses on slut shaming, abortion and bullying, and I think it does a fantastic job at it. It definitely shows that you should not believe everything you hear. This book really blew me away. Enough so that I rated it something and the more I thought about it and the more I talked about I decided to bump the rating up! That never happens. I really recommend picking up this book. The author did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed the writing and how everything was laid out. I will definitely be picking up more books by Jennifer Mathieu. I read this book as an egalley and I fully plan on going and buying a copy to add to my shelf. That way I can reread the parts that I liked!

My Rating:

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

Review: Hide and Seek by Catherine MacPhail

Hide and Seek by Catherine MacPhail

Release Date: June 1st 2009
Publisher:  Barrington Stoke
Format: egalley
Pages: 128
Genre: Middle Grade - Thriller
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

A cruel prank backfires in this spooky chiller

This book is told from a 3rd person pov from the popular bully of the school, Nicole. Her plan is to play a trick on the new girl in school. So Nicole and a bunch of her friends decide to sneak into their school to try and scare her. The new girl wants to know if the school is really haunted. The kids plan to take the ghost story and play it off as real. Everything seems different in the dark though and soon Nicole starts to wonder whether the joke might not be a joke anymore.

The characters are ok. I wasn’t a super fan of them. Nicole was the standard bully and I always hate them but that’s just the way her character is supposed to be. The twist at the end was a good one that I really didn’t see coming. This is a decent thriller that could give you creeps if you aren’t big into reading books like that.  I would not consider it horror but I read Stephen King so… yea…

This book was created for kids with dyslexia. The paragraphs are very short, with simple writing, which makes this book an easy read. I would suggest anyone read the book, not just ones with dyslexia. I am interested in picking up more books by the author and possibly letting my son read this because he is starting to read chapter books now and I think this one would be a good one for him.

My Rating:

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

Bookish Buys & Weekly Wrap-up #21

This is where I show everything I that I bought, borrowed, or just added to my bookshelf over the past week. I throw together Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves in one post.  I also include a wrap-up of everything that was posted to the blog this past week.

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Team at Tynga’s Reviews. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

{Bought}

Finally was able to find a couple thing at Half Price Books! I was so excited to be buying a physical book. It seems like it’s been so long!

            ”Who Could That Be at This Hour?”  (All the Wrong Questions, #1) by Lemony Snicket

Unbreakable (The Legion, #1) by Kami Garcia

Picked up the first three books in the Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore on Amazon for 99 cents each! It must have been a one day thing because I went to check to see if it was still there and it wasn't.  

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, #1) by Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies, #2) by Pittacus Lore

The Rise of Nine (Lorien Legacies, #3) by Pittacus Lore

The Ripple Trilogy Books 1-3 by Cidney Swanson

{Review}

I was good and stayed away from Edelweiss this week but I did get approved for a couple books on NetGalley. I also got a book for a blog tour and a book from the publisher.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

The Polaris Uprising (Polaris, #1) by Jennifer Ibarra

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Spark (Swipe, #4) by Evan Angler

This Week on Laura’s Adventures in Bookland

{Features}

Wishlist Wednesday #75 – The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

{Other Posts}

Bookish Birthdays | January 2014

December Wrap-up | January TBR

Bout of Books Read-a-thon 9.0

Top Books of 2013

How was your week? Let me know in the comments!

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. 

Bookish Buys & Weekly Wrap-up #18

This is where I show everything I that I bought, borrowed, or just added to my bookshelf over the past week. I throw together Showcase Sunday and Stacking the Shelves in one post.  I also include a wrap-up of everything that was posted to the blog this past week.

Showcase Sunday is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Team at Tynga’s Reviews. For more information about how this feature works and how to join in, click here.

{Borrowed}

Amphigorey (Amphigorey, #1) by Edward Gorey

Sky High by Germano Zullo

The Dark by Lemony Snicket

{Review}

From Edelweiss

Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel

From NetGalley

Running on Empty by Colette Ballard

Three (Article 5, #3) by Kristen Simmons

This Week on Laura’s Adventures in Bookland

{Features}

2B Tuesday #63 – The Whatnot (The Peculiar, #2) by Stefan Bachmann

Wishlist Wednesday #72 – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel by Ransom Riggs

{Reviews}

The Field by Tracy Richardson – Blog Tour

Clan by Realm Lovejoy – Blog Tour

Flight of the Griffin (Flight of the Griffin, #1) by C.M. Gray

{Other Posts}

Save Magic City by Rocsanne Shield – Book Blast

Storm Warning (Broken Heartland, #1) by E. Lee & C. Quinn – Teaser

Flight of the Griffin by C.M. Gray – First Chapter Preview

{Current Giveaways}

Lots of good giveaway stuff so make sure to check out the links!

Reap by Christina Channelle

Submerged by Nicole Sobon

Counting Shadows by Olivia Rivers

Clan by Realm Lovejoy

How was your week? Let me know in the comments!