#Review - The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams #SyFy

Series: The Universe After (#1)
Format: E-Galley, 448 pages
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Science Fiction / Space Opera

Perfect for fans of Firefly and James S. A. Corey's Expanse series, The Stars Now Unclaimed is a fun, adventure-filled ride around a far-future galaxy from southern bookseller Drew Williams.

Jane Kamali is an agent for the Justified. Her mission: to recruit children with miraculous gifts in the hope that they might prevent the Pulse from once again sending countless worlds back to the dark ages.

Hot on her trail is the Pax--a collection of fascist zealots who believe they are the rightful rulers of the galaxy and who remain untouched by the Pulse.

Now Jane, a handful of comrades from her past, and a telekinetic girl called Esa must fight their way through a galaxy full of dangerous conflicts, remnants of ancient technology, and other hidden dangers.

Think big guns, smugglers, and epic space battles.

And that's just the beginning . . .

 

The Stars Now Unclaimed is the first installment in author Drew Williams' The Universe After series. The story predicates on the theory that 1,000 years ago, the Pulse knocked worlds, most of them, back a few thousand years before spaceflight and electricity. The Pulse, which was supposed to stop wars and aggressive planets from conquering peaceful planets, wasn't a one time event. Some actually believe that the Pulse is building up strength, and will roll back even stronger and possibility deadlier than before.

Jane Kamali & her combat rated AI spaceship Scheherazade are on a mission to recruit children who have been gifted with amazing abilities thanks to The Pulse. Jane is a former special ops soldier who believes in what she is doing. She kicks ass and takes names and does so with the ultimate super-weapon in Scheherazade. Jane and her ship have been together for a very long time. They are family. They are best friends. They've seen the best and worse of what happened after the Pulse tore through the galaxy. 

Jane and her group are known as The Justified and the Repentant. They're trying to prevent the Pulse from returning and causing even more damage. By recruiting special children with amazing abilities to their cause, they hope they can be the first line of defense in case the Pulse returns and sends the known universe back to before Space Travel was discovered or even the Dark Ages. But, Jane and her group aren't the only ones searching for special children. 

On a mission to find a human child with amazing powers on a back water planet, Jane runs across Esa, a 14-year old orphan who is probably the most powerful human that Jane has encounter. Esa is a by-product of the Pulse and she her specialty is telekinesis. She and others like her were given gifts that the Pax are eagerly searching for to turn them into unbeatable weapons of mass destruction. It's fair to say that Esa is a major prize in the Pax's plans which is why you will find Jane and her allies trying to stay one leap in front of them.

The Pax weren't affected by Pulse. They believe that indicates they are special and if they want to conquer the universe by any means necessary, they will do so and nobody can stop them. But, they've never been up against anyone so dedicated to her job as Jane. Just to make things interesting, Jane picks up a character called Preacher. Preacher is from a machine race called Barious that is dying thanks to the Pulse, and she's not very happy that Jane seems to have answers to what happened to her people. Don't overlook Preacher. There are things about her that will stun and amaze you.

But, before we, as the reader, can undercover what happened, Jane and her crew are chased across the galaxy by the Pax, who tend to capture, brainwash, & drug those they turn into soldiers. Even though Jane is clearly protecting Esa, it's not until much later in the story that Esa's worth really matters to the overall story line and holding off the Pax. There are others as well, like Marus who is part of Justified. He deals in information vital to the Justified and Sanctum. The last character I shall name is Javier, a former Justified, turned pirate, and Jane's former friend.

I am going to say something that will probably not surprise you. I actually liked this story a whole lot and will definitely be reading any sequel. The story is very entertaining and action packed. There are some similarities to Firefly, but there's a whole lot of originality as well. In this world, Reavers are called the Pax, and they're not the flesh-eating mongrels who live on the fringes of the universe. Nope. These Pax enslave people and force them into being soldiers after brainwashing. They aim to conquer the known universe but never met Jane Kamali and her ship and her allies. There are battles on planets, there are battles in space, there are battles on a Dreadnaught operated by the Pax. Maybe there were too many battles and not enough other things to concentrate on.

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#Review - Frenchman Street by Suzanne Johnson #Paranormal #Urban Fantasy

Series: Sentinels of New Orleans # 6
Format: Kindle, 357 pages
Release Date: July 24, 2018
Publisher: Suzanne Johnson
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Paranormal / Urban Fantasy

The uneasy truce between the preternatural species of New Orleans has shattered, with wizards and elves, shifters and vampires—not to mention the historical undead—struggling for ultimate control of the city, including the humans who still think they’re atop the food chain.

They aren’t, however—and the Summer Prince of Faerie wants them to know it.

Stuck in the middle? One unemployed wizard sentinel. For DJ Jaco, war makes for strange bedfellows as she finally embraces her wizard-elven heritage and strikes a deal with the devil so she and her ragtag band of allies can return to defend her hometown. After all, when the undead French pirate Jean Lafitte is working in the mayor’s tourism department, things could go horribly wrong.

War is coming to New Orleans just in time for Mardi Gras, with the elves and wizards lined up on opposite sides, the shifters with a new leader, the vampires promising loyalty to the highest bidder, and the soul of the Crescent City resting on the outcome of the civil war going on in Faerie between the rival princes of summer and winter.

Mardi Gras Day is approaching fast, the faeries have infiltrated almost every parade, and the line between friends and enemies grows thin as DJ tries to stave off open warfare on the St. Charles Avenue parade route.

Laissez les bons temps rouler…but be careful, or the good times might roll too close for comfort.

 

Frenchmen Street is the sixth and final installment in author Suzanne Johnson's Sentinels of New Orleans series. As the story begins, we find our protagonist, Drusilla (DJ) Jaco, in 1814 New Orleans (Barateria) along with her allies Rene Delachaise (Merman), Alex Warin (Shifter), and Jean Lafitte (Undead Pirate). But, she no longer trusts Alex. There has been a whole lot that has happened since the previous installment. 2 months ago, DJ fled her home in New Orleans with a steep price on her head and charges of treason.

Unemployed Wizard/Elven Sentinels with a powerful Elven Fire Stick named Charlie don't have a whole lot of other job opportunities when preternaturals, including her former boss is chasing after her. As a Sentinel of the city, DJ is supposed to protect the city's humans from those who want to subvert and control them. Like the current Summer Court Prince Florian who is about to announce, in a major way, that there are those who are much more dangerous living in the city and they are here to stay. The war has finally kicked off after a period of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

This is a world where after Katrina hit New Orleans, a door opened that allowed preternaturals to flood into the city. Ever since Katrina, the various preternatural factions have been lining up for a showdown, and that showdown has resulted in some heart breaking casualties. Jean Lafitte Undead seem to be the only reliable faction that hasn't thrown in with the other groups and abandoned DJ to her fate. Jean will live as long as people remember him, and people in New Orleans will remember Lafitte for a long, long time. 

After their rocky beginning in Royal Street, Lafitte has become DJ's most worthwhile ally. It doesn't hurt when the author makes a huge disconnect between Alex Warin, and DJ, which leads DJ to seek out the one person she really doesn't like; Quince Randolph, Head of the Elven Synod who she is technically married to as his bond mate. I am one of those who hasn't exactly given DJ a break. She's made a whole lot of mistakes, including not killing someone who she should have. One could say that killing someone is never the right answer, until the person destroys your life and refuses to fade into the darkness.

I have been to Mardi Gras/New Orleans but I hope to one day in the future. I had no clue there were so many parades! Holy Cow! There must be a parade and a party and a celebration for almost anything imaginable. I think, perhaps, that was a bit overdone on the authors part, but if that's what really happens during Mardi Gras, I'll have to accept her word for it. I am happy with the break between DJ and Alex. It has been a long time coming, and Alex was always allied with the Wizards, including Elder Zrakos who wants someone to please take out DJ asap before she can do what she does. 

I honestly didn't hate Rand this time out. Yes, he is a complete sexist jerk. Yes, he really does think he is the most beautiful preternatural who ever lived. And, yes he believes that he can control DJ's actions even though she has laid down the law and stood fast and never wavered. I think the friendship between DJ and Rene was bound to become something else after Alex's actions. I loved the addition of dragons, yes, dragons who can be as small as cats, or as large as a Goodyear blimp. 

I loved Gruff, the Welsh Pembroke Corgi who Rand gives to her, and ends up saving her life more than a few times. Not a dog lover, but Gruff would definitely be at the top of my list were I to ever get one. This story is also heart breaking, and no I won't tell you why. I don't think what happened is fair, and is seems as though everyone quickly moves on after it happens. I think it's fair to say that this series coming to an end was the right thing to do. You can only stretch things out for so long before the story becomes stale.

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#Review - Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes #YALit #Thriller #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Galley, 448 pages
Release Date: August 28, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Edelweiss
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense

The author of Liars, Inc. delivers a twisted psychological tale about Embry Woods, who is both praised as a town hero and haunted by the secrets she must hide to keep her loved ones alive.  

Embry Woods has many secrets, including the one she carries with her about what happened at the Sea Cliff Inn that night. The fire. The homeless guy. Everyone thinks Embry is a hero, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Embry thinks she’ll have to take the secret to her grave, until she receives an anonymous note—someone else knows the truth. Next comes a series of threatening messages asking Embry to make impossible choices, forcing her to put her loved ones at risk. Someone is playing a high stakes game where no one in Embry’s life is safe. And their last move…is murder.

Paula Stokes' Hidden Pieces is a twisted mystery surrounding protagonist Embry Woods and the events surrounding what happened on the day of December 11. On December 11, Embry and her boyfriend Holden Hassler accidentally start a fire at the Sea Cliff Inn. In order to avoid trouble, Holden leaves while Embry realizes that someone is still inside. Risking life and limb, she rescues a homeless man and is cheered on as a local hero. Only Embry and Holden know the real truth about what happened on that day.

It’s not that I’m fake—I don’t mislead people and I don’t lie (too often). But I keep a lot of secrets. I hold back parts of me so you can see the outline of the puzzle and make a guess about the picture, but that’s all it is—a guess. My inner pieces? I don’t show those to hardly anyone. 

And someone else. There's a mysterious figure involved in this story who forces Embry to make moral and ethical decisions. Should she play along or call his or her bluff? Every time her phone buzzes or a package is delivered, she braces herself. In a matter of hours, she could ruin the life of someone close to her. And either way, someone always loses. The drama is compelling. The blackmailer is a little twisted. The romance between Embry and Holden is intense. 

And the sleepy, coastal setting of Three Rocks, Oregon, where the population is around three hundred, is the perfect balance to this stormy plot. Stokes stays true to her dark, psychological stories, but adds a struggling single mom, a burning building, and a sex tape to the equation. And like Paula’s previous protagonists, Embry is destined to make and learn from mistakes. Hidden Pieces isn't just a thriller about a girl with a secret who's being stalked by a stranger. 

It's also a book about friendship and family dynamics, an exploration of how socioeconomic status can weigh on almost every aspect of a person's life, and a story of self discovery. There's no doubt that Embry is flawed, but she grows and changes throughout the story. Most of us won't ever be embroiled in a murder or blackmail mystery, but if we are, it's not like all the rest of the stuff going on in our lives is just going to magically shut off so we can investigate a crime. 

Embry's main concerns are figuring out who's blackmailing her and protecting the people she loves, but she doesn't just ignore her dog, her after-school job, her worries about the future, her thoughts about her absentee father, etc. The discouraging part of this story is the fact that Embryo, sorry, that's what she's called in the book, is a cheater. Her boyfriend is overseas and he has never once stopped loving her. Embry, on the other hand, is free to move on like nothing has happened. 

According to the author, the story is based heavily on the real life town of Oceanside, Oregon. You don't have to look very far to understand that Embry isn't a happy camper. She's in a very dark place and for very good reasons. She nearly lost her mother to cancer, her bio-dad isn't in the picture after bugging out when she was born, but has chosen to send her unwanted cards. She can't face her best friend and tell her that she's moved on from one boyfriend, to the boy that her BFF once liked. I don't think the cheating part is the central core to this story. It's tertiary, but does drive the actions of others.     

I love a good mystery. This wasn't a good mystery. It's more like a romance novel with a mystery involved. The author leaves a HUGE Easter Egg that the protagonist totally ignored, or missed, or wasn't paying attention to or whatever. I've also learned that the author has made subtle and not so subtle changes between the ARC and the finished copy. If you want to learn more, go to the authors web page.

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#Review - A Girl of White Winter by Barb Hendee #Fantasy #Paranormal

Series: Dark Glass # 3
Format: E-Galley, 327 pages
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: Rebel Base Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal

Kara, as a ward with no parentage and no future, has been raised knowing nothing outside her lady’s chambers. Until Royce Capello, a visiting nobleman, is struck by her ice-pale looks, and demands her as payment for the land the family needs.

With barely time to protest, Kara is sold and packed off for a life as a concubine—until a raiding party descends on Royce’s company and she’s kidnapped for the second time in as many days.

Whatever happens, Kara will be alone in the world, inexperienced and fearing even the vast unfamiliar sky. But one raider gives her a choice—and a magic mirror appears to show her where each path will lead…

Her fates twist and turn to affect far more than she could have guessed, tangling the bitter with the sweet—and Kara must choose which consequences she can live with…

A Girl of White Winter, by author Barb Hendee, is the third installment in the authors Dark Glass series. This is a series that began with the story of a witch who was killed, and found herself trapped in a 3-way mirror. As we have learned, the 3-way mirror seeks out those facing difficult decisions.  The mirror gives the chosen 3 paths. They each live out their 3 paths, and then must make a choice between the 3. There are no do overs. Once the choice is made, it can't be undone.

This is the story of Kara, a young woman who is basically an orphan who has been kept hidden by Lady Giselle. She is small, slender, pale skinned, with blonde/silver hair and crystalline blue eyes. Soon after the story begins, Kara is sold to Royce Capellos even though he is already married. However, before Royce's caravan can arrive safely at home, Kara is taken by masked men who ambushed by a man named Caine and brought to a place called the settlement. There she is given a choice, and her is where the mirror makes its first appearance. 

Kara finds herself being told by a 3-way mirror that she is at the crossroads of her life, and she is here to offer 3 different paths.

~She can leave with her protector Raven and journey with his performing troupe, competing for his mercurial affections.

~She can flee the raiders’ settlement, and return to Royce’s manor, chattel among devious nobility.

~Or she can stay in the settlement, bound to firm, silent Caine, who is as gentle as he is staid and inscrutable.

Unfortunately, I have to say that A Girl in White Winter was probably the most disappointing story of the three books that have been released so far. Kara is pretty much a nobody who has been sheltered as a lady's companion for all of her life. She is cannon fodder to a noble who wants to purchase land, and ends up being sent away to live in a world she knows absolutely nothing about. Even after she makes her final choice, it seems as though she clearly made a huge mistake since she found a connection to a stranger which nobody can understand. 

I didn't like the second choice Kara was given. It was wrong in so many ways that I can't even talk about for fear of spoiling something. One could say the third choice was also the most distressing because of how Kara is made to feel in the settlement. No, I won't spoil the choice she made. Of all the options she's given, only one really made any sense, and it wasn't the one she choose. One could honestly say that the first and third choices grant Kara the opportunity to actually explore who she is. Kara falls clearly into the category of men everywhere want to have her, while women everywhere want to get rid of her quickly for they fear she may intrude into their little cliches. 

The positive of reading this series is that each book is a standalone with a beginning and an ending. You don't actually have to read the first 2 books in order to understand what is happening in this story. Let's hope the fourth book excels where this went lacked.

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#Review - Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black #YALIT #HIstorical

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Galley, 336 pages
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Historical 

Early Libba Bray meets Stalking Jack the Ripper and William Ritter’s Jackaby series in this richly atmospheric Gothic tale of murder and romance in 1850s New England

Valentine has spent years trying to outrun her mother's legacy. But small towns have long memories, and when a new string of murders occurs, all signs point to the daughter of a murderer.

Only one person believes Valentine is innocent—Rowan Blackshaw, the son of the man her mother killed all those years ago. Valentine vows to find the real killer, but when she finally uncovers the horrifying truth, she must choose to face her own dark secrets, even if it means losing Rowan in the end.

Debut author Terri Bailey Black unearths the long-buried secrets of a small New England town in this richly atmospheric Gothic tale of murder, guilt, redemption, and finding love where least expected.

Girl at the Grave is the debut novel from author Teri Bailey Black. It is a Gothic tale of murder and romance set to the backdrop of 1850s New England (Feavers Crossing, Connecticut). The story's protagonist is 17 year old Valentine Barron Deluca. Val has spent 11 years trying to outrun her mother's legacy. When she was 6 years old, Isabella Deluca was charged with murdering a man and quickly hung after being found guilty.

Val has been an outcast ever since. Nobody wants to associate with the daughter of a murderer or a girl who is from the poor side of town. Thankfully, a gracious benefactor has seen the light of day and given Val the opportunity to attend the prestigious Drake University which was once an all boys school. Her best friend, Sam Frye, may be the only one who has the worst reputation. His family is a hot mess, and one that truly scares Val.

Living in a small town, residents tend to have long memories. So, when a string of new murderers occurs, all signs point to the daughter of a murderer. Only one person believes Valentine is innocent and that would be Rowan Blackshaw, the son of the man her mother killed all those years ago. Val vows to find the real killer. But, when a her father, and a girl she is friends with go missing, she uncovers the horrifying truth; her mother may have been innocent. She must choose to face her own dark secrets, even if it means losing Rowan in the end. 

Feaver's Crossing is a town filled with secrets. Some of them bubble to the surface as Val struggles to keep her self from unraveling and ending up like her mother. There are more than a few characters who have such an obvious hatred and agenda when it comes to ruining Val's life. I like Val a whole lot because she has to deal with not only unseen threats, insurmountable roadblocks, and those hostile towards her. Val doesn't always make the best choices, but she wants to find the truth and do what is right. 

Girl at the Grave doesn't have any ghosts or scenes I would describe as horror filled. I have no hesitation in putting this story into the category of mystery. The author does a brilliant job of letting the reader guess who the real killer is while also adding a few shocking surprises. The bad news is that the story turns into another twisted love triangle which I absolutely loathe. Val is friends with Sam, but Sam wants more. Meanwhile, Rowan ends up being the person she needs at the right time. I love that Val could have been like everyone else and ignored the town's outcast. She tried her best to do what's right for her while maintaining her status as an honor student at Drake. 

Overall, a pretty good story for a debut author. Will be interested in seeing what the author comes up with next.

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#Review - Run and Hide (Eva Driscoll #1) by Alan McDermott #Thriller

Series: Eva Driscoll # 1
Format: Trade Paperback, 304 pages
Release Date: August 22, 2018
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Action & Adventure

There’s only so long you can run for your life.
Eva Driscoll is used to chasing down bad guys, but now the bad guys are chasing her. She knows they won’t stop until she’s dead.

After her brother is killed in a faked suicide, Driscoll teams up with ex-soldier Rees Colback, the one person who can help her find answers. Together they’re determined to uncover why members of his Special Forces squad are dying in mysterious circumstances.

But with every agency in the country in hot pursuit, their only choice is to flee.
The clock is ticking. They can’t run forever. It’s time to make a choice: kill or be killed…

Run and Hide is the first installment in new to me author Alan McDermott's Eva Driscoll series. Protagonist Eva Driscoll has been trained to be a lethal force to be reckoned with. But, after her Special Forces brother Jeff is murdered in a cover up operation, she will stop at nothing to expose the truth. But, is she ready to face a foe so formidable it has the government in its pocket? This is a fast paced, action packed story that will grip your attention from the first page and hold it right thru the disturbing ending.

In New York City, former Army Special Forces combat veteran Rees Colbeck encounters men who claim they are from Homeland Security. After escaping using techniques learned in a previous life, he escapes and a thrilling chase ensues. In a stunning reversal of fortunes, Rees finds himself being rescued by a woman who tells him that he is being hunted by those who operate and run the US government called ESO. He will learn that Eva is the sister of Jeff Driscoll who served with him, and is now dead as is the others that he worked with.

Rees has no idea why they have targeted him, or the others, but allies himself with Eva who seems as though she can more than take care of herself. In fact, Eva has a way of introducing people to fatal accidents and making others look like amateurs. Eva trained with the CIA to do wet work for them. She may be the most dangerous operative to ever live, and she knows where the bodies were buried which makes her a target for those who want to keep her from revealing everything that she knows. Eva isn't perfect. But, she is damn good at wiggling out of life and death situations.

Along with too smart to be appreciated computer genius Farooq Nasser, and two former British Mi-5 members, Sonny Baines and Len Smart who work for former SAS leader Tom Gray, the group targets a conspiracy that has its hands in ever single level of the American government, banks, and other assets as well. With a snap of their fingers, this group, led by Henry Langston, can eliminate anyone they think goes against their prosperity, and can make or break a presidential candidates chances of winning the White House.

Run and Hide is well written story with plenty of suspense and action for everyone. Eva's eyes get a rude awakening in this story. She once thought she was doing work that was in the best interest of her country. But, after she learns about her brother and the others, and looking at her own actions, she understands that she was just a piece in a much larger game that will pit her against her former agency, as well as those she once worked with. A bit of a warning. There are so many different characters who get involved in telling this story. Conspiracy theories, money, greed, power in the hands of a cabal? Yep, it's all in here.

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#Review - Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre #YALit #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult / Thrillers & Suspense 
Young Adult / Romance / Contemporary


Liv Burnham thinks nobody knows Morgan Frost like she does, but a terrible accident pushes her down the rabbit hole where Morgan's secrets hide and she'll be lucky to make it out alive....

On a hot summer night, Liv, Morgan, Clay and Nathan are on the way home from a party in Clay's convertible. Best friends dating brothers? It doesn't get better than that. But the joyride ends in sudden impact, a screech of brakes, and shattering glass. On that lonely country road, four lives change forever.
Liv wakes in the hospital. At first she's confused when they call her Morgan, but she assumes it's a case of mistaken identity. Yet when the bandages come off, it's not her face in the mirror anymore. It's Morgan's.

Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life. But as Liv tries to fit herself into Morgan's world, she discovers endlessly disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety and a dark task to finish...if she doesn't lose her mind first.

Forced to confront the disturbing truths that Morgan kept hidden in life, Liv must navigate a world of long-buried murder, a dangerous love affair—and a romance that feels like a betrayal.

Ann Aguirre's Like Never and Always is a dark, romantic, Young Adult suspense novel edged with a bit of paranormal. There's plenty of angst for those who love that sort of thing, mixed with layered secrets, a screwy love triangle, and the underlying story about how well we really know the person we claim to know best. The plot centers on a supernatural soul-switching/body-switching theme achieved a perfect balance between being goosebumps-inducing, fascinating, and singular.

One summer evening, best friends Olivia (Liv) Burnham and Morgan Frost are passengers in a car along with their boyfriends, brothers Clay and Nathan Claymore, when an accident changes all their lives forever. Liv wakes up in the hospital, but the visitors by her bedside are not her parents or her boyfriend Nathan, but Mr. Frost, Morgan’s father, and Clay, Morgan’s boyfriend. They all call Morgan by Liv by her best friend’s name, which frightens and confuses her—especially when they break the news that Liv did not survive the crash.

Any hopes that this is just a horrible case of mistaken identity are dashed, however, when they remove Liv’s bandages and it is Morgan’s face starring back at her in the mirror. Not wanting to appear crazy or upset anyone further, Liv decides to go along with it in order to buy some time to figure out what’s going on. But, becoming Morgan and stepping into her life is turning out to be more difficult than Liv realized. Her best friend, heiress to her father’s successful tech company, has lived in privilege and luxury, but her life had not been as well put together as anyone thought. 

Liv also discovers that, despite being popular and beautiful, Morgan Frost was a lonely girl with not a lot of close friends. And underneath that perfect and happy exterior, she was hiding all kinds of dangerous secrets, including an underage affair with a married man. All of it was part of Morgan’s plan to uncover the truth behind her mother’s mysterious death ten years ago, and now it is up to Liv to finish what her best friend started.  

I was conflicted at times and not because the story was boring. I was trying to cut through the cliche of whether this was a YA Romance novel, or a YA Suspense novel, or a combination of a whole bunch of genre's, including a bit of paranormal when Morgan has to decide whether or not she is really Morgan, or Liv, or a combination of the two characters mixed together. Liv (trapped in Morgan’s body) is a very compelling narrator, not the self-centered and overly dramatic teen we’ve come to expect in YA contemporaries. 

Liv is a relatable character. Totally out of her depth, in an unimaginable situation, she manages to survive, and do the one thing her best friend asked her to do. With no one who truly understands her situation, she is alone in dealing with her grief, both for her best friend and for her own life. She's caring and considerate, but also smart and strategic. I agree with others in that the best parts of this book were when Liv/Morgan had to decide who she really was, and how she is expected to move forward. Then there is the dreaded love triangle.....nope, I'll skip it, but thanks! I will say that there is definitely an edge that stands behind Clay, while wanting to totally dismiss Nathan who just doesn't do anything to help the story along.

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