The Thought Spot

Here’s an exciting new series by Sara Wolf with an excerpt to give you a taste!

“That’s n-not what I meant—” Kayla starts.

“And you seem exactly like the type of girl to stay with friends she hates. They probably hate you, too. It must be easy, hiding it behind all that booze and all those name brands.”

Kayla’s tears overflow onto her cheeks. Jack sighs.

“You’re so spineless you collapse into tears the second anyone says the truth?”

My heart’s thumping in my chest. My fists squeeze so tight I can’t feel my fingers. His cruelty leaves a bitter taste in my mouth—it’s a lot like someone I used to know.

Someone who ruined my life forever.

I shove aside the red-faced boy who tries to hit on me again and launch myself through the crowd. Kayla isn’t my friend. No one here is. But she’s been four seconds of nice to me—true nice, not Avery’s sugary poison of inviting-me-to-this-weird-test-party nice. And four seconds is more than I ever thought I’d get. It’s the most I’ve had in a long time. Jack’s lip quirks up in a sneer. Say it. Say one more thing, pretty boy. I dare you to.

“You’re pathetic,” he says.

That’s the first time I punch Jack Hunter’s face.

And as my knuckles connect with his stupid high cheekbones and he staggers back with a furious blizzard brewing in his icy eyes, I somehow get the feeling it won’t be the last.

 

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the arc of The Hidden Twin by Adi Rule! The Hidden Twin contains a new take on mythological fantasy. Clever wit and creativity make this story interesting enough that I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the bravery of the unnamed twin and the silliness of Jey, as well as the supporting characters.

Relic by Gretchen McNeil is a supernatural mystery read. Annie and her friends are graduating and planning their summer of “no regrets” before leaving for college in the fall. They take a trip to the lake, where they venture into an old, deserted mine. Somehow Annie gets separated from the rest of the group. The plot thickens, becoming more mysterious and supernatural. People are being killed one at a time in horrific ways. I give Relic 3.5 stars because the writing is done well, without grammar errors, but the story line skips ahead too quickly in some parts. The Anamet conclusion is almost without proof or explanation. Why couldn’t Annie use her tablet to contact Sonya when she needed a ride; the same way she contacted Jack? The ending feels rushed. A quick read for readers who enjoy being a bit spooked, but are okay with a rushed story.

Thanks to Algonquin for the free paperback of The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma! The story is confusing at first and bounces back between two people and this made me unsure of the names for a bit. Little by little, the text became clearer. Amber’s story makes sense because she’s the only one narrating for several chapters in a row and on page 50, the story becomes supernatural when Amber sees a face she doesn’t recognize. Violet or Vee talks about Ori and hints of some of the bad things Ori has done. Of course, Vee’s perspective is one sided. On page 108, the momentum picks up and makes the story more interesting. The lines blur between alive and no longer living. I had a difficult time telling if the story was going from past to present or linear/parallel. I feel for the characters and I can relate to Ori and the kindness she shows others; while Vee is cold, calculating and unfeeling. The story strongly interprets the insecure and lost feeling that many prisoners must feel, especially if their crime was justified due to self-defense. A very interesting read that takes patience to stick with!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the advanced reading copy of Soldier by Julie Kagawa! Extreme excitement raced through me when I received this arc because I absolutely love the first two books in this series, Talon and Rogue! The points of view are Garret/Sebastian, Ember, Riley and Dante. Garret discovers that St. George and Talon are working together, even though they are supposed to be mortal enemies. Dante is given a promotion to be in charge of the vessels that have been created as warriors. Dante is sickened by what he finds. Ember and Riley continue to try to help the hatchlings and the rogue dragons. A new character, Jade, has come from a destroyed monastery to help prevent further damage to innocents. The story line moves along at a consistent pace while the characters remain interesting and the ending: Oh My Gosh! The fourth book in the Talon series will be called Legion and I already am having a difficult time being patient while waiting to read it! I appreciate that the same theme has been used and kept on the book covers; they are simple but beautiful and elegant.