Catacomb: A Review (Asylum #3)

Goodreads:

Sometimes the past is better off buried.

Senior year is finally over. After all they’ve been through, Dan, Abby, and Jordan are excited to take one last road trip together, and they’re just not going to think about what will happen when the summer ends. But on their way to visit Jordan’s uncle in New Orleans, the three friends notice that they are apparently being followed.. And Dan starts receiving phone messages from someone he didn’t expect to hear from again—someone who died last Halloween.

As the strange occurrences escalate, Dan is forced to accept that everything that has happened to him in the past year may not be a coincidence, but fate—a fate that ties Dan to a group called the Bone Artists, who have a sinister connection with a notorious killer from the past. Now, Dan’s only hope is that he will make it out of his senior trip alive.

In this finale to the New York Times bestselling Asylum series, found photographs help tell the story of three teens who exist on the line between past and present, genius and insanity.

My Review:

Following this series with Dan, Jordan, and Abby has been an adventure, but I do have to say the last book didn't live up to the last two.

It could be that it wasn't focused so much on the creepy Asylum, Brookline, anymore, but... *shrug* this finale to the series wasn't my favorite. In fact, I was left hanging, thinking there would be another book. Plus, I didn't feel the characters grew very much or really learned anything. The creep factor was there, but it was all kind of stale.

This was kind of a bummer considering how much I loved the other two.

However, the writing style was just as great.

If you like creepy stories, this series is wonderful, but I don't think I'd recommend the last book.

2 out of 5!

Deadline: A Review (Newsflesh #2)

Goodreads:

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.


My Review
*This review contains spoilers if you have not finished the first book, Feed*



Shaun is now running his news agency without Georgia and his best friend, Buffy. Although he still has his team, he feels lost without those two. He used to be the brave, daring one who would go out and taunt zombies, but that just doesn't appeal to him anymore--the whole news doesn't appeal to him any longer, but he keeps going for Georgia.

This story gets really turning when a CDC agent shows up and starts telling Shaun about the secrets the government has been keeping.

Although I missed Georgia in this story, I rather enjoyed seeing the growth of Shaun and how he managed to move on and still report the truth. He stayed strong, despite his weak moments. I also love his team, and how they helped and encouraged him.

A wonderful sequel to Feed.

Again, there was a bit of language, but I still enjoyed the book.

4 out of 5!

Feed: A Review (Newsflesh #1)

Goodreads:

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop.

The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives—the dark conspiracy behind the infected.

The truth will get out, even if it kills them.

My Review:

I am a lover of anything zombie. I don't know why, because when it comes to scary, other than realistic situations, these are the only things that scare me.

However, what I truly loved about this book, was even though zombies ran rampant, it wasn't an apocalyptic book. Georgia and Shaun Mason live in a world very similar to ours, just filled with zombies and blood tests. In fact, these young adults are bloggers who start following the upcoming election.

Ya, a zombie book about the next presidential election.

It was fascinating. I got to see this new world vastly different beyond our own. I saw how the parents long for the days before the zombies came, and how society leans more on technology more than ever--because they are literally afraid of the outdoors.

The intrigue and betrayals and adventure in this book are endless. I was kept guessing and genuinely horrified when not only zombies attacked, but certain people too.

And I also loved the references to our day, how they joked about a lot of what we do. Georgia and Shaun's news team accounted for loads of hilarity.

Granted, this story did have some language, but otherwise, it was really well written.

4 out of 5!

Stalking Jack the Ripper: A Review (Book #1)

Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

My Review:

I don't know why, but Jack the Ripper has always been an interesting....person to me. Now, I don't go around studying serial killers, but seeing that there was a historical mystery about him definitely peaked my interest.

And I have to say, my interest was well founded.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth is a woman beyond her time. She is studying the "forbidden" arts of autopsies and the human anatomy--medicine. Despite her being a woman in the late 19th century, she rose above the stereotypes and convinced her father to let her study medicine. As Audrey works with her uncle, they both discover there's a connection between all these dead women.

This book is filled with twists and surprises. It was so much fun to travel with Audrey and her friends to discover who Jack the Ripper was.

Kerri Maniscalco did a beautiful job at writing this story. I'm excited for the next murder mystery Audrey is going to help solve. (And can I just say, what a beautiful and intriguing cover).

4.5 out of 5!