Future Release: I Hunt Killers and Giveaway

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Publication date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown

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

Let me start off by saying that I Hunt Killers is for a more mature YA audience. Little, Brown recommends it for 15 and up and I would have to agree. With that being said...

I really enjoyed it.

I was sucked in from the very first line:
By the time Jazz got to the field outside town, yellow police tape was everywhere, strung from stake to stake in a sort of drunken, off-kilter hexagon. -quote taken from the ARC

This is the first book in a series of I don't know how many, and there is a lot to set-up for the next book, but I was never bored while reading. The author places many red herrings throughout, so I was constantly guessing and going back and forth as to who the killer was. Lyga does a great job of keeping the reader invested in the story and invested in Jazz. I couldn't help but love him. Jazz, raised by a serial killer and groomed to be one himself, is in a constant struggle with who he is and who he will (or won't) become. The cast of secondary characters aren't as complex as Jazz (nor should they be!), but I found them just as entertaining. On a quick side-note, Jazz's girlfriend, Connie, is African-American and I would like to give kudos to Lyga for including an interracial couple in his novel. It's not something one sees much in YA. Now back to the review:

The book is about serial killers so it has its fair share of gore. Some of the descriptions of the murder victims  are very intense which, I believe, is where the 15 and up rating comes in. These scenes aren't the most disgusting ones I've ever read, but they're still pretty strong for a young adult novel so fair warning. Also, there is a lot of use of  cursing. If you are offended by this (I admit it was a bit too much cursing than I'm comfortable with), I leave it up to you to make your decision. I started the book not knowing that there are going to be more so as I got towards the end and realized it wasn't "ending," I rolled my eyes and heaved a sigh. Another book with a sequel. It's okay, though, because once I reached the end, I didn't mind it. For a cliffhanger, I actually really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one! I'm also looking forward to the television show it is currently being turned into. I'm curious as to how they'll adapt it...

I Hunt Killers isn't for everyone. I think it's for that special audience who is in love with Dexter (I, personally, can't handle that one!) and never misses an episode of Criminal Minds. If this sounds like you, I hope you pick it up in April and give it a read! If not, just know I think it's pretty great.

Please read my contest policy before entering!
This giveaway is US/Canada only.

Review: Variant

By courtesy of the back of the book:

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be a ticket out of his dead-end life. He was wrong. Now he's trapped in a school surrounded by a razor-wire fence, where video cameras monitor his every move - and where breaking the rules equals death. When he stumbles upon the school's real secret, he realizes that escape may be impossible.

I found Variant to be a fast-paced and exciting dystopian thriller. I would have read it all in one sitting if I could have. In fact, I hated myself every time I had to put it down and I don't think my self-esteem will ever recover. But you know what? It was worth it.

I really really liked Variant (really really??) and I honestly don't know what else to say about it. Robison Wells did a great job on the action and suspense. The atmosphere inside the school had a very "Lord of the Flies" vibe to it and the whole scenario felt realistic, that is, until a certain twist around the middle of the book which I will not name here. And then there was the other twist at the end...Okay, the book was full of turning points and I loved every minute of it. There were a few times I wanted to personally kick some doors down at that school and let the kids free. "BE FREE, MY CHILDREN!" is what I would scream. And then I would hug them and make them call me Aunt Angie.

Regarding the ending, Variant's cliffhanger is either one of the worst cliffhangers ever or one of the best. I felt the exact same way about Bick's ASHES, so if you've read that then you know how I'm feeling right now.

Can't wait for the second in the series! I recommend that you let Variant replace that hole in your heart once you finish The Maze Runner trilogy.

Review: The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray

I want to give a review of a book that's been out for about seven years and one that I had never heard of (P.S. I usually like to pretend I've heard of everything). I am aware of who the author Chris Wooding is, but I was not familiar at all with his book The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray until a co-worker placed it into my hands and told me I needed to read it. So I read it, and now I want to share it with you.

Wooding introduces us to an alternative Victorian-like London where seventeen-year-old Thaniel Fox lives and works as a wych-hunter, a hunter of the daemonic wych-kin. It's when Thaniel meets Alaizabel Cray that his entire world changes. It happens that an evil occult is beginning to take over London, and Thaniel's new companion may be at the center of it.

The prose in this book is incredible. It reads at such a smooth pace and the details, particularly the action scenes, are so descriptive it's like watching a movie. The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray is a young adult Gothic thriller at its best. Wooding's London streets are haunted by wych-kin, wolves, thieves, and a very disturbing serial killer named Stitch-Face. The novel, itself, is intelligent, shocking, creepy, dark, and will keep you turning the pages until you've reached the last; I didn't want it to end. Wooding has an amazing imagination and that imagination has made the book an intensely suspenseful read; something to keep you up at night.