Adult Fiction July Review 2013

I've decided to start reviewing adult fiction because why not?  I still get strange looks when I'm in the adult section of the library (mostly since I look like I'm twelve but also because of some of the books I've checked out) That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for my dedicated readers though.

Low Pressure by Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is probably one of my favorite adult fiction authors. She started off writing romances (those trashy historical ones you have to sneak past the librarian to avoid the judgmental lift of the eyebrows) but graduated to thrillers, the kind with gruesome villains, sexy heroes and beautiful, intelligent heroines. Her books usually follow a certain formula involving this cast of characters- namely gruesome villain tries to kill beautiful, intelligent heroine until sexy hero steps in to rescue her. There are usually other factors that stand in the way between heroine and hero but ultimately they do end up together (I would say spoiler alert but I'm pretty sure anybody who knows the way romance works in books would have been able to figure that out)
Character: 2 Sandra's books are very plot driven leaving the character development a lot to be desired. Perhaps I am being unnecessarily harsh. But a of Sandra Brown's heroines and heroes I feel are interchangeable. In this case Bellamy (the heroine) and Dent (the hero) shared the same qualities alot of her past characters have. Bellamy is attractive, brave yet vulnerable. Dent is sexy, gruff yet gentle.  I love her villains though. They, too, all share similar qualities (usually they are depraved psychopaths out for revenge) but they each have factors that give them the unique twist they need to be terrifying. In this book the creepy pervert was Ray Strickland (although he was not the murderer I consider him a villain considering he spent the entire book trying to kill Bellamy and or Dent) Unfortunately I didn't find him as scary as some of Brown's other villains because he wasn't clever. I'm pretty sure he had the intellect of a cinder block. I prefer evil genius types because how is a cinder block threatening? (unless you drop it on someone's head)
Plot: 2.5 It is a tribute to Sandra Brown's writing that the plot is predictable and unoriginal but manages to be interesting anyway. Bellamy dives into the past as she attempts to find out who murdered her sister 18 years ago. As she discovers scandalous secrets about her family and the people she once knew, she realizes maybe she is better off not knowing what really happened. But she is driven by a request from her dying father and a thirst to know the truth. The ending had several unexpected twists which kept things interesting in the last few chapters.
Satisfaction: 3 Even though they are all similar every time I finish a Sandra Brown book I am itching to start another. It's like having the a dish of vanilla ice cream every night before bed. Although she has definitely had better books, this book contained the amounts of romance and suspense needed to make a satisfying read.
Conclusion:If you want a book with strong character development or some deep seated theme then I would suggest another book but if you like a dash of romance with your thriller then I strongly recommend this book. It doesn't shy away from the suspense or raw violence. Instead it embraces evil head on acknowledging that yes there are sinister people in the world but there are good people too. The book never lacks momentum but goes forward at an exciting pace which makes for an addicting read.
Overall Rating: 7.5/15

Tumbleweeds by Leila Macham

Plot: 2.5 Orphan Cathy Benson arrives at a small town in Texas to stay with her grandmother after her parents are killed. She is quickly befriended by popular football stars Trey and John. As the friends reach puberty, Cathy and Trey begin to date while John tries to conceal his feelings for his best friend's girlfriend. Unfortunately a set of unfortunate circumstances forces the three friends in separate directions until they are reunited years later by another unexpected turn of events. The book follows the three friends from age 11 until their early forties chronicling football games, college scholarships and the birth of children. I'm not going to say anything else because I don't want to ruin any surprises. And there are alot of surprises. Every time I think the story is going to go in one direction it veers sharply in the opposite. For the most part Macham did a good job at creating an unpredictable set of events and avoiding cliche plotlines (which is not easy to do when you have two boys and one girl which risks being nothing more than a love triangle)
Characters: 3 As I mentioned earlier the story is focused on three friends, Cathy, John and Trey who are united by the bond of being orphans. Cathy's parents are killed in a car crash. John's mother died and he is raised by a man seething with resentment who spends most of his days in a state of intoxication. Trey's mother ran off and left him to be raised by his aunt. All of them find comfort in each other. Trey and John, although best friends, are stark contrasts to each other. Trey's a troublemaker who puts himself first and others second. John always puts the needs of others before his own, no questions asked. Both of them are in love with Cathy. But Cathy is far from just a prize to be one. Courageous, determined and strong Cathy faces every obstacle unflinchingly. She is the definition of a heroine that you can root for. Macham does a good job at developing the secondary characters. Each have their own characteristics, their own background and their own agendas which adds flavor to parts of the story that would have otherwise been bland.
Satisfaction: 2 This book really didn't deliver what I was looking for. I found myself frustrated by the decisions that the characters made because a few characters especially Trey ended up making choices that made things more difficult for them in the long run. I felt like the ending was a tremendous let down (although to be honest I couldn't see the book ending any other way) If the ending had been a little different this book would have gotten a 2.5 or a 3. But the ending is what sticks most in the reviewer's mind since it's the last thing that we read. So take note all you authors. If you botch the ending you are losing major points.
Conclusion: This is a long book so if you don't find the idea of the book interesting then don't read it. If you find the plot of the book intriguing then go for it.
Overall Rating: 7.5/20

The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle

Plot: 1.5 Pepper is a new inmate at New Hyde Hospital, a mental institution. Of course Pepper isn't crazy. He was arrested for brawling and through an unfortunate series of events is committed to New Hyde Hospital where all the patients live in a pill induced haze and the days all blend together in a confusing blur. Pepper watches as 72 hour surveillance turns into weeks locked away. Through Book Club Pepper manages to make a few allies who enlighten him as to what lurks behind the mysterious silver door- the thing that spends it's nights preying on the poor souls at New Hyde Hospital, the thing that the staff refuses to acknowledge, the thing that is referred to as The Devil himself.
Characters: 1.5 At first glance the stereotypical main characters (old woman, rebellious teenager, African immigrant) seem somewhat intriguing- after all they are patients in a mental institution. However, after several
pages they begin to get old and become nothing more than cliche participants in a story that fluctuates between slow and bearable.
Satisfaction: 2 This book promised to be terrifying. It failed miserably. It was more a social critique of the mental health system rather than a horror story. I had to slog myself through every ten pages until I got to an exchange of dialogue that was semi entertaining. The ending in no way delivered. It was not gripping nor climatic as promised. It felt like the ending to a mediocre horror movie that had me leaving the movie theater more satisfied with my popcorn than the movie.
Conclusion: I wouldn't waste my time with this book. I feel bad about saying this considering I spent so much time dragging myself through the lacking plot of this book. This is why I try to avoid sci-fi/ horror books. More often than not they always disappoint and few writers have the skill to keep me goosebumps. Victor LaValle, I'm sorry but you're not one of them.
Overall Rating: 5/15

The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman

Plot: 3 Props for coming up with a unique story line. Many people create goals or life lists but very few people are given deadlines and even fewer people are required to complete life lists made at age fourteen (Even two years later I shudder to think about what would happen if I completed the life list I made at fourteen. Not to mention the heart attack it would give my mother) Anyway, the storyline is pretty simple.
Brett is devastated by her mother's death but shocked and hurt to learn she will not receive her inheritance. She can earn it but only if she completes the unfinished life list that she started at age 14. A list that includes such items as: Have a Baby, Fall in Love and Become a Teacher. Pretty sure the comfortable life Brett has been living begins to fall apart. She gets fired from her company and her boyfriend of four years deserts her. With nowhere else to look, Brett turns her attention to her life list. Her adventures (and misadventures) with love, family and friends are hilarious as she tries her hand at stand up comedy, has a disastrous experience with substitute teaching, rekindles old relationship, builds new ones and gives her life the 180 it needs.

Characters: 3 Chick flicks face an uphill battle when it comes to creating in depth characters but Spielman rose to this challenge magnificently. Not only is Brett likable and a heroine we can relate to but she relates her blunders with a sense of humor and a determination that endures. My favorite part about this book is that she did not end up with the obvious romantic choice but that her love life twisted and turned unexpectedly before leading to a very satisfying conclusion. The relationships Brett develops as a result of her life list are also multi layered. Her students, her childhood best friend and her long lost father all emerge as colorful characters who add flavor to the story. Perhaps one of the most influential characters is Brett's mother Elizabeth who is proof that after someone dies the impressions they made will remain long afterwards.

Satisfaction: 3.5 I enjoyed this book alot more than I expected. It was funny, poignant and so adorable. I would say that this book is definitely more chick lit but that does not mean that men cannot enjoy Brett's journey. While this book dealt with some cliche topics and it did have parts that were a little cheesy it was well worth my time and an enjoyable read. 

Conclusion: As I mentioned before the guys might want a pass on this one but for girls this is top quality fiction. A great way to pass the time, an entertaining read and actually somewhat inspiring. It reminded me alot of the self help book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin who chronicles her attempts at happiness as she tries techniques promised to bring more happiness into her life. My copy of The Happiness Project is dogeared and well worn from frequent usage so to compare the two books is a high compliment. After you read it, you'll feel in the mood to check off a few items from your own life list.

Overall Rating: 12.5/20

Forgotten by Catherine McKenzie

Plot: 2 When Emma Tupper returns from a month long leave of absence six months later, she is shocked to discovered she has been presumed dead and life has moved on without her.Emma thinks it will be easy to settle back into her old life but she quickly discovers that things have changed- her boyfriend is now with someone else, she's been replaced at work and there is a strange man living in her apartment. Looks like things aren't going to go back to normal all that quickly. The book's blurb caught my attention but after reading it I found the plot to be poorly executed. There were several things that just did not make sense. For example she moves into her old apartment with a man she hardly knows instead of using the vacant house of her recently deceased mother. Not to mention the book is just plain boring. All Emma does is let her friends know she is alive and returns to her old job. There are no plot twists, there are no surprises. The book is more predictable than a Disney movie and not nearly as engaging. Although several reviews have labeled it a "fast read" it took me almost a week to get through this book because I was so bored with the story that I continually made excuses for not reading. I hope that gives you an idea of how uninteresting the story was.

Characters: 1.5 The story might have been worthwhile if I found the characters appealing but I didn't. Emma is a whiner, plain and simple. I understand that her life has been turned topsy turvy but instead of being proactive all she does once she returns home is complain. Instead of being grateful that she actually is alive, she complains to anyone who will listen. She doesn't really stop to think about how hard it must have been for her friends thinking she was dead. In my opinion she's really hard on her ex boyfriend Craig. So he hooked up with someone else. Was he supposed to wait around forever? Finally I found Dominic (the man who now occupies her apartment) to be extremely irritating. I feel as though he complains almost as much as Emma does. And I get really tired of this stupid game of phone tag they do with each other. Get together or don't but stop being so wishy washy about it.

Satisfaction: 1 The only satisfaction I got was when I finally got to the last page. If the Life List is at the top of Chick Lit then this is most definitely at the bottom.

Conclusion: So boring I honestly don't want to waste anymore time describing it.

Overall Rating: 4.5/20

You probably have noticed that I haven't been posting as much in the last few weeks. Work has been crazy and alot of my friends returned from vacation so I actually have a social life again believe it or not. I promise to keep posting although right now I'm scrambling to get all my summer assignments done before school start so I can't promise to post too often. But please keep an eye out for my next post, subscribe to my blog and please leave a comment.