Harper | August 2020 | 368 pgs
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Final Cut is a psychological thriller that explores themes such as identity and memory.
Alex is a young documentary filmmaker on her way to a quiet fishing village in Blackwood Bay to shoot a new film. Her assignment is simple as all she needs is to have the residents to record and tell their own stories; more like an observation of the residents' life and the little things happening around them. Blackwood Bay may look like a quaint village at first glance, but actually there were a few unfortunate incidents that happened ten years ago -- a girl who committed suicide and another two girls went missing. Alex knew about them; after all she knew these girls after having lived there since she was young. She intends to find out more about the mystery behind these girls' fate, though her appearance and her work at Blackwood Bay have already put tension and raise suspicions in the town which is already on edge.
But, there's also some backstory about Alex's past which the reader will find out as the story progresses, like her dissociative amnesia and how her partial returning memories will impact on her findings and have the reader question about her credibility as well as the people surrounding her. What really happened to those girls ten years ago and why is Alex still drawn to the village despite the things that happened there?
Final Cut has a great premise and in exploring the character's traumatised mind and the consequences that follow especially since her findings involve assumptions and snippets of her returning memory, which may or may not reliable, thus enabling her an unreliable narrator in the process. While there's much potential and intrigue in the premise and the beginning of the story initially, the storyline fell flat towards the middle and from there it became repetitive as Alex seemed to be doing the same thing and kept asking questions which no one knew (or were willing) to tell her. With not much resolution in sight, it lost its intensity and momentum and while the pace picked up in the last few chapters, my interest had waned and the ending was meh to me. Overall, I loved the first half of the story, but the other half was simply disappointing.
© 2020 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Kensington | July 2020 | 368 pgs
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Forensic reconstructionist Rory Moore and her psychologist partner, Lane Phillips, have made their first appearance in Charlie Donlea's previous novel, Some Choose Darkness. While this is the second book of the Rory Moore/Lane Phillips series, it could be read as a stand-alone.
On 21st June 2019 in Peppermill, Indiana, two students are found brutally murdered at an abandoned boarding house situated near the prestigious Westmont Preparatory High School. The boarding house is a popular late-night hangout among selected students who are invited to participate in some sort of a dare game so as to earn recognition and carry on the "tradition" to the next batch of unsuspecting juniors. Initial investigations led the police to suspect Charles Gorman, who is the students' chemistry teacher after they found his manifesto detailing what he'd do to some of his boisterous students. But before the police could take further actions, Charles commits suicide but ended up in a vegetative state. Without an affirmative statement, the police shut the case based on his manifesto although some questions remain unanswered.
The case is later picked up by Mack Carter a year later for his podcast channel he called The Suicide House and it has since attracted many listeners to discuss the theories and conclusions about the discoveries made during the episode to the Internet and social media. Journalist Ryder Hillier intends to piggyback on the success of Mack's podcast and pull him in onto her plan to work together; after all she had sounded the alarms first and had done her research and posted all her findings in her true-crime blog. But just as they thought they've found a student who was present on that fateful night, he is later believed to have committed suicide before they could get anything out from him. Earlier, there were two students who had done the same near the boarding house and with so many puzzling threads floating around, this is when Rory and Lane come into the picture to look into the case which seems to be related to the two gruesome murders a year ago. What really happened on that fateful night a year ago and what dark secrets lie inside the walls of Westmont High?
Be prepared to take a wild reading ride in this psychological thriller because there's a lot of stuff going on here. There are multiple POVs and characters alongside Rory and Lane; then there are flashbacks and journal entries which dictate the perp's inner thoughts and not to mention Rory and Lane's findings. However, the reading experience got better once I was into the story as I find they're all nicely linked and it was good to know each respective background though it could be confusing initially. While it wasn't hard to guess the perpetrator in the end, the strength of this book lies in the dark and foreboding atmosphere as well as the author's engaging writing style. I look forward to reading more of this series.
© 2020 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Penguin Publishing Group | February 2020 | 336 pgs
Source: Purchased
In November 1982, twenty-year-old Vivian Delaney had gone missing from The Sun Down Motel. She was working as a night clerk there. She'd always wanted to leave her town in Illinois and go to New York City to become a new person. She often viewed herself as the problem daughter; and after her parents' divorce she figured she could simply leave home but a hitching ride had landed her at The Sun Down Motel. Without much money and the need to find accommodation, she agreed to become a night clerk at Sun Down after the owner learnt about her situation. But Sun Down wasn't a popular place; and Viv was spooked by its creepy atmosphere and some paranormal activities after working there for a few nights. Despite her fear, Viv decided to find out about the secrets surrounding Sun Down and soon learned that there's something more terrifying than the ghosts there.
Thirty-five years later, 20-year-old Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv's disappearance. Since watching her mother grieved in silence and finally losing her to cancer, it dawned on Carly that life is short and she has questions she needs to find answers to -- such as her aunt Viv's disappearance and why there wasn't much media coverage or a statewide search? With these in mind, she decides to move to Fell, NY, and visit the motel where her aunt was last seen at. Despite years have passed and things have changed, Sun Down remains as what it is since 1982. And Carly will soon find herself ensnare in the same mysteries that claimed her aunt. What lurks behind Sun Down and why Viv and Carly decided to stay despite everything?
Creepy atmosphere, unsettling and intriguing. These are the three main factors that had me hooked to this story from the beginning till the end. Reading this book was a treat because it combines a mystery and a ghost story -- two of my favourite genres and on top of it, I adore Simone St. James' writing (she has a knack for writing Gothic stuff.) I've been a fan after reading The Broken Girls (and a few others, too) and I'm glad to report this was as good as TBG. The setting, the characterisations and the plot are all so mesmerising that I couldn't even choose a favourite (even the ghostly parts are good, though they're sad.) The same applies to Viv and Carly since I find both of their life stories and their investigative findings equally interesting through the dual timeline and narratives. While there are some parts which I find to be a bit unbelievable, it didn't deter my reading pleasure so this shows how much I enjoyed the book. As always, it's fun to buddy read with Lark and please do check out her review, too!
Below are her questions to me pertaining to this book:
1. Who did you like better or thought was a stronger character, Viv or Carly? Why?
I thought Viv and Carly are equally strong characters and they stand on their own. However, Viv's voice may be a bit more catching considering she's the core of this story. That said, both of them are special in their own ways and I liked them a lot.
2. Being a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel seems like a pretty bad job to me. Would you do it? What's the worst job you've ever had?
I've to say I'm not much of a night owl so night shift jobs are absolutely out for me. I think my worst job is working as a temporary position selling drinks at a theme park (that theme park was long closed). I was waiting for my GCE O-Level results and like many of my schoolmates, I figured it'd be good to earn some allowances while passing the time at the same time. While it wasn't a bad job, the challenges lie in dealing with some difficult customers and not to mention transporting the beverage cylinders from one point to another (never mind if there's hand trolley. It's still challenging especially if there's a slope!) That said, working in servicing industry is never easy and I appreciate the staffs for their hard work.
© 2020 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Harper Voyager | May 2020 | 416 pgs
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
This is the last book of Jessie Mihalik's Consortium Rebellion trilogy and well, I was sad to see it end (but what a fun trilogy it was!)
Catarina von Hasenberg is the youngest member of her High House and is often being underestimated by her family though her bubbly personality mask a clever mind and a fierce determination. In the previous book (Aurora Blazing), the von Hasenbergs are still reeling over the treachery and the capture of the oldest son and heir so Catarina figures she'd be the best person to go undercover at a rival House's summer retreat so as to gather information and find out whoever is behind her brother's capture.
However, Catarina's wish of working solo is dashed when her overprotective older sister, Bianca, assigns Alexander Sterling as her bodyguard (or lovers in public to steer away unnecessary attention). Bianca and her acquaintance with Alexander was explained in the last book, so it's understandable to see why Alexander is so adamant about following her request. And since Catarina possesses a strong individualism, it was interesting to see their differences gradually led to a solid alliance and then attractions when they finally acknowledge the unspoken sparks between them.
I enjoyed this finale slightly more than Aurora Blazing, partly because it has more actions and there are stakes that are running high. Catarina was a strong character that easily captures a reader's attention through her warm and feisty personality, but she has secrets which she'd kept since young -- an experimental project done on her by her father to mold her into a super soldier. While she gave others a false impression that the experiment failed, the contempt she'd carried continues till her adulthood, though her other siblings feel the same towards their father, too.
While I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, this combination of interplanetary adventures and romance was a joy to read. Recommend to read from book 1, Polaris Rising, as there are some events and threads which are interwoven into the books' plotlines.
© 2020 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Harper Voyager| October 2019| 400 pgs
Source: Purchased
I was hooked by the first book (Polaris Rising) of this Consortium Rebellion trilogy featuring three siblings from High House von Hasenberg so I dived into this second installment with a high expectation (if you love sci-fi and romance, perhaps you should try reading this trilogy. Could be read as a standalone but I'd suggest reading them in order).
Bianca von Hasenberg did her duty by marrying for convenience and when her husband died unexpectedly, many speculated if she's something to do with his death but in truth, she did nothing but one thing for sure, she's definitely living her life happier and freer than before. However, politics and power will always exist and when their oldest brother disappears after an attack, Bianca decides to search for him despite their father's order and this led him to sending Ian Bishop, the director of House von Hasenberg security to bring her back.
Bianca has a vast of connections, and in no time she's able to trace the links to rival House Rockhurst territory. But Ian is persistent and infuriating like no one else; and of course he eventually caught her after some chase across the universe. Bianca stand her ground in finding her brother, even if it means allowing Ian to follow her around and take charge whenever they encounter some obstacles. But most of all, would she be able to believe in love again after an unhappy marriage?
Aurora Blazing was an enjoyable read in terms of the world-building and the family dynamics in the High House von Hasenberg, but it was a slow burn compared to its first book. However, it was justified considering Bianca's backstory and how she came to be that person today both physically and mentally. Ian was another intriguing character, but he received much lesser attention compared to Bianca, thus adding a sense of mystery around him. Their interactions took up most of the story; and it wasn't a surprise to see that their romance took a while to blossom considering their stubborn and hotheaded personalities. While I still liked Polaris Rising a little more than this book, the characters development and the plot remain as good and I'm currently reading the last book of this trilogy, Chaos Reigning, which features the youngest daughter of High House von Hasenberg. While I hate to see this series come to an end, I'll be curious to know what she has in store next.
© 2020 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
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