Search This Blog

Love reading challenges? Check out my other blog:

2023 Bookish Books Reading Challenge

My Progress:


23 / 30 books. 77% done!

20 Books of Summer 2023

My Progress:


17 / 20 books. 85% done!

2023 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama (2)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (12)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (3)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (3)
- Maryland (2)
- Massachusetts (3)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (1)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (11)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (3)
- Virginia
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (2)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (1)

International:

- Australia (3)
- Canada (7)
- Chile (1)
- England (19)
- France (2)
- Ireland (2)
-Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- South Korea (1)
- Sweden (1)
- The Netherlands (2)
-Vietnam (1)

My Progress:


42 / 51 states. 82% done!

2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


25 / 25 books. 100% done!

2023 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


48 / 50 books. 96% done!

Booklist Queen's 2023 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


49 / 52 books. 94% done!

2023 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


46 / 52 books. 88% done!

2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 40 books. 85% done!

2023 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


29 / 40 books. 73% done!

2023 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


13 / 25 books. 52% done!

2023 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

Book Bingo Reading Challenge


20 / 25 books. 80% done!

2023 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


86 / 109 books. 79% done!

Children's Book Reading Challenge...For Adults!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Fast-Paced and Compelling, Crash Another Eerie Hit From McMann

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

For 16 years, Jules Demarco has led an unexceptional, even boring, little life.  She drives a totally obnoxious, completely embarrassing food truck to school, always smells like pizza, has few friends and couldn't get Sawyer Angotti to notice her if she set herself on fire.  As pathetic as all that seems, Jules wants it back.  She craves normal, even if her normal kind of sucks.  It's still better than the crazy she's going through now.  Every time she glances at a billboard, window or t.v. screen, she sees a terrifying vision—a crash, flames engulfing a building, nine body bags lined up in the snow.  Seeing things that aren't there can mean only two things:  either she's certifiable or people she knows are going to die.  Either way, she's screwed.  

Jules can't tell anyone about the vision.  Her family's under enough stress—they're struggling to keep their pizzeria open, dealing with Jules' father's obsessive hoarding, and just trying to survive from day-to-day.  Jules refuses to add to the load they're already carrying.  But what else can she do?  As the vision becomes ever more intense, ever more consuming, Jules knows she has to warn the fire's victims.  It's the only way to clear her head, the only way to (possibly) save the lives of nine people.  The problem is convincing the Angottis, the family with whom the Demarcos have been feuding for more than a century, that something terrible's going to happen to them.  The problem is doing it without sounding like a raving lunatic.  The problem is saving the boy she's loved since First Grade without losing him completely.  The problem is ... everything.  Absolutely everything.

While I've enjoyed all of Lisa McMann's YA novels, I knew after a chapter or two that her newest, Crash, would end up being my favorite.  And I was right.  The novel, the first in a new series, keeps the eerie feel that all of McMann's teen books have, but lightens the tone quite a bit.  Which is what made the difference for me.  Crash just has a warmth to it that the other books don't.  Jules' personality definitely contributes to that because even though she's plagued by numerous problems, she keeps her sense of humor.  She's self-deprecating, loyal, and protective—all admirable qualities that contribute to her immense likability.  And, while the idea of a teen using paranormal abilities to solve mysteries/save lives is nothing new in the YA genre, I thought Crash still had a hint of freshness to it.  Overall, it's a fast-paced, engaging story that's compelling, entertaining and surprising (at least at the end).  All that, for me, equaled a very enjoyable start to this new series.  I'm excited to see where it goes from here!  

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of the Wake trilogy [Wake; Fade; Gone] by Lisa McMann and a bit of The Body Finder [The Body Finder; Desires of the Dead; The Last Echo; and Dead Silence] series by Kimberly Derting)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder invectives), sexual innuendo and scary images

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find 

2 comments:

  1. This one sounds very different, but in a good way! I'll have to keep an eye out for it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'll have to look this one up, it sounds really interesting.

    Sarah

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
Hooked: A Memoir in Crafts by Sutton Foster



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive