bookreviews – Page 46 – Sincerely Karen Jo

PrettyDeadGirlsTour

Hi Lovelies! Welcome to my first Blog Tour of 2018. This stop is for the Pretty Dead Girls Tour hosted by Chapter by Chapter. I really enjoyed this YA murder mystery and definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of thrillers. Don’t forget to stay until the end to join an awesome giveaway!

4 ★ – ENTERTAINING AND ADDICTIVE

PUBLISHED BY ENTANGLED TEEN JANUARY 2, 2018

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, MYSTERY, THRILLER

HARDCOVER 300 PAGES

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Synopsis

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.

In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed.

The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she’s next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to a boy from her physics class. The one she’s never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her.

There’s something he isn’t telling her. But there’s something she’s not telling him, either.

Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.

Review

Another terrific book from Entangled Teen! With great writing and a fascinating storyline, Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy had me hooked from the very first page. It’s entertaining, addictive, and just so much fun.

This book completely intrigued me the entire time. The plot was fast-paced, suspenseful, and utterly thrilling that I actually finished reading in less than 12 hours. With catty popular girls, gruesome deaths, and a budding romance between two unlikely characters, there was definitely enough drama that had me turning the pages. I LOVED the mystery aspect and while Murphy certainly kept me guessing until the end, I did have my theories and 2 suspects in mind. There was a part that made me think it was a certain character. Just something about the scene gave me the feeling and I’ll have you know… I was correct! I loved playing detective and had such a blast solving the mystery. Although if I’m going to be honest, I never could do this in real life. I’d be too anxious, scared, nervous, and just a total mess.I do have to mention that the ending felt just a tad bit rushed. Don’t get me wrong, it was still awesome, but I felt like there could have been more.

The characters, while infuriating and not very likable, were developed and written very well. They were fantastic in their own ways and acted their part quite convincingly. However, I have to admit that I had a difficult time relating with any of them – even Penelope. Their personalities were just strong and so intimidating that I could not see myself being friends with them. (I’m an introvert and very shy so I would not do well in their group). Nevertheless, that didn’t stop me from rooting for Penelope and the rest of her friends to have some kind happy ending.

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Oh and can I just say that Cass’s grandmother was just precious!!! She’s super adorable, genuine, and so sweet. Yup she’s definitely my favorite character!

The romance, while interesting, was kind of weird and I still don’t really know how I feel about it. I’m a romance junkie so to feel this way about a love story — specially one of my favorite tropes — is really throwing me off. I just felt that the relationship between Cass and Penelope was a bit forced at times and just so awkward. I think the story would have been just as good without their romance. BUT… there were a few moments between Cass and Penelope that made me swoon. My favorite scene involved a closet, some music, and one steamy spine-tingling kiss that I wished would have happened to me when I was a teen (minus the uncomfortable situation which you’ll find out once you read this book). Maybe if some of their interactions played out differently, their pairing would have been more believable.

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Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy is a fun thriller that’s perfect for anyone looking for a quick and exciting read. There’s plenty of drama and action, suspense to keep you on edge, and murder mysteries to solve. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and appreciated that Murphy addressed and showed the scary and devastating effects of bullying.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is a traditionally published author with Bantam/Random House and Harper Collins/Avon, as well as an independently published author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson. She is a wife and a mother of three who lives with her family in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through many angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

Follow and Connect with Monica Murphy

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest • Snapchat • Goodreads

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Thanks for stopping by and reading my review. Hope you lovelies get to meet these Pretty Dead Girls and have fun solving the mystery. Don’t forget to leave your comments down below!

Sincerely Karen Jo

No Vain Loss

(No Ordinary Star #3)

M.C. Frank

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5 ★ – EPIC CONCLUSION

PUBLISHED BY CREATESPACE INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING PLATFORM DECEMBER 5, 2017

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, SCI-FI, FANTASY, DYSTOPIA, ROMANCE

PAGES: PAPERBACK 302

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Synopsis

A soldier is summoned to the North Pole, days before the year changes, told to fix the great Clock for a celebration. He has no idea what to do.
A girl, hunted for the crime of being born, almost dies out on the ice. She is rescued by the last polar bear left alive.
A library waits for them both, a library built over a span of a hundred years, forgotten in the basement of an ice shack.
The world hasn’t known hunger or sickness in hundreds of years. It has also forgotten love and beauty.
This is the One World.
The year is 2524.

Inspired by the short stories of Ray Bradbury, this futuristic young adult novel in three parts is set in a world where Christmas -among other things- is obsolete and a Clock is what keeps the fragile balance of peace.

Written in three parts, this is the breathtaking story of how two unlikely people change the world, and each other, one book at a time.

In No Vain Loss, the world is on the brink of the greatest war humanity has ever known. Lives will be lost. New truths will be revealed.

Review

It’s ten heartbeats to midnight. Ten heartbeats to the greatest war humanity has ever known…

Where do I even begin… M.C. Frank wonderfully concluded this series with so much epicness that I’m still reeling and my emotions are just all over the place. No Vain Loss just blew my mind away!

Before I started NVL, I just knew it would be a quick and beautifully painful read. Frank’s writing never ceases to amaze me – it’s utterly beautiful, positively emotional, and breathtaking through and through. With that being said, I decided to take my time and read NVL as slowly as I could. I wanted to enjoy this insanely lovely story for just a little longer and spend more time with Felix and Astra… And I can honestly say that it was not easy. The story is so much more thrilling than the first two installments — incredibly fast-paced with plenty of nerve-wracking action, unexpected twists every which way that kept me on edge, sweet moments that surely pulled my heartstrings, and an electrifying ending that was absolutely satisfying. This book… this series… it will become your addiction that you’re going to want to devour every single page and then do it all over again because it’s just that amazing!

It was definitely an absolute pleasure going on this journey with Felix and Astra. They were such wonderful characters who stole a huge piece of my heart with their bravery, their sacrifices, and their love. Even with their losses and pain, Felix and Astra fought for a new world. A better world where beauty, hope and love can exist. I really don’t want to say anything more because you just have to experience this mesmerizing series for yourself.

No Vain Loss is a lovely and heartwarming ending that left me feeling so full of hope and joy and understanding. It’s a story about friendship, forgiveness, acceptance, love and so much more. It’s such a beautiful series about what it means to be human and while I’m quite sad to see it end, I know that I will always have a special place in my heart for Felix and Astra and this breathtaking series. It’s thrilling, ugly at times, incredibly emotional, and so real in every way.

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If you’re looking for a book/series with gorgeous writing, exhilarating plot, inspiring themes, and lovable heroes, then I highly recommend this. I promise you… you will fall head over heels in love with this series.

As a member of the NOS Street Team, I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest and fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Author Interview

Describe this series in 3 words? Frozen, heartbreaking, Christmassy.

What was the hardest scene for you to write in the No Ordinary Star trilogy? The battle scene.

Who are you more like Felix or Astra? I’m like Astra in that I love books and stories, but my dark side is all Felix.

What was your favorite scene in No Vain Loss? The scene that happens right after the Clock is unveiled *wink (spoiler).

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? When I was five or six and realized that was my dad’s job. I wanted to be like him. Two years later, when I started reading books, then I knew for sure (but I thought it would be the impossible dream).

Which author(s) have inspired your writing? Ray Bradbury’s short stories inspired the entire No Ordinary Star series. In general, all the great classics, like Austen, Bronte, Dickens and Shakespeare… and many more. These were my writing “teachers”.

Favorite snack while writing. I don’t think it counts as a snack, but I drink tons of water.

What was the first book that made you cry? The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (from the Chronicles of Narnia).

If there was a zombie apocalypse and you can only choose one book to take with you, what would it be? Ahhh you’re killing me with this question. I don’t know… Could I take a kindle reader?

If you were a superhero, what would your name be and what power would you have? I don’t know about my name (I’ll need to think about it, that’s serious stuff right there) but I know my power: flying.

Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead? Neither.

If you won the lotto, how would you spend your winnings? Would you believe, I’ve thought really extensively about this. I’d build a school. Yep, I’m dreaming big.

Favorite movie of all time? You’ve Got Mail.

Are you working on any other projects right now that you could talk about? Any new books coming out? Yes, I am writing a Robin Hood romance, and I’m so excited to finish it and get it into the hands of lovely readers like you!

Other Books in the Series

ADD NO ORDINARY STAR ON GOODREADS

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Read my Review for No Ordinary Star

ADD NO PLAIN REBEL ON GOODREADS

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Read my Review for No Plain Rebel

About the Author

(Taken from M.C. Frank’s Website)

mcfrank I am M.C. Frank: writer, reader, designer, editor, physicist and teacher. (To mention a few.)

I have been living in a world of stories ever since I can remember (that’s before I knew how to write). I started writing them down when I could no longer stand the characters in my head screaming at me to give them life and while those first scribblings weren’t exactly good (nor were they books, although I insisted on calling them that), they were enough for me to discover my passion in life.

I started writing seriously a few years back, pursuing my dream of a writing career. I started small, in a magazine, but ever since I’ve been dreaming of doing what I absolutely love for a living, and finally I am getting there! I feel so blessed and happy.

I got my university degree in physics a few years ago. People look at me weirdly when I tell them I’m a physicist, so I say, I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I’m like Sheldon, only a bit crazier! I am now free to pursue my love of reading and writing, as well as my free-lance job of editor-in-chief. I live with my husband in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where I rearranges my overflowing bookshelves every time I feel stressed.

Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) I don’t pick the easiest subjects for my novels. I put my characters in icy-cold dystopian worlds where kissing is forbidden (among other things), or place them in green forests ruled by evil Sheriffs. If they’re in Jane Austen’s London, they have to be running away from a traumatic childhood, or if they are in our current, contemporary world, they’re scared they’ll die before they have finished high school. That sort of thing.

Don’t worry, though, I know we all are in need of a little hope and joy in our lives, so there’s a good dose of those as well in everything I write.