#Review - Missing, Presumed Dead by Emma Berquist #YALIT #Thrillers #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: May 21, 2019
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense

When eighteen-year-old Lexi foresees the brutal murder of a girl outside a club in downtown L.A., she is powerless to stop it. But when the girl’s ghost appears, seeking vengeance, Lexi is swept into a dangerous search that could put her directly in the path of a serial killer. From the author of Devils Unto Dust, this fast-paced and literary thriller will haunt fans of Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious and Karen M. McManus’s One of Us Is Lying.
 
With a touch, Lexi can sense how and when someone will die. Some say it’s a gift. But to Lexi it’s a curse—one that keeps her friendless and alone. All that changes when Lexi foresees the violent death of a young woman, Jane, outside a club. But Jane doesn’t go to the afterlife quietly. Her ghost remains behind, determined to hunt down her murderer, and she needs Lexi’s help. In life, Jane was everything Lexi is not—outgoing, happy, popular. But in death, all Jane wants is revenge. Lexi will do anything to help Jane, to make up for the fact that she didn’t—couldn’t—save Jane’s life, and to keep this beautiful ghost of a girl by her side for as long as possible.

Emma Berquist’s second novel is a haunting and atmospheric murder mystery that tackles themes of depression, loneliness, love, and identity. This high-concept novel is for fans of Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.

 

Missing, Presumed Dead is the follow-up to author Emma Berquist's Devil Upon Dust. One could call this book a murder mystery with a paranormal twist. Protagonist Alexandra "Lexi" Ivanovich can see how a person is going to die just by touching them. She calls it a curse and for good reason. Doesn't really do much for relationships knowing the person you are with may end up dying. She's also been warned by her grandfather never to tell anyone what she is able to do.

Plus, there is the fact that there is absolutely nothing Lexi can do to stop whatever she sees from happening. Truth be told, Lexi is a mess. Lexi suffers from depression and spends time recuperating in the psych ward of the local hospital. She puts on a brave face, and acts like a badass at times, but she still runs at the first sign of issues. Lexi works in a club where she is surrounded by people like her; psychics, pyrokinetics, you name it. She works as a bartender, but she doesn't dance on the bar shaking her booty like Piper Perabo in Coyote Ugly. 

One of the first ghosts we meet in this book is Lexi's roommate Trevor. From Trevor, we learn that in this world, ghosts are not cold. They actually carry body heat and Lexi can actually touch them without fear. Trevor is a bit unusual. He died long ago and has no desire to let Lexi guide him to the otherworld. Part of her ability is sending a ghost onto the next life. Things abruptly change when the ghost of a (beautiful, vivacious) girl whose death she foresaw shows up asking Lexi’s help in revenge. 

Lexi is pulled into investigating after a series of disappearances hits uncomfortably close to home. Lexi and Jane’s search for Jane’s killer is fast-paced and engaging. Lexi, Jane and yes, even Trevor, work together to uncover a mystery that kept me guessing right to the end. Ok, there was a subtle hint that I missed that would have given me the identity of the killer sooner. The interactions between Lexi and Jane are curious. Lexi’s feelings for Jane quickly develop into something more, and she struggles to resolve those feelings with her sense of guilt for Jane’s death. 

It was apparent from the onset that the author wanted something to happen between the characters even though one was alive and one would never been again. It is fair to say that I had small issues with this book. Let's talk about the fact that the author could have explained better to the reader about the abilities some of these characters in this book had. Readers know how Lexi got her powers because it is pretty much laid out as to how one person in a family may get them, and another won't. Plus, Lexi's relationship with her grandfather (Deda) was really sweet.

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ARC #Review - Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist #YALit #Dystopian #Western

Series: Standalone
Format: E-ARC, 496 pages
Release Date: April 10, 2018
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Westerns

True Grit meets 28 Days Later in a tense, heart-pounding alternate history of the Old West. To protect her family, a young woman must brave the desert and a terrifying infected population in this gripping adventure that is for fans of Westworld and The Walking Dead.

Ten years ago, a horrifying disease began spreading across the West Texas desert. Infected people—shakes—attacked the living and created havoc and destruction. No one has ever survived the infection. Daisy Wilcox, known as Willie, has been protecting her siblings within the relatively safe walls of Glory, Texas. When Willie’s good-for-nothing father steals a fortune from one of the most dangerous shake-hunters in town, she finds herself on the hook for his debt. With two hunters, including the gruff and handsome Ben, to accompany her, she sets out across the desert in search of her father. But the desert is not kind to travelers, and not everyone will pass through alive.

Devils Unto Dust, by author Emma Berquist, is a Young Adult, Dystopian, Western standalone novel. Devils Unto Dust takes place in an alternative history reality right after the Civil War ended. Ten years ago, a disease spread across the West Texas desert and those infected – known as the Shakes – attacked the living and wreaked havoc. Parts of Texas have been cut off from the rest of the country thanks to a silver sickness. In fact, the rest of the country has pretty much left Texas to its own devices.

Protagonist Willy "Don't call me Daisy" Wilcox and her family lives in Glory, Texas behind walls that keep the residents safe from the Shakes. Willie is an amazing character. She has three siblings (Micah, Catherine & Calum) that she has taken responsibility for since her mother was infected, and her dad mailed in his responsibility for his own children's welfare. But, Willie has dreams of her own. She doesn't want to be locked up behind walls for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, life throws her a fast ball right down her strike zone.

After her father hightails it out of Glory with a whole lot of money, Willie finds herself allied with a pair of brothers who are also hunters; Curtis and Ben Garrett. Given a deadline to bring her father back or pay the cost and most likely lose everything they have left, Willie, Curtis, Ben, along with Micah, her brother, and Sam, son of the local doctor, travel across a dangerous landscape hoping to catch her father and bring him back. The author really digs deep to provide a realistic story against a harsh environment. There is also a hint of a romance, but nothing that overshadows Willie's own personal struggles.

Dust Unto Dust is a story about survival, family, and the struggle to survive against all odds. There are tense, short chapters that end on cliffhangers which propels readers from one action-packed scene to the next. Willie’s distinctive, introspective voice deepens the emotional stakes with every turn of the page. The author manages to excel at creating a realistic world (Texas) that captures the heat and dust of the Texas desert. High concept and character-driven, Emma Berquist’s debut will satisfy fans of The Magnificent Seven, Rae Carson’s Walk on Earth a Stranger, and HBO’s Westworld. 

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