The Death Cure by James Dashner

Maze Runner #3

I have actually read the entire Maze Runner series now and I realize that I never reviewed the earlier two. So, let me break this entire thing down for you.

MAZE RUNNER-4 Smiles
-The book seems to be about one thing and then absolutely flips into something else. It's a twist I wasn't AT ALL expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed it because I LOVE to be shocked and surprised by a book. I gave it only 4 smiles (instead of 5) because I felt like some of the made-up words used by the teens were confusing for a little while. I also wasn't crazy about a few of the characters.

SCORCH TRIALS-3 Smiles
-I think I was still reeling from the twist, to be honest. I spent a lot of this book trying to get my bearings. It made the book feel almost too fast. I did get more comfortable with the lingo used and started to fall in love with a few of the characters. I wasn't overly crazy with the way the twist we learned about played out.

DEATH CURE-4 Smiles
-By the time you're onto book 3, you are starting to understand everything. You feel more comfortable with the world that is created and it lets you just enjoy the story. I loved a lot of the characters by this point and had a lot of emotional moments, which is good! Overall, I'm quite happy I read this series in its entirety without seeing the movies. Maybe I'll try those movies someday, who knows?

Recommended (if you haven't already read it) for people who like to be surprised, like action, and like YA futuristic dystopian books.

Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon

I blew through this entire book in one day. An excellent example of a well-written debut novel, Promise Not to Tell is a high-intensity ghost story told in two timelines. In the Fall of 2002, we follow Kate Cypher as she returns back to her hometown where in 1971 her childhood friend was murdered.

The story is filled with lessons about family, roots, bullying, and inner strength and weakness.

Highly recommended for fans of thrillers, ghost stories, or mysteries.

Murder, Interrupted by James Patterson

James Patterson adds his flair to two true-crime thrillers in this short read.

The first is the story of a man who wants to hire a hitman but doesn't exactly get the experience he's looking for. The second is about a mother and her sick daughter, who aren't exactly what they appear to be.

Both stories are interesting, even more so when you remember that they're based on true stories.
But, overall, these are forgettable. I enjoyed them when I was reading them, but I don't think I'll be talking about them tomorrow. These would likely be rated higher by bigger true-crime fans.

Three smiles.

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co, Book 1

Imagine you're living in London but during a period of time when ghosts are commonplace and running rampant. In the fifty years since something causes the ghosts to awaken, people have learned that children are more likely to be in tune with the spirit world and able to help. Enter Lockwood & Company, a group of children who can help with your ghost problem.

This is a great starter for this series. We are set up and interested in the company and the cast of characters. We get a couple of tension-building situations with them this time around and the promise of more to come in future books.

Highly recommended for middle grade, teen, or adult readers who enjoy ghost stories and sarcasm.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments Book 1

I'm way late to the party on this one, but I enjoyed it very much. The world of shadow hunters is one that I'm enjoying exploring with Clare's main characters. I'm also enjoying that this book is set in a modern city. Overall, a very well set up first book. I'll read the next one!

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Trials of Apollo, Book 1

Apollo has been punished by Zeus and sent to Earth as a human. He's not worried, it's happened before. Each time before he's served a demi-God for a few years and then been granted back into Olympus. He's trying not to focus on the fact that Zeus has a hard and fast "three strikes" rule...and that this is his third time being sent to Earth as a human.

I'm a HUGE fan of Riordan's stories. I'm a Percy Jackson junky and I rated all of the previous books 4 or 5 stars. This one took me a little longer to get into. Apollo is a seriously conceited guy, which we already knew. With him narrating that is a little hard to swallow. It took me a good chunk of the book to get into that and stop being annoyed with him. I loved the cameos by Percy (it was the best part, in my opinion).

The story really hit it's stride at the end, meaning I'll likely enjoy the second book more than this one.
Three smiles for a slow start.

Recommended for Percy Jackson fans, Rick Riordan fans, or fans of mythological fiction stories.

The Girl Before by JP Delaney

This book is told in two viewpoints-Emma and Jane. Both are young women looking for an affordable place to live. Both willing to take a chance on a gorgeous apartment with strange rules.

If you are a fan of mysteries or thrillers, add this one to your list. I couldn't stop turning pages in this one and there were surprises frequently. It is a true pageturner with a satisfying ending.

Highly Recommended.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder, the man who got away with it, and the ghost of the girl who was killed.

With that premise, I figured I'd love this one.

What I did love: The way the family sadness and finding a new normal was portrayed, the anticipation/hope of the killer being caught, the general way this was narrated by the victim.

What I didn't love: I don't want to spoil anything, but I wasn't a fan of the possession angle. I also wasn't in love with the way the ending worked out overall (I did like parts of it).

I'd rate this one three smiles. Parts of it were amazing, other parts are forgettable.

It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

I'm not sure entirely what to say about this book. It's...odd. I haven't read the first book, I haven't listened to the podcast. That MAY be what caused me to feel like I was a little confused about the world that has been created here when I first started the book.

However, I really got into this one. It took me a little longer because Night Vale is so STRANGE. It behaves like our world but with an entirely odd set of rules that I hadn't learned. Once I started getting the hang of it, I really loved the idea!

Overall, it's intriguing, odd, fun, and highly entertaining. You'll read it quickly and enjoy it. Recommended for anyone who likes strange or mysterious.

Burned by PC and Kristin Cast

House of Night #7

If you are deep into this House of Night series, as I am, you'll probably read this book no matter what I say. If you haven't found the series yet, start with the first book. This series has had some serious highs, I think I may have even rated an earlier book four stars. But this book is one of the lows, in my opinion. It may be time for me to let these characters go. I find myself uninterested in whether they win or lose, even against big villains and with big stakes. I am no longer drawn in by the interesting twist on the vampire world created by these authors. The only thing that really continues to captivate me, I think, is the tattoos they have and even those are missing descriptions in this book.

As a side note, I also chose to listen to this one as an audiobook and wish I hadn't. The accents imposed on Stevie Rae and Aphrodite were so stereotypical that it made me cringe whenever they were talking. I guess I hadn't imagined them as such over-the-top stereotypes before and I was disappointed that they were read that way. It may have been the nail in the coffin of this series for me.

Two smiles, mostly for the ending which I actually enjoyed.

Sekret by Lindsay Smith

In 1960s Russia the KGB is recruiting kids with rare psychic mind powers. Yulia is selected and she must cooperate in order to keep her love ones safe.

The idea behind this plot is wonderfully strong. I was intrigued by the idea of psychic spies. I'm not sure why this one fell flat for me toward the middle. I may have to give this one a second read someday to see if I can pinpoint exactly what happened. For now, three smiles.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

This amazing book written for young adults is narrated by Death himself. It is a masterpiece of storytelling that I highly recommend. The story follows Liesel, who (like many of us) has her entire life changed by a book. Everyone has a story to tell and this is the story I didn't know I needed from Nazi Germany. 

Note for Parents/Teachers: This one has some challenging words, although it was written for young adults. This would be a good one to read with your child because of the new words that may come up. There is also a great book to spark conversations about hatred, death, government, and restrictions/rules.