Sunday Spotlight

Sunday Spotlight is a weekly feature hosted by PrintedWordsAnd, highlighting the best book read during the week.

This week's spotlight is reserved for Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas.

I actually finished Dangerous Girls this morning and loved every moment of it. I was lying in bed after waking up, remembering that I had downloaded this via iBooks because it was free and decided to give it a go. Two hours later and I was gaping like a fish, clearly at loss as to what to do. This book, everything about it, had me on edge. 

Anna is befriend by Elise at her new school and soon they become inseparable. As best friends they do everything together, including Spring Break. Along with their group of friends and Anna's boyfriend, Tate, they decide to let loose and have fun. Yet, they would never be ready to witness the brutal remains of Elise after being murdered. Soon Anna spirals into speculations and accusations, unable to uncover the truth.

It really was one of the best thrillers to read, and I loved the set up of the story. It ebbs and flow from present to past for readers to piece the puzzles together - unsure of where it really is heading. At some points there were court transcripts and texting conversations as one whole paragraph, which made for a creative read. The characters were interesting because of their complex relationships, especially between Anna and Elise. They had one of the strongest friendships but it had so many layers built into it. AK held the most interest for me though because I couldn't really decipher his true intentions. The end sort of blew my breath away, but there were some moments where it was predictable. Still, I can overlook that because it was simply amazing to read. Definitely recommend! 

What did you like this week?

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Sunday Spotlight

Sunday Spotlight is a weekly feature hosted by PrintedWordsAnd, highlighting the best book read during the week.

This week's spotlight is reserved for The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski.

The Winner's Curse was released at the start of this year, and has garnered an immense amount of popularity and hype. It centres around Kestrel, the general's daughter of an empire won over by war and violence, and her instinctive decision to buy a young slave at an auction. Kestrel finds a spark in the slave, Arin, that surprises and intrigues her. Yet, Arin hides a secret, one that could cost Kestrel more than what she bargained for.

I was absolutely addicted to this, right from the get go. Marie Rutkoski has a way with writing, impactful and descriptive. The world building was great, very believable and vibrant. Likewise, the characters had depth and were likeable. Kestrel is intelligent and independent, and I admire her skills in warfare - that was definitely an interesting an aspect to a YA heroine. Arin I sympathised with, but I'm not sure I agreed with his ways at the end. Still, I'm interested to see how far his emotions will take him and what role he plays in the sequel. This, coupled with the strong plot - logically drawn out and paced well - meant that The Winner's Curse was an amazing and enjoyable read. It was also a plus that the relationship development was actually done right, so at least I could see how and why they were drawn to each other.

The ending was definitely bittersweet and I cannot wait to read the next book.

What was your favourite read?

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Sunday Spotlight

Sunday Spotlight is a new weekly feature hosted on PrintedWordsAnd highlighting the best book read during the week! 

This week I took part in the #AYearAThon Read-a-Thon with the month's topic being Middle Grade.  Claire Legrand's The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls wins a place in the spotlight this week, and here's why! 

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls follows Vivian Wright into the local children's home kept by Mrs Cavendish. Vivian's never taken notice of the home before, not until her friend Lawrence Prewitt goes missing. 

I did not expect this to be as creepy and compelling as it was. It's definitely middle grade, but with a spark of grotesque horror that was both thrilling and fascinating. I loved it for it's creativity. Legrand definitely stretches reality to deliver this story and her writing doesn't let her down. It's descriptive and straight to the point - which I find is a big positive in any middle grade novel. The plot builds steadily, a little dry right at the beginning, but picks up pretty early on. I'm not sure I loved the characters because I couldn't create a strong attachment, but Vivian seemed like a really believable character and I admire her courage and brains. I also liked that she powered through challenges and grew into a better person by the end of the story. I can definitely see younger readers coming out of this with a fascinating adventure and a minor lesson that they can mirror. My version of the book had small images of roaches pop up here and there on the the pages, which really freaked me out because I have a serious fear of them, so that added to the shock factor as well. 

Definitely a recommend, especially for younger readers - my brother really liked it when he read it as well. 

What was your favourite read for this week?

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