ARC Review: The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian

The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian
Series: Chaos Theory #1
Publisher: InterMix Books
Release Date: March 18th 2014
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Evalyn Ibarra never expected to be an accused killer and experimental prison test subject. A year ago, she was a normal college student. Now she’s been sentenced to a month in the compass room—an advanced prison obstacle course designed by the government to execute justice.

If she survives, the world will know she’s innocent.

Locked up with nine notorious and potentially psychotic criminals, Evalyn must fight the prison and dismantle her past to stay alive. But the system prized for accuracy appears to be killing at random.

She doesn’t plan on making friends.

She doesn’t plan on falling in love, either.

“We die if we’re supposed to die, right?”

While The Wicked We Have Done is not the most original book out there, it certainly was a highly entertaining read; until it took a turn which I couldn’t accept, a turn I STILL cannot accept. It enraged me with how easily it could waive something like ‘that’ off. I just couldn’t.

Comparisons to the Hunger Games will be unavoidable because of the whole survival aspect and how they always found food randomly.  Comparisons to the other dystopian book will also be made due to the whole stimulation aspect but in spite of all these similarities, The Wicked We Have Done does manage to stand out because of the way it presents these ideas. It puts a psychological spin on them and adds the throws in a bit of crime. Because how can what is happening to them be wrong when some of them are in fact evil criminals who ruthlessly harmed other people and took great pleasure in it? The Wicked We Have Done brings up the age old question of the ethicality of death penalty and a hand full of other questions about who the victims are and whether a crime can be justified.

The book opens with a touching scene between the main character, her mother and her brother. They are having their final farewell before she goes to the Compass Room where she will most assuredly die. The chances of survival are extremely low but the main character comforts her mother and younger brother instead and puts on a brave face while the first breaks apart and the latter buys her story (because he is 5). 

Evalyn was a great character (until that one thing which I will get back to later). She was full of guilt and self-doubt yet she also managed to be a leader for all these other criminals. She doesn’t fall apart but instead tried to keep the group together to the best of her ability. She supported everyone, cared about everyone and made good decisions. Yes some were rash but in the end, she was a wonderful leader.

All the other characters fall into the category of well-developed characters. The author gives all of them a sort of depth that I usually find lacking in all other books in the New-Adult category. The author doesn’t just focus on the love interest, Casey. She develops all the characters in the supporting cast and she develops them WELL. And when I say supporting cast, I mean even the characters we encounter in the female lead’s flash backs.

The relationships that  emerged between these characters (except the romance) are wonderful and sweet. It’s just heartwarming to see them all get together and let go of their differences and just survive together. They have each other’s backs. They laugh together. They comfort each other and they help each other face their fears.

The romance was one of the things that bothered me in this book. It definitely had potential. It started off slowly. I was so sure I’d finally found a slow-burn romance that seems to be almost completely absent from New-Adult but then they declared their ‘I love you’s’ in a time span of two weeks. We’re talking about the same people whose first kiss was not a result of attraction but was meant as a way of comforting each other. Given the circumstances, it’s highly probable that bonds will be forge but ‘I love you’s’ declared when the female lead claimed to have been in love with her childhood sweetheart who she was together with for 5 years?? Yeah, not so much.

“..this place is patiently waiting to peel back the layers of your skin and claw out your insides.”

The world building, as I mentioned earlier, was not particularly original, but it worked. The Compass Room was a wonderful idea. It wasn’t built to torture children. It was built to distinguish the morally corrupt from those who weren’t so because while some of these youngsters have committed horrid crimes, for a good number of them, it’s a one-time thing. And so The Compass Room gives them the opportunity to show their innocence. What I also found interesting was that this book wasn’t like a typical dystopia, hell I am not sure it can even be classified as one because I don’t find the government to be at fault here. Yes glitches occurred and shit went down but the intentions were not evil. And the people in this society have a voice. People are allowed to protest, LOTS of people DID in fact protest against the idea of The Compass Room because they didn't find it to be morally correct to put young kids through something so difficult. 

The plot revolves around a group of misfits trying to survive and finding a way to beat the system to save themselves. We are also trying to unravel the mystery of what exactly it was that what went down that landed Evalyn in jail. This was the biggest drawback of the novel. THIS was what screwed the book over. For starters, the author spent too much time dancing around what happened offering us hints instead of just telling us. When we learned what went down, it was heartbreaking but I also think the author was trying to make us see Evalyn as an innocent party which is something I wholeheartedly disagree with. She is not innocent. She may have been a victim but you most definitely cannot label her as innocent. She was definitely guilty and she deserves to do time in jail. Some things cannot be justified in my book, no matter what. Some of the crimes the other characters committed were justified but I cannot write off what she did and I absolutely hate how it was waived off as an act of love. 

If you’re looking for a book that deals more with the whole criminal aspect, read Criminal. It does an excellent job of it and takes crime seriously unlike this book.

That issue was a total buzzkill when it came to this book. It flushed all of my enjoyment down the toilet and replaced said joy with rage. I was angry. I was pissed. But I couldn’t completely dismiss this book. The first 80% was enjoyable. The book (until that point) was a page turner. I was on the edge of my seat, crossing my fingers for all my favorite characters and was thoroughly enjoying the book.

In the end, I would still recommend this to people because it’s something new in the New Adult category, something I haven’t seen before and it really gives me hope for New Adult. That someday I will read a New Adult that makes it to my list of all-time favorites. Until then, I shall patiently wait for that day (and read another book in the mean time).

Note that all quotes have been taken from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change. 

Review: No One to Trust by Iris Johansen

No One to Trust by Iris Johansen
Release Date: August 26th, 2003
Publisher: Bantam
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

He is the most terrifying of killers: ruthless, cunning, charismatic. And he has the means to get whatever he wants. And what Rico Chavez wants most is Elena Kyler--and he wants her dead. Trained as an assassin, Elena didn’t need anyone to survive. But now she finds herself on the run from one dangerous man and turning for help to another.

Sean Galen was a man without illusions. He knew it was only desperation that caused Elena to accept his help--a mother’s desperation to save her young son from a psychopath father who would raise their son in his own chilling image. And yet he was determined to get this woman who had never been able to trust anyone or anything in her whole life to accept him as her ally. But both Galen and Elena know that Chavez’s power and wealth mean there is no place they can be safe and no one they can trust--not even each other. Already Chavez’s assassins and connections to those in the highest positions of power have turned this into a war with no rules.

With two shocking acts of brutal violence, Chavez shows he will stop at nothing and that nothing will stop him. Soon a trail of horrifying murders will follow Galen and Elena across country to a last stand and a shattering showdown. For Chavez is a master of control and he wants more than just to take Elena’s life. He wants her alive long enough to see him destroy every reason she has for living. He wants her to turn against everything and everyone she ever believed in. He wants her to commit the ultimate act of betrayal. And by the time he is through, he wants her to beg him to take the only thing she’ll have left to give: her life.

No One to Trust was surprisingly good. I was a little worried about giving Johansen a second chance after having most of my alarms set off when I read the The Killing Game. This book, while set in the same universe, was so much better in so many ways. 

For starters the female lead was incredibly likable in a way Eve perhaps wasn’t. The way Elena grew up hardened her. She was not a female lead to pity but one to admire. I was fascinated by how strong she was. She was kick ass in a way that I, as a reader, haven’t come across often. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep her child safe but she wasn’t ruthless, she just did what she had to survive. It wasn’t the bad ass in her that was willing to walk over anyone but the mother in her that would do anything she had to in order to protect her son. She was vulnerable but she tried to overcome her faults. Most importantly, in spite of her kickassedness, she wasn’t afraid to ask for help when she needed it, after making sure the person was trustworthy of course.

Sean was very interesting. I was surprised by how easily he developed feelings for Elena but I loved how he never pushed her. He made his feelings very clear but he also made it clear that he didn’t expect anything in return. He knew she would walk over him if she had to to protect her son. It’s very easy to admire a lead who respects the female lead and doesn’t view her as an object to protect. Instead he views her as a person who is more than capable of killing him but he wants to take care of her because no one else has.

The romance between the two, despite the fact that it came out of nowhere (not necessarily insta.. but just.. yeah), was very well done. Elena is bound to have intimacy issues, and yes they weren’t cured in one go. It took her a while to finally let go and they had to work to get to the point. She didn’t just wake up ‘cured’. One of the things I really loved was how their hotness was not in fact emphasized. Sean’s handsomeness was mentioned in passing but the focus was clearly on their personalities so it was easy to see why they would fall in love with one another and it was easy to admire the romance. 

The secondary characters were a definite plus which is why I was disappointed by some of the twists this book took. Another drawback for me as a reader was the fact that it was set in the same world as the Eve Duncan series. I usually wouldn’t mind so much but seeing that I don’t feel any tenderness towards the characters in that series, it becomes somewhat of an issue.

The suspense itself was nicely developed and the book kind of just flew by in a way that didn’t feel rushed.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick entertaining read to help them cool off. 

Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris

Title: Grave Secret
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Harper Connelly #4
Release Date: October 27th, 2009
Publisher: Berkley 
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

"While Tolliver slept, I wondered if it was possible that Cameron was still alive...At first, I'd thought she'd been abducted by a gang, sold into slavery, something lurid and horrible. Then I'd wondered if maybe she'd simply been fed up with her life: the tawdry parents and the tacky trailer, the sister who limped and looked abstracted, the baby sisters who never seemed to stay clean. Most days, though, I was sure she was dead."

Lightning-struck sleuth Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver take a break from looking for the dead to visit the two little girls they both think of as sisters. But, as always happens when they travel to Texas, memories of their horrible childhood resurface...

To make matter worse, Tolliver learns from his older brother that their father is out of jail and trying to reestablish contact with other family members. Tolliver wants nothing to do with the man - but he may not have a in the matter.

Soon, family secrets ensnare them both, as Harper finally discovers what happened to her missing sister, Cameron, so may years before.

And what she finds out will change her world forever...

Wow.

I cannot believe this series is over.

It's been a long journey.

I was reluctant to read this book because well I love this series. It's hard to come across something that's just different. 

The synopsis kind of reminded me of When Lightning Strikes, with a girl getting hit by lightning and gaining super powers. Now that I think about it they even gained similar powers, one gained the power of finding missing people while the other can find dead bodies and tell the cause of death.

Personally I prefer the finding dead bodies. I guess it's because the author doesn't dress the power up. She makes it seem like something 'normal' (or as normal as something like that can be). The power isn't some ohmygerd that is so badass. It drains her and it doesn't really help her save lives only tell how they were lost. 

I guess it's not only that but how she presents our female lead.

Harper is a down to Earth person. She had a shit childhood and still has to deal with the aftermath of getting hit by lightning but you know she has moved past that. She, with the help of her step-brother Tolliver, started to make a living off of her powers. What I like most about her is that she doesn't let the non-believers bring her down. She does her job and takes the money she doesn't care if people believe her or not as long as she gets the money. She also doesn't let people make her feel guilty for charging money. Everyone has got to earn their living right? She is also very dependent on Tolliver. I guess it could make her a bad female lead when everyone wants a kick ass lead but for me I like it that she isn't trying to prove how tough she is to the world and you know it is alright to depend on someone. 

The other thing is that the mysteries in each of the books are believable. Neither Harper nor Tolliver are bad ass detectives or anything. They put some clues together with the help of Harper's powers but they make wrong guesses all the time. They never get anything right at first try and to add to that well they don't usually want to get involved in them in the first place. I guess this makes the characters more relateable because they aren't perfect. 

Tolliver and Harper's relationship is interesting. I mean I always knew it was going to happen. It seemed to me and I'll admit I was waiting for it to happen but when it did it felt weird. On one hand their relationship didn't change a lot it just had the added physical elements but there were times were I felt awkward trying to read a specific scene. But that said they share a great relationship. They are supportive, tell each other everything, take each other's advice. The kind of things you look in a good couple.

I also think this book was a great ending to a great series. The book ties things up and answers our questions. The ending isn't picture perfect but it's all tied up nicely, no lose ends, no open endings.

Meh I am just sad I have no more Harper Connelly books to look forward to. Maybe I'll find something, maybe I won't.

White Cat by Holly Black

Title: White Cat
Author: Holly Black
Series: The Curse Workers #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Date Published: May 4, 2010
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Cassel comes from a family of Curse Workers – people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got magic, so he’s an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail – he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He’s noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the con men.

I haven’t read a lot of books that are written in a Male Pov and the “some” I’ve read usually consist of dual POV’s and The Maze Runner which was written by a male author so I didn’t think there could be much that would go wrong.

I usually avoid male POV’s written by females because after reading the extra’s some authors provide in male pov, I don’t think female writers could do a good job with Male POVs. The authors make some of the guys sound so “girly” for the lack of a better term. I was annoyed because well you know in most of the ‘extras’, they think about the girl and their feelings, etc. I am pretty sure that’s not ALL guys think about. They are as messed up as girls and they tend to have a lot of things on their mind other than their possible significant other.

But after reading reviews and seeing that people said that Holly did a good job with the male POV I decided to read it.

I wasn’t disappointed.

It really was an amazing book. The whole concept of “curse workers” is great but the best part of the book was Cassel. The author nailed it. I was so happy while reading the book because you could see how well Cassel’s character was written. He has become one of my all time favorite characters. Now I cannot go on and on about how well the author did with his character but you must know that he is a criminal (of sorts) and he acts like it. He doesn’t assume himself to be the good guy but you can see how much he cares for his family and friends.

I love all the layers behind everything that is going on and how every time Cassel discovers something there is always something more to the story. I also think he is rather realistic. You can feel how much he wants to be normal and how much he hates what his family does but he doesn’t hate them for it. They are his family and he does love them no matter what. Even when his brothers aren’t the best that they can be, he loves them.

I also find the mystery aspect of the book intriguing. It’s interesting how Cassel pieces the clues. I mean he is a professional criminal, he is good at that stuff but I love him for it.

I hope everyone reads this book and loves it as much as I did.

Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

Sins & Needles by Karina Halle
Series: The Artists Trilogy #1
Date Published: January 24, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents’ latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.

“You’re a con artist. A liar. A thief. An unredeemable soul. You can’t be reformed. You can’t be saved. You’ll die trying to make the world pay for what it did to you. And you’ll die alone.”

I read this book because of the author. I’ve read what has been published so far of the “Experiment in Terror” series and I loved every single bit of it. I saw this book (and the pretty cover) and I had to read it. Then I read the summary. It was right up my alley. I love books with mysteries and with ummm.. Con Artists (I don’t know what that says about me, I blame The Curse Workers for my obsession). So how could I not want to read this. I was glad I had found this book only a few days before it released or I would have died waiting for this master piece.

I read it and I wasn’t disappointed one bit. I read it in one reading. I didn’t get up to do anything else. How could I, I didn’t exist in this world, but in another that Karina had created.

“You’re a bad person, Ellie,” he said without a trace of irony.“I’m not bad. The world is bad and I’m just trying to survive in it.”

I. Love. Ellie. She is absolutely awesome. Although I wish we saw a bit more of her in her con artist brilliance. Anyways, I love her single minded determination. Nothing can stop her from achieving her goal. The whole time she was planning to con Camden, even though she liked him, she wouldn’t change her mind. No matter how many times her conscience screamed at her to stop. She wasn’t hung over him but they did have a history, she felt bad for what she had done but she couldn’t change it so she didn’t bother trying to make up for it or apologize. Apologies don’t fix things.

Camden. Where can I find this guy? Like seriously. He isn’t even a con artist and he managed to trick her. Halle may have hinted that he may be conning but it was still a surprise when he turned her own mission against her. I started laughing when that happened. The irony was so epic. The sweet guy (who by the way isn’t that sweet) conning the con artist.

Ellie of course was surprised this happened, not because she was conned-con artists get conned as well, but because it was Camden. She didn’t see it coming. Of course when they do strike their little deal, this doesn’t mean Ellie trusts him, she is always on the look out, making sure he won’t pull of something again, no matter how nice he is or genuine he acts. Better safe than sorry.

The plot to this book was great. I was so surprised when the book ended. I read the last page and tried to scroll down, and I saw that it was the last page. So yes it was a cliff hanger but not one that annoyed me, it was one that made me want more. But since Karina is awesome, I won’t have to wait forever for the sequel. Back to the plot, it was great. The whole thriller part was great, it wasn’t a mystery and shouldn’t be mistaken as one. But there were people on the run so I was very happy. I loved how the whole book had a past and present timeline going on, although I DID prefer the present one, more Camden  .

I look forward to reading the sequel and I plan on visiting the author’s blog and the goodreads page everyday until I get an exact release date for it. (It's coming out this August)

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Pre-Order: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.

So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.

But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.

This is not a book for everyone. Not everyone will love it as much as I did and some people will find it boring. But for me this book was so beautiful. I am not sure there are enough words to describe the beauty of this book.

The other day I was trying to explain what happened in this book to someone and I ended up rambling. I am not sure how I’ll manage to write this review.

When I requested this book I was kind of scared because it sounded so intense and I wasn’t wrong. This isn’t YA, its somewhere between Mature YA and New Adult.

Our main character, Nikki has had a shit life. Her mother is a druggie, her step-father is in jail and she has to take care of all the stuff her mom is too stoned to. She dropped out of school when she was 16 and well she has no authority figure present to help her get on the right track.  Her grandmother used to take care of her but she died. All this aside, the author doesn’t dwell on what Nikki’s past was, she doesn’t want us to pity our character but to understand her and where the thoughts behind her decisions stem from.

The author doesn’t make Nikki a particularly easy character to like. Initially she annoyed me then I started to sympathize with her and then slowly I fell in love with her (in a not creepy way).

The thing that annoyed me most about Nikki (and is meant to annoy us) is her obsession with Dee. She cannot see that he is using her and that he doesn’t actually love her. She blindly follows him thinking that if they love each other everything else will be okay. Her friend Bird tries to tell her Dee is a bad guy but she doesn’t listen.

I think that Nikki always knew, the signs were there but she always fooled herself into thinking otherwise. She just needed someone to love her and yes I realize how cheesy that sounds but it’s the truth. She later goes on to realize that maybe she didn’t really love him, that maybe he was like an addiction, a way of filling in all the empty spots in her from the absence of parents and people who would be there for her. In doing this she forgot that she had Bird who would have been there for her no matter what and Bird finally reached her breaking point and gave up on Nikki.

When her boyfriend and her best friend ditch her things get real bad. She realizes she deserves it for the crimes she has committed. She goes to the police and tells them what happened but she still doesn’t tell the whole story, she tries to protect Dee. She ends up going to jail anyway.

This story is kind of like a coming of age story. Nikki makes realizations about what she had and the things she never saw or overlooked and in the end she finally has to deal with the guilt of helping kill a man who did nothing wrong.

To see her change and accept her mistakes and finally stand up for what is right is so beautiful. It made me so proud.

This is a heart wrenching tale which shows the other side of falling in love. Love isn’t all flowers and hearts, it isn’t perfect. This isn’t a tale of crime but of self-realization and has become one of my favorite reads of the year.

That being said this book isn’t perfect, there are tons of things I could pick on and complain about but I’d be a real ass if I did.

If this is any indication of how the author’s other works are like, I need to look into them and read them ASAP.