SLACKER!! / Update

Hey guys!
I know I have been slacking on the reviews lately. But, don't worry. I have a ton coming. I have been super busy these past few months finishing up my undergrad degree and I just graduated last weekend!

Now that I don't have school to worry about, I can focus more on reading and getting out reviews to you. 
Thank you for staying patient!


Courtney

What Hides Within by Jason Parent

Synopsis:

Inside all of us, there is darkness. Inside Clive, it's tangible, and it's aching to get out.

What Hides Within tells the story of a man held captive by an unknown evil. Clive Menard is a spineless slacker leading an ordinary existence. But when Chester enters his life, it becomes far from ordinary.

A disheveled Clive stands alone in a hospital waiting room. A series of incidences have led him to undergo unnecessary neurosurgery. A voice inside Clive’s head nags him to kill the doctor.

Weeks prior, a murder investigation and an unrelated kayaking excursion set the story’s interlocking events in motion. When a remorseful killer, a bomb-happy psychopath and a mysterious widow spider converge upon Clive, they bring with them destruction and death. Clive must discover who or what is steering his very existence before he, too, is consumed by the carnage around him.

With a driven detective following his every step and a vicious killer hiding within his circle of friends, Clive must walk a narrow and dangerous path, teetering between salvation and damnation. He must confront Chester and his own demons. But is he powerless to overcome them?

By the cover of this book, I should have known what to expect. But, I did not, and there were quite a few scenes where I was cringing.

Reading a book with the main character of a spider is not a good thing for someone who is very afraid of spiders…

That said, it was definitely a unique story. Having something inside of your head talking to you seems terrifying in itself, but that thing can also control your actions. That is even more terrifying.

I enjoyed the story for the most part… despite the spider thing…

There were parts that dragged on a bit, I felt that the story of Clive’s roommate didn’t really get the full attention that it deserved. Detective Rielly was an important character, but she also just seemed like a small character and we never learn much about her.

So, while some of it dragged on, I also feel that it should have been longer to explore the characters more.

For a horror story, it was interesting and unique. If you are looking for something different, go ahead and pick it up.

3/5 stars.

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She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Synopsis:

Meet Dolores Price. She's 13, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye. Stranded in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the Mallomars, potato chips, and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally orbits into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she's determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before she really goes under.

Don’t be turned off by the length of this novel. It is long for a reason. It takes us through the hectic journey of Dolores Price’s life starting as a child and leaving off in her thirties.

Nothing seems to ever go right for Dolores. She has been through hell and back. Though broken, there is still a source of strength within her that keeps her pushing even when she wants to just give up.

This book can be taken two ways. It can bee seen as a really sad story of a girl that had too much on her plate and learned to never trust people. Or, it can be seen as a story that reminds you that true love and passion can conquer all. Sometimes forgiveness needs to be given, and sometimes you must just let time heal some deep wounds.

There is never a perfect answer for difficult situations, and for most of Dolores’s life, she probably made all of the wrong decisions, but she was able to come of it kicking and screaming in the end.

I really enjoyed this book. It was deep at times, and it was shallow at times. Dolores’s wit and sarcasm made her an interesting character to read, but also allows the reader to form a connection with her right away. It tells a complete story, but it also leaves Dolores’s ending up to the reader.

I would highly recommend this book.

5/5 stars

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Hope To Die by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Detective Alex Cross is being stalked by a psychotic genius, forced to play the deadliest game of his career. Cross's family--his loving wife Bree, the wise and lively Nana Mama, and his precious children--have been ripped away. Terrified and desperate, Cross must give this mad man what he wants if he has any chance of saving the most important people in his life. The stakes have never been higher: What will Cross sacrifice to save the ones he loves?

Hope to Die brings readers the conclusion to the story that began in Cross My Heart. It is a crazy and emotional run and has one of the most disturbing antagonists in the whole series to date.

Can there really be a perfect criminal? Or can one man withstand trying tests to take him down in the end?

That is Cross’s mission, and he learns a lot about himself and his family along the way.

I must say, with every book I read in this series, I just like Bree more and more as a character, and this one didn’t let me down there. She gets stronger and more integral to the series with every book, and she is definitely one of my favorite characters overall from this series.

Hope to Die is a page turner, and I don’t think anyone will be let down by the awesome ending.

Somehow I ended up reading this book before Cross My Heart. It made a lot more sense once I went back and read that one. Goes to show, you should never skip a book in a series.

4.5/5 stars

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