Spectacle
Written by: Rachel Vincent
Release Date: 5/30/17
Reviewed by: Heidi*
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 Torn Off Limbs
Recommended for: Anyone who loved Menagerie
At the end of Rachel Vincent’s Menagerie we were left with the hope that Delilah and the rest of the cryptids in Metzger’s Menagerie might have finally found a way to exist freely, if not secretly, in a world that no longer accepts them. In Spectacle (Menagerie‘s sequel) that hope is short lived.
Newly imprisoned at the Savage Spectacle, the characters we have come to love (including Gallagher *swoon*) face new horrors at every turn. Yet through it all Delilah and the Furiae that dwells within her continue to fight against injustice.
This was not an easy read. Spectacle includes a mix of gladiator battles to the death, dehumanizing prison conditions, sexual assault, manipulation and psychological warfare that haunt you. Yet it is told in a manner that makes you cheer for the heroes and celebrate every time the Furiae or Gallagher leave one of their enemies in pieces. No literally, in pieces.
There is a twist in this book that was so infuriating and yet compelling to me that I can hardly think about it without being mad that I have to wait for the next book. How can you do this to me, Rachel Vincent? Make sure you read it soon so we can suffer through the wait together. Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
Worth Any Cost
Written by: Brenna Aubrey
Release Date: 2/28/17
Reviewed by: Emily L
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 Heart-eyed Emojis
Recommended for:Anyone who wants to find love at Comicon
You wouldn’t think auctioning off your virginity would lead to a wedding but that’s where Worth Any Cost takes us. It’s proof that anyone can find love, even nerds who play World of Warcraft and are devastatingly handsome yet somehow don’t know it.
This is part of Brenna Aubrey’s Gaming the System series which has lots of cosplay, online role playing games, Star Trek (or Star Wars?) references, and Renaissance Faires if that’s your thing. I learned that it might be my thing… Buy it.
One of Us is Lying
Written by: Karen M McManus
Release Date: 5/30/17
Reviewed by: Angela*
Genre: YA Mystery
Rating: 4 Juicy Rumors
Recommended for: Anyone who wishes they were Sherlock
Five students walk into detention; before it is over, Simon–who runs the schools gossip app–is dead. The remaining four all have secrets big enough to kill for. So who did it?
Breakfast Club comparisons have of course been tossed around by the publisher describing Karen M. McManus’s debut novel, but the similarities pretty much ends at four teens who rarely–if ever–spoke to each other before detention. They are repeatedly questioned by the police, who show them that Simon knew their secrets and planned to reveal them. Then in a twist, someone claiming responsibility for the murder and to have been in the room where it happened starts posting on the app, sharing Simon’s final post and more.
The four become social pariahs at school and predictably come together to support each other as they become a national media sensation, romance blooms–it is YA after all–and everyone takes a turn as the lead suspect in the months that follow. The story (told from the time stamped point of view of each of the “Bayview Four”) unfolds in pieces, giving you just enough teasers to keep even people who rarely read mysteries but like gossip (like me) making guesses and wanting to know more. I suggest reading it when you need a break from romance (hey, it can happen) but don’t want to dive into something dark that will keep you up at night pondering the state of humanity. Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
There you have it! Real quick reviews for books we loved … real quick because we lazy. Hope you find something new to read. But in the meantime, tell us what you are reading in the comments or on twitter using #TNReads.
If you like what you see, check out our other #TNReads posts for more quick and dirty recommendations. Or our Books Section for all the rest of our favorite novels.
