The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Publication date: September 2019

Source: library

The Plot: Ryn lives in a small village, where she takes care of her brother and sister after their parents died or disappeared. She has taken on her father's occupation of grave digger. There are dead people coming around the village, called bone houses. Ellis is an apprentice mapmaker, who gets lost on the way to her village. After Ryn helps save him from a bone house, they head into the forest together to try to break the curse that is causing people to come back from the dead.

Why I read it: The September Owlcrate box will have an item inspired by it, so I wanted to read it beforehand.

The Characters: I really liked Ryn as a strong female character, and it was nice to see a male character who wasn't necessarily the strong one of the story. They were both likable.

The Setting: This was an interesting world, that was fairly spooky. It wasn't incredibly developed, though, beyond the little village and the forest beyond that pertained to the curse.

A sample of the writing:
"What stories did your parents tell you?"
"Monsters," she said at once. "Dragons. Pwca. Dramatic battles."
"And is that any better?"
"Yes," she answered. "I grew up thinking monsters could be slain."
"Ah," he said. "And I grew up thinking people were the monsters."

Who should read this: Someone looking for a spooky story that's not too scary or gory.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this for the most part, but there were too many times where something happened that was just a little too convenient.

Cover Thoughts: I like the cover. I think it would have been nice to have something with a creepy forest, though, as that would have added to the atmosphere.

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Review: Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?

Book Details

Title: Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?

Author: Max Braillier

Genre: horror

Page Count: 288

Publishing Info: February 8, 2011 by Gallery

My Review

Why I read it: Received review copy

The Plot: Inside these pages lies unspeakable horror. Bloodsplattering, brain-impaling, flesh-devouring horror. You’ve probably read your fair share of zombie stories. But this time it’s different. No longer can you sit idle as a bunch of fools make all the wrong moves. All hell is about to break loose—and YOU have a say in humanity’s survival.  (This book is in the classic "Choose your own adventure" style, which was very fun!)

The Characters: There really are no characters here.  You are the main character, except that you're a young man.  So, if you're a woman like me, it can be a little harder to put yourself in the slot of the main character and play along.

The Setting: I think most of the story takes place in New York, but that doesn't really matter so much.  All you need to know is that there are zombies!

Who Should Read This? Fans of the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, fans of zombie books.

Final Thoughts: I had a lot of fun with this one, but the one thing I realized is that you can't read it for any long periods of time.  Even though you can pick different paths and read a different scenario, after awhile I forgot what had happened in my current path and what was from a different one, and it all just blended together.  Not to mention that you kind of get sick of it after too long.  This is a fun one to pick up here and there when you don't have much time to read.

Grade: B

Cover Thoughts: I like the cover.  It's definitely not boring, although one could argue that there's too much there.

 

Review: Cryer's Cross

Book Details

Title: Cryer's Cross
Author: Lisa McMann
Genre: YA
Page Count: 240
Publishing Info: Simon Pulse, February 8, 2011

My Review
Why I read it: ARC Tour
The Plot: Cryer's Cross is a very small town, so when a teen girl disappears the town is shaken.  Who would do something like this in a town where everyone knows everyone else?  She is never found, and weeks later another teenager disappears.  This time it's main character Kendall's best friend.  Kendall starts finding new messages carved into the desk next to her, and when she touches the desk, she can hear voices.  Something weird is going on, and Kendall (who has OCD) fears she may be going crazy.  The story is told in third person present tense, which brings a sense of urgency to the story, but can also, at times, be annoying.  When the mystery was revealed at the end, I found it unbelievable and almost laughable.  I was hoping for a little bit more. 
The Characters: Kendall isn't bad as far as girl characters in YA books go.  She's not a silly, whiny girl who everyone seems to be in love with, so there is that.  That being said, of course there is a love interest, and he's not bad either, but you can see it coming a mile away.
The Setting: Cryer's Cross is an interesting little town, and it was really the only setting where this story could have worked.  It's a farming community with a tiny population.  So tiny that there is a one room high school with about 24 students total.  I found the setting interesting, and would actually have liked to read a different type of story set here.  Maybe one with less horror and more with a fun, small-town life feel.
Who Should Read This? Fans of the authors previous books will probably enjoy this, Although I didn't like it as well as Wake and Fade, it was miles better than the mess that was Gone. 
Final Thoughts: I really didn't love this one, and I wasn't sure what to expect because I feel like this author has gone downhill with her writing.  I was mostly underwhelmed, especially with how it ended, but it was a quick read, and interesting enough to keep me going, so not a total loss. 
Grade: C-
Cover Thoughts: The cover is pretty creepy, and fits the story well.

Thunder and Ashes Review

Book Details

Title: Thunder and Ashes
Author: Z.A. Recht
Genre: Apocalyptic Fiction
Page Count: 304
Publishing Info: Permuted Press, November 2010

My Review
Why I read it: Received review copy from Gallery Pocket Books 
The Plot: This is the second book in the Morningstar Strain trilogy.  I haven't read the first one, but I didn't feel lost at all.  This book follows a couple different groups of people as they're making their way to a research facility to hopefully find a vaccine for the zombie virus that is taking over the world.  The story is very fast-paced with tons of action and fighting scenes.  It seems like the author knew his stuff when it comes to guns and military lingo. 
The Characters: There were a whole lot of characters here, and I would say the plot/action drove the story a lot more than the characters, so there wasn't very much character development.  I did like Krueger, the sharpshooter of the group.  There weren't really any unlikable characters (except for the bad guys, which is obvious), but that could also be because of lack of character development.
The Setting: This was a pretty good dystopian type world, and I definitely felt the bleakness of it.  It's not someplace I'd like to visit, that's for sure.  If zombies ever do come, I'd almost rather be one of the first to go. 
Recommended for: I think fans of zombies would definitely go for this one.  I also kept thinking this would be one I might even be able to get my non-reader husband to read.  I think it will definitely appeal to male readers, and those who like their stories action oriented.
Final Thoughts: I'm glad I read this, and I was very sad to discover that the author has died.  I'm planning to go back and read the first book, and I read that there is a ghost writer working with what notes were left for the third book, so we'll see how that works out.  I really enjoyed this one, and was very pleasantly surprised.
Grade: B
Cover Thoughts: My cover was the one on the right, and while they're very similar, I like the look of the one on the left better.  They go well with the story, and are suitably scary.

 

The Dead Tossed Waves

Title: The Dead Tossed Waves
Author: Carrie Ryan
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 404
Why I read it: 2nd in a series
Grade: A

Synopsis:
Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

My review:
When I found out The Dead Tossed Waves wasn't a direct sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I was disappointed.  I felt that the ending of the first book was a bit abrupt, and thought that a sequel should continue from there.  Even as I started reading The Dead Tossed Waves, I wasn't feeling it.  It seemed slow, and I had a hard time getting into it.

I would honestly say it took me about halfway through to start getting excited about it.  That's when the story really took off, and oh boy, it got intense!  And what I really ended up loving about this one was the heart, and how there was still so much love and hope in the midst of probably the most depressing world ever imagined.  Take this example from the book:

My mother places her palm flat against mine.  "It's never been a perfect world.  It's never going to be.  It's going to be hard and scary and, if you're lucky, wonderful and awe-inspiring.  But you have to push through the bad parts to get to the good."

"What if there aren't good parts?"  I ask her, the tears creeping back up my throat.  "What if I've already lived the good parts and there's nothing left?"

She laughs, throaty and deep.  "Trust me when I tell you that there is plenty left," she says.  "You just have to take the risk sometimes in order to find them.  Step outside what's comfortable and safe."

This was just one of many parts that I absolutely loved.  I really cared about these characters, and was incredibly emotionally invested.  I cannot wait for the next book to come out.  I would highly recommend this book, and The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  You don't need to have read the first book to read this one--you won't be lost, but they're both such good books that I wouldn't skip either one.   

 

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 308
Why I read it: Kept hearing about it
Grade: A

Synopsis:
In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future - between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death? 

My review:
When I finished this book, I felt like I wanted to have a good, long cry.  The story is so heartbreaking, and yet I never felt like it lost hope.  That's a tricky balance, but Carrie Ryan pulled it off beautifully.

Mary, the main character was at times selfish and annoying, but also showed depth and a strength that was admirable.  I would have liked to see the other characters a little more fleshed out, instead of just being in the story as they related to Mary.  But the more I've thought about the book, the more I've realized, as one of the characters said at one point in the story, it's all about Mary.  The story is her journey, and if the other characters aren't fully realized, it was the author's intention.

The plot was fast-paced, and kept me up late reading last night until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.  Then I read every spare moment, until I finished it this morning.  I love books that I can't wait to get back to, instead of ones where I have to force myself to read.  As I read, I kept hoping that there would be another book, because I was nearing the end and I felt like the story wasn't told yet.  So I looked it up, and it looks like there is.  I will continue reading, and will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by Carrie Ryan in the future.