The Farm by Tom Rob Smith

Still in the process of finishing the second book of the Game of Throne series; however, I decided to be a little rebellious and change the material I was reading every night before going to bed. With all the textbook and article reading at school, I definitely needed a change from elevated language that required me to look up a word every five seconds or so to something familiar, plausible, and easier to wrap my head around. I found this break in the mystery section at the library...

Specifically, I found my savior in (drum roll please) Tom Rob Smith's The Farm.

Nowadays, I feel like people are more interested in the long titles and they fail to place equal fascination for books with succinct titles such as this book. This book kept me sane throughout the first semester of junior year; however, its insanely complex plot kept me awake and sleep deprived for most of the first semester of junior year -- and I am not complaining. Let me explain...

My Ratings:
Vocabulary:  *****
Ingredients: *****
Satisfaction: *****
Lexile Level: N/A but I would say about 1000HL 
Genre:  Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Realistic Fiction
My Opinions: Imagine getting a frantic call from your father, the man you believed to be headed into a peaceful, well-deserved retirement with his wife. The man who had sold his home in London to move into a remote farm in rural Sweden with his wife. However, that one phone call changes everything.

He tells you that your mother is not in a good mental state and has been falling into episodes of hallucination. He informs you that she just had a psychotic breakdown. He promises you that she has been imagining terrible, terrible things and had to be rushed to the hospital. Worst of all, right before you decide to fly to Sweden, your father calls to tell you that she had just escaped and no one knows where she is.

Coincidentally, you hear from your mother telling you to believe no one and to meet her in London.

These two are your loving parents; they've raised you since the second you were out in the world; nurtured you; developed you; loved you; trusted you. Both seem unlikely criminals yet you are caught in the middle of this puzzling situation, a web of lies, secrets, conspiracies -- unsure of who to believe or trust.

This is the situation Daniel is in.

I had to force myself to turn off the lights and go to sleep each night because this book literally pulled me like a magnet the minute I opened it. With the book being mostly from the perspective of the mother, Smith does a really really good job of coaxing the reader into entering the mind and life of the characters. Smith keeps the reader guessing by fostering an atmosphere of tension and unease. Well-developed characters and a masterful plot are just a few reasons for my five star rating. It is a must read if you are looking for a psychological thriller.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

My Ratings:
Vocabulary:  *****
Ingredients: *****
Satisfaction: *****
Lexile Level: N/A but I would say about 1100HL (recommend for ages 16 and above)
Genre:  Fantasy, Mystery
My Opinions: So yes. The Game of Thrones craze has begun. However, with the books for now and not the TV show yet. I always stick to reading the book before watching its movie or show. Finished the first book a couple days ago and it was great to get back to some fantasy after a while. 

There are so many details and plot twists in the book that it would take forever to tell you about everything. The book is divided into three different view points: from the Seven Kingdoms, the Wall, and the East. So here is my attempt in trying to give you a nice intro to what you will expect in the book and hopefully, none of the juicy details and suspenseful events will slip out of my fingers while I type this. Okay...so here it goes...

After the rebellion against the Targaryens, Robert Baratheon becomes the king. With the recent and mysterious death of Jon Arryn, Hand of the King and Ned Stark's brother-in-law, the King offers the job to Stark. After some hesitation, Stark accepts and takes his daughters with him to King's Landing while the rest of the family stays at Winterfell. During this separation, Bran is pushed off a roof, Catelynn tries to get revenge over her son's unfortunate experience, Robb becomes lord of Winterfell, Sansa must betray her family, Arya is lost within the city walls, Jon is sent to the Wall, and...okay, I am not going to say anything else. Murder, romance, need for power, and war fills the pages of this novel as the Seven Kingdoms struggles to find the best fit for the Iron Throne.

I know after reading the book, you will probably say "Wow, Anitra missed a lot of details from the book!" But I don't want to ruin it for you all! There are so many details, characters, twists, and perspectives intertwined within the plot which I wish I could blurt out in my review. But why ruin the fun for you all, right? 

As hyped as you may be for the next episode of Game of Thrones, show the same level of enthusiasm as you dive into the novel. I promise you will not feel sorry at the end.

Kind of Cruel by Sophia Hannah

My Ratings:
Vocabulary:  *****
Ingredients: *****
Satisfaction: *****
Lexile Level: N/A but I would say about 980HL
Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Mystery
My Opinions: Here is my definition of a cliche mystery book: something is stolen or someone is kidnapped, bring in the detective who is the main character, sniff out the clues and red herrings, and detective is victorious and finds the perpetrator. Here is the mystery behind this novel: Amber, who suffers from chronic insomnia, is arrested for the murder of a woman she knows nothing about two hours after visiting a hypnotherapist, the detective is a side character who does not believe she is the criminal, and a surprising discovery at the end puts the reader in awe as Sophie Hannah was able to concoct this elaborate tale. Never have I ever encountered a mystery book which makes memories the most important clues in a case. 

At first, it was extremely confusing. It is crazy how all the loose ends she leaves for the reader end up connecting at the end to provide an extraordinary end to the book.  At the hypnotherapist, Amber was put under hypnosis. During this treatment, she hears herself saying "kind, cruel, kind of cruel." The words awaken a vague memory, but she dismisses the whole episode as nonsense. Two hours later, she is arrested for the murder of a woman she has never heard of and the only way to clear her name was to remember exactly where she had seen those words before.

As a side story, married detectives Charlotte "Charlie" Zailer and Simon Waterhouse tackle both the case and their relationship as the investigation unexpectedly reveals a shocking insight into Simon's psyche. 

The reason I gave this book a four out of five was primarily because I felt like Hannah was ruining the plot by adding too many unnecessary characters and dragging the details on. The book over-analyzed every new detail and Hannah was simply just squeezing the goodness and excitement of the details dry. If I had a suspenseful and amazing book to read, I would be up all night wanting to finish it; however, in this case, I felt like I had to force myself to turn to the next page at a few parts. Nonetheless, if these issues were not existent, it could've gone into "My Hall of Famers" list.

Locked in Time by Lois Duncan

My Ratings:
Vocabulary:  *****
Ingredients: *****
Satisfaction: *****
Lexile Level: 990L
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Romance
My Opinions: Nore comes down to Shadow Grove to spend time with her new family and father. Since her mother's death, her father had been an unsuccessful writer. However, after meeting Lisette Berge, he fell back into his normal routine and Nore couldn't have been happier. Upon arriving, things are just plain weird. The way her family acts and the way they talk. After discovering her new family's secrets and coming close to death, the question is: Will Nore be able to save herself and her father?

I read the book in about three hours. It has a Nancy Drew feel to it which I was totally excited about. It was suspenseful and definitely a page turner. So it is definitely a great pass time book, especially when you don't have a lot of homework on a rainy weekend. Therefore, anyone can read this but I would not recommend this book for schoolprojects because there isn't much going on beneath the tip of the iceberg in this book. It is a clear plot and easy to understand.

The reason I gave this book a 3/5 in satisfaction is because with the title in mind, I already felt like I knew what the secret behind  her step-mother's family was by about the sixth chapter. The way Josie, an awkward 13 year old, Lisette, the perfect stepmother, and Gabe, a highly attractive stepbrother, acted in the beginning sent red flags into my brain to note that this was no normal family. Personally, it would have been nice to not know the secret ahead of time and instead have Duncan write a plot twist in the middle. Also, if the drama between Gabe and Nore and the romance between Dave and Nore had been extended, it would  have made the book a little more entertaining. It just all seemed too easy for Nore by the end of the book.

Read it for the relaxation, but don't expect the book to be impactful. Like I said before, it has a teen-detective feel to it but it definitely has an interesting plot for sure. 

On a side note, I can't wait to see Age of Adeline coming out next week because it is also about a woman, played by Blake Lively, who is locked in time. Trailer looks amazing!

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

My Ratings:
Vocabulary:  *****
Ingredients: *****
Satisfaction: ***** 
Lexile Level: HL460L
Genre:  Historical Fiction
My Opinions: This might be the first book I have ever given full five out of fives for all three categories. I loved every page of it and it was a great source of historical information from the French Revolution. While reading this for English, we were actually studying about the French Revolution in History; therefore, it was a great academic tie because not only was I learning the facts, but Dickens' writing helped me delve into the feelings of the French men and women during this time. 

It was the best of times and worst of times in London and Paris as this family's story takes the reader through duality, resurrection, and the revolution. Several characters such as Dr. Manette, Charles Darnay, and Sydney Carton are recalled to life in several ways as the turmoil erupts in various fashions.

The story is divided into three books and the first two books spill the details about all the characters and untold secrets by Dickens. By the third book, every detail comes together to explain the crazy and random, i.e., abhorrence of the Manette family by Madame Defarge or the story behind Dr. Manette's imprisonment. Dickens provides us with the puzzles in the first two books and later pieces them together to provide the reader a clear visual of the whole plot line. Just reading the last book gave me chills. 

It is really long but is extremely worth reading. I highly recommend this book for any student looking to read a book for an English project. Great source of vocabulary and literary devices. However, before reading this book, I recommend just brushing up the history behind the French Revolution because there are many terms in the book which would require some outside knowledge to understand. 

Overall, please just READ IT!:) Let me know what you think by commenting!

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis

My Ratings:
Vocabulary:  *****
Ingredients: *****
Satisfaction: ***** 
Lexile Level: N/A but I would say around 1000HL, recommended for young adults and above
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
My Opinions: A happy marriage. A beautiful family. A dream home. A lawyer. Emily Coleman. She has a pretty perfect life. The next day, she decides to leave her familiar past for London and loses herself in the city as a woman named Cat. She finds a new home in North London and a fun-loving friend named Angel. Cat has buried her past and lies about her history and who she is. However, she is constantly reminded of her past during the day and night making her feel guilty for what she has become. But the shocking revelation only comes after she takes things one step too far.

This is a tough one. I loved the beginning of the book. Each chapter was from a different character's point of view. This technique allowed me to understand more about each character's history and their reasons for their current state. I could clearly understand all of them. The philandering father of Emily. The hard-working mother of Emily. The drug-addict and alcoholic twin sister, Catherine. The beautiful and lovable Ben. The care-free Angel. The troubled and messed up Emily. 

After reading the beginning, I thought to myself of how perfect of a life Emily had. Why in the world did she have to give it up? She trades her job as a lawyer for a receptionist position at an advertising agency. She trades her healthy habits for secretly consuming cocaine in the restroom periodically. It just did not make any sense. As I kept reading, I came to realize the events and people who just broke Emily. I started tearing up at some parts. Cat was Emily's way of reconstructing herself even though Emily yearned for her old life. Her process takes the wrong turn at one point and leaves her getting bailed out of jail by Ben, her husband.

After this point in the book, everything was really fast and was pretty confusing because of all the details dumped into the pages. If Seskis had not overdone the ending, I feel like I could have given this book a full five stars. Not because I couldn't understand it, but it was just too quick and overwhelming in comparison to the slow-paced beginning where the reader was able to grow accustomed to the plot. Maybe the fast paced ending was Seskis' way of conveying the message of how quickly and easily things can fall apart. Who knows! I would recommend this book for school projects as well as a leisure read.

Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner

Happy New Year! New year. New books.

Excited to kick off the year with Wake Up Missing.

My Ratings:
Vocabulary:  *****
Ingredients: *****
Satisfaction: ***** 
Lexile Level: 660L
Genre:  Science Fiction
My Opinions: Catherine--Cat--recently got a concussion. Pounding headaches. Lost memories. Everything seems to be going downhill for this bird-lover until her mother finds a clinic called International Center for Advanced Neurology (I-CAN) which can solve Cat's problems. 

Cat arrives at the clinic located in the middle of nowhere. She will stay here for two weeks, alone. Only six patients reside at this huge place. This is when questions start occurring. Dr. Ames sounds like a friendly guy until Cat overhears an argument between him and his fellow physician, Dr. Gunther. Are they even physicians? Why is it only these six patients are admitted to this miracle hospital if other people in the world are suffering from injuries far worse than concussions? These questions lead to a discovery, a big escape, and a thrilling chase. 

It is a suspenseful book. I finished it in two days.

It is definitely an interesting plot line. I would recommend it as a nice pass time book. It could be used for school projects for middle school students and elementary students.