- Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
- Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder
- The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
- Deadly Little Lessons by Laurie Faria Stolarz
- The Essence by Kimberly Derting
- Jamie Oliver’s Great Britain by Jamie Oliver
Despite making progress in finishing my TBR pile, that’s going to change come the new year. I’m excited to get back into all of these stories! ..Except for the one stand-alone and cook book. Obviously. Speaking of which, cooking is something I also hope to do more of come the new year.
What about you?
Most notably – the awesome sense of plot and descriptions. Hellooooo, you two! Where have you been in my YA novels? So glad you’ve returned. That’s basically the conversation I had going on in my head. Derting’s world just packs this live punch that’s great; it’s gritty, urban, magical. And the characters have distinct personalities! It’s easy to form connections to them, which helps guide the story. Truth be told, some are cliche, and a bit predictable. But the more developed characters make up for their lacking.
There’s some slow build-up, which leads to confusion about just what kind of world they’re living in, and why, but everything is resolved in the end. However, that’s where things seem to get a bit screwy. Characters suddenly do a 180 and show other sides of themselves, causing me to feel detached from them after finally feeling like I knew their purposes within the story. It’s a bit offputting and annoying. The way everything – and everyone – ties together seems illogical at times, or presents Oh c’mon, really now? moments/reactions.
But trust me: The Pledge is an awesome thriller. The world is fleshed out, the descriptions spot-on, and the characters more or less come together seamlessly. It’s a mingling of all things good. Read it!