Review: The Body in the Woods by April Henry

Title:The Body in the Woods
Author: April Henry
Source/Format: Won, ARC 
More Details: Young Adult, Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Henry Holt and Co., June 17, 2014

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods. Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own...

The Body in the Woods was an interesting mystery that had some faults, but offered an entertaining reading experience. The details about the search and rescue teams are what drew me into the story, which quickly set the stage for the conflict of the novel, and as the title suggests, there was a body in the woods. The stories primary focus was on the mystery, which was never lost underneath a pile of extraneous details. It was straight forward from start to finish. The characters were another thing worth noting since they came from varied backgrounds. Ruby with her interests that were often looked upon with disapproval by her parents, Nick with his need to prove that he can do something worthwhile, and Alexis with her struggles—financially and dealing with her mentally ill mother. The Body in the Woods was definitely a whodunit complete with amateur sleuths wrapped up in a complicated mystery. I actually liked it and would consider checking out another novel by April Henry if I’m ever in the mood for a mystery again.

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

QUEEN OF SHADOWS by Sarah J. Maas releases today and I'm excited that I get to share the news along with an awesome giveaway! (Trust me, you're going to want to enter.) Also you can read chapters 1-5 of Queen of Shadows HERE! Want to know more about the book? Check out the details below... 

Title: QUEEN OF SHADOWS

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Pub. Date: September 1, 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Pages: 656

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series reaches new heights in this sweeping fourth volume...

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past. She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return. Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world...

About the Author...

Sarah J. Maas is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling Throne of Glass series–Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, and the series’ prequel, The Assassin’s Blade–as well as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses. She wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in twenty-three languages. Queen of Shadows, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, will release worldwide on September 1st, 2015.

A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies. 

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Time for the giveaway! One winner will receive the first 3 books (in paperback) of the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. This giveaway is US Only and ends on September 11th at Midnight EST!

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Musing Mondays (38) All the Weekly Questions I've Missed

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

And I’m back from my blogging break. So for my musings today I’m going to answer the random weekly question I missed on the 24th and for today.

Does your local library ever have book sales? What are the prices like? Tell us about any great finds you have found there!

I wouldn’t know if my current library had a sale recently because like I’ve said before, it’s kind of far and I haven’t been to it yet. But the library in my last area did, but I didn’t go to it so I wouldn’t know what the prices were like.

What is your favorite book? (or, one of your favorites!)

I have a lot of favorite books and it would take all day to list them, so I’ll stick with the more recent ones. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is definitely one of my favorite books of 2015 (I’m kind of late to the series). And Space Exploration for Dummies by Cynthia Phillips & Shana Priwer—I really enjoyed reading about things I already knew and some facts that I’d never heard about. Space Exploration was definitely one of my favorite reads this year.

What are you reading this week?

Quick Announcement...

Some things are coming up so I'm going to take a break this week. I'll probably be around on Twitter, pinterest, & Tumblr (kind of). Anyway, I look forward to coming back next week. Thanks for taking the time to visit the blog, and I hope everyone has a great week.

Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher/Publication Date: Amulet Books, January 1, 2013

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now. When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own...

“I’ve been collecting bugs since I was ten; it’s the only way I can stop their whispers…”

I have to say that Splintered was definitely an interesting read. Initially I had my reservations about it since I was unfamiliar with the author, but as far as a retellings go this was definitely one of my favorites.

There were a lot of things about the novel that I enjoyed. The setting started off relatively normal but shifted focus as the story progressed, with some scenes reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, only twisted to fit with the world in Splintered. It was pretty cool to see all of the changes Howard made. Besides the setting, the plot is what kept me reading. The very first page introduced the main character Alyssa Gardener, who has the unfortunate ability to hear the whispers of insects and plants—a theme that played a big part in the story. I found it interesting to see how Alyssa dealt with all of the unnecessary noise while trying to live her life, and it was easy to see why she considered it to be a curse. And even if they weren’t around for most of it, Alyssa’s relationship with her parents was a nice touch to the story along with her friendship with Jenara. The few interactions they did have were nice to read about, but I wish there was more.

Really, my main complaint with Splintered was Jeb, Alyssa’s friend and Jenara’s brother. At some parts of the story I felt like he was holding Alyssa back—that he was the only one who wanted to believe that she couldn’t do anything for herself. And sometimes—ok, a lot of the time, actually—I felt like he was more annoying than helpful with his controlling tendencies.

Overall, I think A. G. Howard did a good job with putting a different spin on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that I think fans of the classic tale would enjoy. Despite my one main issue with it, I really liked it and I would definitely consider reading another novel by Howard.