Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday

Of Monsters and Madness is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee.

Annabel moves to Philadelphia after her mother's death to where her father, who seems less than joyful to meet her after all these years, practices medicine. She struggles to find comfort in the stony town with all its uptight mannerisms and expectations, but quickly becomes infatuated with her father's assistant, Allan, a poet when not working with her father. Bloodied murders bring danger to the unfamiliar streets of Philadelphia, and Annabel discovers horrifying connections between the crimes, her father's work, and Allan's poetry. When Allan's peculiar cousin Edgar threatens the safety of those Annabel loves, she must uncover what exactly is happening in the night, and how she is to stop it.
Very different from the style which I am accustomed to, this novel was nonetheless very intriguing. I found certain points to be rather flat and anticlimactic, but the atmosphere created was strong. It wasn't particularly memorable although it is not as if I have already forgotten what happened in the story. It was an interesting and unique concept to approach but the book itself did not leave anything for me to hang on to, nor did it leave me wanting more.
Despite personally not loving this book, the concept is fascinating enough that it may capture other readers, perhaps fans of Edgar Allan Poe's works.
I personally rate this book 6/10
~Mushu

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Samantha was an iconic it girl. Everyone loved her, everyone feared her, everyone wanted to be her. But she loses it all when she and her best friend Cassie go missing for several days and Samantha returns without a single memory. Now, Sam flounders through her once elite life style, struggling to find a place to belong amidst the rivalries and fake smiles. With a second chance to change her life, Sam must define who are her true friends, and who's just aiming for a shot in the limelight. As if dealing with the drama wasn't enough, horrific flashbacks to the nights she was missing forces Sam to remember, Cassie is still missing, and her buried memories could be the only thing keeping Sam safe.
I really enjoyed this book, the themes of friendship and romance were enjoyable additions without dominating the plot. The novel wasn't all goreish with murder like I suspected, so it was a considerably fun read. Don't Look Back was more of a mystery than a dark, horror book, and it's the kind where the killer has reasons and such, not just being an enraged psychopath. I didn't even suspect who the killer was, although I wouldn't deem the ending to be a shocking twist. The novel wasn't like a roller coaster of emotions, it neatly followed the typical arc of a mystery novel without being boring. Armentrout also wraps up her book very nicely and straightforward. Many authors attempt to quickly wrap up the falling action part of the plotline but it ends up rather rushed and messy. Armentrout manages to finish cleanly without leaving readers feeling cut off, which I greatly appreciated.
I'd strongly recommend this to people who enjoyed mysteries at a young age and which to continue reading similar books even as a young adult. I rate the book 8.5/10
~Mushu

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is the tale of a narrator as he goes around his old town, uncovering more details about the murder of Santiago Nasar, a victim who was killed of a crime he might not have committed, and faced a brutal attack the whole town was capable of preventing.
For those of you who have not yet read this very popular short book, it is especially recognized because of the completely different approach Marquez takes to storytelling. From the beginning, readers already know who the victim is, and who stabbed him. Yet the question remains of who is truly guilty for the events which occurred. As the plot goes on, we learn the motives of each of the characters, and what role they played in the crime. Everyone in the town knew the murder would take place before it did, yet nothing was done to stop it. This provides fascinating insight (and kind of a commentary) on the bystander effect. I am almost certain this is why schools make students read this.
The unique and fascinating approach Marquez uses makes this book worth reading, and the plot itself isn't bad either. The delivery at times is confusing, so I especially emphasize the importance to carefully read the whole book. It is very short, but still a good read.
I rate this book a 7.5/10 for the great writing.
~Mushu

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

 I will admit it. I have a major obsession for dark, morbid stories. But this really is such a good book.

Jasper Dent, aka Jazz, is the son of the notorious serial killer Billy Dent. Ever since the passing of his mother which he struggles to remember, Jazz has been raised in the way Dear old Dad thought was best- how to murder people. Because of his upbringing, Jazz is conflicted between his sociopathic instincts and his humanity. When dead bodies start piling up, each mimicking the styles of Billy Dent's past kills, people obviously point fingers at Jazz. But how can Jazz even begin to defend himself, when he isn't even sure if he's all that innocent? By tracking down that killer, of course.

I absolutely adored this book. It's very unique and dives deep into the way a sociopath (probably) thinks. There's incredible detail on every single thing. Unfortunately that  increases just how bad this would be for a squeamish person. But if you like gore then by all means. The ending was pretty good, with a haunting openness to it, but I personally found what happened in the last chapter (not the epilogue) a bit strange for a last chapter. Otherwise I loved it.

 

I'd rate the book a 9.5/10
~Mushu

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

 The City of a Thousand Dolls was created to house orphan girls to prevent them from dying after being abandoned on the streets. There they grow up under different houses to be trained for a better future, whether being married off or becoming an apprentice. Nisha was left at the gates to the city at a young age, but rather than being assigned a house, she became the assistant of the head mistress. Despite several hardships, Nisha's future seems promising until girls mysteriously start being found dead within the city. The city was supposed to be the safest place for them. With the help of her cat friends, Nisha decides to find out what's causing these deaths, and learn more about her true identity along the way.

This book was pretty interesting with a very unique and complex plot.There's a large number of characters, which makes things a bit difficult at first. There were also some things I found a bit odd like character personalities, but that is my own opinion. Out of everything else, I mostly liked the ending.

I rate this book a 6.8/10

~Mushu

Who Done It? by Jon Scieszka

 Who Done It is a collection of shorts written by several well-known authors. They're all testimonies proving their innocence (or not) involving the murder of the infamous editor, Herman Q. Mildew.

This book itself is a really fun concept and it was quite enjoyable to see all the different ways the authors wrote out their story. It makes me wonder how the whole thing was pulled together so nicely. I especially liked what was written by the authors I knew, and some were indeed very creative. As if that wasn't great enough, there was even a twist at the end.

I highly suggest this book because of how clever it was. Not to mention that I'm willing to bet at least one of your favorite authors wrote a chapter in it.

I rate the book a 8/10

~Mushu

The Land of Elyon Series by Patrick Carmen

 The Land of Elyon is a series of books about the main character, Alexa, who has spent her life living behind big walls that were said to protect her and the people of the city. Alexa has always dreamed of finding a way outside and to explore the world. When she does, a world full of wonders and mysteries is revealed. There are talking animals, magical powers, and so many adventures! But it's also complete with dangers she could never dream of.                                                                                                                  This series has five books in total: The Dark Hills Divide, Beyond the Valley of Thorns, The Tenth City, Into the Mist and Stargazer. I feel like there were more books, but I guess not. Though the books are fairly thin, a lot happens. This series was really good but it seems the first book doesn't really match with the rest of the series- though they do end up tying it together at the end. There were a lot of twists and suspense, and it was overall a very interesting read.

I usually kind of hate books about some person who feels trapped in their regulated community and just wants to be a rebel and escape- but it's not like that. And if you do like that sort of book, go ahead and read this anyway. It's still good.

I'd recommend this series to people of any age because it's certainly okay for children, and it's always fun to read a kid's book no matter how old you get.

I'd rate this whole series a 8.75/10 because though it was really good, it could've been better at some parts.

~Mushu

Walk of the Sprirts by Richie Tankersley Cuisick

This book is about Miranda Barnes, a girl who just moved away from her old life in Florida and isn't so sure she wants to get used to this new one in St. Yvette. There's something weird around her, whispers, shadows, and those pleading voices. Slowly she'll come to understand that she has a gift like her grandfather. She can communicate with spirits and she'll have to find some way to put them in peace.
Okay, not the best summary but believe me, this is one of the best books ever! There was the thrill of the mystery, and the author was great at portraying that amazing friendship we all hope to find. I also love how there was a connection between Miranda's life and the spirits. I read this book a long time ago, and it's still one of my favorites.
The writing's good, the plot's good and it was such an amazing story. Please be sure to read it! I highly recommend it to anyone, especially those who like reading about spirits and such.
I'd rate this book 10/10 (maybe even more than that.)
~Mushu

Shadow Mirror by Richie Tankersley Cuisick

This is the sequel to the book, Walk of the Spirits. Because I really liked Walk of the Spirits, my expectations were really high for this book. Maybe too high?
Miranda Barnes still needs a little time to get used to her abilities, but the spirits aren't willing to wait for her to get comfortable. She begins to recieve unsettling images and visions from looking into the mirror, and especially when she goes to the plantation, Belle Chandelle. Miranda will soon find herself caught up in her own romance and the tradgedy dwelling around her.
I didn't really like the beginning of this book. It didn't get interesting untill Miranda found out what exactly she was supposed to do. Of course I still loved the connections and the snuggly friendships. This book was good, but not quite as good as the first. You'd be fine only reading the first book and never reading this one. I think there may be a third one though, and if there is, I'm reading it.
I'd rate this book 8/10
~Mushu

Kill You Last by Todd Strasser

Kill You Last is about a girl, Shelby, whose father becomes a prime suspect concerning the wherabouts of some missing girls after they each had a headshot taken by her father, a photographer. Life is getting really hard for Shelby and now she's not even sure who she can trust. And the main mystery is: what does her father have to do with these girls? And what happened to them, exactly?
I thought this was an amazing plot with great writing and I just loved it. It was a nice mystery that kept me wanting to find out what would happen next and there's even a big twist at the end. I would have never guessed it. The book wasn't actually all that scary though it sounds like it would be and though I usually find mystery a tad annoying, this wasn't.
It is also part of a "thrill-ology" but you don't need to read the other books. I didn't.
I highly suggest this to those who love a good mystery. Even if you just like a thin plot, the book's short so it'll be fine. Now if you don't like those little mystery books, try it anyway. I recommend it.
I'd rate this book a 10/10
~Mushu



I'm just going to flat out say it: this was a pretty good book but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It had like good writing and plot and all - I was totally hooked in the beginning and the ending was pretty good, too - but the Prologue or whatever was something that happened later in the book, so I was just getting pretty confused. Also, I felt like what happened to Gabriel was just overkill and that shouldn't have happened.

All in all I would rate this book a 8/10 because it was pretty good just that those extra things pushed it over the top and made it too much for one book. Also I would recommend this book to anyone who likes creepy books or horror or murder or stuff like that.

-Flounder

The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis

This was one of the most amazing books I have ever read. I'm asuming this book was originally written in German because that's where the book takes place and it was translated. Unfortunately, I don't know who the translator was but give them credit too; they did an amazing job in translating! I'd most definately suggest this book to anyone.
The book is about Anna, a good girl, and Abel, a rough-looking kind of guy who is actually very nice and simply trying to take care of his younger sister, Micah. After slowly getting to know Abel more and more, Anna gets to hear the beautiful fairy-tale which Abel tells his sister. Abel has many problems living the way he does, and Anna is more than willing to help, if Abel would just let her. But then when people messing with Abel wind up dead, all fingers point to Abel himself. Anna can't help but wonder- is she in love with a murderer?
I wasn't drawn in right away, but I soon enough was! The writing of this book is very formal and I'd just recently read a teen fiction so I guess I just wasn't prepared. At times I was a little confused, but everything quickly made sense after I read on. The plot was very thick and there were so many twists in the story, it was hard to ever put the book down.
Someone once told me, "American stories often have basically happy endings. Well, you should read a European story. It's much more meaningful and realistic." Very true. In the end, everything somewhat turned out alright, but not everything was perfect. It was so, so sad I was about to cry. And I don't usually cry over books. It was also kind of mature... So if you can stomach an extremely sad and mature story, DEFINATELY, without a doubt, read The Storyteller. The only thing you will regret is not reading it sooner. And sorry this is so long...
I'll rate this book a 10/10
~Mushu

The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy Hoobler

Personally, I found this title wasn't exactly good. Usually the title is something important, or deep and related, or something. You think the book would be all about the ghost but it kind of isn't.
I read this book for school and I liked how it was short but fit the requirements. Unlike most historical fiction, I was not totally bored at the beginning. I was actually interested all the way through!
It is about Seikei, a merchant's boy who wants to be a samurai. Seikei was the only witness who saw the theif who stole a lord's ruby. Because of this, he goes on an adventure with Judge Ooka to uncover the thief, but they will also uncover a great many more things.
There was a big, wonderful semi-plot twist that the autor indirectly hinted at in the end. I liked that. I also liked how at the very end, there is a scene that kind of explains the confusing parts on how the Judge solved the mystery. There was a nice, happy ending so even though there is a sequel, I do not intend to read it.
I'd suggest this book to people interested in Japanese culture, historical fiction or mystery
And I'd rate this book a 8.5/10
~Mushu