Lock and Key: The Initiation by Ridley Pearson

*Lock and Key: The Initiation will be released Tuesday, September 20th!*

Lock and Key: The Initiation by Ridley Pearson. HarperCollins, 2016. Paperback. 386 pages.

*I received a printed ARC of Lock and Key courtesy of HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.*

Sherlock Holmes is a well-loved detective character that has been featured in countless books, television shows, movies, and many other forms of entertainment. James Moriarty is the prolific criminal mastermind and nemesis of Holmes, and his role has been increased in many subsequent works of fiction based off of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original.

Lock and Key brings the classic feud of Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty to the present day, where the two attend Baskerville Academy and are placed together as roommates. The two do not hit it off, and James takes an immediate dislike to Sherlock's observant and somewhat arrogant nature. The story kicks off when the headmaster of the school announces that a valuable Bible has been stolen, and not long after this announcement James begins to receive mysterious red envelopes with difficult riddles that he must attempt to solve.

The story, however, is not narrated by James, - as one might expect - but is instead narrated by his younger sister, Moria. I found this to be quite a clever idea, and it worked well for a majority of the novel, though it did become a bit confusing in certain narrative events and seemed to be forgotten about sometimes. I also would have liked to read this story from  James' perspective, considering the book is essentially centered around him and his own journey from a loyal companion to his sister at their home to a harsh, troubled boy at their new boarding school. Despite this, reading from Moria's perspective gives the reader some unique perspectives on various events that occur, and also shows us how both James and Moria change over the course of their stay at Baskerville, though in two very different directions. It makes me wonder if it would have been possible for James to not become as hateful as he did, or if this was just in his nature.

Pearson excellently captures Sherlock's sharp, impossibly intelligent mind and also greatly enhances his arrogance - in fact, Sherlock is not the most likable character in many instances. But then there is also the rather unlikable James Moriarty as well, who acts as both a contrast and a similar character to Sherlock. Both boys are stubborn and fairly sure of themselves, and neither one likes to show any form of weakness, which in fact seems to be a weakness in itself.

My main problem with Lock and Key was how long-winded it became. I appreciate the fact that Pearson put so much effort into creating an extremely intricate story with many details, but it just became too confusing as the book progressed past the promising beginning. I found myself somewhat bored in many various periods of tediously long explanations and dialogues. This is marketed as a children's book, but I can see younger readers becoming a bit bored with this one, despite the initial hook and strong beginning.

For mystery fans, Lock and Key is filled with a perfect combination of ingredients: anonymous clues in the form of riddles, a secret society, enigmatic characters, and a slew of difficult problems to solve. Overall, I am giving Lock and Key three stars; while it was enjoyable, the confusing parts in the latter half of the novel and extensive explanation hindered my enjoyment a bit too much for me to give it more stars.

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Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch

*Dear. Mr. M is now available!*

Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch. Hogarth, 2016. Paperback. 448 pages. 

(I am majorly digging this cover, by the way.)

*I received a printed ARC of Dear Mr. M courtesy of Hogarth and LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.*

This is the second book I've read by Herman Koch (the first being The Dinner) and I can already tell that Koch has a very unique and very distinct writing style that is all his own. Putting this writing style into words is extremely difficult, but for me it always elicits extremely mixed feelings. While I may not be overly enamored with the story itself, the ideas that Koch plays with and the unique storytelling methods he uses are enough to capture me and keep me reading.

In Dear Mr. M, Mr. M is an aging writer whose 'glory years' are slowly starting to fade, but who also still has a strong older fan base and thus still partakes in interviews and book signings. We are informed of two of his most popular books, 'The Hour of the Dog' and 'Payback.' The former was written after his first divorce, and was seen by many as discussing too many intimate details regarding the divorce, while the latter is based on a different real life story: the story of the disappearance of a history teacher after he involves himself in an affair with one of his students.

I don't want to go into too many details regarding the specifics of the plot, since I feel that much of the entertainment in this book revolves around your own discovery, so I'm going to be a little vague. The story jumps around quite a bit, and although this is a tad confusing, it somehow worked for the story, as the plot itself and the way in which the story is unfolded is very patchwork-like in nature, and thus the jumping points of view worked well to match the atmosphere. This plot is extraordinarily intricate and sometimes feels hard to follow, but as long as you just jump in and commit to the ride, things eventually start to pay off.

Koch writes really odd characters. They aren't very likable people. They're often harsh, honest to a fault, and basically just not the nicest people out there. Just like in The Dinner, I started off thinking I liked a few of the characters, only to discover just how disturbing or unkind they really were as time went by, which is an odd feature of Koch's writing that is also rather endearing, as it creates an immense amount of mystery and intrigue to the entire story.

I loved Koch's insights into human nature, our motives for doing various things, how we perceive events, and even how physical attributes affect our lives, even if we do not consciously notice it. He tends to go off onto what feel like tangents to contemplate these ideas, but he never strays too far from the story, and somehow manages to work everything into one larger idea. This book also focused on lot of the art of writing itself, such as what works in fiction versus what happens in reality (i.e. unbelievable coincidences), and this also really made me think about a lot of various ideas.

My only critiques center around the fact that I do think Koch could have edited out a few areas that seemed to go on to long. Koch tends to focus on minute details and subsequently spend a few pages discussing them. He also dives off into a few areas relating to Dutch politics and history, which I assume might be more interesting to those living in the Netherlands (maybe?), but that really could have just been cut right out for me. I had no idea what was going on and, frankly, I didn't much care.

Critiques aside, this was overall a fairly solid book. While I did find myself feeling a bit confused or lost at times, the strength of this novel lies in the story and twist and turns, and for those reasons I am giving it three-and-a-half stars.

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Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

*Labyrinth Lost will be released on Tuesday, September 6th!*

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova. Sourcebooks Fire, 2016. Ebook. 336 pages.

*I received an ARC of Labyrinth Lost courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I always hate saying this, but I really, really wanted to love this. Surprisingly, I was fairly disappointed. Even as I write this review, I still feel really torn about how I feel about this one. It was imaginative, exciting, and full of life, but it was also full of some plot holes, awkwardly created characters and character development, and some dialogue that frustrated me quite a bit. Not to mention I felt the entire storyline felt somewhat formulaic.  

We'll start with the positives: Los Lagos. What a gorgeously created and intricately designed world! The visit to Los Lagos is pretty much what I was most looking forward to in this book - I was excited or the Latin-American culture along with folklore and the imaginative world that could be created from this, and on this level I was not disappointed. Córdova also has an incredible imagination and writing style that truly comes to life when is describing the world within her book. The dialogue itself wasn't always the best, but her narrative and prose is much more elegant. The diversity of the characters was also a huge plus, and I enjoyed Córdova's attempts at incorporating a variety of elements that aren't overdone already in many books.

Now, moving on to some of the things I didn't like about the book. The beginning of Labyrinth Lost hooked me pretty well, but that initial interest and excitement began to die off as I neared the middle of the book. The elements themselves were exciting, such as the faeries and other creatures they encounter, but it was the conflict and plot itself that suffered. The story didn't feel like it was going anywhere or being moved forward, and I was quickly losing interest. As I mentioned earlier, the plot started to feel too obviously formulaic: run into one conflict, miraculously resolve it, move on to another, miraculously resolve it, and so on. It just wasn't overly understandable to me.

I didn't love Alex. Her refusal to accept her magical powers was beyond frustrating to me, but that's probably just my own issue. I don't have to love a character to enjoy a book, but I didn't care about her all that much either. Her development was jilted and lacking in depth. I never established enough of a connection to feel that she deserved my worry or interest, and, let's be honest, I almost would have preferred this story to have been written about Nova, whom I personally felt had a much more interesting story. Though I did find his constant brooding and 'you have no idea what I've been through' statements a bit over the top, even though he did indeed have a difficult past. I wouldn't mind some more background and story based on Nova.

I also didn't care for Rishi - or rather, perhaps I just didn't understand the point of Rishi's character enough to move past that and care for her. I sort of feel like she was only thrown into the book to provide some comedic relief and a friendship to Alex - a friendship that I almost feel could have been taken out without too much notice.

Every good story such as this also needs a strong, frightening villain to match, but sadly, the villain in this book - The Devourer - didn't really do that. I don't feel like I ever got to see enough of her to truly understand her desires or feel something more than just a surface-level hatred. She felt a bit more stereotypical, which was somewhat of a disappoint compared to the rest of the imaginative elements of Labyrinth Lost.

((potential spoilers ahead - the following paragraph only!))


I love that Córdova added a female/female pairing, we really need more types of sexuality represented in books, and I think it's awesome that she added that in. But I didn't think the chemistry between the two worked. I understood that they were strong friends before the events of this book, but we just went from Alex having not-so-obvious feelings towards Rishi to sudden 'oh wow, I love her.' There was very little chemistry, and all the sweet things they said to each felt so incredibly forced and unnatural. It just didn't fit.


((end spoilers))

Overall, Labyrinth Lost is an imaginative story with many unique and refreshing elements, but lacks in character development and and a strong storyline. For these reasons, I am giving Labyrinth Lost three-and-a-half stars. 

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Darktown by Thomas Mullen

*Darktown will be releases on Tuesday, September 13th!*

Darktown by Thomas Mullen. Atria Books, 2016. Paperback ARC. 384 pages.

**I received a printed ARC of Darktown courtesy of  Atria Books in exchange for an honest review**

Darktown is set in Atlanta, Georgia in 1948. The police department has hired eight black cops to police 'Darktown,' and although they do act as the authority there, they have no real power to make arrests, nor are they even allowed to drive squad cars or work out of the main police headquarters. If they need to arrest someone, they have to call for backup from their white fellow officers, most of whom do not care to help them out. As soon as I received Darktown in the mail, I was intrigued by how intense it sounded and also curious to see how Mullen would handle this topic. This book was not only a stark, informative look at the treatment of blacks, but also provided a note of relevancy to some issues facing us today.

Our main characters are Boggs and Smith, who attempt to witness a black woman, Lily Ellsworth, being physically abused by a white man; this woman eventually turns up dead, but the white man is not charged. In response to this outrage, Boggs and Smith decide to perform their own investigation, which they must do somewhat quietly and without any direct police help.

We also have the white cop duo of Dunslow and Rake. Dunslow is your stereotypical racist pig, complete with an unattractive body and a downright disgusting attitude. This was actually one area that sort of disappointed me about the story. Why did the main racist antagonist have to be so stereotypical? I feel like a much bigger effect could have been made if Mullen had made this rather despicable man have a somewhat more attractive or intriguing in his demeanor, mainly because not every racist man is going to be like this, and I think it's important for us to realize that racism is alive and present in any number of people. 

The second cop, Rake, becomes a much more redeemable character as we see him interact with Boogs and Smith. In the begining of the book, we become aware that Rake doesn't really approve of how Dunslow treats black people, and he even halfheartedly attempts to get him to stop beating a black man, but he doesn't really do anything. Fortunately, he finds a bit of courage throughout the story to try to do what is right, though he is by no means a perfect character. 

Darktown is much more focused on the racial aspect of the setting and plot than the crime itself, so if you are looking for a pure crime mystery, this isn't quite it. In fact, I think it's much more interesting because of the topic and questions it tackles, and I definitely would recommend this book because of that. The only somewhat disappointing aspect of this was that the focus on racism dominated so much that it almost reached a point in which I felt the characters were overshadowed. Now, I understand that racism itself is indeed a huge issue that dominates so many aspects of life today, but I had hoped to try to see more out of the eyes of some of the characters than I did. I felt like I knew most of the characters, but there was just some aspect that felt like I was kept at an arm's length, which made it somewhat difficult to become fully invested in the story at times. 

Overall, I am giving Darktown four stars for superb handling of an intense and highly relevant topic. 

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The Outside Lands by Hannah Kohler

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The Outside Lands by Hannah Kohler

Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans (and to those that aren't in America, I still wish you a lovely day)! I had planned to wait and post this review until closer to its release date, but it was the most American-themed book I've read so far this year and I wanted to go a little with the Fourth of July theme, so here we are! 

The Outside Lands by Hannah Kohler. St. Martin's Press, 2016. 304 pages. Paperback/Softcover.

**I received a copy of The Outside Lands courtesy of St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.**

The Outside Lands was wholly unexpected and entirely satisfying in a dark, realistic way. Based upon the brief blurbs I read about The Outside Lands, I had no idea that it would become such a bleak, deeply moving book. Kohler writes with an elegant simplicity that will draw you in and wrap you around this story before you even realize what hit you. If I were sum up this book with one singular word, it would be 'haunting.' This book is like a ghost that quietly seeps into your mind and soul, drags out your emotions, and openly displays the darkness that exists within all of us and the within the world around us.

This is an honest, raw book set during the turbulent years of the Vietnam War. We are given a frank view of the experiences of those deployed along with those stuck back at home, left to wonder and wander aimlessly around, unaware of what is occurring elsewhere. Jeannie and Kip are our two protagonists, siblings who lost their mother in a tragic freak accident at a young age and are still fighting to regain normalcy in their lives. The two still have their father, but they never truly seem to recover from this loss, which is entirely understandable. This is a book where everyone seems to lose themselves, no matter whether they are a main character or a minor supporting one, and it is interesting to see how each copes with their fate. There is much imbalance in the atmosphere as each character struggles to come to grips with the changing times and with who they are.

Jeannie is sort of floating in life. She has a set life with Billy and her young son, Charlie, but she doesn't seem to be a part of this life. There is some piece of her that doesn't quite fit with them, that seems to be yearning for something else - something more. Then she meets Lee, and it seems like this could be just what she needed and was looking for, but again, something isn't quite right. She never quite fits. She wants to be a part of the anti-war movement and a life with Lee, but it's not quite her, and she is too limited in her own life to become any more entrenched in the movement. In the final part of the book, she meets yet another person, and I will not say more than that, and once again it just feels right. But, as history often repeats itself, this can't work either, and she is yet again drawn back to her own life with her husband and child. Jeannie is a relatable character. She is quiet, but she has a subtle strength about her. She is meek and follows the rules around her, but she is not afraid to deviate from her own beliefs and ideas.

Kip is much more bullheaded than Jeannie, but he is still somewhat quiet in his own way, much like Jeannie. Kip is the trouble-maker in the family, always ending up getting into things he shouldn't and acting out. Kip does not wait for a draft and instead enlists himself as a Marine. He is sent off to war where a tragic incident sends him to being accused of a horrific war crime. While Kip and Jeannie differ quite a bit, there are many similarities that can be seen in the way in both are a bit reserved, but both are stubborn and will do what they want.

I was completely taken by surprise by The Outside Lands, as I definitely wasn't expecting this book to affect me or reach me in such a strong way. Overall, I can't help but give it four-and-a-half stars because of its sheer will and ability to tell such a disheartening story in such a simplistic, yet moving way. This is a new Vietnam War-era book that is not to be missed, and Kohler is a new author that is not to be overlooked either.

The Outside Lands will be released Tuesday, August 23rd!

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And I Darken by Kiersten White

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**I received a copy of And I Darken courtesy of NetGalley and Delacorte Press.**

And I Darken by Kiersten White. Delacorte Press, 2016. 498 pages. Ebook.

This is a very difficult book for me to review, largely because I really can't decide how I feel about it. On the one hand, it is a gorgeously written, intriguing story that I found myself always wanting to dive back into, but on the other hand, I somehow never truly felt like I understood exactly what the plot was, and I felt as though I was moving exceptionally slowly through it.

The first thing I would like to get out of the way is that describing this book as "fantasy" seems to be a rather loose, incorrect definition in my personal opinion, so don't dive in expecting to find many magical elements. It is definitely historical fiction - I'm not sure why it has so many fantasy tags.

And I Darken tells the story of siblings Lada and Radu, the daughter and son, respectively, of Vlad Draculesti, the current vaivode of Wallachia. The two are essentially abandoned by their father and their native home of Wallachia to be raised in the Ottoman courts, where they meet and befriend a young boy named Mehmed, the son of the current Sultan. Neither child is welcomed much on their birth: Lada, being a girl - and apparently an 'ugly' one at that - is of no use to Vlad, and Radu is a weak, (not strong) boy. The controversy lies in the fact that the enemy of Wallachia, and thus lada and Radu, is the Ottoman city in which they now live, which thus sets up our basic plot.

Lada is not your average badass; she's heard-headed badass taken to a whole different level. She is brutal, angry, and not about to mess around. Her biggest struggle  appears to be the fact that she was born female. Since her birth, she has been dismissed as unwanted and unnecessary, and this is what seems to help fuel Lada's fire to prove her worth and also to prove others wrong. In my opinion, Lada truly fits the definition of a dynamic character, and I applaud White on her character development skills. Lada starts out feeling completely unwanted and lost and thus spends her time fighting and struggling with the world around her. Within the pages of And I Darken, Lada truly seemed to find herself and her place in this world. She becomes a tough woman who knows what she wants and is bold enough to make her feelings heard. She embraces her womanhood by not really embracing it: she technically refuses to acknowledge herself as a woman and desires to be considered equal to all the men around her. Lada isn't the most charismatic or immediately likable character, but she is captivating. She is also apparently based off of Vlad the Impaler, so I am interested to see how "dark" she becomes throughout the rest of this series.

Radu is Lada's foil. He is beautiful, reserved, and soft-hearted. He does not like violence or rudeness, and instead prefers to be friendly with those around him - the complete opposite of Lada's own approach to people. Radu understands the art of befriending one's enemies to gain advantages, whereas Lada follows a more violent and harsh approach. Radu is such an interesting character, and I loved getting to see his own transformation and realizations throughout the story. Radu is also protected or saved by Lada many times throughout the book. In fact, Lada even goes as far to say that no one else will (or can) kill Radu because he must remain only Lada's to kill. Aw, sibling love - though, surprisingly, I understand this: no one gets to hurt my sibling but me.

Mehmed is a character introduced a bit later in the book, and I'm not sure how I feel about him. There are things I like, but also things I don't. I feel like he is a character that you have to decide for yourself how to interpret, so I'm going to skip over my own description and analyses of him for now.

I think my biggest problem with And I Darken is just that I'm still not completely sure what the plot was. It's still a solid, interesting story, but I can't really come up with any particular goal or purpose, other than to tell the story of Lada, Radu, and eventually Mehmed. If you're not a huge fan of books with no major overarching plotline running through it, this may not be your favorite. However, this is a still a solid, entertaining book that I would recommend you pick up and at least give a try. For all the reasons mentioned throughout this review, I am giving And I Darken four stars.

And I Darken will be released next Tuesday, June 28th!

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Daddy Dearest by Paul Southern

Daddy Dearest will be on sale Wednesday, June 1st!

**I received a review copy of Daddy Dearest courtesy of Paul Southern in exchange for an honest review.**

Daddy Dearest by Paul Southern. 2016. 245 pages. Ebook.  

If you like to have your mind messed with a little bit, then settle in and get comfortable, because this is the book for you.

Daddy Dearest tells the story of a man whose daughter disappears one day while traveling alone down an apartment elevator. The entire apartment building is searched, but she is gone and no one has any clue what has happened to her.

To preface, much of the thriller aspect of this book relies on the unknown and the reader being held in suspense, so I'm not going to go too in-depth content-wise so as not to spoil anything. First, it is essential to read Daddy Dearest very carefully so as not to miss anything, because many details are not explicitly stated and instead left to the reader to infer and understand. I'll admit that at first I felt slightly annoyed by this, but as I progressed into the story and became more acquainted with the writing style, it began to become rather enjoyable and actually helped me make sure I was paying close attention.

Southern does an excellent job of creating the main character's narration. The main character, who remains nameless throughout the story, has a very distinctive personality that is both off-putting and intriguing. Our protagonist is brutally honest about his opinions, and he certainly comes off as semi-racist and sexist at times, which accounts for the off-putting part, but somehow Southern creates such an intricately multi-layered character that you find yourself enraptured in his storytelling and continuing to enjoy the character regardless of these offensive characteristics. His honestly is endearing and gains my respect, but it is also because of what he says and does that makes me lose my respect, leaving me with an overall conflicted feeling regarding the protagonist.

The narration appears, at times, to go off onto many tangents. The main characters gets caught up explaining his opinions or experiences about something, leaving the reader to wonder the what the point of these ramblings are, but then it hits you: these 'tangents' are telling extremely important information about the main character and his own actions - they also show how easily distracted he can be. Halfway through the book, I found myself wondering who I was 'rooting' for. This isn't a black and white book with a straight up good and bad character, but instead involves an ever-present grey area that leaves the reader to develop their own ideas and opinions, which I personally found enticing.

Overall, this was a solid thriller for me, and I would certainly recommend it for anyone looking for something a little different from your average thrillers. It's still high-paced, but it's not overtly high-paced, so there is plenty of room to breathe.

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The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse by Brian Farrey

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse is out Tuesday, April 19, 2016!

*I received an ARC edition of The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse courtesy of Algonquin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review**

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse by Brian Farrey. Algonquin Young Readers, 2016. 256 pages. Paperback/softcover. 

While perusing my Goodreads shelf for this year, I realized I have read quite a few younger-aged aimed books this year - and that I have been enjoying it immensely. These books aren't just fun to read, they are also extremely well-crafted stories that handle a variety of difficult topics in a way that younger audiences can understand. The most interesting aspect in each of these books, however, is that they seem to have messages for all ages and can be easily enjoyed by adults as well as younger kids.

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse is an exciting fairytale that unfolds itself in a variety of delightful layers as the story progresses.  It covers a variety of heavy topics in imaginative ways with such a deft hand that I am simply in awe of Farrey. The story focuses on Aon, a girl living in the town of Emberfell, and Jeniah, the princess of the land who is soon to become queen as her mother passes on.

Everyone in Emberfell is happy. If someone dies or goes away, that person is basically forgotten about so as not to have any sadness regarding their loss. Sad things do not happen and there is no crying because everything is happy. This sounds like it could possibly be a good thing, but it also sounds, quite frankly, creepy. Aon, however, does feel sadness, which thus makes her feel like an outcast and that something within her is 'broken.' I assume the author intended to use this as a metaphor for depression, but even if he didn't, I think it works itself into the storyline extremely well. While awareness for depression is increasing in the media, it is still somewhat of a taboo in certain families and culture, which makes those that do experience such negative feelings feel like there is something wrong with them. I felt that Aon's struggle with feeling differently than the rest of her town shed an interesting light on how experiencing different moods or emotions than what others think of as 'normal' can really make you feel alienated. I think this book does a good job showing that feeling differently from others is not wrong, but is instead normal and it is important to talk to others about these topics.

Jeniah, on the other hand, is largely separated from the town (until she goes to explore the Carse and meets Aon) and struggles to come to terms with her impending status as queen. Jeniah does not feel that she is mature enough to yet be queen - which I actually find to be quite mature of her - and she struggles to come to terms with how to be responsible for an entire kingdom, as well deal with her newly appointed tutor that does nothing but frustrate her. Throughout the course of the story, Farrey subtly and expertly crafts Jeniah's character from an insecure and unaware girl into a more self-aware and knowledgeable young woman.

Farrey's writing style is very accessible and a joy to read. It is not written in an overly simplistic manner, nor is it too advanced. His words flow smoothly, and there are moments of true beauty within his writing.

I feel as though every kid - or adult -  should read this at some point because of the important topics it covers and for its reminders that it's okay to be sad, it's okay to be inexperienced, and it's okay to not always have the answers. 

As a result, I am giving The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse five stars!

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