Gone Girl

The Book:  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Summary:

    On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 
     As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

What I Thought:

I'd heard great things about this book, and then got the chance to meet the author (and get a signed copy of the book), so I had to jump on the bandwagon and give it a read.  

I found that there were parts where I couldn't put the book down and then times that it felt like it was dragging along.  Overall, though, Flynn kept me guessing and I could never predict what would happen next! I really enjoyed reading such an original book (what a plot idea!), but found the ending rather unfulfilling.  Nick and Amy are definitely unique characters, but very well developed through the dual narration. These two left me with the urge to read up on true-crime cases and psychopathy.

Rating:
7/10

Matched

The Book:  Matched by Ally Condie

Summary (taken from Matched Series website): 

In the Society, Officials decide.  Who you love.  Where you work.  When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices.  It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, perfect job, the ideal math.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared to follow - between perfection and passion.

What I Thought: 

I found this book al little hard to get into at first, but I was hooked by the end.  I read it because a lot of kids at school were reading this, but I'm not too much of a sci-fy, futuristic reader, so I wasn't expecting much.  I really think when Cassia starts to rebel against the Society is where it starts to get interesting.  She's matched with her best friend, Xander, but all of a sudden she's not sure the Match is right for her and of course this leads her to doubt all of the Society's choices for her.  I enjoyed this idea and the way the author carried the story, but I felt some pieces where left hanging for me.  Why did the Society take the artifacts?  Why did they cut the trees?  What happened with the last "red tablet" incident?  And the obvious, does she get to Ky?  Hopefully all of these will be answered in the next books in the series!

Rating:  7/10

The Fox Inheritance

The Book:  The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

Summary (taken from author's website):

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. After a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.

Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

Everyone except Jenna Fox.


What I Thought: 
I read the first book, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, for a YA Lit class for my masters several years ago and was very surprised at how much in enjoyed it.  When I saw the sequel, I enjoyed re-reading the first book again and was very excited to jump into the new addition to the story.  Perhaps my higher expectations is what made this book less enjoyable for me.  I found this book very different from the first and couldn't really get into the story line until well into the book.  While the we are building our impression of Jenna along with the character as she pieces everything together in the first book, I felt that Locke and Kara, the main characters in this book, were more difficult to support. Locke seemed weak and whiny and hard to place as a character while Kara was "empty" and rather unlikeable thoughout.  This one was much more involved with the sci-fi aspect of the story as well, not my favorite genre, being set in the future and involving a mad scientist.  I still like the first, despite the sci-fi aspect, but wonder if it should have just been left alone with a hopeful Jenna setting out for her unlimited future and Locke and Kara's suffering at an end at the bottom of the pond.

Rating:  4/10

Insatiable

The Book: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Visit Meg Cabot's website:
(http://www.megcabot.com/insatiable/#) 

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.
But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them. Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does). But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for. 

The problem is, he's already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own. And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare. Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . . If she even has one.                             
(Summary from the book cover.)

What I Thought: 
I am a huge fan of Cabot.  Many of her adult books read like romantic comedies or "chick flicks" and usually feature a quick-witted, sarcastic main couple that makes the plot seem more truthful.  I also, though somewhat embarrassing, will admit to enjoying vampire books.  Insatiable seemed, then, to combine two of my favorite literary happenings into one novel.  Although I did enjoy the book, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.  I found the beginning a little slow, but noticed that as I got into the book, it was difficult to put down.  Once the prince of darkness arrived in New York, things got interesting and I had to know what happened next to Meena, Lucien, and Alaric.  For all the great build up, though, I was a little disappointed by the ending (which seemed to hint at a sequel).  Overall, it was a fun read, but not one of my favorites by Cabot.


Rating:  7/10

Shiver

The Book:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary from the author's website:
(http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/)

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

What I Thought:
I thought this would be another Twilight-ish book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike Stephine Meyer's werewolves, Stiefvater's werewolves change because of the weather - more specifically the cold. I enjoyed the twist on the traditional werewolf story and the main character's troublesome romance seemed to fit very well in the dark YA tale. Though I felt the book dragged a bit in some parts, the desire to find out what happens to the characters kept me reading. I found the last few chapters left me heartbroken, surprised and eager for the next installment, Linger.

Rating: 9/10