Review: The Drowning by Rachel Ward

Title: The Drowning.
Author: Rachel Ward.
Publication Date: May 2nd, 2013.
Publisher: Chicken House.
Format: Paperback, 274 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



When Carl opens his eyes on the banks of a cold lake, his brother is being zipped into a body bag. And a shovering wet girl is being helped nearby.

What happened in the water?

He can't remember. All he knows is that he must find out - before the truth comes back to drown him...

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The Drowning has to be one of the strangest books I’ve read this year, and that’s saying something! I definitely don’t mean this in bad way though; The Drowning was a compelling and wonderfully written novel that I couldn’t put down. I didn’t expect anything less from Rachel Ward, who has the ability to write stories that I’m sure everyone will love. This book is very different from Rachel’s other novel; Numbers, but also very similar at the same time with a fast-paced and action packed plot line. The Drowning is just as good as the other book I’ve read by her, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Right from the first page we enter the action; Carl remembers nothing, not why he was in the lake in the first place, not who the strange girl he’s with is, or what happened in the lake to cause his brother to drown. Carl’s character was interesting to read about, but I’m not really sure if I liked him at all. I thought Carl was a little bland and immature. I know he’s only fifteen, but I would have imagined his brother’s death would have matured him slightly. Unfortunately, he was just like any other teenage boy – a slave to his hormones. I’m not saying this is bad, but it seemed like a hell of a lot of the book was centred around Carl fighting the urge to jump on Neisha. He seemed a little obsessive over her, which put me off a little bit.

Neisha is the love-interest throughout this novel, and I had mixed feelings about her character. She seemed like a nice girl; smart and funny, but she also annoyed me a little bit. Her boyfriend has just drowned, and not even a week later she’s all over his brother. I understand the circumstances, but you’d think she’d need a little longer to move on considering the fact that she never looked twice at Carl in a romantic way before his brother died. There’s nothing else really to criticize about Neisha’s character – but I do think that Rachel Ward needs to work on her character development - two bland and dry characters in one book? That’s a little too much in my opinion!

As for Rob, Carl’s brother who drowned – god I hated him. I think you’re supposed to hate him, but my hate grew stronger and stronger throughout the book! To be perfectly honest, if he wasn’t already dead – I think I would have killed him myself. Rob was an abusive, rude, obnoxious asshole with absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. As much as I enjoyed reading The Drowning, I was put off by how much of a jerk Rob’s character was. Even though hating him has a lot to do with the story, I just wish he was a little better so I could at least feel a little remorse for him. I thought the ending of The Drowning was really quite confusing – I have a feeling, due to the fact that I’m already familiar with Rachel Ward’s writing, that I know what happened - but at the same time I’m really not sure. I don’t know whether the doubt and confusion was deliberate on Rachel’s part or not, but either way I kind of wished it’d had been a slightly clearer ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Drowning – it’s a fascinating, past-paced, creepy thriller that will have you constantly turning the pages to find out what will happen next. Although Rachel Ward’s character development needs a little fine tuning, her writing style is fabulous and such a pleasure to read. The entirety of this book is quite disturbing in a way and definitely freaked out in certain places. I believe The Drowning well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating I gave it – if it weren’t for the few flaws that I’ve mentioned, I’m sure it would have gotten a higher rating. All the same, The Drowning is an amazing book, and I’d highly recommend anyone who loves a good thriller novel to pick this up. I can’t wait to read more from Rachel Ward in the future; she’s definitely an author everyone should know about!

Quotes

But it's not him. There's a girl in here now. She's looking right at me. Her make-up's smeared down her face from her eyes, like she's melting, but her lips are blue, her arms are covered in goosebumps and she's shivering. She's staring too, staring at me, then she blinks – once, twice – and starts screaming. - Page 2.

I open my eyes a little way, so there’s a narrow slit to see out of, and he’s there, half a metre away. White face, streaked with mud. The face that got zipped into the bag. My eyes open wide. My breathing goes shallow and fast.
I close my eyes again. I’m not seeing this. This isn’t real. - Page 71.

I kiss the top of her head, her temple, her cheek. She’s warm, so warm. She moves a little, tipping her face towards mine, and I find her lips. They’re soft and wet and taste of salt tears. I press my mouth against hers gently, ready to pull back at the first hint of rejection, but after a second of two she responds to me, angling her head a little more, kissing me back. - Page 142.

Review: Afterlife Academy by Jaimie Admans

Title: Afterlife Academy.
Author: Jaimie Admans.
Publication Date: March 15th, 2013.
Publisher: Create Space.
Format: Kindle eBook.
Source: Recieved e-copy for blog tour.
My Rating:



Even being dead isn’t enough to get you out of maths class.

Dying wasn't on sixteen-year-old Riley Richardson's to-do list. And now, not only is she dead, but she's stuck in a perpetual high school nightmare. Worse still, she's stuck there with the geekiest, most annoying boy in the history of the world, ever.

In a school where the geeks are popular and just about everything is wrong, Riley has become an outcast. She begins a desperate quest to get back home, but her once-perfect life starts to unravel into something not nearly as great as she thought it was. And maybe death isn’t really that bad after all...

Welcome to Afterlife Academy, where horns are the norm, the microwave is more intelligent than the teachers, and the pumpkins have a taste for blood.

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Riley didn't think her boyfriend 'borrowing' his brother’s car and joy riding around town was a bad thing. That is until her boyfriend, Wade, runs over their high school nerd and bullying target; Anthony. After trying to swerve, a few seconds later everything is dark and Riley finds herself at Afterlife Academy; a high school for the dead - along with Anthony, who she was pretty sure Wade just killed. Afterlife Academy is a duplicate of their old high school and suddenly, Riley finds herself an outcast, pretty much friendless – and getting a taste of what life is like to those she tormented. Riley doesn’t want to stay at Afterlife Academy, she wants to go home to her friends and family, and there are rumours of an escape vortex. So Riley and Anthony decide to search the school to try and find their way home.

I loved this book so much; it was a lively and fantastic read. Even though it was a little tame and predictable at times, I found myself laughing with and at the characters and almost tearing up at one point. I’d recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humour, who loves example setting novels with a paranormal plot and anyone who just wants a light read.

Riley's character started off rude, mean and overly popular; pretty much all the characteristics that I hate. However, her character really grew on me as the book went on and I found that her character was funny, sort of sweet and was doing what basically like every girl in the world wants to do. She was trying to fit in. Riley is immature, even for her age of sixteen - she thinks the world revolves around her and her boyfriend. I know this is typical teenage behaviour at times, but you would think dying at your boyfriends hands would sombre you a bit - but apparently not. As the book goes on, Riley does mature a bit and finds out firsthand how horrible it is to be picked on and what it’s like to be an outcast. Because of this, her character blossoms and she realizes what she's been doing to people is wrong and wishes she could redeem herself.

Anthony's character was lovely. Even after all Riley did to him in the past, he was still willing to put it behind him and let bygones be bygones. Anthony continues to prove how much of a sweet guy he is throughout the book, being friends with Riley and being there for her all the time. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't be all too willing to befriend someone that had tormented me so much - so props to Anthony for being a mature adult about the situation. Along with being smart and a bit of a geek, Anthony is also funny, kind and generous - he's definitely a character I'd like as a friend!

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, there were a few things that bugged me. I found it increasingly annoying how Riley kept saying about Anthony having a calculator in his front pocket. I know she keeps trying to remind herself that he's a geek, but the repetition of that phrase really, really irked me. I thought that the book was a little rushed in places and I believe that it could have been slightly longer and more detailed. Also, I was a little disappointed about the way the romance was played out, I thought it could have been a little more in-depth – but that might just be me being a romance fanatic.

Overall, I really loved this book. Afterlife Academy wasn’t a perfect book, but very few are. I believe the 4/5 star rating fits it perfectly, it would have been given a 5/5 star rating if it weren’t for the few things that bugged me – but every book has its faults. Jaimie Adman’s writing is fantastic, fresh and funny – I honestly can’t wait to read more by her in the future.

Quotes

The growling sounds louder now, and when I glance down I'm not sure that I believe what I'm seeing. The candle inside the pumpkin is flickering madly and I'm almost positive that it's the jack-o'-lantern growling at me. The pumpkin.
Pumpkins don't growl. At least, they don't in my world. I stare at it. No. It's not possible. But still it growls. - Loc 585, 15%.

“Where is this growling pumpkin?”
“In my dorm room,” I say. “Sitting on a table by the window.”
“You sure it wasn’t a dog outside or something?”
“No, it was definitely the pumpkin. I felt it move. It looks seriously evil.”
“I don’t know why I’m surprised. So far we’ve seen a woman who dies in 1949, a kid disappear into thin air, and a woman with horns coming out of her forehead. And my resident advisor is so old I have no idea how he can stand up.”
“Mine too,” I say. “And he can run up the stairs like nobody’s business.” - Loc 675, 17%.

"So you're trying to get yourself expelled?"
I nod sullenly.
"Dare I ask what three little pigs have got to do with that?"
"They're just a prank," I say. I pull a marker out of my pocket and hold it up. "I was going to write on them. Label them numbers one, two and four and then let them loose in the school. The teachers will spend all day looking for number three." - Loc 3246, 85%.

Review: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Summoning.
Series: Darkest Powers Trilogy, #1.
Author: Kelley Armstrong.
Publication Date: July 1st, 2008.
Publisher: Atom.
Format: Paperback, 390 pages.
Source: Bought.
My Rating:



All Chloe Saunders wants is a life like any normal teenager – the chance to get through school, make friends, and maybe meet a boy. But when she starts seeing ghosts, she knows that life will never be the same again. Soon the ghosts are everywhere, demanding her attention. When Chloe finally breaks down, she’s admitted to a group home for disturbed kids.

At first Lyle House seems okay, but as she gets to know the other patients – charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a 'thing' for fire – Chloe begins to realise that something strange and sinister binds them all together, and it isn’t your usual ‘problem kid’ behaviour. And they’re about to discover that Lyle House is not your usual group home..

Chloe is just your average teenager until the day she first starts her period - that same day she starts seeing ghosts. She ends up running and screaming through her high school and is admitted to Lyle House, a group home for disturbed kids. Lyle House isn't your usual group home, and the other kids aren't your usual disturbed kids either. When she gets to know the other teenagers in Lyle House, she ends up discovering that they too - have special powers - and that she, herself, isn't crazy or a 'Schizophrenic' like the Doctors are telling her she is. Chloe is special, she's what Simon and Derek call a Necromancer, a person who can summon and contact the dead. As the trio try to figure out the mysteries of Lyle House, they discover that no one is who they seem and they find themselves wanting to escape as quickly as possible.

I have to say, I was a little sceptical of the plot of this book, generally because of the whole 'psychiatric home/hospital' part. This is because in so many books and movies, they portray them in such stupid and ridiculous ways, and in real life, they aren't actually like that (I know from experience). However, once I'd started reading this book I was totally hooked.

Chloe's character is really interesting, she's just like your average teenage girl, but not overly dramatised like a lot of female characters I've read. I think she's pretty young and naive at times, even for her age, but she can be mature when it comes down to it. She told the story in the way a film producer would (her goal for her future) and I found it really refreshing. Simon's character annoyed me a little bit, sure he was sweet and kind and caring, but he seemed too kind - sort of in a degrading way. I'm sure this wasn't the way his character was supposed to come off, but it's the way I feel.

As for Derek, he was my second favourite character (after Chloe). He's a gruff and very unsociable guy, but obviously cares a lot for his brother, Simon and he doesn't seem to care about anything or anyone else. I know his character is a little rough around the edges, but I thought the way he was portrayed was great and right from the beginning I was rooting for Chloe and him to get together. The other characters weren't as well described, however we know that Tori, is a spoilt, rude, mean and obnoxious girl who is desperately seeking her mother's approval. As for Liz and Rae, they seemed pretty similar to me, and weren't as focused on in the book as the other characters so I can't really give an opinion.

The plot is very well thought out, flowing smoothly from chapter to chapter and leaving you wanting more at the end of it. The twists and turns of this book are great, and I couldn't put it down. The plot is also so different from everything else I've read and really original - it holds its own and doesn't seem to sway much from the main storyline like many books I've read in the past. Overall I thought It was an amazing book and honestly, I can't wait to read it again!

Quotes

If I was crazy, would I know it? That's what being crazy was, wasn't it? You thought you were fine.
Everyone else knew better. Maybe I was crazy. - Page 34.

Dr. Jill said it was just a matter of taking my meds and learning to cope. If it was that easy why were there people wandering the streets talking to themselves? Crazy-eyed homeless people shouting at thin air? Seeing people who weren't there. Hearing voices that didn't exist.
Schizo. Just like me. - Page 70.

"Then if we run, it'll look suspicious."
"It's three-thirty in the morning. We're going to look suspicious anyway."
He looked at the car for a moment.
"Fine. But any sign of trouble? Follow my lead."
"Yes, sir." - Page 350.

Review: Remember Me by Christopher Pike

Title: Remember Me.
Series: Remember Me, #1.
Author: Christopher Pike.
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2010.
Publisher: Hodder Children's books.
Format: Paperback Bind-up, book 1: 338 pages.
Source: Bought.
Rating:



Shari Cooper is dead. She is in-between worlds, in a place of spirits. But something is stalking her..always watching, always waiting.

Shari just stepped onto the balcony for some fresh air, she didn't mean to fall. Whilst her friends assume it was suicide, she knows otherwise, and now her restless spirit must find the real killer. When Shari decides to contact her friends via a Ouija board, she becomes aware that something else wants to talk to them too - something dark, something malevolent..

I have a bind-up of the first two books in the Remember Me series - this review is of the first book. I loved this book, I thought it was great read. Shari is a some-what popular girl, like any other. She and a few of her friends end up at a birthday party one evening, which starts off as the typical teenage get-together. However, as the evening progresses, Jo, Shari's best friend decides to start a séance and accidental summons Peter, Jeff's brother who died in a motorcycle accident a while back. After a while, the group of teenagers become freaked out from Peter's restless presence and Shari runs out onto the balcony where she soon falls to her death. Whilst everyone thinks that she jumped - she knows otherwise - which is where the story really starts.

I found Shari's character really interesting, I think - at first, to me - she seemed very over confident and self-absorbed. However when you get further into the book and get to know her character more, you find that she's not so. Her character really develops as she seems to mature more and she comes to terms with what happened, although she becomes a bit obsessive with finding out who her murderer is. I don't criticise this, because if it were me in the situation, I would want to know as well. Shari has 'troubles' doing certain things that should come naturally to her in her new 'state' which I think is understandable, but I'm glad that at the right time - she manages to overcome these obstacles.

As for the other characters in the book, right from the start of the book, I disliked Daniel - Shari's boyfriend. Daniel wasn't even shook up about the death of his girlfriend and couldn't wait to move onto the next girl. Jo, who I mentioned earlier, seemed like a good character, although personality wasn't overly mentioned in the book. However, she was one for the paranormal and such - which has always been a grey area for me in real life. I don't believe in the works of Ouija boards and summoning the dead, but Jo seemed pretty obsessed. Jeff's character also wasn't talked about a whole lot, but he was very withdrawn and seemed quite sullen - which is understandable seeing that his brother had passed away.

Beth or 'Big Beth' (As Shari and Jo liked to call her - referring to her large chest) was pretty bland, she was interested in Shari's boyfriend and didn't care about anything else that evening (not even her own boyfriend, Jeff) and I didn't particularly care for her. As for Amanda, who is Jo's cousin, and is also the girlfriend of Shari's brother, Jimmy - well, I had mixed feelings about her throughout the entire book. She irritated me with her obviously faked innocence and the way she treated people around her. Lastly, Jimmy was a sweet character who obviously loved his sister dearly and she was a big part of his life. It seemed to me, that a part of Jimmy died with his sister that night. All the characters were sort of interesting in their own way, even the ones I didn't like - but I feel they could of been developed a bit more.

Moving onwards, when Shari is attending her funeral (as a ghost-of-sorts) she meets Peter, who was her friend and love interest before he died. Peter has taken it upon himself to help Shari go to 'the other side', Shari, however refuses to move on yet and together they team up to try and find her murderer. I loved Peter; he seemed like such a honest and kind guy - although he has his own, personal demons himself. Throughout most of the book, Shari and Peter are going round trying to figure out who had a motive to kill Shari - which seemed like no one. I loved Garrett, the Police Officer who was working on Shari's case; he was a very witty and clever character who made the book a lot more interesting. I found the concept of the 'Shadow' very creative and I've definitely not read anything similar to it before - but I won't go any further, or I'll ruin it!

I think the novel only really picked up pace near the end, which is why I've rated it 4/5 stars, instead of 5/5. I felt like the author, Christopher Pike, had rushed things, it seemed like he just wanted it to end. However, there were constant twists and turns throughout this novel that left me shocked and confused at the same time. Definitely an interesting read and one I will read again without hesitation.

Quotes

"Take care, Shari."
"I will," I promised. But I lied. And those little white lies, they catch up with you eventually. Or maybe they just get away from you, like a balloon in the wind. - Page 28.

I surveyed the cemetery. We were alone now, just us and the tombstones. It seemed much more peaceful than before.
"So there is life after death, after all." I said.
"It's hard to believe." - Page 151.

"But I'm a ghost. You've been telling me since we met that I can't hurt myself."
His face darkened. "I couldn't get to you. I tried to, but something kept pushing me back."
He lowered his voice. "Did you see it?"
"Yeah. We had an intimate get-together." - Page 270.