Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Quinn Maybrook and her father are starting over. Which is why they've moved to the tiny town of Kettle Springs where her father will be taking over as town doctor. 

Kettle Springs is a dead end town. The main source of employment, the local corn syrup factory (which sports a weird clown logo) has been shut down and, just prior to Quinn's arrival, the heir to the factory tried to burn the thing down! It doesn't take long for Quinn to meet said delinquent and join in his group of rowdy friends. 

But when Quinn and the others set off to attend a Friday night party that's the talk of all the teens in town, little do they know that they've caught the attention of someone who wants them all to pay! The party quickly turns into a race for survival as Quinn and the others try to escape a deadly foe dressed as none other than the creepy clown mascot himself!

Adam Cesare's latest is a fun romp into teen slasher territory. It reminded me of a specific 90's film that I cannot name here without risking giving away the twist...

Clown begins with an accident one year prior to Quinn moving to town. There's a group of specific teens involved, the ones Quinn finds herself thrown in with her very first day in school. I wish that there had been a bit more fleshing out, though. The teens in question are in the habit of filming things to post online. Everything, according to a line by one of the teachers. But we don't really see much of this beyond the opening scene. What's more, there's no real delving into the friction that comes between these characters both as a result of the incident and leading up to the party. 

Quinn is, however, pretty well rounded. As is her dad. They've moved to Kettle Springs to get away from their own darker past—the fate of Quinn's mom. And Quinn's dad seems pretty cool. He's not worried about his daughter getting in trouble her first day, not after talking it out, and he's not worried about the party either (a good chance to make friends). 

Boy was he wrong!

I liked this outing from Cesare but I can't say that I loved it. A bit more fine tuning in the character development area and I think this could have been really great. As it stands, it's a good popcorn read perfect for Halloween season but maybe not one I'll reach for again and again. 

Order it from your favorite indie via Bookshop!

Christmas Reading List: The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

Hi, all! I've been quiet of late - lots to try and catch up on before the year is out! Plus, now, I'm apparently sick. Yay!

I think I might have mentioned before, but I generally avoid holiday themed books. I almost never get to them before the holiday in question and then it seems like I'm supposed to wait another year for the holiday to roll around before I try again. Well, this year I'm aiming to get to some Christmas-themed books and I'm going to share one of those titles with you each day leading up to Christmas.

First up, The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand. Here's a bit about the book from Goodreads:

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.

She didn't.

And then she died.

Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.

Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable.

But this year, everything is about to change. . . .

As you can tell, this is a YA retelling of A Christmas Carol and it's been getting good reviews so far. It was even recommended on one of the Bookriot podcasts I listen to - but my foggy cold filled head won't let me remember which. So you should listen to them all!

The Afterlife of Holly Chase is out now if you want to read along with me!

Dreamology by Lucy Keating

Alice's dreams are full of wonders - and Max. Max is perfect and he's by her side in every adventure. But Max isn't real. 

Or is he. 

Alice and her father have just moved to Boston. Alice is the new girl, lonely already thanks to having to leave her best friend behind. A friend who advises her that it's time to give up the fantasy of Max and meet someone in the real world. But lo and behold, who does Alice meet on her very first day at school: Max. Real Max. And real Max IS dream Max. But the more time Alice and Max spend together outside of their dreams, the more their dreams seem to be seeping into the real world. 

Ah, Lucy Keating's debut is so freaking charming!

I dream. I dream vividly. Which I guess is something of a trade for the fact that I don't actually get much in the way of rest when I sleep thanks to hereditary insomnia. So yeah, there was part of the appeal in this one: dreams, dream boy, new girl in school, and overall a debut that sounded uber cute. Which it definitely was.

Passages of Alice's dream journal are peppered throughout the book, pretty perfectly depicting the wacky world of sleep. And her relationship with dream Max is incredibly sweet.

Of course, neither Alice or Max ever believed the other existed outside of their dreams. Which proves to be a bit problematic. And at first, Max doesn't even admit to knowing Alice at all. So poor Alice is faced with the one thing she's wanted and yearned for for so very long and the very possibility that it's all only in her head!

You can probably imagine Alice's emotional state as the story begins. Plus, there are issues with her mom. ISSUES.

Both Alice and Max are developed pretty well. They both have a lot of emotional baggage, which Keating subtly works into their behaviors and characteristics. Some of the side characters could have used a bit more attention, but seeing as how it wasn't their story it really isn't a complaint - simply a wish that I could have spent a bit more time with Dreamology before it ended.

Dreamology is a contemporary tale with a whimsical edge. Like I said, charming and oh so cute. As usual, I want to avoid spoiling anything for you. But yes, Alice and Max do find out why they're dreaming about each other and how it all began. Whether they get their happily ever after in their dreams or the real world is part of the story.

The White Rose by Amy Ewing

Today is Amy Ewing day here on the blog!

This is a HUGE release week, readers, and two of the teen titles I think I've been most looking forward to are both hitting shelves tomorrow.

The first is the second book in the Lone City trilogy by Amy Ewing. Ewing's debut, The Jewel, was one of my favorite books last year so of course I've been dying to read more. Fortunately we didn't have to wait ALL year for more. In July HarperCollins's Epic Reads Impulse released a little e book companion to the series featuring Raven.

And tomorrow marks the official return to Violet's saga.

Warning: You have to have read The Jewel for The White Rose to make any sense!

With Lucien's keen planning and Garnet's surprising assistance, Violet, Ash, and Raven all manage to narrowly escape the confines of The Jewel. Now on the run and desperate to reach a safe haven promised in the Farm, both Raven and Violet begin to realize just how many people are behind Lucien's cause. 

It's true, an uprising is in the works and Violet is to be their secret weapon. But Violet has yet to discover the true reach of her power. Her teacher, someone Violet never expected, will be the one to finally unlock Violet's potential and show her exactly where she and the other Surrogates come from. But with things heating up in the Jewel and the Duchess of the Lake strangely silent about her missing Surrogate, Lucien and the others will have to take steps to put the plan into motion much more quickly than anticipated. Will they have time to take down the Jewel or will their rebellion fail before it even gets off the ground?

As a fan of the first, I did love The White Rose. We learn more about the Lone City's origins, why the Surrogates are so important, and even a bit about Lucien's sister. What's more, we see Violet grow and Raven come back to herself, to an extent, as they both explore their power beyond the Auguries.

But objectively I have to admit that not much really happens in The White Rose. Yes, it moves the story along and yes all of the information and occurrences are important to the series, but as the middle part of a trilogy it serves more as a bridge between the beginning and the end rather than a story in and of itself.

I'm not complaining, as I said The White Rose is necessary if only for filling lots of holes and answering lots of questions from The Jewel. And as a world that I am completely enamored with I loved it. But I also feel it's not as strong as its predecessor.

Basically if you're a big fan of The Jewel and are as anxious to get back to the story as I was, you won't be disappointed. But you cannot read The White Rose without having first read The Jewel and you will be waiting on pins and needles to see what happens next year in the as yet untitled third installment.

Rating: 4/5

More Mini Reviews

And here's another batch of mini reviews for you guys!

First up, The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey. This was part of the 2015 DAC challenge (which I'm lagging seriously behind on).

The war between the Avicen and the Drakharin has dragged on for ages with no end in site. But when Echo, an orphan child who lives among the Avicen, discovers a clue that suggests the mythical Firebird might be real, both races become intent on finding it. 

I liked this one. It's a fun start to a new series, somewhat reminiscent of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but I thought it could be a stronger debut.

There's a good amount of vivid detail but there's actually very little in the way of world building. Basically it's a pretty story without much depth. We'll see if this is addressed in the next release, which looks to be due out in 2016.

Rating: 3/5

Next up Frost by Marianna Baer - one of my own TBR Tackle titles.

Leena Thomas is looking forward to her senior year at Barcroft Academy, thanks in no small part to her finagling Frost House as a dorm for her and her three best friends. But Leena's plans are sidelined when she learns that classmate Celeste Lazar will be taking up residence there as well. Celeste is odd and neither Leena or her friends are thrilled that she'll be rooming with them. And when strange things start to happen at Frost House, they all wonder if Celeste is somehow responsible. 

Sadly this one didn't hit the spot for me. I'd been looking forward to it for so long, building it up with my own expectations, that I lay the blame in part on that. Only in part, though.

What I wanted when I started Frost was a great haunted house read set at a boarding school (two book buzzes for me). What I got was an open ended book with no real explanation for the possibly supernatural occurrences.

And that would be ok - the characters were, as a whole, pretty great. Leena in particular is pretty fantastically layered. She's almost - not quite but almost - unreliable as a narrator thanks to some of the things she's keeping from those around her. And her arc is great.

But the end... I just didn't want ambiguous. I wanted a haunted house!

Rating: 3/5

Hit by Delilah Dawson is one that I just didn't have time to write a full review on because I had visitors in town.

Valor National Bank has paid off all of the country's debt, basically buying the nation. And now they're calling in payment from all of their own debtors. Patsy's mom is one of these customers - losing her job and then suffered a terrible car accident were bad enough, but now she has cancer and can't pay for treatment. That's ok, though, if Patsy will a agree to be a hit man for Valor all will be forgiven. 

Delilah Dawson is always a pleasure to read. Yes, this one is dark and somewhat bleak - but seriously, still a pleasure!

Dawson has one of the best imaginations out there. I'm not kidding. From her Blud books to Servants of the Storm and now Hit (which does have a follow up planned) she dreams up the creepiest and most fascinating worlds and scenarios. I love her work and think everyone should be reading her!

Rating: 4/5

And finally The Jewel by Amy Ewing, which I covered for Bookbitch.com but never wrote up here. I don't actually know why either considering it was one of my FAVORITE books last year. The second book, The White Rose, is due out in October and I could use a little refresher, though.

Violet Lasting has always known that she'll be sold to a wealthy bidder. She's been trained for this servitude. Violet is to be a surrogate, bought and paid for by a royal family who can no longer have children of their own. It's a life of luxury and privilege, or so they say. In reality, every privilege comes with a price and Violet soon realizes she's nothing more than a prisoner in her new life. 

I love, love, loved this book! Loved it! It's so very dark - very Handmaid's Tale to be honest - but it's oh, so good. Ewing does an amazing job creating tension and suspense in her plot and making the reader really care about Violet. You're along for the ride as she goes through what is a really awful experience. But of course there's hope she'll escape... Amazing read, guys!

It is the first in a trilogy and I've been dying to get back to the world. Fortunately, as I mentioned, we'll all get to return very soon. In fact, sooner than October. There's an e short about Violet's friend Raven, "The House of the Stone," coming out in July.

Rating: 5/5

Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

I'd planned to read Veronica Roth's Divergent ages ago. I mean I bought the thing in early 2012 and then got Insurgent that same year and Allegiant this past Christmas, so it's not like I didn't have plenty of time! And yet the movie's release rolled around and the trilogy was still waiting in my TBR. So yeah, I saw the movie first. But that's ok. Apparently that was the motivation I needed to finally tackle the books, which I did in a binge this past weekend.

I'm not going to include synopses of the books so if you're a late comer like me you don't have to worry about spoilers. Plus I figure there are enough other reviews of the books out there by now that if you really want a synopsis and in-depth review of each one you can easily find them.

First I have to say that I did rather enjoy the movie. I had a few very minor complaints but overall I thought it was really well done and I was quite happy with the casting, especially after diving into the book. Surprisingly the film adaptation follows the book fairly closely. There were a few changes and most of them seemed logical for the sort of edits necessary in adapting for film (accounting for the length and pacing of a film as opposed to a book). All in all, it's definitely a great adaptation. 

One complaint that I've seen in reviews of both Divergent and Insurgent is the lack of world building. Why did the world get this way and how did the factions really come to be? There's a very small explanation and now that I've read all three I can assure you that there's a good reason for this. The story behind the factions is a big part of Allegiant so hang in there, you'll get your explanation.

Insurgent was an excellent sequel. There was no lag in story - it picks up immediately after the end of Divergent and maintains the great pacing and action I came to expect after Divergent. There's no second book slump that often happens in trilogies (when we kind of realize that the three books were always meant to be one and the second installment serves simply as a connecting piece between the introductory installment and the actual climax!). Nope, Insurgent moved the story along nicely, building further on Tris and Four's relationship and the conflicts between the factions. In other words it fit and it felt necessary on pretty much all points, rather than being filler.

And Allegiant, the buzz around this one is part of my recent delay in reading the books. Talk about eliciting some passionate responses from readers worldwide. Holy cow! Even halfway through this one I couldn't begin to imagine what Roth had coming that could have angered so many readers!

Then I got to the end.

I get it, I really do. I shed some tears but all in all I have to admit that I'm really not disappointed or angry. The end was the end. It worked.

I kind of zipped through these, it was a bit unavoidable. They just begged to be read in one go but it did kind of mean a bit of a book hangover at the end! It was super hard to transition away from the dystopian built paranoia and into a completely different read (which I did with the Titanic based The Girl Who Came Home). Now I really can't wait to see the other two movies!

Pre Pub Book Buzz: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

I'm a bit late with my pre pub post - I usually do them on Saturdays and I was a neglectful in my blogging this weekend. But with this one due out so soon I wanted to get it up with all the extras!

I think just about every book person out there seems to be waiting on the release of Danielle Page's debut, Dorothy Must Die!

Here's a bit about the book from the publisher:

Crash landing via tornado into a childhood nightmare, Amy Gumm finds the lime-lit, sparkling city of Oz a far cry from its former over-the- rainbow glory. The culprit? That bitch from Kansas: Dorothy Gale. Power-hungry and invincible, Dorothy has turned everything on its head. Now, the Scarecrow conducts inhumane experiments on the winged monkeys, the Tin Woodman is a trained killer, and the Lion is a deranged monster out for blood.

Upon arriving, Amy is immediately inducted into The Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, a group of not-so-wicked witches that are determined to rid their land of Dorothy. Now, Amy will have to show more gumption than was ever necessary in her Kansas trailer park life. When everyone has ulterior motives and no one is whom they seem, it's not easy to know what to do next. But one thing's for sure: Dorothy must die.

Just to further tease us, there's an e prequel available here and - in preparation of the book's April 1 release - the publisher has posted the first twelve chapters online! You can check that out here.

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Readers have been waiting in GREAT ANTICIPATION for the final installment of Veronica Rossi's trilogy and it's almost here.

(Don't worry, my synopsis is quite vague so as long as you've read the first two books there shouldn't be any spoilers.)

After the downfall of Reverie, Aria awakens in the Tides's new home to find that much has happened while she was asleep. Hess and Sable have joined forces and are keeping Cinder hostage, with the knowledge that his control of the Aether will be the only thing that allows them to get to the legendary Still Blue. Aria's old Dweller friends are still keeping to themselves and many are suffering illness from having entered the outside. Aria knows they'll have to work together if they are to survive especially with the Aether storms growing more powerful and dangerous everyday. But first, she and Perry will have to try to save Cinder. 

I'm on the fence about this wrap up to the trilogy. I didn't love it but I did enjoy it. Part of it just seemed rather anti climactic after the build of the first two. I found the character development to be on the lean side in particular. One could argue that we already got plenty of Aria, Perry, and Roar in previous installments but this third book does introduce some new developments with regards to characters we've not really learned much about in previous titles. Sadly, there's little to no further development on anyone in the story here in this final release.

Much of the focus of the book is spent on rescuing Cinder. This is fine but - without giving anything away - it just felt as though a bit more time and energy could have been spent on fleshing out other aspects of the story as well, especially with regards to some of the BIG events and revelations that occur in this third installment. I also wanted to see more interaction between the Dwellers and the Tides. Instead, this is pretty much relegated to a few lines and Jupiter's help in flying one of the hovers (which I did appreciate).

I don't mean to knock the book too much. Overall Into the Still Blue was a fine installment and it did offer up closure to the series, but I wanted fabulous instead of fine.

Into the Still Blue is out next Tuesday, Jan 28.

Rating: 3/5