The Secrets of Lily Graves: Book Review

 

                                                The Secrets of Lily Graves

by Sarah Strohmeyer 

Paperback, 298 pages

Published May 13th 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Rating: 3/5 stars

With the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and plenty of romance, bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer weaves a story of secrets and lies—set in a funeral parlor.

Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.

But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.

So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.

As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim.

***

THE SECRETS OF LILY GRAVES will mystify you. 

The Secrets of Lily Graves tells about the story of Lily, who grew up with a family of embalmers and who lives in a funeral parlor. She has dealt with death her whole life but is now forced to deal with the death of her classmate, Erin, the ex-girlfriend of the boy she always had her eyes on (and who's also her bestfriend), Matt. Lily gets in the middle of this as she's one of the most obvious suspects--or is she?

And then there's Matt who broke up with Erin. Did he actually do it so he could get together with Lily? That's what you'll find out.

I gotta admit, the "intrigue of Pretty Little Liars" line was what caught my attention since I'm a big fan of the series (both the books and television show). Well, this book had so much premise but did it deliver? I'd say half and half.

You will enjoy this book, for sure. It has just the right amount of mystery + romance but somehow, it lacks the power to hold you down. I did read this in one sitting though, as I do with most mysteries, but I think what made me not like it as much as I should've was the fact that I instantly knew who killed who. I'm not sure if it's  just me or if it's been obvious since the beginning and since those lines that made me think about this certain suspect, but once that happens, it makes me wish I didn't know so that I'd enjoy the book even more.

BUT the writing was well-done. The author sure made use of puns and had the power to spin this story into something that's still readable even if you kind of already know what's going to happen. The characters kind of lacked depth, though, but they're still believable (although some instances aren't)  so it would still be good for you to read this book. And there's that cliffhanger chapter that will leave you saying all expletives and maybe break you apart but you have to read through to the ending of course, to get the whole thing. 

THE POLARIS UPRISING - Excerpt Reveal + GIVEAWAY!

Title: THE POLARIS UPRISING (Polaris, Book 1)
Genre: YA Dystopia
Author: Jennifer Ibarra 

Length: 120K words

Synopsis:

No citizen shall be left behind.

Life in Neress is simple. For nearly four decades, people have known exactly what’s expected of them. Obey the rules, follow the path that’s been laid out, and everything will be provided for: food, shelter, education, safety. No need goes unmet.

But the cost is steep: you lose all rights to make your own choices in life.

In seven years, eighteen-year-old Ryla Jensen will come of age and take over for her father as president of this idyllic nation. Groomed since childhood to take on a role she’s not even sure she wants, Ryla’s only escape from the pressures of duty is her sister, Alanna. But when her eyes are finally opened to the oppressive regime her father built, she begins to question everything she’s set to inherit—and finds herself at odds with her sister’s blind allegiance to their father.

Torn between loyalty to her family and the fight for freedom, Ryla must decide just how far she’s willing to go to make a stand and risk losing the person she loves most in the world: Alanna.

Links:

• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Polaris-Uprising-Jennifer-Ibarra/dp/0989499200/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1394650021&sr=8-1&keywords=polaris+uprising
• Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-polaris-uprising-jennifer-ibarra/1117138587?ean=2940149490080
• Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-polaris-uprising/id731384481?mt=11 
• Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-polaris-uprising
• Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/365533
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18046385-the-polaris-uprising

HERE'S AN EXCERPT:

"Water had gathered on the ground, picking up the drippings of melted snow that had trickled through the tunnel entrances. There were puddles everywhere, all along the winding underground paths. Ryla had started off trying to avoid them, but she gave up after a while, letting the water splatter all over her boots—and sometimes even jumping into it with both feet to get a smile out of Tyson.

She got a few eye rolls at first. But soon enough, he broke down and grinned, and when she offered her hand, he took it, hopping straight into a particularly large puddle that splashed water all over her front.

“Oh sorry, I should have been more careful, Your Excellency…”

She kicked at the water, returning the favor.

“Hey!”

“Stop calling me Your Excellency.”

He laughed and put his hands up in mock surrender. “All right, all right. Just trying to get under your skin a little. Old habits die hard.”

She smiled. “You get under my skin just fine.”

Flustered, he broke the eye contact, but she saw his cheeks redden, and she knew she’d gotten to him with the remark.

“Come on,” he said. “This way’ll be faster. It cuts across the city center.”

He led her forward into another tunnel that branched off somewhere from the main artery. They all looked the same to her, no matter what direction they were headed. She wondered how he’d ever managed to learn his way down here. 

“You know, under normal circumstances, this might qualify as a date,” she said, looking up at him.

Silence stretched. His cheeks darkened even more.

“There isn’t a lot of dating that goes on around here,” he said. “Not with a revolution to plan. And besides, what’s the point, when we’re all going to end up in loveless genetic matches anyway?”

“They don’t have to be loveless.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Ibarra grew up on a steady diet of books, Star Wars, and other fantastic feats of the imagination. Her debut novel, The Polaris Uprising, is the first book in a trilogy and mixes dystopia with family drama, romance, and political intrigue.

She lives in Silicon Valley, where she does marketing for a tech company and spends her time running, cooking, baking, and keeping up with celebrity gossip.

Author links:

• Website: jenniferibarra.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/officialjenniferibarra
• Twitter: twitter.com/writejenwrite
• Tumblr: writejenwrite.tumblr.com
• Goodreads: goodreads.com/jenniferibarra

A note from the Author:

Cancer has touched all of us in one way or another. Those who have read THE POLARIS UPRISING will know that I dedicated it to my dear friend, Brittanie, whom we lost to Stage IV ovarian cancer in 2010. She was only 26 years old. In her memory, I am pledging to donate $1 out of every sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society from now until October 6--the day she was diagnosed with the disease that took her life. Every donation up to $2,000 will be matched by my employer, so your generosity will be doubled! Thank you in advance for helping me in this special cause.

GIVEAWAY TIME

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Jennifer L. Armentrout - White Hot Kiss: Book Review

 

White Hot Kiss (Dark Elements #1)

Jennifer L. Armentrout

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

 

 ***

Imagine trying to live your life in the most normal way that you know how, but having a hard time doing so because of the fact that well, you are not normal and some of the people around you are not, as well.

 

I'm not really into the whole Paranormal/Fantasy/Romance thing, but I'd have to say that this novel was good. It wasn't really my thing, but still, it was good. Mainly because Armentrout was able to create a world of her own, and it wasn't anything like other Paranormal stuff out there. I think it's also brave how she used demons and gargoyles in the story, made them a really important part of it, and made sure that they are not seen as so evil. 

When you create a story, I think it's very important that you learn how to create something original and try to break through the mold. This story was able to do that and more. While it may be a bit slow-paced, you'd also appreciate how everything has been crafted carefully, and how great the characterizations are. 

If you're into stories that are complicated and definitely not like any other, try White Hot Kiss. It's full of magic, it's hot, sexy, and it's something that's quite intriguing, you'd probably want more.