I mean really, just scroll down the last few posts and they're mostly all book reviews - books I got for FREE!
Those of you who've been to my house and have seen the 9 crammed-full overflowing bookshelves realize how exciting this is for me. Don't even ask how many books (read and unread) are on my kindle. And iBooks. And audible audio books. SHUT UP.
The books, they make me happy.
AND LOOK HOW MUCH I AM HELPING WITH YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING RIGHT NOW!
In fact, here's a new review for a BRAND NEW SERIES (wooooohoooo!) by one of my beloved favorite authors, Taylor Stevens.
You'll probably recognize her name because I've reviewed several of her books in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series - so natch I was very excited to *UNEXPECTEDLY* receive an ARC of this new Jack & Jill series.
This is not a 5th grade book report, so don't expect all the delicious details of the book here.
For that you must GO BUY THE BOOK AND READ IT. (You really should pre-order yours right this minute. Order a couple for your friends. I'll wait.)
So let me say this: If you go into this expecting something like Vanessa Michael Munroe, you're going to be disappointed, so you need to lay that aside right now. Pretend this is a debut novel (which it kind of is, series-wise) and go from there.
The book is all action from the jump - it's like opening your front door and stepping into a tornado.
I like that. I like it A LOT.
Also? To be honest I did not find most of the main characters to be likeable in the most generic sense of the word. (Likable? Why do I never know how to spell that word? IT LOOKS WEIRD)
Fortunately that's not a deal-breaker for me, as long as the characters are interesting and intriguing and engaging, which these certainly were, with bright flashes of snark and humor here and there.
Like that TV show Scandal - by season 4 the only people I cared about were the assassins and I was all on their side. This was sort of like that.
This family...kind of like Spy Kids. Grown-up Spy Kids on crack in Bizarroworld. I mean that in the best possible way. Sibling rivalry, paranoia, and frayed but unbreakable family ties are taken to a whoooole other level.
Plus single mom with boy/girl twins? THIS IS MY ACTUAL FOR REALS LIFE. #TrueStory
Now I feel like I've failed my kids in some way by not teaching them spycraft. Or learning it for myself, which would be awesome. Seriously I can always tell when I've been watching & reading too many thrillers because I find myself constantly checking for a 'tail' whenever I leave the house because YOU KNOW I AM SO IMPORTANT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHAT I AM UP TO. #NotActuallyTrueAboutBeingImportant
The characters, their lives, their history - all fleshed out in little nibbles throughout each chapter.
If you're one of those people who just feels like they MUST figure out all the twists and WHODUNIT and the end game long before you get to the end...JUST. STOP IT.
Seriously. Put it away and read on.
There are hints and teases and bite-size clues...just let the story carry you along.
By the time I got to the end, I was dazed in the best kind of way, AND I'd found a character I really liked in the good way. The ending is something that so many *series* authors have trouble writing to my personal satisfaction; often it's either too much of a cliffhanger or you don't know where they can take the storyline into the next book or there are too many loose ends left dangling.
HOWEVER, Taylor has mastered this art by leaving the ending open enough to give a glimpse into where the next book might go while also managing to tie up the majority of loose ends and leaving just enough cliffhanger to be mysteriously exciting but not frustrating as though the book were missing the final 2 chapters or something.
So, long story short (TOO LATE!) - pre-order the book. It will be released on DECEMBER 18 so get your order in NOW. Kindle, paper, audio - one for you and one for a friend because HELLO CHRISTMAS!
Spread the book love. Let's be Iceland together.
**stuff I have to disclose: YES I was given a free ARC copy (that was totes unexpected, THANK YOU SO MUCH KENSINGTON BOOKS!! YOU ARE MY FAVORITE!). NO I was not told I had to actually write a review NOR was I told what any such review needed to say.
MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN and I SAY WHAT I SAY and THAT IS THAT.
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