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Hidden in a secret research facility in the middle of the Amazon rainforest is a girl like no other.  Pia may look like your average 17-year-old, but she's not.  She's smarter, stronger, more indestructible than any person on Earth.  Unlike other humans, Pia is immortal.  Long after her creators die, long after everyone she knows passes on, she will live.  

Even though Pia's surrounded by a team of scientists, two of whom are—technically, anyway—her parents, she can't help feeling lonely.  She's never seen another teenager, let alone talked to one or hung out with one.  And she wants to.  Desperately.  The scientists would scold her for entertaining such human emotions, but she can't help it.  She's been promised that someday soon she will be able to help create a boy, her perfect companion.  Together, they will create a new generation of immortals.  The trouble is, she's not sure she can wait that long.

When an illicit trek into the jungle brings Pia face-to-face with a native boy, 17-year-old Eio Farwalker, she's stunned.  Even more shocking is that she wants to see him again.  And again.  And again.  Contact with the outside world is strictly prohibited—Pia can't even imagine what will happen if she's caught.  As she struggles to deny the allure of Eio and the freedom he enjoys, she takes a hard look at her world.  For the first time, she wonders and questions and doubts the laws of her own existence.  Knowing she can't live in both worlds, Pia must make a terrifying choice—and live with the consequences, deadly though they may be.

Although the premise behind Origin by Jessica Khoury (available September 4, 2012) may not be all that original, it still makes for an exciting novel.  Don't expect an action-packed thriller, though, because the author takes her time building suspense.  This isn't a bad thing.  Not at all.  In fact, her prose has a languid loveliness to it that makes the story's subtle darkness even more affecting.  Although the plot gets predictable, I enjoyed this one—even if it was more for the storytelling than for the actual story.         

(Readalikes:  Although Origin isn't dystopian, it reminds me of books like Matched by Ally Condie and Delirium by Lauren Oliver; also a little of Partials by Dan Wells.)  

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for mild language (no F-bombs), violence and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a printed ARC as well as an e-ARC (via Netgalley) of Origin from the generous folks at Razorbill (a division of Penguin).  Thank you!

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As a sudden Spring snowstorm swirls down on Broken Branch, Iowa, an armed man walks into the town's only school.  While the police scramble to figure out what's going on, parents huddle together outside the building, anxious for news.  No one knows who the gunman is, what he wants, or how far he's willing to go to make his point.  Hazardous road conditions make it impossible to bring in outside help.  Without the aid of trained SWAT teams or experienced hostage negotiators, it's up to local law enforcement to end the standoff.  They only hope it can be done quickly, peacefully, with no casualties.  As precious minutes tick by and the snow continues to fall, all the people of Broken Branch can do is wait.  And pray.  

Meg Barrett, a 33-year-old police officer, can't stop thinking about the kids trapped inside the school.  She's got to find a way to get them out, even if it means ignoring orders from her superior and going against police protocol.  Anything.  She'll do anything to save the children.  Eighth grader Augie Baker already hates Broken Branch, hates that she has to live in the middle of nowhere with the grandparents she hardly knows while her mother recovers from severe burns in Arizona.  It's just her luck that she's now locked inside the school with a madman.  But when she discovers a way to save herself, she can't do it.  Her little brother's inside the school, too, and she refuses to leave without him.  On the outside, Augie's grandfather waits helplessly, not knowing the fates of the grandchildren he's only just getting to know.  After 40 some years of teaching in Broken Branch, Mrs. Oliver's ready to retire.  She plans to end her career quietly, without a fuss, something that changes the minute a man with a gun steps into her classroom.  Now, the 65-year-old educator may be the only thing standing between a desperate, armed man and a school full of innocent children.  

Tension mounts with each passing moment.  While the police fumble around looking for answers, the townspeople grow increasingly antsy.  And angry.  When Meg discovers a personal connection to the gunman, she knows it will be up to her—and only her—to put an end to the madness.

Violence at school is every parent's worst nightmare.  Which is why it makes such excellent fodder for intense, edge-of-your-seat reading.  Add in an inexperienced police team and a snowstorm that cuts them off from any outside assistance and you've got the makings of an A-grade thriller.  That's what I expected from One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf after reading its very promising premise.  Did the book deliver?  Not exactly.  While the potential was definitely there, the story started too soon, forcing Gudenkauf to spend too much time filling in back story and not enough on pushing the plot forward.  A little restructuring along with some overall tightening would have resulted in a much more streamlined, pulse-pounding novel.  I still enjoyed One Breath Away, which is, overall, a fast, engrossing novel, I just wanted something more polished and, ultimately, more satisfying.  

(Readalikes:  Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and Columbine by Dave Cullen)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf from the generous folks at Harlequin/MIRA and Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc.  Thank you!         

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Twelve high schools in three years—that's a lot, even for a troublemaker or a military brat.  But, Cas Lowood isn't either of those things.  He's a ghost hunter.  Like his father before him, Cas travels the world tracking down evil spirits.  Armed with an ancient—and lethal—weapon, he sends malevolent ghosts away forever.  Only his mother and a close circle of associates know the truth about Cas.  Outsiders can't know what he does, so he moves frequently, avoiding friendships, romances and anything else that might could tie him down.

Then, a letter written in blood leads him to Turtle Bay, Ontario, Canada.  It's a modern city, but one that hides its fair share of secrets.  And restless spirits.  One in particular has drawn Cas' interest: Anna Dressed In Blood.  Everyone in town knows the story of 16-year-old Anna Karlov, a Turtle Bay resident who was nearly decapitated on her way to prom back in 1958.  They also know what happens to anyone stupid enough to step inside the old Karlov home.  The brutal killings could be the work of some homicidal squatter living in the abandoned house, but Cas knows the truth—Anna's ghost haunts the residence.  It's not just any ghost either, but one of the most powerful he's ever encountered.  Also the most beautiful, the most mesmerizing, the most tragic.  She's killed dozens of people.  Cas has to end it, end her, but can he?  Or will he become another helpless victim, lured to his death by Anna's tale of woe?

It's hard to describe the premise of Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, let alone explain how such a dark novel can be so compelling and beautiful.  Yes, it's a horror novel, complete with the requisite gore, but it's more than that.  It's a love story, a ghost story, a murder mystery, even a little bit of a comedy.  Unique, scary, exciting, tender, romantic, heartbreaking—it's all that.  Which is why I loved every page of Anna Dressed in Blood.  Every.  Page.  The sequel (Girl of Nightmares) comes out in 14 days and you better believe I'm counting them down.            

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a teensy bit of the John Cleaver series [I Am Not A Serial Killer; Mr. Monster; and I Don't Want to Kill You] by Dan Wells and a little bit of Ruined by Paula Morris)


Grade:  B+


If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language, violence/gore, and depictions of underage drinking  


To the FTC, with love:  I bought Anna Dressed in Blood from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.