I Hunt Killers Review

Author: Barry Lyga
Release date: April 3, 2012
Pages: 359
Publisher: Little, Brown
How I got it: Library

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

I have read books about killer demons, gargoyle-people-things that plot the downfall of mankind, ghosts that can--and will--literally rip you in half, and cults that kill people. Still, I'm pretty sure I Hunt Killers is the most chilling book I have ever read. And that is a wonderful, wonderful thing for me my friends, because that's exactly what I was looking for going into this book.

What's so chilling about I Hunt Killers? Billy Dent. Our protagonist--Jazz Dent--has a SERIOUSLY messed up dad, but I cannot help but appreciate the way he was written: not as a raving madman, but a calm, collected, all-too-realistic lunatic that will be keeping me 100 yards away from strangers at all times.

Jazz himself also makes the book that more fascinatingly twisted: his inner turmoil, his struggle between being a good person and his "urges", how his father screwed him up so bad he doesn't know which of his thoughts are his own or Billy's...it keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat. Despite this, I became totally invested in Jazz's character, which made me even more nervous for him.

Though it took me a little while to get into, I Hunt Killers ended up being everything I wanted and nothing like anything I've read before: twisted, demented, creepy, freaky, terrifying. It was awesome.

Plot: Didn't grab me very quickly, but once it did I found it to be unique and exciting.

Characters: Jazz rocked, his friends rocked, his dad totally brought the creepy. A win all around, I'd say.

Writing: Very good.

Ending: I want book two!

Mature content: Violence, mentions of sex, rape, and there's swearing.

Overall:

EXCUSE ME but I am ATTEMPTING to read about a serial killer's SON HERE. WE CAN TALK LATER.

I Hunt Killers was everything I was looking for, and maybe a little more. Highly recommended!

I Am Harry

Harry Potter, I'm Harry Potter!

I caught the snitch WHAT WHAAAATTTT.

Guest Post: What's Hot and What's Not In YA

Hey Y'all! I'm Arielle, and I blog at Amitygardens Revue. Since Jessica is on vacation, I'm here to do a guest post. I wanted to talk about the top five things that I hate and love in books. I’ve added the corresponding tropes, if you want to know more about them.

Top 5 Things 5 I Hate:

1) Insta-Love I hate when two people meet and are instantly in love and going to be together forever. It's one thing to be attracted and interested in a person, and another to fall in love with the second you see them. I want to watch your characters fall in love. I want the butterflies and tenseness, and to feel everything that comes with it.

2) Slut-Shaming I understand when you have a young character that their go-to insult are things like "slut" and "whore", but don't pretend that it's okay. Make them realize that that is not the way to treat other women. Show that the person they are calling those names are real and human.

3) Mary Sues Perfect characters are boring. Being klutzy is not a flaw- it's just means you have more bruises than other people. Screwed up people are much more interesting to read about. You can have your character be unlikeable, but it doesn't mean we won't care about them.

4) Token Minorities If you're including someone who's a minority just to try and make it diverse: don't. It shows that you just added that in there. It comes off fake and weird. Take the time to understand the person that you're trying to write. Try and get to know their culture and what it's like to be that person.

5) Bizarre Names I know that not everyone is going to have a name in the top 100 baby names, but do try and be realistic. I have suspension of belief for only so much, so please try and ease me into it and not overload immediately.


Top 5 Things I Love:

1) LGBTQ Characters We need more LGBTQ characters in novels. There is more to this community than the stereotypes in media, and they are under-represented in fiction.

2) Independent Heroines I like heroines who don't need a relationship to define them. I want them to be independent and self-reliant. Not to say they can't have one, but they should have an identity outside of being someone's significant other.

3) Cool Parents I love when parents are supportive of their children. They don't have to be perfect and make all the right decisions, but it's nice to see parents who care about their children. Not to say that crappy parents aren't beneficial to a story, but I like to see regular parents who are trying to do their best.

4) Real Friendships We need more realistic depictions of friendships in books. Even screwed up people have friends. I love seeing friendships where the people support one another even when they screw up. Less frenemies and more friends.

5) Did Not Get The Girl Romance doesn't always have to take center stage in a book. I like when it's secondary to the character's journey or alternatively, they don't end up together. Even no romance can be great sometimes- it's good to have a variation of romance/crushes, etc.

The Most Cliched Sentence Known To YA

Guys, I want you to tell me something. How many times have you read THIS:

It was so wrong, but it felt so right.

Probably a lot, right?

I swear every time I read a paranormal or bad-boy book (meaning a contemporary featuring, you guessed it, a bad boy) and it's gotten to the point where glancing at the sentence makes me gag a little. Because I have read it a LOT. And I didn't originally like it. Now I absolutely HATE it. I LOATHE it. I ABHOR it. Every time I happen to come across it I make this face:

Here is why.

1: It is so. over-used. Sweet Kevin Bacon guys, I swear this sentence is not only in YA, but in movies, tv shows...I feel like everywhere I turn, BAM the horrible sentence is assaulting my eyes. You know what happens when a sentence gets over-used? You're supposed to STOP USING IT. Remember when that song Bad Day came out, and every radio station everywhere was playing it to the point that we were like, "STOP! GIVE US SOMETHING ELSE." Do you ever hear Bad Day on the radio anymore? NOPE. And there's a reason for that (well, besides it being a crappy song).

2. It is probably one of the cheesiest things I've ever read. No, really people, go read it again. Go. Look. Look at all the cheese oozing from that. I am allergic to dairy and cannot handle the amount of cheese gushing from this sentence.

3. Show me it's right, don't tell me. I feel like this is one of those sentences that is trying to convince me of a romance that isn't there. It doesn't feel believable or romantic or anything it's meant to be; it feels cheap and forced. I feel like as soon as an editor reads that line, they should be scribbling over it with their red pen.

Also, publishers: Don't use it as a tagline.

Pushing The Limits. Luckily that line wasn't in the book. Trust me. I would've noticed.

That sentence is bad, m'kay?

Speechless Review

Author: Hannah Harrington
Release date: August 28, 2012
Pages: 288
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
How I got it: For review through Netgalley 

The story of a girl named Chelsea Knot who takes a voluntary oath of silence after her gossip-mongering ways yield unexpected consequences… 

Saying she’s sorry isn’t enough. 

--------------------

Last year Harrington's debut blew me away, so when I saw Speechless was I Netgalley I immediately snatched it up. Of course I was worried Speechless wouldn't live up to the total perfect that was Saving June, and guys, I was NOT disappointed.

Normally I cannot stand the mean-girl-goes-good story. The mean girls are always so SNOTTY and SHALLOW and think they're better than everyone else, and by the time they go good I am too sick of them to care. Chelsea is the wonderful exception to this rule. I did tolerated her, instead I LOVED HER. I love her sense of humor as much as I love that she recognizes and tries to fix her flaws. Harrington totally took that all-too-common YA cliche and made it her own, and it worked. Hard.

Um, and SAM. And ASHA. And ANDY. I LOVED THEM ALL!

The plot was unlike anything I'd ever heard about before. I mean I cannot even play the quiet game for longer than like two minutes so to not talk at all for how long Chelsea did is unimaginable and only makes her respect her more.

Speechless is so good. It touches on heavy topics like LGTB bullying, the social hierarchy of high school, and not letting other people define you BUT it manages to keep things pretty light and sweet too. You MUST get a copy. Well, as long as you want to be one of the cool kids. Not the cool kids that shop at fancy stores and look down on everyone else, but the REAL cool kids.

Plot: Love.

Characters: LOVE! 

Writing: So freaking good. Harrington is a force to be reckoned with.

Ending: Perfect.

Overall:

Shut up! Can you not tell that I am READING?

I totally devoured this book, and by the time I finished it, it had become one of my favorite books of 2012. I definitely need to get a copy for my shelves.

What Are Your Hospital Books?

So, as I have mentioned, I went to the hospital in late April. It was not really a calm, rational decision. No, it required lots of my mother going, "Jessica, do you need to go to the hospital?" and lots of me going, "I don't know," until finally I said yes.

Well, then I stood and we got ready to walk out the door. My friend was with us, and she asked if I needed anything (in a slightly panicky voice because you know her friend was going to the hospital) and I said, "Looking For Alaska." That was the first thing I thought of. Then when she brought it downstairs from my room she asked if there was anything else--because she is a very good friend--and I said, "The Rise of Renegade X."

So I walked into the hospital with nothing but the clothes on my person (which included Beavis and Butt-Head pajama pants, I might add), my mom, and two books in my bag.

It did not dawn on me until a week ago how interesting my decision was to me. How in a split second I picked the two books that gave me the most comfort. Looking For Alaska because of it's philosophical brilliance and stunning characterization, and The Rise of Renegade X for its hilariousness, fantastic plot, and awesome characters. Of course, I never actually got the chance to read either of these two books in the hospital due to an IV in the crook of my left elbow that rendered me one-handed. Still, it says a lot about those two books being the only things I needed in a moment of crisis. It says something about how much I love them and how I they are now with me for the long haul, because I would take these two books* anywhere. I would take them on a lonely journey; I would take them to a deserted island; I would take them to a hospital.

Which made me wonder, dearest readers: What are your "hospital books"?

I Am Eddard

Winter is coming.

That is my Stark face. Starks are a serious people.

*resists the urge to make spoilery comment*