Like thriller or crime movies I love, Dark Mind started out with a scary and heart-thumping scene in a limo driving out to the middle of nowhere. From there it took off with a look into the night when a couple walking back to their car from a date out in Sacramento, in which things take a turn for the worse. This of course was actually the start of the rash of serial killer moments.
Lizzy has a HUGE sense of bravery in this one as she seems to be finally coming to grips with her life with Jared, her crazy people magnet, and killing off her abductor. Hayley returns with an ankle monitor and seemingly has her stuff together (although it's pretty obvious she doesn't and she is putting up a front). Jessica also tries to keep a straight face when she clearly can't seem to handle the build-up of scary events. Jared is tied up with trying to solve the Lovebird Killer case.
I can't decide if the Spiderman (from 1st book) or the Lovebird Killer grosses me out more. Both gave me the chills and creeps. Frankly, the LK seems way more screwed up and his back-story that you learn about slowly throughout the book is insanely irksome. I did not figure out who the killer was till Lizzy did and while I thought I had figured it out, I was completely wrong! I appreciate Ragan's writing more for that.
Ragan continues to write books that remind me of all those fantastically scary and thrilling movies I watch over and over. Thank goodness this one didn't have the cheesy Scooby Doo type detective work that Dead Weight did. I look forward to possibly reading a 4th in the series! And thank goodness T.R. Ragan redeemed herself after the 2nd book. Thank goodness!
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars || Goodreads Average: 4.05 stars
I can't decide whether this book was a good read because it was funny or because it was scary. I'm going to say funny, since McBride originally wrote this as a short story with a fast food worker being attacked by all sorts of paranormal fiends.
How could one not like that all the chapters are song titles or lyrics that go perfectly with the events in each?!
Sam makes the mistake of breaking the taillight of a fancy man's silver car. From there, he deals with lots of blood, threats, and confusion as he tries to figure out who he is and why Douglas is after him with a vengeance. For those paranormal lovers, you will get to enjoy weres, witches, dragons, and all sorts of other creatures. Oh and you get to laugh quite a bit throughout as well with a talking head, sculptures that attack, and a waffle-loving harbinger.
I know several of my friends who will love this book, so I hope they try it out too!
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars || Goodreads Average: 4.02 stars
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers | I was still processing this one hours after I finished reading it. I had initially given it 3 stars, but quickly changed that to 4...because I know a book that messes with my head hours afterwards deserves more than 3.
What I wrote up after I first finished: Trying to wrap my mind around this. 3 stars because I liked it and read it in one day, but that ending, boy that ending. I want to say Summers just proved that girls like those in this book just never quit. They keep bullying, torturing, and hating on others because of their low self-worth and low self-esteem. I'm going to tell myself this is why she wrote the ending this way. Ugh.
It's hard to decide how to feel for Regina. No one deserves the treatment she was given, but then again, she was that girl...to so many other people, because she was told to do it. I am of course being very vague, since I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read Some Girls Are.
Reading this was like watching Mean Girls and reading Speak, or any other Lifetime movie about the evilness of teenage girls and the navigation of high school hallways where no one ever seems to see what is going on.
It's hard to decide how to feel for Regina. No one deserves the treatment she was given, but then again, she was that girl...to so many other people, because she was told to do it. I am of course being very vague, since I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read Some Girls Are.
Reading this was like watching Mean Girls and reading Speak, or any other Lifetime movie about the evilness of teenage girls and the navigation of high school hallways where no one ever seems to see what is going on.
What I'm thinking hours and hours later: I'm still annoyed at the ending. I know Summers ended the book as a way to show that things like this just happen and happen. But the Goodreads synopsis threw me off making me think something totally different would happen. Meh. Read it (the Goodreads synopsis and the book) to see for yourself.
From Goodreads: Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.
Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author ofCracked Up To Be.
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