REVIEW: The Dead List

The Dead List, by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publish Date: April 25, 2017
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author
Genre: young adult horror/suspense
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(Synopsis) It's Ella's senior year of high school and she and her best friend Linds plan to make it the best year ever. At Brock Cochran's end of summer pool party, the girls vow to have as much fun as possible before they head off to different colleges next fall. But when Ella is mysteriously attacked on her way home from the party, everything changes. Ella's carefree senior year plans disintegrate as she finds herself at the center of an attempted murder investigation.

Ella tries to move on, but her attacker isn't done yet. He shows himself in the form of horrifying signs and symbols: a clown mask strewn on her bed, a dead bird in her backpack, a shadow moving past her window in the night. And as the weeks pass, it turns out that Ella isn't the only one being tormented.

With the help of an old flame, Jensen Carver, and her friends and family, Ella tries to attain some sense of normalcy, but she can't seem to shake the feeling that there's a dark pattern hidden in the killer's every move. Suddenly, even those in her innermost circle seem suspicious. In her seemingly safe West Virginia town, Ella starts to wonder who she can trust.

Suspense and horror lovers - have I got a book for you. The Dead List is all that and more. Originally released on Wattpad last year a few chapters at a time, it's now coming out for the first time in paperback, and if you haven't yet experienced how well Jennifer Armentrout can make you afraid, now is the perfect time to do it. 

I didn't read The Dead List when it first came out. I'm glad now for that. I don't know how anyone could read just a few chapters at a time, and then wait to see what happened next. This is a book that catches you up in the backstory and the twists and turns and, yes, the romance, so that you don't have a prayer of putting it down until you know EVERYTHING. 

Seventeen-year-old Ella was once best friends with Jensen before a tragedy rocked their young world and they grew apart. Now, they're reconnecting over the fact that some lunatic in a clown suit tried to kill Ella a few nights before her senior year starts. It soon becomes clear that she's still not safe, and Jensen vows to protect her until the killer is caught. 

The Dead List was a perfect blend of horror, suspense and romance. Nothing seemed forced or unbalanced. The main point of the story is the killer in the clown suit and what he may or may not have to do with the events that drove Ella and Jensen apart four years earlier. That remains the driving force through the entire book. The side stories of Ella's former relationship with Gavin and her current relationship with Jensen don't cause you to lose focus, but rather give you moments to take a breath before the suspense and terror pick up again. 

I always need at least a little romance in my books, and Ella's budding relationship with Jensen gave me butterflies. Jensen was heroic and romantic and utterly perfect. I loved them together.

"I want to be that guy - the one that when your phone rings, you hope it's me. The one who holds your hand in the hallway and at lunch. The guy who gets to hold you. I want to be the one who gets to touch you," he whispered against my cheek. "I want to be yours."

To say there were twists, turns and questions everywhere is a gross understatement. I thought I had it all figured out through most of the book, but in the end I was blindsided, which I absolutely loved. 

The Dead List is another winner from Jennifer Armentrout, but you might not want to read it late at night when you're home alone. 

COVER REVEAL: Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2)

One of my favorite YA reads in 2014 was Victoria Scott's Fire and Flood. Since I read it, I've been anxiously awaiting the release of the second book in the series, SALT AND STONE. Today, I have the honor of showing you the brand new beautiful cover for Salt and Stone, as well as the redesigned Fire and Flood. You ready for Salt and Stone?

Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood #2), by Victoria Scott
To Be Published February 24, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: young adult suspense
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

(From Goodreads) What would you do to save someone you love?

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.

But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?

The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

So, what do you think? Cool right? You want to see the new paperback cover of Fire & Flood now too? I bet you do...

I can't wait to get my hands on these books! I need more Guy in my life. And, Madox. And Tella. Gosh, I miss them all. 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: Black Ice

Black Ice, by Becca Fitzpatrick
To Be Published October 7, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: young adult suspense
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

BLACK ICE took me out of my comfortable little box in which I regularly put myself. It wasn't labeled as a "romance" (although, there is some of that in it) or "paranormal". It was strictly a suspense novel set in the mountains. Perhaps it was the cute beanie boy on the cover that called to me, or the fact that I'm a big fan of Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush series. Perhaps, too, I was simply ready for something fresh, new and different. In any case, my expectations were not only met, but exceeded; Black Ice was fantastic.

Britt is ready to spend spring break during her senior year of high school backpacking in the Tetons with her bestie Korbie, enjoying the cold mountain air and trying to forget her ex, Cal. Instead, through a series of unfortunate and unexpected events, Britt is stranded in the mountains in a blizzard with two killers who have taken her hostage. Things are not as they seem with anyone she comes in contact with, though, and her experience forces her to look at them and herself with different eyes.

Britt was someone I could relate to. She's spent much of her life getting help from others. She'd like to think of herself as strong and capable, but with some reflection, she realizes that others have always carried her along. It seems as if Cal dumping her (in such an awful way, too) was her wake-up call, and this trip into the mountains with Korbie is the springboard for the remaking of Britt into a truly independent young woman. I loved that about her. She might still be upset about her breakup and hung up on Cal, but she's not allowing that to stop her from changing the things about her that she doesn't like.

I loved the mystery surrounding Jude and his true motives for being on that mountain. Becca Fitzpatrick's pacing was excellent. Small bits of his story slowly came out at the right moments to keep me always interested, yet still in the dark. Although, it was clear from the beginning that he was harboring some serious secrets and that none of his actions, at least at first, could be taken at face value. The moments when he and Britt were alone were my favorites, though, because in those moments, I knew we were seeing the real Jude, and wow - I love that guy.

The suspense in Black Ice was off the hook. The pure survival aspect of having to trek miles in snow with little to no food and tons of crazy scary wildlife kept me riveted. Who needs zombies and vampires when you have real life grizzlies and timber wolves?? Then, add on to that the constant questions of who REALLY are the bad guys, and you have the makings of one incredible story. Becca Fitzpatrick pulls no punches - people die in Black Ice. Quite a few, actually. It made the story all the more real and exciting.

If you're looking for a new and different kind of YA book, look no further. Black Ice has it all - suspense, danger, excitement, and yes, even romance.