#Review To Right the Wrongs by Sheryl Scarborough #YALIT #Msytery

Series: Erin Blake (#2)
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: February 27, 2018
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Mysteries

Teen sleuth and forensic scientist in training Erin Blake has solved the mystery behind her mother's murder, but her work isn't done yet...

Sheryl Scarborough continues the adventures of teen amateur sleuth and aspiring forensic scientist Erin Blake in this sequel to To Catch a Killer.

Barely three weeks after catching the killer of Erin’s mother and their biology teacher, Erin and her crew are back, up to their elbows in forensics projects. But this time it’s with the full approval of their parents.

With Uncle Victor at the helm, Erin and her best friends, Spam and Lysa, are prepping a new classroom for CSI summer camp, where they will serve as camp counselors. Meanwhile, Erin's super-hot new boyfriend, Journey, is graduating, just in time for him to take a position as Victor’s intern in the new CSI lab on campus. Journey and Victor are going to take another look at the evidence in the murder trial that sent Journey’s father to prison. The girls are under strict orders not to meddle with the murder case, but that's easier said than done...

 

To Right the Wrongs is the second installment in author Sheryl Scarborough's Erin Blake series. The story takes place shortly after the events of To Catch a Killer. Protagonist Erin Blake and her best friends Spam and Lysa are more popular than ever. You could say that they are celebrities for their part in solving not one mystery, but two. But, Erin isn't use to the spotlight, and actually prefers to remain somewhat anonymous as long as she has her two friends at her side.

For Erin, one mystery remains unsolved; who is Erin's biological father? As that temptation hangs over the story, things get a bit strange at the school. While Erin tries to focus on her last 2 weeks of sophomore class & summer forensic class set up by her Uncle Victor, mysteries keep coming her way. From a new principal, Miss Blankenship, who is everywhere it seems at once, to Spam’s boyfriend acting strangely, to the girls’ digging up information to help Journey build a case to get his dad out of prison. 

Erin's world is way more interesting now that she has proven herself to others, especially Victor. Erin is ready to jump in feet first with her friends in order to help Journey, but Victor and Journey play a heavy hand that discourages Erin from getting involved and messing things up with her over zealousness. It seems even her friends want to put the breaks on her skills and her eagerness to participate. Despite Erin's promise not to interfere, she takes a position just the opposite. 

You can't blame Erin. She was born to be a CSI team member. She understands forensic's at a level that would impress even the most critical of reviewers. As the trio prepares to become the first of the schools camp counselors, Spam's new friend finds himself under scrutiny after nearly becoming road kill at the school. Spam, who is a brilliant character, decides that she is going to do whatever she can to help him. 

One of the best things about this story is the camaraderie between Erin, Spam, & Lysa. It's okay that they have the occasional disagreement. After all, they are still only 16, and have plenty of other things happening in their lives. But, when push comes to shove, I don't think any of them would ask to be friends with anyone else. Erin and Journey's relationship takes a few hits this time out. 

I can blame Erin for wanting too much, and being disappointed when she isn't chosen for things that she is qualified for. I can also blame Victor for spending way too much time on other things, while ignoring Erin's desire and curiosity. The least likable character, unfortunately, is Journey. Journey is a character who came along and kind of stumbled into Erin's world and ended up being at the right place at the right time. Now, he is so involved in proving his father's innocence, that he ignores what is right in front of him. 

I bumped my rating down a half a gizmo because I thought the first book was much more entertaining than this one. This story is still action-packed, and the mysteries involved are ones that you can't ignore. It's fair to say that Erin's personal life with Rachel and Victor take interesting turns as well. I won't spoil anything, or say that we find out who Erin's father is, but I will say that readers will be pleased at how the story wraps up. Will there be another book in the series? The author is silent on this question. If there is, I would definitely find a way to read it. If not, that's fine as well. 

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*Book Review* All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Series: Embassy Row # 1
Published: Scholastic Press
Released: January 20, 2015
Source: Edelweiss
Format: E-Book, 320 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

*Book Blurb*

A new series of global proportions -- from master of intrigue, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter. 

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she's come back to stay--in order to solve the mystery of her mother's death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

I really have so much to talk about, but have to be careful not to spoil anything. All Fall Down is the first book in Ally Carter's Embassy Row series. Carter has written other novels for the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series. I've read the Gallagher Girls, perhaps one day when my TBR pile isn't as high as the Empire State Building, I will read Heist Society as well.

16-year old Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

Grace struggles to overcome what happened to her mother 3 years ago. Even though Grace believes what she saw and that her mother was killed by a man she calls Scarred Man, everyone else thinks Grace is the The Girl Who Cried Wolf too many times. After stints in a treatment facility, Grace is sent to live with her Grandfather who just happens to be US Ambassador in Adria, Italy. It is the the place where she and her older brother Jamie spent their summers, and where her mother Caroline grew up.

As certain as Grace is about the facts behind her mother's death, everyone else wants Grace to stop rocking the boat, and move on with her life. A life now filled with Embassy protocol parties, being paraded around by her Grandfather, while trying not to offend any other nation which could lead to war. Grace becomes friendly with Noah Esteban (Israeli/Brazilian), 12-year old Rosie (Germany), Megan (US) who she played with as a little girl. Then there is Alexei Volkov, Russian Ambassadors son, and Jamie's friend who is supposed to keep her out of trouble.

Let's talk about Grace. Grace is a really stubborn and intense character and in a way, she's also deeply damaged from what happened to her mother. She's an Army brat who has lived on 10 different bases over 15 years. Her father is an Army Ranger, her older brother Jamie attends West Point, thus she knows how to handle herself. Grace has vivid flashbacks. Flashbacks that really don't speak to what exactly happened to her mother. Grace is also a daredevil in that she has no regards for her own safety. Hence, it's funny when Rosie appears to be just as reckless and out of control, and they become friends.

The ending of this book had me questioning whether or not certain characters have anything to do with the Gallagher Girls series. I'm mostly talking about Eleanor Chancellor, who reminds me of Cammie Morgan's mother Rachel. But, I also think of Megan who has some creative abilities. I would also hope that Carter reveals more about Caroline, who she barely talks about.

All Fall Down is not a romantic story. It is more of a mystery/thriller that really had me questioning everyone's intentions. While Noah and Alexei are interesting enough, Noah is pretty much just the best friend, while Alexei has his own issues to deal with. I even had a list of those characters I hated, and those I liked. I really didn't much care for Ms Chancellor, her Grandfather, or even Alexei. I liked Noah, Rosie, of course, Megan once Grace got over her silliness and mistrust of her.

In the end, All Fall Down, is a really quick read. I would have been done a whole lot sooner had it not been for a major headache that hit me half way through. I liked the plot, and the mystery. I pretty much guessed what happened, but you will have to read the book in order to find out what I'm talking about. Yes, I will be reading the next sequel (currently untitled) as well.

**I received this book for free from (Scholastic Press) via (Edelweiss ) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review**

Early Review - Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

“Hanging by the Thread” is a Young Adult mystery novel that focuses on the life of 16 year old Clare Knight. Clare is a person who loves to make her own clothing. In fact, she and her friend Rachel run a booth called “NewToYou” where she sells her latest creations in hopes of going to fashion college when she graduates from High School. She lives in the small town of Winston, California (population 2,000) and in the same house her great grandmother did. However, this isn't the whole story behind Hanging by the Thread.

You see, Clare has the unique ability that when she touches clothes, they speak to her. Not all clothes, and not all the time. By touching them, she can see certain events and learn things about people. She can tell if the person who wore a piece of clothing was up to no good or not. This ability has been handed down from her great, great, Grandmother Alma who was shot to death while being pregnant with Clare's great, Grandmother Josie who also had the ability. It was later passed down to her own grandmother Nana Raley, but, not to her mother Susie. This, it seems, has caused nothing but problems between mother and daughter. Clare fully believes that her family has been given this gift to right certain wrongs.

The story gets interesting when Clare touches a jacket found on her doorstep. It triggers a vision that leads Clare down the road to discovering who killed Dillon Granger, and Amanda Stavros two kids who disappeared a year apart from each other. It’s the perfect timing as well since the town of Winston is in the process of celebrating the Fourth of July in hopes of putting the past behind them.

The gift of psychometry isn't a new idea or concept. Yet, it's still interesting when a person is given this ability to right some wrongs, even at the expense of their own relationship with their parents who abhor the idea behind psychometry. Just read Jennifer Estep’s Mythos Academy series if you want to learn more about psychometry.

I was totally lost in the fashion aspects of this book. I mean, I realize there are probably people out there who can't wait to read the different types of stitching and material that Clare uses to make outfits she wears with. Personally, I found it to be a snore fest. Maybe had I grown up in a household where the women were clothing makers, I would feel differently about this story. But, alas, I wasn't. My mother and grandmother made quilts and blankets, not clothing.
 
I found the idea behind the romance with Jack Dimaunahan kind of touching, yet maybe a little unrealistic. Clare kept thinking about having that one night reckless stands not caring what anyone thought about it. She felt that fitting in with her best friend Rachel, was more important than anything else. She was so obsessed with having sex, that she pretty much throws herself at Jack who is a troubled character.

In the end, while this book is interesting enough, it wasn’t as engaging as her Aftertime trilogy and that's just my opinion. Reviews are like anything else in the world. They are subjective to what the actual reader/reviewer likes in their reading stashes. Just because I rated this book 3 stars, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading it! I’m glad I was given a copy thru Netgalley to read this book. Littlefield knows how to write, and she knows how to create a unique world for her characters. This appears to be a standalone and NOT part of any series.

*ARC Recvd via NetGalley for Delacorte Books for Young Readers*
*Expected publication: September 11th 2012

Title - Hanging by a Thread
Author - Sophie Littlefield
Publisher - Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Releases - September 11, 2012

The Book of Blood & Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Robin Wasserman's The Book of Blood and Shadow is told in the first POV by Nora Kane who is a student at Chapman Prep. Nora ended up participating in this experiment as a way to escape classes and to get her mind off her very unhappy home life and the loss of her older brother to absolutely stupidity on his part.

Nora and her friends Chris Moore, Adriane Ames, as well as research assistant Max Lewis who is Chris’s roommate, are all working with Professor Anton Hoffpauer to translate the Voynich Manuscript when things slowly begin to unravel leaving no one untouched by the manuscripts wake and devastation.

In the process of translating the manuscript, Nora becomes entranced by Elizabeth Jane Weston’s story as well as her memoirs describing the so called Lumen Dei that was said to have existed during the time frame of 1598-1600. The so called Lumen Dei is said to give the user the promise of untold power, of sacred answers, of god like abilities, and is sad to be able to end the world as we know it.

*Side Note* Weston, it seems, was an actual person who lived during the 16th century. Her story has been confirmed as being real by Wasserman’s own research which is shown in the back of the book. The Voynich Manuscript is real as well. The only part that isn’t real or factual, are the secret societies that are introduced. This is not unlike Dan Brown’s contention that the Catholic Church is the root of all that is evil in the world today, and they have control over societies like the Free Masons and Opus Dei.

Things slowly begin to spiral out of control for Nora and friends when Chris is found murdered in his home, Adriane is discovered catatonic, and Max goes missing and is presumed to be Chris’s killer. After Nora is warned by her professor NOT to allow herself to be lead into harm’s way--Nora and Adriane end up in Prague where they discover even more mysteries and danger.

For me, Nora reminds me of Robert Langdon in the Da Vinci Code in her ability to translate and follow the leads from the death of her best friend, to betrayal by her so called lover, to her near death experience in Prague. Brown should be humored in realizing that another author saw his writing as worthy of being emulated and not threated that Wasserman used Teenagers, instead of adults as her main characters.

This could also be consider as sort of a Historical Fiction in that Wasserman  uses actual settings and history in order to tell her story. I truly believe that the city of Prague is an interesting city and needs to be explored more by new, as well as established authors. There is so much history that there for the taking.

The Book of Blood and Shadow will find a niche in the world once it is released and enough people have read the reviews that precede the published date of April 10, 2012.

*ARC Recvd 01/14/2012* Expected publication: April 10th 2012 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Title: The Book of Blood & Shadow
Author: Robin Wasserman
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Genres:  YA Fantasy & Mystery