Kristin Cashore: Graceling

In the first in the series, Kristin Cashore takes readers on a journey to save not only a child but a Kingdom:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with just her hand since she was a child. She is a Graceling, blessed with a a special ability, an extreme skill that cannot be matched. Once her Graceling status was known she was given to the King to be his personal hit squad. Katsa accepted her life a long time ago, but then another Graceling who challenges everything she knows and is good at, Po. Katsa begins to question things as Po makes her think more about her Graceling ability and When someone in Po's family needs help, she will do anything to actually do something good with her abilities. But the road ahead is a dangerous one, enemies are made and not all will be the same when this is done.

I have heard nothing about good things about this series and about Katsa as a character. I really enjoyed this story and I was able to read it almost in one sitting. Cashore was able to draw me into the story right away with the idea of Gracelings and Katsa as a character. 

I loved Katsa as a character she knows who she is and what she wants and what she wants to do with her Graceling powers, but that was not how she started in the world. When she first discovers that she has the ability to beat anyone in a fight at eight, there are those that take advantage of her ability for murder and torture. It is as Katsa grows up she become more and more uncomfortable doing what she is told and the acts she is being told to do. She finds her inner strength and a new purpose in life. 

I think one of my favourite things in the book was the relationship between her and Po, it is so sweet and honest and full of emotions especially the farther you read into the story. Po is also a Graceling, so he understands some of things that Katsa has gone through but he had a very different upbringing that her. 

My main critique about the book I wasn't a fan of how the book was written, very paragraph heavy to the point that it felt clunky in the executions. Each new paragraph was almost always a new point in time, a new scene. This also meant that the book had longer chapters due to this fact. I wish that she broke it up a bit more in terms of chapters instead of paragraphs.

Although I enjoyed this book in the sense of Characters and Story how it was written really made it hard to read at times, that I don't think I will continue on in the series, especially as Katsa's story is wrapped up in this book. But i did enjoy this book overall.

Enjoy!!!!

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Liann Zhang: Julie Chan is Dead

In her debut novel Liann Zhang asks the question would you take over your Twin's Life?

Julie Chan has nothing, is nothing, lives a mundane life that is really going no where. This is complete contrast to her twin Sister Chloe, who has become a social media influencer and seems to have everything going for her. Julie and Chloe have not been in contact since they were separated at a young age, other than one video Chloe made using Julie. When Julie receives a call from Chloe out of no where, Julie feels she should go to Chloe. What she finds is Chloe's dead body and everyone thinking that she is Chloe. Does Julie dare to become Chloe, go into the life that has coveted from afar. But once Julie becomes Chloe she realizes that being an influencer is harder than one thinks, and that Chloe's life is not all it seems.

I personally love reading debut novels, to hear the new voices that are coming out in the literary world. The premise of this book had me hitting read extremely fast and even questioning if i had a twin and had the opportunity to take over their life would i? This is a theme that Zhang explores in the first part of the book, can Julie truly becomes Chloe and make those around her believe that she is actually Chloe as they have grown up so differently. There is also the need for Julie to try to find out why Chloe died and what better way to do it than pretend to be her, you can find friends and enemies a lot easer that way. I was in I was invested and then, What the actual F*** happens halfway through this book? 

This book takes a huge left turn that I was not expecting, but was warned something was going to happen but not what it was and I don't think i ever would have predicted that the book would take this turn. This is to the point where the books feel like two different books, that Zhang had two ideas (and I think great ideas) that Zhang decided to meld them together, but didn't quite make it.

Am I upset about this strange turn of events, Yes and No. Yes, because this book became something I was not expecting it to be and seemed so different from the beginning of the book and what i thought I was going to get. But then No at the same time as Zhang took a risk with this and deciding to go this way.

I liked that this book highlights what it takes to be a social media influencer, and I don't think that Zhang is far off in the first half of the book. The amount of content they are making and expected to make, how they feel the need to share everything in their life and that those who portray "healthy lives" are nothing but unhealthy (both physically and mentally).

Julie felt like such a real character to me, her life and her jealousy over Chloe's life and missing the twin that she had before they were separated as children. I cant blame Julie for the choices she makes or what she feels, it felt raw and real.

I was not a fan of the ending of this book either. You can tell Zhang tried to do something a bit different and normally I'm all about that, but it just didn't work here.

I would try another book by Zhang as I think the book was well written and the ideas she presented, just not together in one book. I think once Zhang can focus on just one amazing idea she will have a killer book.

Cheers!!!

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Alison Gaylin: The Collective

In the Collective, Alison Gaylin shows the lengths that grieving parents will go to, to make sure those who hurt their loved ones suffer:

Camille, is angry, grieving, mother, who for the past 5 years has had to watch the person who raped and murdered her daughter go free, have a clean record and have the world act like he was never involved in the crime, all because he had the money to get away with it. Camille has had enough, she is determined to show the world what type of "man" he truly is. Camille's actions bring her to the attention of a secret group on the dark web, one that makes sure those who got away from crimes are punished. Camille feels a sisterhood, a kinship to all those in the collective and if she can help even in small ways to bring justice to other mother's out there, she will do it. But the longer Camille is part of the Collective the more she learns not just about herself but the Collective as well and it will have her questioning everything.

This is the first book that I have read by Gaylin and it will not be the last. I do not know if I am the first one to say this but this book is what I wanted Kill for Me Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh to be (yes that very hyped book from last year), yep I said it. I found that this book had more depth, more emotion and even though it is more of a slow burn thriller at times i just felt connected to Camille that I was reading as fast as I could. Gaylin does such a great job in pulling the reader in. This made me invested in Camille right from the beginning, I wanted to know how far she would go, what limits the Collective would push her to and then thinking what would be my limit? Would I go this far? 

Personally, I cannot blame Camille for what she wants to happen to her daughter’s rapist and murderer. I think any parent would have many of the same feelings that she expresses throughout the book. Gaylin makes Camille feel like a real person and her honesty of what she wants is not sugar coated at all and it is dark at times. I like how Gaylin showed the decline in Camille's mental state throughout the beginning of the book and how helping the Collective seems to help her in some way. Although as you read further into the books there is a secondary plot that unfolds, this book is very much driven by Camille and her story.

That Ending.....now that is an ending. Way to go Gaylin. 

I really enjoyed this book, I like that Gaylin was able to make me feel so connected to Camille and at times takes the story in a way that I did not fully expect. I look forward to reading another book by Gaylin.

Enjoy!!!

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Sabaa Tahir: A Torch Against the night

In the second book in her Ember in the Ashes Series, Sabaa Tahir, the Main Characters are running for their lives as Dark forces continue to stalk them:

Elias and Laia are running for their lives and they are running from someone who know Elias better than anyone, so they have to be more cunning, more secretive, more fierce in order to escape, in order to prevent the continued genocide of the Scholars. But unhuman dark forces chase after them, death stalks them and there are those who would do anything to break them apart.

I don't think it needs to be said but I will say it anyways, you will need to read the first book An Ember in the Ashes before reading this book as this book starts up right after the first book left off. The first book also sets up the characters, relationship and how we got to this place in the story.

I'm obsessed with this series so far. I love that this book picked up right where the first ended as it not only ended on a cliff hanger but so much chaos as well. I did not want to put this book down and would have read it in one day if I could have. The stakes were even higher in the book due to the event of the first books and you feel these stakes in all of the POV. This book will give you a spectrum of feelings from Triumph to heartbreak several times within the book, but it never slows down (Tahir knows what she is doing with pacing).

I loved that there are still three POV in this book and that Helene is now getting more chapters. Her POV is much different from the other two as she is not where she want to be and not whom she wants to be with but she does her duty any way. The obstacles that are placed in her way along her journey in this book are devastating and heartbreaking at times. Unlike the first book I feel like we really get to know Helene as a character. 

I don't think I can say enough how much I have enjoyed this book and this series so far. I am invested in all the characters and was to see where Tahir takes each other their stories as we well as the world they live in. Cannot wait to read the next book in this series and I cannot recommend enough starting this series. You will not be disappointed.

Enjoy!!!!

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Hannah Kaner: Sunbringer

In the follow-up to the First Book God Killer, Hannah Kaner shows while one fight was won, the War is still to come:

Kissen had finally succeeded in killing the God that has haunted her since her childhood. Kissen is a GodKiller and her destiny had lead to that moment, when she dragged her to the sea. Inara, Skedi and Elogast all believe that Kissen has died and must return to Kissens home to tell her family. Along the way they soon realize that all is not what they seem, their Victory was not as complete as it should have been and a New God is rising, SunBringer and may they just set the world to War.

I love that Kaner started this book right after the first one left off. We don't have to wonder what has happened in a time gap. Our heroes are scattered in this book but you knew that Kaner was going to have to bring them back together eventually, you just don't know how and what shape they are going to be in. I think because that the hero's are scattered away that the book reads a bit slower than the first book. That Kaner now has to take time to explain each of their motivations than them being set on one central goal. 

I really enjoyed Kissan’s POV again even though if felt that she had the least amount of page time of our heroes. I love that Kissan tries to stay true to herself and her belief about Gods, but at the same time she understands that there are things bigger than her.

Inara has quite a bit of growth in this book and really comes into herself but in a child appropriate way. She does not fully understanding everything that is happening around her and the choices and actions one takes can have dire consequences no only for her but those around her as well.

I still love Skedi but i did feel like he took a backseat to Inara in this book.

I can’t wait to read the third book, to see where Kaner takes the story and the character, especially after the events in this book and how much many of the characters have changed and how much the world has changed around them as well.

Enjoy!!!!

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Ilona Andrews: Clean Sweep

In the first of a new series, Ilona Andrews brings a who new meaning to Inn Keeper:

On the outside, Dina runs a quant Inn and bed in Breakfast in a Victorian Style House. The Inn has been struggling for a bit but all of Dina's neighbours know she is determine to make it work. But normal is far from what Dina's life is. Dine is an Inn Keeper. She is responsible for the safety of those who seek sanctuary in her Inn and taking care of those who cannot respect the rules of the Inn. Her Broom is a deadly weapon, her one permanent guest eats people, the Inn and grounds are magical and lets just say her dog has some extra abilities. Dina has been living a pretty quiet life, until something starts to hunt in the night. Fearing for her neighbours and keeping the truth about the Inn a secret Dina gets involved but it's not too long before what's happening in her small town has galaxy wide implications.

I have been a fan of Ilona Andrews for a long long time, and while I have no enjoyed all their series they are still an author that i go back to time and time again. I don't know why i put off this series for so long, but I've jumped in and wow, this was so much fun. This book is very much a sci-fi urban fantasy mix and it was one that I didn't know I needed. Does Andrews blend the two genres seamlessly, no, but there was just enough confusion in the world building to make me want to know more about the world that they have created.

Do i understand the world here, Not 100%, so I am hoping that Andrews will expand on the aspects of this world/worlds in future books. Even the idea of an Inn and Inn Keeper is not completely defined in the book. Though Dina does refer to rules that she needs to follow as an inn keeper and those that enter her grounds are required to follow them as well. Dina also makes reference to Inn all over the world/galaxy/other worlds? and has even explored some of them looking for her parents (great extra subplot in the story of her missing parents), so I'm not sure how BIG this world is or how much we as readers will get to visit it.

Dina is a fun character, I love her sass to everyone around her, and her fierce protectiveness not just over the Inn but of the people that live in her community. Even when her decisions go against the Inn Keeper code, Dina does the greater good to protect those around her whether she knows them or not. I loved that everyone continually kept underestimating her and her abilities and how she proves them wrong is amazing.

Dina's power and broom are just fantastic. I love that Andrews decided to have a magical Broom as a nod to all the witches out there, but I don't think any witches Broom can do what Dina's does. The magic that Dina herself has, the Broom and the Inn house/grounds was a highlight in this book for me.

Do I see a love triangle coming on? Maybe. This book was written at a time when love triangles were all the rage in books (now it seems to be why have a love triangle when you can have a Why Choose). Love Triangles have never been my favourite Trope, so we'll see if this one goes that way or not.

I really enjoyed this book, it was quirky in a way that I have not read in awhile and I think this is due to Andrews' writing style as well as the mixing of Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi genres. I look forward to continuing on in the series.

Enjoy!!!

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Stephanie Archer: Gloves Off

Stephanie Archer is back with her Vancouver Storm series, and two people who can't stand each other each other, actually need each other:

Alexei is in trouble, he is having issue with his immigration paperwork which means there is trouble with his parents immigration and they cannot go back to Russia. Georgia needs access to a inheritance in order to help fund a sports medicine research program that she is passionate about, but one problem is that she cannot get access to the money until she marries. Two people with a problem that marriage could fix, the only problem is they cannot stand each other. But people are not always who they seem and maybe they can make something real of this fake marriage.

While it is not 100% needed to read the previous 3 books in this series before this one, there is some interactions in those books between Alexei and Georgia that help lead up to this book. Plus I did enjoy the previous 3 so I do recommend reading them. 

I really enjoyed this book and did not want to put it down, as I was interesting to see how their relationship develops along the way and how they will break through to each other. There are some great moments in the book between the two of them.

Okay, I have a few favourite aspects in this book, first was the banter between the two. The little fights they have, they way Alexi jumps to a conclusion with the bunnies and how even when they are starting to fall for each other the Banter stays. I also loved the secret messages that Alexei was sending to Georgia with the flowers. I appreciate the research that Archer put in to know the meaning of all the flowers that he sends and it was just a sweet and different way to show what Alexi was feeling.

I think there is this idea that this has an enemies to lovers trope in it but while they totally seem to not like each other, I would classify it more as them having a love hate relationship. You can really see this, with the dual POV and what they think of each other and how much the don't know about each other. I think books like this need a dual POV I am happy that Archer has kept to that format.

I wasn't a fan of all the time jumps in the book, it was always a few weeks later or next week at the start of each chapter. I think this hindered the flow of their relationship. I get that Alexie is away due to being a professional hockey player and she is super busy as a doctor but I doubt it would be weeks before they would see each other. 

I've really enjoyed this series, they are great hockey romance books that are a fun mixture of sweet and spicy. I cant wait to see which couple Archer decides to write about next.

Enjoy!!!!

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Elise Kova: Arcana Academy

In the first book in a new series Elise Kova a convicted illegal magic user and a prince are going to try to do the impossible, remake the world that they know:

Clara has been part of the underworld ever since the death of her mother, until one day she is betrayed and sentenced to the worst prison imaginable. Clara doesn’t know how long her sanity will last and just when she thinks all is lost, a Prince comes to visit her and he needs her particular set of skills to steal Tarot cards from the King. To conceal her identity, Clara now becomes the betrothed to the Prince and a First year at the Arcana Academy, but she must survive the academy in order keep pretenses up. While Clara may be working with the Prince but Clara cannot forget where she comes from and the resistance that she was part of.

This had me hooked from the beginning and I did not want to put this book down. Anytime, I could pick this book up I could (Why does one have to work?). My favourite aspect of this book (by far) is the use of tarot card magic. Not only does each card have different element that can comes forth, what that element will do but the swords create swords and the face cards are master cards that have immense power. I also appreciate that one has to ink card in order for them to use them, this means that not only are there different levels of magic but also the abilities that one can possess.

This book is set in an Academy that is more deadly than some of the books that I have read and if one does not measure up, they are branded and sentenced to servitude till death. This adds even more competition between the first years, and you need to have allies in order to survive there. 

For lack of better words, this does follow a similar format to other fantasy books that there is something special about Clara, something that only she can do, with her inking powers. She also is a powerful wielder of the cards. I did enjoyed Clara as a character, but she seems to be typical for this genre.

I wish that Kova took the time to develop more of the side characters, not just the Prince but also the friends that Clara makes. I feel like all of the side characters lack any depth to them and there are some interesting ones in there that I want more from.

Not enemies to lovers, they come around pretty quickly, and really go from mistrust to lovers but they never really trust each other in the book. Overall, I did not mind the romance but the tension felt a little forced in the book.

I'm not 100% familiar with what each card in the tarot means so i would have appreciated a little more definition of each card, even just in general as i understand they can mean different things at different times. There are times we get a little information about what the card represents but not a lot.

The cliffhanger in this one is pretty awesome but at the same time I saw part of it coming and I cannot wait to read the second book in this series to see where Kova takes it. And I hope to learn more about Tarot Card Magic.

Enjoy!!!!

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Oxana Lau: Chasing Chords

Oxana Lau takes readers on a sweet journey of following what you really want:

Dawn Taylor is struggling, she has inherited her parent's ranch after their sudden deaths, but with the ranch comes the responsibility, and debts associated with it. She is struggling to keep the ranch afloat with the only wat she knows how to make money and that is barrel racing. Nash Rhodes was on a downward spiral and one screw up too many has led him to no longer gracing stadiums but small bars around Canada. He needs to restore his image, and fast if he is to keep a promise to his bandmate Easton. Neither Dawn or Nash could have predicted that after their first meeting they had the means to help each other and maybe rediscover who they are.

This book was exactly what I needed at the time I read it. It is a super sweet small-town book with a side of spice. I loved that Dawn is a barrel racer who is just trying to raise as much money as she can for her ranch to stay afloat and that Nash is a famous but now cancelled Canadian country music star for some of his antic while drunk. Both are looking for something to help set their lives straight or on better paths and it was just a story I felt like I could get behind. This also has the tropes of small town and slow burn, plus some spicy time outside. The tension in this book is really well done and just when you think it is going to happen something seems to get in the way.

While I loved the concept of this book and both the characters I felt like their character development was lacking, as we knew very little of what occurred before. I just wanted more depth from each of their backstory, all they had given up to get to the point they are at now. I think for Nash maybe this could have been reflected in the song lyrics but we get very few of them in the book. I just wanted more the more i reflected on this book. This is probably because i enjoyed both characters and wanted to know them more, make them more real.

Dawn's character is all strength; all she is trying to do to keep the ranch and assisted living open against all odds in commendable. She puts others first all the time, even when all she wants to do is break down. I do question how she tries to raise money by continuing to barrel race as i cannot see that as profitable plus the cost from going to rodeo to rodeo but that is not my world. I also wish there was more shown of Ranch life and the assisted living life, I felt the side characters there were just glazed over at times and they would have been an asset to highlight for what Dawn is wanting to achieve.

I loved Nash the farther into the book that I got, especially when he gets to the ranch and starts interacting with the residents there. This is what I wanted more of in the book, more of him trying to find himself. 

On a completely different note, I hope that Lau has the next book feature Easton, as I feel like I want to know his story and more about him, and I hope he was not just a side character to be glazed over and left in this book.

This was a cute read, and I enjoyed it while I was reading it, I just wante4d more from that there was a  story and characters, as the ideas are there just not fully executed.

Enjoy!!

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Harper L. Woods: The Coven

In the first in a series, Harper L Woods shows the power of Blood Magic.

Willow knew that after her mom passed away, that the Coven would come for her, she just thought that she would have more time. When the Vampires come to take her to Hallow Grove University, Willow is shocked with the state of the place. Willow was taught magic by her mother and respects the old ways of blood magic, give and take, but the University has forsaken all that. The Secret run deep within the Coven and none of them run deeper than that of the Headmaster Alaric Grayson. With the University finally accepting new students after 50 years, they cannot hide from their past and the massacre that forced them to shut in the first place.

I was totally looking for a witchy read and this book fit the bill for me and I absolutely LOVED the magic system in this book and that Woods had the bad guys be a mixture of demon/vampires who needed witches in order to stay this side of Hell. The beginning really starts off fast paced and I was hooked once the magic system was introduced but a few chapters in things begin to slow and by the middle of the book felt a little bit choppy and the chapters/scenes did not flow great together. I think this was due to the fact that sometimes we don’t really know that Willow is in a vision or a dream and things feel like they come out of no where. The ending obviously picks up but the middle was a bit rough.

Willow as a character is really nothing new for this genre, though I did enjoy how the Vampires underestimated her at the beginning and thought she would be an easy grab. Willow's magic is pretty incredible and I love how humble she is about where she get it from. She knows that she has to give something to the Earth in order to receive magic back from it. It was cool to see those areas that had been deprived for so long reach for the blood to get back what had been taken. I'm a little confused on the whole generational magic idea (I feel like it wasn’t explained well). I also found that Willow came off as naive in quite a few parts of the book that i was not expecting as the felt like they came out of nowhere and clashed with her personality.

Gray is a fine MMC, once again adds nothing new to the genre, but he does have some good one liners in the books. If you like the gray (pun intended) of MMC then you will like Gray as a character.

I was able to figure out one of the twist, but this book did not go the way that I thought it would, and I will 100% be picking up the next book in this series. I think most people will want to with the cliffhanger ending.

Enjoy!!!

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Megan Miranda: The Girl From Widow Hills

Megan Miranda shows that your past will always catch up to you:

Arden Maynor made national news when she was six, she had been washed away in a flash flood while sleepwalking and miraculously was found alive three days later. Arden is of course grateful to be alive, but she was and still not grateful for all the media and pressures that came afterwards. She changed her name to Olivia as soon as she could and shed Arden the best she could. She now has a life where no one knows about her past. But the past always has a way of catching up to you and with the 20th anniversary of Olivia being rescued looming, there is going to be deadly consequences that are all based from her past.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect other than the premise on the back and the fact that Miranda is a popular author that has quite a back list of books. I will admit that I went into this book with some pretty high expectations and sadly they were not met. Overall, I was bored with the book, bored with the plot, characters and things moved too slowly to keep me hooked into the story. Each chapter felt like a slog to get through, even though there were aspects I enjoyed it was just painful getting from one to the other and no real twist or shocking event along the way (at least for me).

I did enjoy Miranda's writing style, especially with the inclusion of additional information from new articles, reports and the like at the end of each chapters, I feel like this really added to the overall story. I did think that the chapters were a bit too long for my taste, but that is just a personal preference. 

I enjoyed that Olivia is an unreliable narrator of the story with her sleepwalking and her inability to remember that night as a child and anything that happened since her sleepwalking returned. Her struggle to come to terms of what may just have happened those nights felt very real.

I think that Miranda did a great job about how we treat victims of crimes or tragic/traumatizing events, even when there are children involved. The expectation from the public is unbearable and unrealistic for them. It like oh you’re safe now, you shouldn’t be bothered by anything that just happened to you and must now live a perfect life. You can really understand why she changed her name to Olivia and kept her past hidden from everyone. She has too much experience of how if she shared her past everything in the relationship, she was in would change.

I think I went into this book with too high of expectations for never having read a book by Miranda. I do have one other book by her on my TBR (All the Missing Girls) and I will pick it up eventually but just not any time soon.

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Kelley Armstrong: I’ll Be Waiting

Kelley Armstrong shows you never know who is on the other side of the veil when you call:

Nicola never believed that she would live this long, let alone find a career she loves and the love of her life. Nicola has Cystic Fibrosis and most children do not live to see adulthood. She knows that she needs to live every moment and she wants to do that with her Husband Anton. Neither of them thought that he would be the one to leave first, his final words to Nic haunting her every day, "I'll Be Waiting". This take Nic on a path of trying to contact Anton, talk to him one more time to say a proper Goodbye, but something sinister has come across instead, something with death and vengeance on their mind.

I'm a huge Kelley Armstrong fan. I love the way that she constructs her story and her ability to draw the reader in. I have read one other book by Armstrong that was more of the horror side of genres. This book had me hooked from the beginning, but i will say that it was heartbreaking at the beginning middle and end. Speaking of the end, the last 30% of the book goes by so fast as you try to turn the pages faster and faster to see what is going to happen next.

You cannot help but feel for Nicola from everything thing that she has gone through in her life, and what she is having to deal with now, not only the tragedy but also those trying to profit on the death of her husband. There are always those who will try anything to make a buck and that is highlighted in this book with the amount of mediums or psychics who say they will have the ability to contact her Husband Anton. With everything really falling apart it make sense why Nicola starts question everyone and everything around her, and herself, maybe she herself is going insane.

This book is only told from Nicola's POV and while I appreciate that but I think I would have enjoyed a different perspective at times and be in the minds of other people in the house, to truly see what they were feeling and experience. I think a POV from Dr. Cirillo and his reasons for being there would have been an interesting POV and scientific one at that.

Although this book is touted as a supernatural horror, I didn’t think it was that scary, but the creepy atmosphere was on point. Things do get a bit gory at times, especially near the end of the book, so i think some people will find it scary and fit the horror genre but for me it does not. 

Was able to figure out the twist but you really don’t know who is going to be there in the end.

I did enjoy this book even though it was not quite what i wanted it to be (and probably my least favourite of Armstrong’s books). I think those looking for a creepy book that has an eerie atmosphere, then pick up this book.

Enjoy!!!

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Steve Cavanagh: Kill For Me Kill For You

Steven Cavanagh shows that the strangers we meet can ruin one's life but also in strangers we can trust:

Two strangers meet by chance and they share a tragedy in life, the loss of their child, loss of the life that they had. They cannot live with culprit walking around free while their loved ones are cold and buried. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect plan from the famous work, Strangers on a Train. Across town a woman is attacked in her home by a blue-eyed stranger, a face she will never forget, will she ever feel safe again with Him out there stalking/hurting/killing other woman? Her husband is beside himself with worry and what would he do if he ever encountered that blue eyed man. A city full of violence and a few people willing to do what they thinks it takes to make the city a little bit safer, so no more have to suffer, especially if one can get away with it.

This is the first book that I have read by Cavanagh (I still want to read his Eddy Flynn series) and with all the hype surrounding this book I went in with high expectations. I really loved the idea of a modern versions of strangers on a train and I was looking forward to how Cavanagh would achieve this with such a change of technology from then to now. 

Overall, I just felt underwhelmed by this story. While the premise is done in a unique way and I felt invested in the characters, especially Amanda but i felt like this book lacked the suspense that I thought it was going to have as i found that it was fairly predictable. This was really sad as i found the beginning really captured you with what had happened to Amanda and Ruth (both heartbreaking in their own ways) but after that high the book begins to petered off.

I was able to figure out most of the twists except for the final one but by then I wasn’t really invested in the story as much as I wanted to be and I was like huh that was clever. I didn’t have the draw dropping moment most seem to have with this book.

I also wish there was more POV for Farrow, he felt underdeveloped and I really enjoyed him as a character and Detective. His drive to solve cases, his compassion to the victims or victims' families, I would read a book where he was the lead and solving the cases that no one else can solve or wants to put in the work to solve.

I can only really recommend this book to people who don’t read a lot of thriller or murder mystery books or someone who is looking to get back into the genre. As someone who reads A LOT in these genres I found this book okay at best but also predictable and didn’t have the thrills or mystery that I wanted it to.

Cheers!!!!

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