T-Minus by Shannon Greenland

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thrilling read!
Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review T-Minus by Shannon Greenland!
The president’s daughter, Sophie, is awakened during the night when the secret service has discovered a terrorist attack in the making. The story alternates between the present, as the attack progresses, with snippets of past experiences and memories that Sophie has with her family and friends. Her brother Erik is not home and the family believes he’s in danger and they are right. The mystery gradually unravels as to the purpose behind the attack but meanwhile people are dying, being kidnapped or, as in Sophie’s case, being manipulated into doing the terrorists’ bidding. Sophie is part of the TIA, a teenage agency created by the CIA to train and teach survival skills and tactics to teens. She’s made strong friends in the TIA and they help her get to the bottom of what’s going on. Unique characters and the alternating of past and present builds the relationships up and creates empathy for the characters. A suspenseful YA mystery, 4 stars!

Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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This young adult mystery was a joy to read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Book Group for the opportunity to read and review Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes!
Sawyer’s life hasn’t been easy. She’s eighteen and independent because she’s pretty much raised herself. Her single mother, a bit flaky but well-meaning, has never told Sawyer the identity of her father. While Sawyer’s mother is on a date lasting more than a few days, her maternal grandmother walks into her front door, introduces herself and offers Sawyer a $500,000 contract to stay with her for one year. The only reason Sawyer agrees to and signs this contract is to uncover the identity of her father; the money doesn’t hurt either. She’s never met her mother’s family and her expectations rely on her mother’s descriptions of them. The contract specifies “debutante life for a year” which Sawyer is not remotely used to but her cousin Lily helps to navigate the social life and what’s expected of a debutante. As Sawyer adjusts as a socialite, a tragic mystery is slowly uncovered and she ends up right in the middle of the action and intrigue. I love the characters and the unique personalities, as well as the story line, which made me chuckle more than once. A fun, young adult mystery, 5 stars!

The Lost City Explorers: Volume 1 by Zack Kaplan and Alvaros Sarraseca

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Atlantis adventure, comic-book style!
Thanks to NetGalley and Aftershock for the opportunity to read and review The Lost City Explorers Volume 1 by Zack Kaplan and Alvaros Sarraseca!
Graphic novel full of gorgeous backgrounds, realistic illustrations mixed with a bit of the supernatural and a high stakes adventure! A father is presumed dead but may actually only be missing. His young adult children go with a group of friends to search for him and what they find is more than they bargained for! First volume in an Atlantean adventure series! Journal entries at the end of the graphic novel add to the mystery and built my curiosity for the next book. 5 stars for the action-adventure graphic novel series!

The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout!

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Fun, intrigue, mystery, supernatural and sci-fi rolled into one!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to read and review The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout!
Two teenage girls, Evie and Heidi, go into an all-inclusive club and while one is having fun dancing the other one is being interrogated by Luc, who’s being extremely rude. Evie isn’t the least bit impressed with Luc and tells him so. The club gets raided and Luc takes Evie to hide inside a closet with him, claiming to be protecting her. She realizes the next day that she’s lost her phone and it’s probably at the club. She heads back to retrieve her phone, to no avail and from there, the acquaintance with Luc grows into more. In the meantime, the Luxen invasion is described and Origins are explained. Luc and Evie are fun characters, each with distinct personalities and I thoroughly enjoy their banter. This story contains several mysteries, which build then unfold throughout the book. I love the author’s writing and have devoured her realistic fiction novels, The Problem with Forever and If There’s No Tomorrow. The Darkest Star is the first supernatural novel of hers that I’ve read and it’s just as awesome, showing how talented Jennifer L. Armentrout is! Even though many mysteries come into the light, there are still unanswered questions at the ending which leads the reader into the next book, The Burning Shadow. Supernatural mystery earning a solid 5 stars!

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I read Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee as part of the Dragons and Tea Book Club.
Min is bound and determined to prove her brother’s innocence after he’s accused of being a traitor. She runs away from home in search of her brother Jun. On her way to stowaway on a ship, Min meets her Aunt Nari, who tells Min a little about her family’s past, things she would have never guessed. Min manages, through trickery, to get on a ship and barely survives an attack. While in the infirmary, she meets a young man’s ghost. This young man, Cadet Jang, died in the same attack Min was in and she assumes his identity and uses her fox charm to look like him. He happens to be on the same ship as Min’s brother Jun. While posing as Jang, Min gains insight into what may have happened to her brother and she also gets firsthand battle experience. Min learns a lot about herself and her skills and she’s praised for her engineering skills and realizes that she does have worth. Mild intrigue and mystery, 3.5 stars!

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Introspective retelling!
Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White!
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a fresh and unique retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic story. I love the female protagonist, Elizabeth. Her background has been lonely and she’s always struggling to secure her place in the world, much like women of the time period the story takes place in. The mystery intrigued me and after Elizabeth’s background was set, the action and mystery picked up the story’s pace. Tragedy seems to strike all too often around the Frankenstein manor where Elizabeth was taken in as a young girl. Her favorite companion has always been Victor Frankenstein and he claims ownership and complete companionship of Elizabeth. The story becomes darker as it progresses, which makes it even more interesting to read. Historical fiction, horror, and a retelling earn 5 stars! Kudos to Kiersten White for her remarkable retelling!

In Another Life by C.C. Hunter

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Realistic fiction by C. C. Hunter!
Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review In Another Life by C. C. Hunter!
Chloe moved to Joyful, Texas with her mom after the divorce. She’s lived in Joyful before, when she was three years old and had just been adopted. She doesn’t really remember anything about it from before. Cash lives in a foster home with Ms. Fuller. She’s an amazing foster parent and truly cares about Cash. Cash knows that Ms. Fuller lost her daughter a long time ago and he wants to help her feel better. The story jumps around and finally transitions more smoothly after the first quarter of the book. I felt like I became more invested in the characters of Chloe and Cash after that point. The story involves con artists, kidnapping, deception, friendship and family. With all of the events, the two strong main characters and the author’s writing style, In Another Life is an enjoyable read worth 4 stars!

End of the Lie by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Twisting mystery!
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review End of the Lie by Diana Rodriguez Wallach!
Anastasia watches her sister become more and more depressed because of her traumatic kidnapping and the bad publicity that follows. They are both trying to adjust to the new situation with their parents and unwanted fame. Twists and turns keep them running and confused but they stay by each other’s sides to get through their intense struggles. Anastasia sees the people around her change until everything comes full circle. Intense, mysterious and suspenseful all wrapped up in this finale of the Anastasia Phoenix series, 5 stars!

We Told Six Lies by Victoria Scott

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Unputdownable!
Thanks to Entangled for the opportunity to read and review We Told Six Lies by Victoria Scott! Cobain is being questioned at the police station. They’re trying to figure out what happened to Molly, who’s missing. Cobain declares his love for Molly and describes his relationship with Molly from the first day they spoke. Molly’s car has been found abandoned at a strip mall and no one knows why she had even been there. Cobain thinks to himself that he and Molly were going to run away together, but now she’s out there alone. Then the alternating points of view add Molly’s also, which builds the mystery even more intensely.
The author’s descriptive language brings realism to the story and one of my favorite descriptions is “lollipops that tasted how Lysol smelled”, which made me laugh out loud because I remember suckers like that. Suspenseful, twisty and mysterious, We Told Six Lies was a read I couldn’t put down until I finished, 5 stars!

Analiese Rising by Brenda Drake

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Mythological fun!
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Annaliese Rising by Brenda Drake!
As the story opens, I immediately relate to Annaliese when she doesn’t want to dissect her frog in biology class. I had that same problem when I was in high school, but that’s where our similarities end. Suddenly, she’s bumped from behind by a classmate and falls into the frog and tray. Then the frog comes to life and hops across the classroom, seriously freaking everyone out! The story becomes more mysterious and interesting when Analiese witnesses an elderly man’s death and fulfills his dying wish by meeting his grandson Marek, passing on his leather bag as requested. Marek and Analiese travel to Europe while following clues that Marek’s grandfather left for him to find. Analiese discovers that she’s a Riser, a person that brings people back to life. Marek discovers a huge part of his grandfather’s life that he knew nothing about, while Analiese uncovers her heritage and family history. Analiese Rising is a mysterious fantasy full of riddles, codes, ciphers and clues! I enjoyed all of the fun and mystery and the mythology was an added bonus! Readers that have enjoyed the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan should find this book right up their alley, 5 fun, adventurous stars!