reviews

Another Day, Another Dystopia Author: Kate Ormand These days, the terms “YA” and “dystopian” seem almost interchangeable, considering the glut of titles featuring spunky, rebellious teen heroines fighting against futuristic authoritarian regimes. Dark Days, the debut novel by Kate Ormand, is yet another addition to the lineup, and its standard-issue plot and uninspired writing aren’t enough to make it stand out in the ever-growing crowd. In the near future, some sort of plague-type calamity has slashed the human population. What was left of humanity gathered in planned communities called “sectors” for safety, leaving much of the planet abandoned. As life [...]

Go On, Girl Author:C.L. Taylor Anyone else feel like there’s a ton of “mentally unstable wife investigates secretive, sinister husband” thrillers coming out lately? I’ve read so many of them that I even made a Spouses with Secrets reading list, in case you’re as addicted to them as I am. Before I Wake (not to be confused with Before I Go to Sleep — see what I mean??) offers an intriguingly unreliable narrator, but her erratic mental state creates some nagging plausibility issues as the plot unfolds. Susan Jackson is a fortysomething wife and mother who seems to have it [...]

The Quick, But Mostly the Dead Author: Lauren Owen [Spoiler alert: this review contains what is apparently a fairly major plot twist/spoiler, although I don’t see how you can usefully discuss the book without it and I don’t think that knowing it will impair your enjoyment. So if you don’t want to know the so-called Big Twist of this book, don’t read a single sentence of this review!] To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have read The Quick if I’d realized it was a vampire book. So maybe it’s just as well that I didn’t know beforehand, because this violent, [...]