Novel Review: The Cresswell Plot by Eliza Wass

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary, Suspense, Family, Cult-like

Publisher: Hyperion

Release Date: 2016

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

 The woods were insane in the dark, terrifying and magical at the same time. But best of all were the stars, which trumpeted their light into the misty dark.

Castella Cresswell and her five siblings—Hannan, Caspar, Mortimer, Delvive, and Jerusalem—know what it’s like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict rule of God, whose messages come directly from their father.

Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. But, at school, they’re still the freaks they’ve always been to the outside world. Marked by their plain clothing. Unexplained bruising. Utter isolation from their classmates. That is, until Castley is forced to partner with the totally irritating, totally normal George Gray, who offers her a glimpse of a life filled with freedom and choice.

Castley’s world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were the only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father’s grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind. Just as she begins to form a plan, her father makes a chilling announcement: the Cresswells will soon return to their home in heaven. With time running out on all of their lives, Castley must expose the depth of her father’s lies. The forest has buried the truth in darkness for far too long. Castley might be their last hope for salvation.

The Cover:

The cover I have is the one above, which I really like. I think it focuses on the creepy aspect, and I like the dead leaves and the font of the title. I really like it, and it's largely what caught my attention. There's a new cover now, which I think is okay, and perhaps focuses on the brightness of the ending, but I think I prefer the first one.

Review:

Castella lives with her five brothers and sisters, in a house with her father and mother, and they live under God, as their father dictates. They were home-schooled until recently, when they were discovered and forced into public school. At school, they're the freaks, who aren't really allowed to socialize or join anything, and are under strict rules at all times.

Lately, Castella has started wondering about what's beyond, about what it would be like if she were free. And once a person starts thinking that, there's no going back. Especially when their father starts getting more strict and more crazy.

It's obvious there's something wrong with their father, and mother, from the very beginning. And craziness like that bleeds, it spreads, and when you're being forced to accept something as truth, it's hard to distance yourself from it.

This was a very disturbing story, from the very beginning. We discover what their fathers rules are, how they're supposed to live and be with each other only, and the things they do every day and are punished with. It's all very cult-like and disturbing.

I think the way it played out made a lot of sense. Castella was seeing other options, but when you're brainwashed like that, abused like that, it's hard to move beyond it. Her siblings weren't quite seeing what she was, and the secrets they discover, are what forces them to. I think her interactions with the other kids at school made sense, too. They were all freaks, and even though she starts getting along with a boy there, it was actually good he didn't end up being her hero. It would have been unrealistic, but also, she needed to learn that she had to do these things on her own. She was the only one who was going to save herself.

I really enjoyed this book. It was dark and disturbing, and frustrating at times, but it was rather realistic. And the ending was really sweet, I'm happy with how it seemed to have turned out.

Novel Review: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Genre: YA Suspense

Publisher: Square Fish (Macmillan)

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen–year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription for antibiotics. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen. Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne, but once his dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there's a reason to keep her. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare? Because she's not only sick with pneumonia—she's also blind.

The Cover:

I really like both covers for this book. The one above is more subtle, without a model, but shows the same idea, with the crime scene tape, and I like that. I like the original cover more, though, because I like the tape over the mouth. They're both good, though.

Review:

I was impressed with the first book by Henry that I picked up, so I’ve been looking forward to this one in particular.

Cheyenne is blind, and sick, and ends up accidentally kidnapped when Griffin steals the car she’s resting in. Griffin freaks out, and when he takes her to his father, they end up actually kidnapping her for ransom when they find out who her parents are.

Cheyenne is in a bad spot, of course, but she does what she can. She knows how to handle being blind, how to find clues on her own, and she does what she’s able. Griffin, I feel bad for, because he’s stuck with a terrible father, too afraid to do anything against him. They’re both doing what they can in the terrible situation they’re in.

I will admit, though, that this wasn’t very exciting, on-the-edge-of-your-seat intense. I wish it was, but instead it was much more slow moving. The ending was good, and I’m happy with how it all worked out. I like what happened with Cheyenne and Griffin, but I also wish that there was more closure for them. I think that Henry likes making these open-ended endings, of which I am not a huge fan, but they’re okay.

I did enjoy this book, and I know it was her first one. I’m looking forward to reading her other ones still.

Novel Review: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5 (maybe 4)

Genre: YA Contemporary Suspense

Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)

Release Date: 2012

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

The Cover:

This cover is pretty much perfect for this book. The colors, the font, the image. It's really pretty, it represents the book really well, and it's definitely eye-catching.

Quotes:

•  "'For many, the emotional trauma of a broken heart can manifest as real, physical pain.’” (Hardback, pg. 5)
• "One girl lost forever to this stagnant place was enough.” (Pg. 269)
• "I have learned that knowing where you’re going means remembering where you’ve been. I’m not afraid of what lurks behind me, or ahead.” (Pg. 276)

Review:

I was not quite expecting this book. I mean, I’d heard some good things about it, but I was not expecting what actually happened.

To be honest, this is a sad book. It’s kind of depressing, and maybe a little morbid. It’s been a while since I read it, and I still don’t even know what to say about it.

There are two stories being told here, Becca’s and Amelia Anne’s.

Becca has a boyfriend, but she wants out of her town. The people in her town can be nice to each other, or they can be completely horrible and isolate someone. Becca wants out. She wants to leave and do something with herself.

And then Amelia Anne’s body is found, and no one knows who she is or what happened to her. There are rumors, and Becca unexpectedly starts wondering who killed her, and if she knows them.

I must say, the way Becca’s story gets entwined with Amelia’s, and as Amelia’s story gets closer to the end, it gets a little creepy. It gets horrible, even. And I wasn’t expecting it. It is very well done, though. The more I read, the more I really wanted to know what had really happened.

I’m not sure what else to say about this book. It’s depressing and it’s creepy. It was well done, but it’s also left me with a weird feeling. I don’t know how to feel. Which, I think, shows that everything was portrayed really well.

My rating, I think, shows that I do think this is a good book. And I think I will be picking up Rosenfield’s next book when I get the chance.

Novel Review: In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Genre: YA Paranormal Mystery Romance

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: April 29, 2014

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday. Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures.

Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.

Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.

The Cover:

I find the cover really pretty. It gives a good feel for the book, the swirly colors, and the shadow-y outlines of the two. I don't know if it would really catch my attention on the shelf, but the more I look at it the more I like it.

Quotes:

• "Minnie trembled, too, with either excitement or fear, which were so often indistinguishable until afterward when she knew the result of the event.” (Hardcover, pg. 87)
• "Growing up, she found, was a heartbreaking endeavor.” (Pg. 97)
• "...Thom said, raising an eyebrow (another reason Charles was sure to catch a kiss before him, as smiles sang to other lips in a way annoyed eyebrows never could).” (Pg. 139)
• "'Just realize that, no matter what you do, things are out of your control. Voila! Peace!’” (Pg. 201)
• "For some reason random pain was more comforting to her than pain that could be traced to a definite cause.” (Pg. 291)

Review:

I am seriously impressed with this book. I was really intrigued by the story through art (with no words) and through words only, but I was also a little wary. I wasn’t sure if I would like the art, and I was afraid in general that I wouldn’t like the story. But I’m actually impressed with how good it was, and how much I enjoyed it.

First of all, this book is beautiful. It’s really heavy, because the entire book is in color, even the written parts. The written parts are pretty, but the artwork is also really, really pretty. I even went back a few times, or just paused on a picture, to admire it. And White, who I am a very big fan of and have read all of her previous books, writes in a style to match the feel of the artwork. It’s pretty, takes on a creepier feel. It’s really well done.

The story was also fantastic. I wasn’t sure where it was going, and the mystery goes on for a long time. There was probably about a third, maybe a quarter, of the book left when I really figured out what was going on. And I loved that. The way that the two stories intersect is really left a mystery for the longest time, and there were so many possibilities. While reading, I went back to previous picture sections so many times, trying to match up who it was, what was happening. It was fun to read, even. The climax took me by surprise, too, particularly in how it played out, and I really liked it.

I did not grow overly attached to the characters, and who ends up as a couple was kind of a guessing game for the longest time. But I did like all of the characters, and I really wanted them all to have a happy ending. 

I loved the ending, how it all worked out. I wasn’t too sure how it was all going to work out, but I loved it. It’s impressive and exciting and surprising and beautiful. It was a pretty fast read, too, and I didn't want to put it down. I seriously just like looking at the book, and now want to recommend it to everyone.