BOOK REVIEW: Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Deadly Cool written by Gemma Halliday was published by Harper Collins on the 11^th October 2011. It is the first in a series featuring the main character Hartley Featherstone. I purchased this book.

PLOT

Hartley Featherstone just found out that her boyfriend, Josh, is cheating on her with the president of the high school chastity club. So naturally she breaks into Josh’s bedroom after school, hoping to catch the cheaters in the act. Instead, all she finds is the fake virgin’s dead body in Josh’s closet. Now Josh is the prime suspect and as much as she wouldn't mind watching him squirm, Hartley knows he’s no killer. So she teams up with Chase Erikson, the unnervingly sexy editor of the school newspaper, to try and crack the case. Soon Hartley  is stumbling over more dead bodies...and all signs indicate that she may be the killer’s next target.

WHY I READ IT

Whenever I have the time I like to update my preferences on the Amazon site to reflect which books they suggest are ones I already own and take a quick look at the suggested ones, when Deadly Cool showed up I was immediately intrigued, what doesn’t sound compelling about a high schooler solving murders with her friends especially when you add in the fact that the murder was at the school.

WHAT I THOUGHT

JUST WHAT I NEEDED. This book is a very quick read but such an enjoyable one, the writing style is filled with humour but never goes too far in that direction, there is just enough of a hint of real danger surrounding the characters that you quickly become interested in to keep you excited and eager to see the plot unfold.

The thing about murder mysteries is that unless you are really knew to them which is unlikely given the proliferation of them in nearly all forms of media we know exactly how things are going to happen from murder to speculation over motive, to suspect one onto suspect two and so on until in the end the killer appears and we most likely never saw it coming. Well that is an example of a GOOD murder mystery sometimes you know who did it before the murder even takes place but without spoilers I think you’ll be reasonably happy with the resolution of this mystery and it features none of that nonsense like finding out that one of the principal characters is actually someone’s son in the summing up of why they did it, I always hate when they do that.

Hartley is an immensely likeable character right from the beginning and you totally begin rooting for her and hoping that she comes out on top because you can tell despite the things she is obviously very confused about she is strong, dedicated and incredibly loyal.

So if you like mysteries and your stories with a little snark and humour then you need look no further than Hartley Featherstone and Deadly Cool.

BOOK REVIEW: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge is the first in the new book series by Kimberley Derting who is well known for her Body Finder series. The paperback was published by Allison & Busby on 15^th November 2011. I won this book from a competition as part of the Morganville Vampire ReadingChallenge.

PLOT

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I really didn’t know what to expect from The Pledge, although apparently Kimberly Derting is quite well known for her Body Finder books. It was a very quick read one of the fastest reads I have ever done. The story is very different from what might be described as the usual ideas of a dystopian setting but that makes it more interesting.

The setting is seemingly America in the future where the government and ruling classes have been changed so now that all the major powers around the world are ruled by Monarchies with Queens at the head. Add in a little magic and there seems to be a lot of room for growth in this series.

I can’t really review this book without talking about ‘Languages’. In the world of The Pledge languages serve as sign of your class, they can be thought of as levels of hierarchy as people cannot understand or speak the language above their level. Furthermore it is a tool of rigid control as to even look at someone speaking a language superior to yours would mean certain harsh punishment. It is a very interesting premise and not something I have seen before and it keeps things interesting.

Charlie the protagonist seems to be able to understand all the languages she hears and her sister who should have already started speaking is seemingly mute and these are secrets that must be kept hidden.

I can definitely recommend this book as a quick read and an interesting beginning to a series. A lively and engaging setting with characters that have a real sense of authenticity I am definitely interested to see how things will work out.                                                                                                                 

BOOK REVIEW: Feast of Fools

This review is part of the Morganville Vampires Reading Challenge.

 Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine is the fourth book in the Morganville Vampire series. It was published by Allison & Busby and is 352 pages long.

PLOT

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville.

WHAT I THOUGHT

The story of Morganville continues with this the 4th book of the series. Clare is continuing to grow and mature though still has what has become an incredibly annoying habit of saying "But..." and "You can't do that" at points where you might expect someone of her massive intellect to simply know better.

The story is moving along well and keeps you the reader interested some plots could be resolved sooner though that whole Michael/Shane thing could drive the sanest of us of mad the way they back and forth over whether or not they hate each other.

Also I expected a lot more reaction from her parents as to the whole big Vampire reveal it could have provided some comic relief or at least fleshed out their characters. We don't seem to know whether or not they have jobs or what it is they do. I am a firm believer that if a character is worth giving voice to then we should know a little about what motivates them.

I like this series and I am sticking with it give it a chance.