Novel Review: Shackled by Tom Leveen

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Realistic, Thriller, Romance

Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

Release Date: 2015

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From author Tom Leveen comes a taut, suspenseful novel about a girl’s abduction that leaves her best friend emotionally paralyzed, until a chance encounter points her toward the truth…and a terrifying new danger.

Sixteen-year-old Pelly has a master plan. After years of therapy, medication, and even a stint in a mental hospital, she’s finally ready to re-enter the world of the living. Pelly has been suffering from severe panic attacks ever since her best friend, Tara, disappeared from a mall six years ago.

And her plan seems to be working, until an unkempt girl accompanied by an older man walks into the coffee shop where she works. Pelly thinks she’s seen a ghost, until the girl mouths “help me” on the way out, and Pelly knows she’s just seen Tara.

Too shocked to do anything, Pelly helplessly watches Tara slip away again as she steels herself against a renewed spiral of crippling anxiety. But rather than being overcome by anxiety, Pelly feels more energized than she has in years. Determined to track down enough evidence to force the police to reopen Tara’s file, Pelly’s master plan takes a turn for the dangerous.

Pelly decides she cannot be shackled by her past—and the anxiety, fear, and grief that comes with it—any longer if she wants to save Tara. But in seeking answers through whatever means necessary, she’ll come face-to-face with true evil. And not all the shackles are in her head...

The Cover:

I really like this cover. It's simple, and not a cheesy YA one, but shows exactly what's important with this book and what you're getting. It displays the scary elements, the anxiety, well, I think.

Review:

Pelly can barely keep her job, what with her fear of being outside her home. She can't go to school. And then she thinks she sees her best friend from childhood who was kidnapped. And she has to do something.

I really admire the way that Leveen can make so many different voice so very realistic. I love reading his books so much, because each time you're right inside the characters' head, and every time it is very different. Pelly is afraid of being outside, and she's terrified of a lot of things, and has panic attacks. And it's very evident in the writing.

I really liked the way that Pelly pushes herself. She's terrified, but she makes herself keep going. She makes herself do something about the girl she sees, even when no one else believes her. She even drags one of her co-workers along, even when he doesn't believe her but wants to help anyway.

I wasn't terribly surprised by the twist at the end regarding who the girl was, but I did like it. I really liked how Pelly got out of the situation, too. It was exciting, and it made sense.

I'm definitely a reader of Leveen at this point. This book was fast and intriguing, and it was an easy read to the end.

Teaser Tuesday[269]: The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

----------------------------------

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Genre: YA Supernatural

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: March 6, 2018

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

Excerpt:

“'I was coming out to check on the trees,' he says. 'Make sure they didn't reignite in the last couple hours.'” (Hardback, pg. 113)

What are you reading?

Teaser Tuesday[267]: Hellworld by Tom Leveen

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

--------------------------

Hellworld by Tom Leveen

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: March 2017

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Five years ago, Abby Booth’s mom, co-host of a ghost hunting reality show, went missing while filming in a ‘haunted’ cave in Arizona.

Since then, Abby’s life has all but fallen to pieces, most notably because of her dad’s deep depression and how they’ve drifted further and further apart.

But now, at seventeen, Abby has decided that things will change. She plans to go to the same cave where her mom and the crew went missing and to find out, once and for all, what happened there.

With the help of the co-host’s son Charlie and two of his friends, Abby sets off on a quest for answers…but what the group ends up finding, what they stumble across in that dark, primordial cave in Arizona, is nothing they could have ever imagined.

Abby was investigating a possible haunting… she never expected that there could be something worse.

Excerpt:

“'It really happened? It really did?'

'Yeah. It really did.'” (Hardback, pg. 69)

What are you reading?

Wishlist Thursday[123]: Violent Ends by Various Authors

Violent Ends by Shaun David Hutchinson, Neal Shusterman, Brendan Shusterman, Beth Revis, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Courtney Summers, Kendare Blake, Delilah S. Dawson, Steve Brezenoff, Tom Leveen, Hannah Moskowitz, Blythe Woolston, Trish Doller, Mindi Scott, Margie Gelbwasser, Christine Johnson, E. M. Kokie, and Elisa Nader

Genre: Realistic YA

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

It took only twenty-two minutes for Kirby Matheson to exit his car, march onto school grounds, enter the gymnasium, and open fire, killing six and injuring five others.

But this isn't a story about the shooting itself. This isn't about recounting that one unforgettable day.

This is about Kirby and how one boy—who had friends, enjoyed reading, played saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before—became a monster capable of entering his school with a loaded gun and firing on his classmates.

Each chapter is told from a different victim's viewpoint, giving insight into who Kirby was and who he'd become. Some are sweet, some are dark; some are seemingly unrelated, about fights or first kisses or late-night parties.

This is a book of perspectives—with one character and one event drawing them all together—from the minds of some of YA's most recognizable names.

Why?:

School shootings seem to be a popular topic lately, which I can understand why. And I like what this anthology is showing, with so many points of view and a different time-frame. There are a lot of authors on this list that I like, too. I’m intrigued for this book.

What’s on your list?

Novel Review: Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

Release Date: 2005

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. BookDepository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When she was nine, Megan Meade met a group of terrible, mean, Popsicle-goo-covered boys, the sons of her father's friend -- the McGowan boys. Now, seven years later, Megan's army doctor parents are shipping off to Korea and Megan is being sent to live with the little monsters, who are older now and quite different than she remembered them.

Living in a house with seven boys will give Megan, who has never even been kissed, the perfect opportunity to learn everything there is to know about boys. And she'll send all her notes to her best friend, Tracy, in...
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys

Observation #1: Being an army brat sucks. Except that this is definitely a better alternative to moving to Korea. Observation #2: Forget evil, laughing, little monsters. These guys have been touched by the Abercrombie gods. They are a blur of toned, suntanned perfection.
Observation #3: I need a lock on my door. STAT.
Observation #4: Three words: six-pack abs.
Observation #5: Do not even get me started on the state of the bathroom. I'm thinking of calling in a hazmat team. Seriously.
Observation #6: These boys know how to make enemies. Big time.
Megan Meade will have to juggle a new school, a new family, a new crush -- on the boy next door, as in next bedroom door -- and a new life. Will she survive the McGowan boys?

The Cover:

This cover is just average. It's very plain, an older style and not as modern for today. But it's not terrible, and it does work for the book.

Review:

I can’t help but compare this to My Life With the Walter Boys, so I’m starting with that.  And this is a vastly superior book.  Whereas I couldn’t even finish the Walter Boys, what with the terrible boys and their sexual harassment, there’s none of that in this.  And I’m so happy about that.

To be fair, there are seven boys.  That’s a lot to handle, and so of course there’s going to be chaos, noise, the boys will be a little uncontrollable.  The parents can only do so much.  But here, I believe that the parents are actually trying.  They do discipline the kids, and the kids do listen to their parents.  The parents are also present relatively often, with personalities.  The mom in particular, tries to get close to Megan, and is understanding when Megan turns out to be different than she thought.

The boy that it seems Megan is going to end up with, Evan, isn’t too much of a jerk, either.  He’s just an average boy—trying to be happy with his girlfriend, even when she makes it extremely hard.  And when drama comes up, he’s a clueless boy, not knowing who to believe.  He’s a bit rude, but not terrible, and understandable at least some of the time.

And then there’s Finn.  Finn is the artistic, funny guy.  I’m a fan of him, and really like that Megan and him got together.  He’s the better guy, in my opinion.  The ending left it more open, though, to which I’m not very happy about.  Especially since I was over Evan by that point.

But there’s also a few more characters.  There’s Miller, who’s autistic, but a sweetheart.  Megan learns how to communicate with him, what to do to make it easier for him.  I was really impressed and happy about that.  There’s Doug, who’s frustrating, but has potential to grow.  Megan makes some friends at school, along with her friend back home, and I do think some of those relationships were worthwhile.  The drama got to be a little frustrating, but okay.  There was also a cliché moment at the end where Megan tried to leave, but whatever. 

Aside from the open-ended ending, I was happy with this book.  It was better than I thought it would be, and I’m happy with it.

Teaser Tuesday[157]: Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-------------------------------------

Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon and Schuster)

Release Date: 2005

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. BookDepository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When she was nine, Megan Meade met a group of terrible, mean, Popsicle-goo-covered boys, the sons of her father's friend -- the McGowan boys. Now, seven years later, Megan's army doctor parents are shipping off to Korea and Megan is being sent to live with the little monsters, who are older now and quite different than she remembered them.

Living in a house with seven boys will give Megan, who has never even been kissed, the perfect opportunity to learn everything there is to know about boys. And she'll send all her notes to her best friend, Tracy, in...
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys

Observation #1: Being an army brat sucks. Except that this is definitely a better alternative to moving to Korea. Observation #2: Forget evil, laughing, little monsters. These guys have been touched by the Abercrombie gods. They are a blur of toned, suntanned perfection.
Observation #3: I need a lock on my door. STAT.
Observation #4: Three words: six-pack abs.
Observation #5: Do not even get me started on the state of the bathroom. I'm thinking of calling in a hazmat team. Seriously.
Observation #6: These boys know how to make enemies. Big time.
Megan Meade will have to juggle a new school, a new family, a new crush -- on the boy next door, as in next bedroom door -- and a new life. Will she survive the McGowan boys?

Excerpt:

“‘Well, she was a little drunk,’ Megan said.

Evan laughed sarcastically. ‘Please. She knew what she was doing when she walked in here tonight.’” (Paperback, pg. 130)

What are you reading right now?