Helix (Helix #1) by Nathan M. Farrugia 4/5 stars

*Note: This book was given to me by the author in return for my honest review*

Hey, guys!  After reading The Chimera Vector (also by Nathan M. Farrugia), I was interested in his new series, Helix.  I enjoyed it, but it didn't knock my socks off.

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows Olesya with a gun.  It's a pretty simple cover that connects pretty well with the story, but something about it doesn't seem right to me.  It's alright, a B- cover.

Official Description:
Olesya has always been different.
To most, she was an ordinary girl from post-Soviet Russia. But to the covert agency that recruited her she was something much more. The agency is a collector of genetic anomalies; forging gifted children into their most deadly weapon: black operatives. 
Seven years later, Olesya leads a team of hunters on a dangerous assignment. Her targets are black operatives: elusive, genetically enhanced, and unstoppable. From the bio-clinics of Brazil to the icy borderlands of Kaliningrad, from the catacombs of Lithuania to the citadel of occupied Prague, Olesya is at the heart of a war against a powerful, malevolent organization that wants total control. 
But as operatives and hunters start to vanish, Olesya discovers they aren’t the only players in this deadly game … 

My Review:
Helix: Episode 1 was a fast read.  The plot was fast-moving, and it was a page-turner.  The book itself is only 142 pages so it goes by very quickly and leaves you wanting more.

The characters were likable.  I especially liked Olesya who was well-developed and a strong female character.  All the characters were likable enough, but considerably less developed than Olesya.  This may improve as the series goes on though!

My main problem with Helix was the switching point of view.  About half of the book was set six years ago from Olesya's point of view, but the other half starred Damien as he tried to stop a kidnapping.  These storylines were not very connected so it felt like two books mixed together rather than a single story.  I didn't like that formatting.

Overall, I wouldn't warn against this book, but I also wouldn't recommend it.  It was fine, and I'd look forward to reading the sequel, but there are books out there that will knock your socks off in a way that I don't think Helix: Episode 1 will.

Phrase:
plasticuffs

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
The Chimera Vector

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And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I'd heard about And Then There Were None for ages and finally decided to read it.  It was good; I enjoyed it and think you would, too!

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows a hand reaching for a "soldier boy" statue.  It makes sense in context of the book and emits an eery vibe.  It's alright.  B cover

Official Description:
First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion. 

My Review:
And Then There Were None was great.  It wasn't perfect by any means, but it did a great job of building suspense and mystery.  It is a classic mystery novel that earned its hype.  

The drama that ensued from the search for the murderer was incredibly intense.  The conclusion blew my mind.  Finally a mystery novel where you don't guess the ending half-way through the book!  

That being said, the characters were a bit stupid.  They had to be for the sake of the plot but it was a bit much at times.  Some parts of the book are a bit outdated/ not entirely politically correct because it was written in 1939, but it was less so than you might expect.  Despite being written so long ago, And Then There Were None didn't require a translator to read by any means.  It was straightforward, fairly modern writing.  Perfectly understandable to an average reader.

I'd recommend reading And Then There Were None if you like mysteries at all.  It's not only a classic, but a good classic.  It's intense and fun.  It'll make you excited to read the next chapter.

Audiobook Review (read by Dan Stevens):
This was a wonderful audiobook.  Dan Stevens did a great job conveying the excitement of the book without going overboard.  Also, whether this is positive or negative to you, he has a British accent.  It fits with the story, but I wanted to mention it in case you don't like accents!

Phrase:
Ten Little Soldier Boys

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Finale (Hush, Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick 0/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I always read the full book before I post about it here.  That is not the case today.  I couldn't take this book, and it got abandoned.  More on that later.

Preview Books in the Series:
Hush, Hush (book 1)
Crescendo (book 2)
Silence (book 3)

The Cover:

I am the kind of person who always finishes books, no matter how much I hate them.  (A good example is Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld).  I stick it out, hoping for some redeeming quality, so you know it's bad if I give up.

To be honest, I only started Finale because I was waiting for And Then There Were None to become available at the library, and I felt kind of guilty to abandon a series 3/4 of the way through.  I honestly would have rather been sitting in silence than reading this book.

Simply, the plot was ridiculous, the characters were ridiculous, and the writing was mediocre.

The major selling point of this series is supposed to be the relationship between Nora and Patch.  However, the don't have chemistry and the longer the series went on, the more Patch seemed abusive.  Nora was not allowed to talk to any other boy, she's criticized for hanging out with her friend, etc.  Instead of being entranced by their romance, I was scared for Nora's safety.  Bad foundation for a book.

The only thing left to say is do not read this book.  Even if you liked the previous books, Finale was awful.  Would not recommend reading.  Ever.

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The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) by Patrick Ness 5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  A few weeks ago, I reviewed The Knife of Never Letting Go (review), the first book in this series.  It was amazing, if you haven't already read it.  The Ask and the Answer was possibly even better.  Wow.  This was a sequel that definitely deserved the first book.

The Cover:

The Cover:
I just love it.  The cover shows a giant A, the calling card of the mysterious terrorist group the Answer.  On the edges of the cover is the jumbled Noise of the phrase, "I am the Circle and the Circle is me."  The significance of that phrase becomes more and more obvious as the series goes on.  Really cool cover.  I'm a fan.  A+ cover

Official Description:
We were in the square, in the square where I'd run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren't no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men...
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...
"The Ask and the Answer" is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure. 

My Review:
The Ask and the Answer picks up directly after The Knife of Never Go stopped in one of the most exciting starts of a book I've ever read.  And the excitement just keep coming.  The book was intense, full of almost nonstop action.  I loved it.  

A word of warning, in this book, the point of view shifts.  Instead of just being in Todd's perspective, Viola also has a point of view.  I usually condemn this kind of thing, but in The Ask and the Answer it actually worked for once.  

The characters became even more likable, the character development was all over the place (and it was amazing), and the internal drama was spot on.  As far as "internal drama" goes, it walks a thin line from being deep and interesting to being whinny and irritating.  Patrick Ness managed to keep his characters on the right side of that line.

I can honestly think of nothing else to say other than "Read this book.  Please."  It was fantastic.  
That being said, if you hated the first book (and I can't picture you would have), this book is pretty similar, at least as far as formatting goes.  Use your discretion.  

Phrase:
I AM THE CIRCLE AND THE CIRCLE IS ME.

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
Books by Neal Shusterman

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Panic by Lauren Oliver 3/5 stars

Hey, guys! I've been meaning to read Panic for two years.  I enjoyed Lauren Oliver's previous series, Delirium, so I decided to give it a shot.  I thought it was pretty "eh" for the most part and hated the ending.  It wasn't all bad, but I was a little let down.

The Cover:

It shows Heather's face against a plain back background.  It looks nice aesthetically.  The title, "panic" is the name of the central competition in this book.  The cover doesn't tell you anything about the book, but I like it anyway.  B+ cover

Official Description:

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most. 

My (Ridiculously simplified) Description:

Graduated high school senior have an annual competition where they perform dangerous challenges to hopefully win a pot of money.  Drama ensues.  

My Review:

Panic sounded so good.  I thought it would have action or be a psychological thriller or something.  It was mostly high school type drama, with six action scenes thrown, each with only a few pages devoted to it. 

I didn't like the characters.  Most of them felt painfully shallow, and I couldn't connect with them. Not only were they dumb (and probably on a suicide mission) for even entering the competition but they also were whiners.  

Most of Panic was devoted to the internal drama of the characters, whom I didn't care about.  It was just filled with filler content.  We get detailed descriptions of Heather's day working but of little else.

Sure, not connecting with the plot/characters was a problem, but the part of this book that bugged me the most were the points.  If a character completed an especially difficult part of a challenge, they might win bonus points.  Fair enough.  But, the bonus points go nowhere.  They don't get a head start (eg Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) or win based on points.  It didn't even effect the betting, so why bother?

I would have given this book four stars, but the ending let me down.  At the climax, I was distracted by Lauren Oliver's attempt to place every single plot point in the book at a single point.  It felt cluttered and distracted me from the book.  Also, during the epilogue (always a bad ideas, epilogues), she decides to make a moral and shove it down the reader's throat.  A bad ending overall that left me dissatisfied.

Overall, I would not recommend Panic.  There is little action and uninteresting characters.

Phrase:

Revenge/ Get out of Dodge

Audiobook Review (read by Sarah Drew):

I wasn't a fan.  Sarah Drew, the narrator, only had two voices.  Her main character voice (that could be both from Dodge's or Heather's point-of-view) and her "other" voice for characters such as an old lady and a love interest.  It was hard to tell characters apart. 

It was a fine audiobook, but it had no special characteristics.

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