Review ~ Killer Scents - Adelle Laudan

Ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review

ASIN: B009KEXF2C

Pages: 166


Description

Becca and Randy are Harley riding detectives who join forces to find the ruthless killer the press have dubbed The Florist. What does the flower he places in his victim's hands have to do with the sick, twisted way he ends their lives? Will they track him down before he strikes again, or will a turn of events find one of them at the mercy of a demented killer?

My Opinion

This was a fast paced and gripping book that had me both turning pages at a rapid speed and also wanting to put it down at points, especially with the way it started. The start split my opinion but I think the book won me over by the half way point and by the end I was glad I stuck with it and didn't let it put me off.

Normally I hate things like what was described in the first few pages (the way the serial killer murders his victims). I had to skim read it as I'm pretty squeamish for things like that and I really thought I was going to have to give up on the book if it continued. Thankfully though the POV switched to following the detectives with the odd part written from the killer in occasionally so I was able to enjoy the book. The parts where the killer was speaking affected me weirdly, it was twisted and insane and everything was screaming at me to skip it but it in a way the description keeps you transfixed in a perverse way as you don't want to stop reading.

Murder mysteries aren't something I read usually as most of the ones I have read in the past are predictable. Killer Scents was however not. The author concealed the identity of the killer and his motives well as she unraveled the mystery slowly which was great. This may have been down to the lack of background involved in the story so the reader has nothing to guess as we have no information to assume who the killer is though. Personally I would have liked a bit more background, especially on Randy and Becca as it would have helped me connect with the characters more and would have added length to the book as it was a pretty short read.

I liked Becca's strong character and how she could handle herself. She was a great protagonist. As well as this the subtle romance that develops throughout was a nice change from the darker and more twisted side of the book. It added a bit of light and happiness.

The one thing that did annoy me slightly was that throughout the book the font kept changing from bold to normal and I couldn't seem to find a pattern as to why it was happening. I don't know if it was deliberate or a formatting issue but it put emphasis on random sections and was slightly distracting as it kept switching. The other this was the font size did change when journal entries were written and again this caused the same problems. I would have preferred they stayed the same size and were put in italics.

Overall Killer Scents was a dark and twisted murder mystery that was weirdly interesting. It keeps you hooked with its fast pace and unpredictable plot. If you like crime, mystery or books with murder check this out.

Rating 3.5

                                           

Review ~ The Metamorphosis of Elissa Brown (The Elissa Chronicles) - Rebecca Lawrance

Ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review

ASIN: B00B10MFJM

Pages: 417

Description

Elissa Brown considers herself to be a bit of a nerd with her muddy orange hair and vaguely green eyes. The one feature that does set her apart from the crowd is her scars. Upon first inspection it would seem that, at some point in her life she was impaled through her head and her heart. She has no recollection of how she got these scars. The only person who could have told her is her mother who died before Elissa could remember her existence.
Unfortunately Elissa lives next door to the most sought after boy at college, Jaret, whom she pines for on a daily basis, conjuring all manner of imagined scenarios that she hopes will bring them together but to no avail.
Until one day Jaret does something completely unexpected that has rumours rife in the college and Elissa confused and desperate to know what he meant by it. Whilst seeking explanation and chasing her dreams Elissa fails to notice that the altercation between her and the love of her life has ignited other changes, changes that catapult her and her friends to delirious heights before the fairy tale warps into a nightmare where monsters and supernatural beings are a mere dormant strand of DNA away.

My Opinion

The Metamorphosis of Elissa Brown was and interesting novel that kept the suspense throughout the entire book. It started off quite slowly but soon picked up and was hard to put down as it made me questions what was going on, who people really were and why they were doing certain things.

The book starts off with quite an eerie atmosphere so the reader knows that something is not right. I loved this as it kept me guessing what was going to happen. As well as this the random messages from someone who goes by J only add to the suspense as they give little hints about a bigger plot that is developing.  

It takes a while for certain things to become clear but the author did a really good job of keeping the reader's interest even though the paranormal aspect wasn't revealed. The romance with Jaret was one of the ways I stayed interested. Like with everything else in the book I found myself questioning whether it was real or whether Jaret really was the 'bad' guy so it kept me reading as I wanted to find out who was playing Elissa.

There were however a few points I wasn't so keen on. When supernatural element was revealed around the 60%and I found out what everyone was I did feel slightly disappointed. Up until that point I thought the book was a really original story and believed that there was something new I hadn't read about before, yet when it all became clear the creatures were more of the standard paranormal species and I felt it ruined part of the originality and the eeriness as they were too common. The book still did keep my interest though as I wanted to find out what was going on so it didn't put me off.

The only other thing I had an issue with was some of the writing. Although it keeps your interest I feel that some parts can be cut down considerably as they were a little wordy and filled with too much description (especially the start). By the end though I think the author had got more into the style and flow of writing and this didn't seem to be a problem. As well as this I didn't really like the switching between the third and first person. I have read a few books where this works but for me in The Metamorphosis of Elissa Brown it broke up the writing too much for me as sometimes the story continued and other times they were just thoughts which confused me slightly. Maybe if they were just thoughts it would have worked better.

Towards the end the writing became more fast paced and action packed which was great. I was left feeling slightly confused about what was going on and there wasn't a definite resolve.   I don't know if there is going to be a sequel but it does leave you on a huge cliff hanger though that poses new questions.

Overall The Metamorphosis of Elissa Brown was an engaging and intriguing book. Parts of it were really original and it keeps you in suspense the whole way through. If you like paranormal, mysteries and romance I'd recommend checking out this book.

Rating: 3.5

                                     

Judgment (Deck of Lies #4) - Jade Varden

Description
Cashing Out

Do I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

How can I, when the truth will destroy us all? Now that I’ve started telling lies, I can’t stop. Not until all this is over, and I’m free of the family that never felt like mine. Maybe it’s wrong. Maybe I’m a bad person.

But it’s definitely the only way I’m ever going to escape them. I have to take the opportunity, no matter how terrible it is...don’t I?

My Opinion
I couldn't wait for judgment to be released and I'm pleased to say it was worth it! After reading book 1,2&3 in quick succession I was left on a terrible cliffhanger that meant I was wanting more but not able to read it, so when I saw Judgment was released I had to buy it and start reading straight away.

The book picks up pretty much where it left off, with Rain in prison and Asher working hard on her case. I was unsure how Jade Varden would keep the momentum through the book and where she would lead us with the story but learning from previous experiences with her work I didn't eve try to guess, knowing it would be unpredictable.

Judgement moved at a fast pace which pleasantly surprised me as most of it is set in the court room. I loved the way Varden made the trial interesting and engaging to read with elements of cleverly placed humor. I thought it might be a little like To Kill a Mockingbird (which bored me to death when I studied it) but Judgment, although similar was far more interesting. Constant battles between the lawyers, witnesses and judge kept things moving at a rapid and engaging pace, keeping me hooked to find out what the next testimony would be.

Like always with Varden's work, the writing flows effortlessly to create an interesting, intriguing and well developed plot that is easy for the audience to understand. She also kept the terminology pretty basic which I was thankful for as it meant I could enjoy the story without worrying about complex lawyer terms. She struck the balance perfectly with the detail she went into and the terms she used. The plot was easy to follow and even though it summed up what we already knew, Varden wrote it in a way that made it seem like a separate and different narrative which was great as it didn't feel repetitive in anyway.

Throughout the book Varden leaves subtle/not so subtle hints about some big turn of events and a plan Rain is devising which kept me turning pages until about 2am, as I had to finish the book the same day. I must admit that I could not predict what happened in the ending though. I had an idea of what might occur in general but what I read was even better and worth the wait. It rounded off the series nicely and made sure there was a big enough resolve to keep the reader satisfied and without questions. 

While reading there were a few minor typos "Ran" instead of "Rain" or "dd" instead of "did" but the quality of all the books in general have been to a high standard that even if there are a few mistakes they don't detract in any way from the writing. Believe me you will be too engrossed to notice and I only spotted them as I was in editor mode when I started reading.

Over all I would not only high recommend this book but the whole series as a must read! This book rounds everything off nicely and gives enough detail about characters to leave you satisfied with the feeling of finality  I'm so glad the author contacted me about Justice(#1) so I could buy the others and experience this great series. All the books have unpredictable twists that will keep you wanting more, fast paced action, romance and so much more. You would be silly to miss out on reading this book!