The Girl in the Picture by Alexandra Monir Review

The Girl in the Picture by Alexandra Monir

The book opens with a spirit standing over their dead body. The murdered boy is soccer star Chace Porter. His murder sends the Oyster Bay Prep school into chaos. The book mainly alternates between the viewpoints of Nicole, a scarred star violist, and Lana, the popular girlfriend. It also bounces in time before and after Nicole gets the scarring on her face.

The story is fast moving and kept me questioning. I thought I had it figured out and was pleasantly surprised when it did not prove to be the case. There are some cliché elements but nothing too off putting. While none of the characters were completely flat, I wish they had been a bit more balanced. I also would have liked more from some of the other characters and other situations.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would checkout more titles by this author. 

 Amazon Description: 

"A dark and addictive mystery that had me flying through the pages: best read late at night under the covers with the doors locked!"—Kara Thomas, author ofThe Darkest Corners


One dead body, one photograph, one comprimising secret. Everyone's a suspect in this classic "whodunit" murder mystery from Timeless author, Alexandra Monir.  
Nicole Morgan has been labeled many things—the geeky music girl, the shy sidekick of Miss Popularity, and the girl with the scar. Now only one name haunts her through the halls of Oyster Bay Prep. The girl in the picture.

After heartthrob Chace Porter is found dead in the woods near the school, the police search for the girl snuggled up next to him in a picture discovered among his personal effects. A girl no one knew was even close to him—and whose best friend, Lana Rivera, was his girlfriend.

Nicole is that girl, and now she’s the primary suspect in his murder.

What happened that night? Were Nicole and Chace dating behind Lana’s back? Were he and Lana over? Could either of the girls have killed him?

In alternating points of view—that of suspect Nicole Morgan and that of Lana Rivera—and weaving between present-day, flashbacks, and the characters' surreal subconscious, The Girl in the Picture is a unique tale of teen friendship, romance, and deadly secrets.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisen Review

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Book One of the Broken Earth

The Fifth Season is the first in The Broken Earth series. The setting is on Earth but it is long past our time, many civilizations have flourished and been destroyed. The Earth is unstable. Large earthquakes, tsunamis and volcano eruptions that can darken the sky for years happen. Sometimes sending the world into a Season, a period of ruin, some survive some do not. The world is littered with deadciv artifacts. In the first few pages, an unnamed character does breaks the Earth to bring about the beginning of a new Season.

The basically enslaved orogenes are people born with the ability to affect the geological. There are Guardians, they have the ability to control orogenes. The main characters are all orogenes. We meet one as she loses a child, one as a child who has just learned what she can do, and another as she embarks on a mission for the Guardian controlled Fulcrum.

I enjoyed the layout of the book and the weaving of the characters. I had an inkling of a twist, but wasn’t sure how the author could pull it off. She did it and after I thought of course, very satisfying. The characters are the heart of the story. I worried for them all. And hoped. I was angry at some of the choices they made but understood them.

While I did enjoy this book, I mainly read it on my lunch break. It wasn’t till over half way through that I couldn’t wait to take it home and read. By the time I finished the book I was hooked, if the second one was near I would have started it immediately.

One thing I would have liked a little more time on were the node maintainers. I don’t know if that will be possible in the next book. I get enough of it to understand the horror but still have some questions. I also want to know more about the mysterious Stone-eaters and the obelisks. Hopefully, book two The Obelisk Gate will be come in on hold for me today.

Amazon Description:

 THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS... FOR THE LAST TIME.

A season of endings has begun.

It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun.

It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter.

It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy. 

This book is available for checkout through the Lake County Library System.