Review: Draw the Dark by Ilsa J. Bick

Title: Draw the Dark                       

Author: Ilsa J. Bick site

Format: Hardcover, 338 pages

Published: 10/01/10

Publisher: Carolrhoda Labs (Lerner)

Source: Library

“There are things in Winter, Wisconsin, folks just don't talk about. The murder way back in '45 is one. The near-suicide of a first-grade teacher is another. And then there is 17-year old Christian Cage. Christian's parents disappeared when he was a little boy, and ever since he's drawn and painted obsessively, trying desperately to remember his mother. The problem is Christian doesn't just draw his own memories. He can draw the thoughts of those around him. Confronted with fears and nightmares they'd rather avoid, people have a bad habit of dying. So it's no surprise that Christian isn't exactly popular. What no one expects is for Christian to meet Winter's last surviving Jew and uncover one more thing best forgotten the day the Nazi's came to town.”

-Goodreads

Basic Synopsis:

Christian Cage is a 17 year old artist, living in the small town of Winter, WI. Strange things have always seemed to happen to those close to Christian, so most of the town is wary of him. When Christian ends up sleep painting on the side of a barn belonging to the richest and most influential man in town, it opens up a whole new can of worms involving a mystery over half a century old.

Characters:

As for Christian, I don’t have much to say one way or the other. He’s a very unimpressionable character for me. He was definitely on the angsty, everybody-hates-me, depressed/crazy artist side of things. I did like that another character in the book plainly pointed this out, so I know it was intentional. I don’t usually like self-pitying protagonists though, so it’s a given.

Plot and Story:

Draw the Dark is definitely an unconventional book written in an unconventional way. It is also a hard book to critique because I’m not sure of all that happened. It took me 100 pages of the book to finally understand what was going on, and then I was lost for the last 100 pages. It was an incredibly hard book to follow and understand. I don’t think at all that Ilsa Bick was just winging it or BS’ing the reader in any way. I could tell that the author had a clear picture of what was going on. The problem was in conveying her vision to the reader.

Something positive I can say for the book is that, in the middle part I understood, the book does cover an interesting piece of US history I was unaware of. I would say what it is but for those who intend to read the book, I don’t want to spoil anything.

Overall:

Unfortunately this book was very hard to understand and I wasn’t always sure what was going on. I really wanted to like it because I’d liked Ilsa J. Bick’s other novel Ashes so much.  In the end, I give it 2.5 of 5 stars.

Review: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

Title: The Butterfly Clues

Author: Kate Ellison site

Format: Hardcover, 325 pages

Published: 2/14/2012

Publisher: Egmont USA

Source: Library

Challenges: Standalone Reading Challenge (hosted by Icey Books)

“Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place—possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"—a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined—a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.”

-Goodreads

Basic Synopsis:

Penelope, who prefers to be called “Lo” has severe OCD and compulsively steals/hoards things. When just outside Cleveland, the bad side of town called “Neverland”, a girl known as Sapphire is murdered. Lo has never met her, but she feels inexplicably connected to her and decides to try to solve her murder herself.

Characters:

Penelope has severe OCD and a compulsion to steal beautiful things. Her life is ruled by numbers, everything she does must be done in 3’s, 6’s, and 9’s to “keep her safe”. The Butterfly Clues is one of the most empathetic books I’ve read. I could really feel as Penelope felt, her emotions are so easily conveyed within the pages.

Plot and Story:

The Butterfly Clues is full of mystery and suspense. I ended up with a lot of theories as to the killer was, and who “Bird” was. But I wasn’t ever really sure until the very end. I was also didn’t guess right who Bird was. I was very surprised. So, some of the book was predictable and some of it wasn’t. This book kept me guessing, and I like that.

My one and only complaint about this book is the ending. It didn’t match the tone of the rest of the book at all. It went from a mystery/thriller to a light contemporary romp for the last 15-20 pages. And I really don’t understand why.

Overall:

Except for the ending, I really liked this book. It was fast paced and uputdownable from the first chapter. I give it 4 of 5 stars. I’m really excited to see what debut author Kate Ellison will write next. 

Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Title: I Hunt Killers

Author: Barry Lyga

Format: Hardcover, 359 pages

Published: 4/03/2012

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Source: Library

“What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?”

-Goodreads

Basic Synopsis:

Jasper Dent,known as Jazz, is the only son of the world’s most infamous serial killer.Before he was caught and sentenced, Butcher Billy taught Jazz everything heknows about murder. But now there’s a new serial killer in Lobo’s Nod. Butdespite his pleadings, the sheriff, G. William, refuses to believe it’s aserial killer. So Jazz is forced to take investigations into his own hands, toprove that there is a serial killer in Lobo’s Nod. But Jazz wonders if, withall his father’s brainwashing, it’s just a matter of time before he takes upthe family business.  

Characters:

Jazz’ssarcastic and has a dark sense of humor, he’s also a great actor and definitelya charmer. His biggest worry that it’s inevitable that he’ll become a serialkiller, just like his father. I liked Jazz, and I was invested in hiswellbeing. He wasn’t my favorite character though. My favorite character wasHowie, Jazz’s type A-hemophiliac best friend/sidekick. Every other thing thatcame out of his mouth was hilarious. You just never know what he’s going to saynext.

Plot and Story:

I Hunt Killers is dark, disturbing, and downrightbloody. Very bloody. It’s an unputdownable mystery/thriller, and sure to makeyou squeamish. I hung on every word. The book ran at a pretty fast pace, whichwas great for me.

I reallyliked that it was a YA mystery. There aren’t enough of those. Let alone onesthat you can’t guess the plot. And I know that, in real life, the policeprobably wouldn’t let a 16 year old boy help them find a serial killer. Butthat didn’t bother me and I loved it anyway.

Overall:

I picked thisbook for no other reason, than that Barry Lyga wrote it. (He’s one of my “author gods”)I loved his debut The AstonishingAdventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and would recommend it to anyone.  IHunt Killers is a nonstop thrill ride and the first of a series I can’twait to read. I give it 4 of 5 stars! Definitely a must read for fans ofmystery.

Review: Burnout by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

Title: Burnout

Author: Adrienne Maria Vrettos site

Format: Hardcover, 193 pages

Published: 9/13/2011

Publisher: McElderry Books

Source: Library

“On the day after Halloween, Nan wakes up in a subway car. She is not dreaming. She doesn’t know where she’s been or what she’s done. She’s missing a whole day from her life. And she’s wearing skeleton makeup and a too small Halloween costume.

Nan is not supposed to wake up in places like this anymore. She’s different now, far from that dangerously drunk girl who hit bottom in the Nanapocalypse. She needs to find out what happened to her, and fast. As she tries to put together the pieces of the last twenty-four hours, she flashes back to memories of her previous life. But she would never go back to her old friends and her old way. Would she?

The deeper Nan digs, the more disturbing things get. This time, she may have gone one step too far. This time, she may be a walking ghost.”

-cover

How it starts:

Nan wakes up on the subway. She is disoriented, not sure how she got there. She’s wearing a too small plastic dress and skeleton makeup she can’t remember putting on. What happened? She’s hasn’t had a drink since rehab. She didn’t go back on her promises, did she?

Characters:

I really liked Nan for the most part. Obviously she made some bad decisions, but she really grows throughout the book. Perhaps her most admirable trait is how she begins to take charge of her life, even though it means leaving friends behind. She starts out as kind of desperate for friends, which leads her to making some bad choices to keep the few friends she does have. Just going with the flow for kinship. I think this something most people can understand and relate to. I know I can.  Nan goes from being the person others want her to be, into her own person. She makes a very strong and believable protagonist.

Plot:

I loved the beginning. The “Prologue” reads only this, “This is a ghost story. I am the ghost”. Those first sentences really drew me in. It’s a great attention getter.  Burnout is very well paced. It never left me bored. It was almost a thriller, with Nan putting together the pieces of the night before. Wondering where her friend is.  Is she even still alive?

Burnout alternates between “Remembering” and “Today” in its chapters. “Today” being the present, and “Remembering” which fills in the past for readers. Although alternating between past and present isn’t anything new, I really like that it was made clear which was which. In other books, I get frustrated when I can’t figure out what’s going on.  I also wanted to point out that even though this book is under 200 pages, it doesn’t feel too long or like a short story. In most shorter books, the story feels too rushed. I’m glad to report that this wasn’t the case in Burnout.

Overall:

I had originally checked this book out by mistake. (I thought it was Shut Out by Kody Keplinger) It turned out to be a happy mistake. I really enjoyed Burnout. From the characters to the plot, I was fully entertained.  I don’t understand why I haven’t heard about this book anywhere else. I found it to be an interesting and thrilling portrayal of a girl struggling to find the strength to look into her past.  I give it 4.5/5 stars and recommend it to fans of contemporary fiction. It’s also a great liter Halloween read, as it takes place the day after Halloween. 

This is the part where I get down on my hands and knees and beg you to leave a comment. Come on, it'll only take a minute. Got a post of Burnout?  Be sure to leave a link so I can check it out!