Mini Reviews: Now You See Me, The Passengers, and Good Girls Lie

Once again, a Chris McGeorge book sets me up for an exciting read, then lets me down.

McGeorge's first book, Guess Who, began as a fascinating and creative locked room mystery, and carried that through almost to the bitter end. The very very end left me disappointed and managed to take away some of the enjoyment I had had of the rest of the book.

This time, Now You See Me, managed to disappoint me for the entire second half of the book. The premise is so intriguing, a cold case where six people went on a boat ride through a tunnel, but only one person came out the other side. The other five were never found, vanishing without a trace, even though there's no way that should have been able to happen.

But then the second half just becomes convoluted, with everything being thrown at readers, but nothing really sticking. One of the major plot point solutions is so ridiculous, and feels unfair because there's no way for a reader to be able to guess it.

I think sadly I just need to give up believing McGeorge will ever produce a book I find completely enjoyable.

At the risk of sounding like I planned this pun ;D this book was a wild ride! The book is set in a future world where cars are driver less, but not everyone supports this-and now eight people are trapped in these driver less cars, assured by a mysterious voice that they are being taken to their deaths. As the world watches, and social media runs wild, people are forced to choose which of the passengers live and which die.

I was listening to this as an audiobook and could not stop listening. At one point, I just let my dinner sit on the counter as I stood there completely distracted by learning the next plot point. While walking, I would frequently realize I was reacting with facial expressions or even saying things out loud in response to the next part of the story or the next incredible twist.

This book completely kept me on my toes the entire time. Nothing was as it seemed, the stakes were so high, and I loved every minute.

I always enjoy a book that I absolutely cannot put down. Despite being over four hundred pages (granted, the chapters were typically short), this read flew by. There are so many twists and turns, and the Gothic nature of the supposedly perfect boarding school made everything feel claustrophobic and horribly inevitably doomed.

While I didn't necessarily completely love the "biggest lie" reveal, it definitely worked within the context of the story, and the last chapter was amazing.

ARC Review: The God Game

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Title: The God Game
Author: Danny Tobey
Publication Date: January 7, 2020
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Recommended If You Like: dark twisted reads, futuristic intense interactive games, philosophical and religious debate

The Book:

A group of high schoolers, designated outsiders, are best friends, a group self-titled The Vindicators. When they are invited to play an online game called The God Game, seemingly run by an AI who believes itself to be God, it's a challenge they can't resist.

At first, everything seems fun and exciting, a virtual world imposed on their difficult real lives. But the stakes keep getting raised, the tasks keep getting harder, and soon their worlds seem to be colliding and falling apart.

Die in the Game, die in real life.

What I Liked:

This book started out really interesting. The concept intrigued me right away, and the main characters seemed like people it was easy to relate to-trying to find themselves, to find meaning, to find their tribe. I was also drawn in right away by the idea of a twisted and surprising game working its way into real life in unexpected ways.

Anything I Didn't Like?

This book got so dark, so very very dark. I read a lot of books with storylines that can get intense and dark, but this book was on a whole other level that was just too much for me. I kept reading only because I was more than halfway through by the time it got so heavy, so I figured I should finish.

So...?

This book was definitely not for me. That doesn't mean other people won't really like it, but I couldn't handle the darkness and so couldn't enjoy the read.

Review: Trace

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

What is especially intriguing about this book is that it is both about the case the podcast Trace investigated, and the story behind all it took to put the podcast together.

Brown, host and reporter, takes readers back to the very beginning, when she was first drawn into the cold case of the murder of Maria James. Readers become emotionally invested along with Brown, as we and she learn more about the sons whose lives were irrevocably shattered by the brutal loss of their mother, and about the slip ups (and possible cover ups) during the original police investigation.

This is a dark, at times difficult, read. It went to a place I hadn't expected and wasn't prepared for. Brown pulls no punches as she shares with readers the terrible truths she learned and the possible conspiracies she uncovered. She is open with the way the investigative process on her side works, and how not everything can be tied up in a neat little bow.

This book makes me want to listen to the podcast and keep updated on the case, so while it is not the  best true crime book I've ever read, it definitely is an interesting and compelling read.