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Teen Book Review- Blindside by James Patterson

Written by Inshal
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Blindside - Patterson, James

It felt like forever since I’d read a book when I was gifted Blindside by James Patterson on my birthday. (Sept. 20, so write that down 😉 Just kidding… or am I?) Anyway, I decided to procrastinate on my busy schedule by reading this book between my meetings, classes, assignments, etc. and have enough of an opinion on it that I decided to write a review. Feel free to click on the link to read the blurb, I will however be jumping straight into my thoughts!

Blindside is not a YA book, and our protagonist is a middle-aged man, Micheal Bennett, who is also a father of 10 (all or most are adopted, I think). Detective Bennett reminds me A LOT of my fav: Detective Murdoch from the Canadian TV show, Murdoch Mysteries. And it’s not only because their both handsome, Catholic, brave, and family-oriented… okay well, maybe it is. Basically, Detective Bennett is the classic “good guy” and “family man” which is good in real life I suppose, but very boring to read about. Therefore, there was not a lot of character development in HIM. With the “bad guys” however…

Moving on to the mystery! The story starts with one homicide scene and leads to a series of events which ends up with Bennett in Estonia on a missing persons’ case. There was not much of a mystery about the book because we know the “bad guy” from the very start, and so I think the label of “thriller” fits much better with the overall tone of the story. There are amazing action scenes in Blindside, as well as a lot of suspense and plot twists. There is none, however, of the clue-searching, witness-interviewing, and suspect-spying that I like. All of that to say that I did enjoy the plot immensely. It was fast-paced, full of fun commentary and interesting situations. Mainly, it was fast-paced and that’s exactly what I needed to read as a break from history textbooks.

My main gripe with this book is the family sideplot. I like authenticity and every. single. family. scene. in this book felt so CONTRIVED and artificial. I don’t care how beautiful or kind a family is, you can’t expect 10 kids to magically get along and say all the adorable, helpful, and encouraging comments a father needs to hear. Even Mary Catherine (Bennett’s fiancée) felt one-dimensional and fake. I wanted some family drama and sad/funny authentic family dimensionality but instead got the happy family cliché scene on repeat. How was that even APPROVED by editors, is my question.

Other than that, I did really enjoy reading Blindside. It offered a fun and fast-paced read, I learned a lot about the NYPD (and its relationship with the FBI) and I even laughed. 6/10

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Teen SRC 2021- One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Written by Hannah Nei
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One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

From reading only 10-20 pages of One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, I really like the pace its going at and it keeps wanting to make read more. It’s not going too slow but it’s not going too fast at the same time it goes at an even pace without being too detailed or too vague. I also like how you know the conflict cause it makes people want to read to the conflict then the climax and read the resolution to know how people would solve the conflict.

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Teen SRC 2021 – Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

Written by Inshal
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For this month’s dose of Agatha Christie, I picked up Murder at the Vicarage. I know I give Miss Marple books a bad rap but this one pleasantly surprised me, and I think it’s because we had a different narrator. The Vicar is the one who tells this story, and there isn’t much to say except his POV was so much more interesting than Miss Marple’s could have been. I especially enjoyed the little side plot with his young wife, Griselda. Forget her brilliantly planned mysteries, Agatha Christie even writes romances that fit with my tastes.

This mystery wasn’t her absolute best, though, and I began to feel like I didn’t care very much who it turned out to be. Still, it was a cozy book to curl up with and it’s rare that I will criticize the Great Dame of Mystery. 8/10 🙂

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Teen SRC 2021 – A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Written by Olivia X
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Book rating: 5
Book summary: This book is about seventeen-year-old Pip, a senior in high school. Five years ago in Fairview, the small town Pip lives in, there was a murder. Andie Bell, the popular, pretty girl, was dead. Just a few days after, her boyfriend’s body is found lifeless in the woods. Police investigate the case, and proclaim that Sal Singh murdered Andie Bell, and had killed himself afterwards. But because Sal is dead, no one knows for sure. Five years later, and still everyone thinks of Andie’s boyfriend as a monster. Until Pip comes along and decides to investigate further into the case for her capstone project. Little did she know how much of the alleged “murder” had been kept a secret for all those years.
Book review: I like this book so much because it’s fast-paced and straight to the point. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has endless plot twists, all of which you never would have imagined. Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out, the author hurls another suspect, clue, or piece of evidence at you and suddenly everything changes. It’s such a fun read and so thrilling that you won’t be able to put it down.

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Teen Book Review- I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

Written by Inshal
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I Killed Zoe Spanos

It almost took me longer to write this review than it did to read I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick. Which is less a complaint about my writing speed and more a testament to how awesome this book was–I truly could not put it down. Contemporary YA murder mysteries are an untapped gold mine, and this book proves it.

It’s told in two timelines: Now and Then. In the “Then” timeline, teenager Anna Cicconi travels down from Brooklyn to the rich Long Island neighbourhood called Herron Mills where she has been hired as an ‘au pair’ for the summer. Anna is ready to leave her old life of partying and drinking behind. She can and she will be responsible, even with the expensive booze around her, the mysterious boy living next door, and an increasingly failing memory. But then Anna learns of her resemblance to Zoe Spanos, a local girl that disappeared months ago. The longer she lives in Herron Mills, and the deeper she delves into Zoe’s life, the more Anna is convinced that she is somehow connected to the case.

“Now”: Anna Cicconi is under arrest after confessing to killing Zoe Spanos. But considering Anna was never even supposed to have met Zoe, and that her confession doesn’t completely add up, teenager ‘investigative journalist’ Martina Jenkins/Green decides to get to the bottom of this complicated mystery.

Okay, so. As you can probably tell from the blurb, this book is going to be twisty, and that’s not just an expectation–“I Killed Zoe Spanos” completely delivered. The setting, pace, and writing are all very well-done. I loved how most of the book was status quo prose, with an occasional “podcast” or different perspective chapter . I also appreciated that that even though the timeline could have butchered the suspense aspect completely, it didn’t! We learned little by little about what had actually happened, which is how a mystery should be. The only aspect of the book I would’ve improved on was the romance (ugh, I know). And maybe the resolution could have gone a bit longer… I wanted to see Paisley (the 8-year old Anna was looking after) again!!

All in all, I Killed Zoe Spanos is a welcome relief from my slew of not-quite-for-me book reviews. 10/10

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Teen Book Review – Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Written by Aranan Thayaparan Thayaparan
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Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane is a great novel about Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule’s search for Rachel Solando who went missing from Ashecliffe island’s hospital for the criminally insane . It seems that Solando managed to escape from a locked cell completely undetected by some orderlies playing cards and slipped past two guarded checkpoints. Swimming back to land would be out of the question for anyone other than the best swimmers, which makes her disappearance even more intriguing. While Daniels jumps at the chance to solve this case it seems like there might be an ulterior motive behind his enthusiasm. The island is a very interesting setting, as it contains 3 wards in separate buildings and the ever mysterious lighthouse that is quarantined off by heavily armored guards and an electric fence. Daniel begins to doubt the reality of his choice to come to the island as events occur that suggest his life is in danger. Shutter Island is a great novel that will surely take you on a roller coaster of emotions. With great mystery, and an intense horror movie vibe it is sure to get your adrenaline pumping. I would recommend the novel and rate it 10/10

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Teen SRC 2020- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Written by Inshal
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We Were Liars

Having read Genuine Fraud (also by E. Lockhart) I started We Were Liars happily expecting to have my socks knocked off. And it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Welcome to the Sinclair family. Tall, proud, and rich. Golden-haired, freckled, and most importantly: perfect. There are no Sinclair addicts, drop-outs, or failures. And every summer, the prestigious family meets on their very own island. But one summer, when the Liars (Cadence, her cousins, and a family friend named Gat) are fifteen, something goes horribly wrong. Cadence has an accident and now, at seventeen, she’s still suffering from constant migraines and selective amnesia. She doesn’t remember a thing of what happened. But after having skipped summer sixteen to travel Europe with her dad, Cadence finally returns to Beechwood Island, desperate for answers.

We Were Liars was absolutely brilliant. The idea of a perfect and rich family with their own island is fascinating, and E. Lockhart pulled it off impeccably AND realistically. The flashbacks, Cadence’s pain written in fanciful poetry, and yes, even the romance, was enjoyable to read. It beautifully conveyed the reality that no family is perfect, and there is an overall message in the book about dealing with family problems, money, expectations, pain, loss, and guilt…

And then there’s the plot twist. OH BOY, what can I say about the plot twist? My heart skipped a beat and I had to read the page again and again when I got to it. And the best part: it was entirely believable. (I mean, it took some time but I eventually came to terms with it.) Seriously, the plot twist is amazing.

The book isn’t perfect. (Duh, nothing’s perfect. Not even the Sinclairs!) The switching timelines were confusing: I didn’t know half the time when Cadence was talking about summer fifteen or seventeen. It could have been improved with chapter headings or something like ‘before’ and ‘after’. Cadence is okay as a character– not enough personality in my opinion, and not very likable, either. There were also some overdone metaphors that cut the quality of the writing, and and abrupt ending that needed more and slower falling action.

But please, don’t let my harsh criticism put you off. (that’s just me being me, really.) We Were Liars gripped me from the start and I finished the book in hours. I sacrificed sleep for it, and I don’t regret a thing. It’s the best of the best of contemporary suspense novels and I can’t wait to read it again. 9.5/10.

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Teen SRC 2020 – The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

Written by Angela Y
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The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells demonstrates the power to transform the human body using advances in scientific achievement. The novel itself is an enthralling and entertaining tale of terror and suspense, and it is a significant Faustian allegory of the dangerous capabilities of unregulated and unbridled scientific endeavours many decide to embark on. The Invisible Man is able to endure as one of the most notable stories in science fiction, in which Griffin, a brilliant and progidouous scientist uncovers the secret to achieving invisibility, but his grandiose ambitions and the power he unleashes causes him to spiral into intrigue, madness, and murder.

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Teen SRC 2018 – Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

Written by Human
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Genuine Fraud by E.Lockhart

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

“Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.”

Genuine Fraud is a psychological suspense novel, telling the story of a young woman who constantly reinvents herself, lying to the people around her, herself, and even the reader at some points.  The story begins with the protagonist, Jule, in the guise of “Imogen,” fleeing a resort when her cover is blown, and bringing the story back in time from there. Genuine Fraud’s intention is to have mysteries being solved one by one as the book progresses, ending with a sense of satisfaction when finally closing the book, but the execution isn’t perfect. I often found scenes that seemed redundant or unnecessary to the overall plot, and found myself tempted to skip ahead to find answers to the bigger questions. Even with its flaws, I still enjoyed the novel, feeling tension building up to the answers of mysteries haunting the reader from the first page, sympathy towards Jule in some of her darkest moments, and a sense of satisfaction, though slightly tainted by flaws, when finishing the final page. Overall, I would recommend Genuine Fraud for people who like mystery novels, however, don’t go into the book expecting an amazing, complex plot twist, as when not giving too much attention to its flaws, Genuine Fraud is an excellent novel, and well deserving of its upcoming film adaptation.

(There are numerous accusations of Genuine Fraud stealing several plot points from The Talented Mr.Ripley, but I decided that as a personal review, I would not go into this issue, but advise going into it with a grain of salt for originality.)

 

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