Review: Sharp Objects

Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Publication: 2006 by Broadway Paperbacks
Pages: 254 Pages
Source: Overdrive eBook
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary
WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart 
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg 
Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle 
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

My Thoughts:
Gillian Flynn is easily becoming one of my auto buy authors. This many not have been my favourite book, but it was masterfully written which kept me going. I found Sharp Objects to be a very slow moving story, everything was relieved at the very end which kept you guessing the whole way through. I do wish that we got to the resolution quicker, and then got more insight into that end. Now speaking of the ending, my mouth fell to the floor during the ending and I laid on the couch after for at least 20 minutes after finishing this book just soaking in what I had just read. I was disturbed, but in a way that made the book memorable. 

The subplots in this book were strong and interesting in their own right. I loved the mystery behind Camille's mother and how you slowly got Camille's history growing up in that town. Sharp Objects was a good book, not the best but certainly a compelling suspenseful mystery. If you loved Gillian Flynn's other book, definitely check this one out. 

Re-Review: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Publication: 03/21/2006 by William Morrow & Company
Series: Grim Reaper #1
Pages: 387 pages
Source: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary:
Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, sort of a hypochondriac. He's what's known as a Beta Male: the kind of fellow who makes his way through life by being careful and constant -- you know, the one who's always there to pick up the pieces when the girl gets dumped by the bigger/taller/stronger Alpha Male.

But Charlie's been lucky. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a secondhand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child.

Yes, Charlie's doing okay for a Beta. That is, until the day his daughter, Sophie, is born. Just as Charlie -- exhausted from the birth -- turns to go home, he sees a strange man in mint-green golf wear at Rachel's hospital bedside, a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But see him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird. . . .

People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yup, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death. It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's gotta do it.

My Thoughts:
This is one of my all time favourite books. I want more people to read it and love it as much as I do. The story follows Charlie Asher who is an adorably awkward and hilarious character. He is a regular guy who ends up becoming something he never thought was possible. Charle is my original book crush, I just want to hug him for most of this book. Sophie is his daughter and is absolutely the cutest kid in a book ever. I would volunteer to babysit her any day (maybe...)

The biggest reason why I love this book is because it's absolutely hilarious. Christopher Moore writes the funniest most sarcastic books I have ever read. He also weaves his stories and characters together with his other novels. This story takes place in a paranormal version of San Fransisco, where there are appearances from some characters in his other series. I am also in love with that series so even briefly seeing how the characters and stories overlap is absolutely amazing. 

A Dirty Job, is an adventurous and awesome novel. If you are a fan of paranormal fiction and dark humour this is the book for you. I do recognize that this book isn't going to be for everyone, the humour isn't everyone's cup of tea but I highly suggest you at least check it out. 

Review: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy
Publication: 07/25/06 by Tor Fantasy
Series: Mistborn
Pages: 643 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary:
Once, a hero arose to save the world. A young man with a mysterious heritage courageously challenged the darkness that strangled the land.

He failed.

For a thousand years since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist ruled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler. Every revolt has failed miserably.

Yet somehow, hope survives. Hope that dares to dream of ending the empire and even the Lord Ruler himself. A new kind of uprising is being planned, one built around the ultimate caper, one that depends on the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the determination of an unlikely heroine, a street urchin who must learn to master Allomancy, the power of a Mistborn.

My Thoughts:
This was awesome. It may have taken me forever to read, but it really is an interesting story. It might have been a huge book but I never felt bored. I was engaged with the story while I was reading it and the world that Sanderson created was so clear and mystical. I felt like I had a good grasp on the world and how Allomancy worked. Often when I read fantasy, I get lost and don't understand the world. This definitely didn't happen with The Final Empire. 

I have had this problem where I haven't been able to get into the characters while I read. This hasn't always been the case, but recently I just haven't cared enough about any character to really get invested. Until I read this book. I am attached to all of the characters. Vin is an amazing lead, and her growth throughout this novel was stellar. I can't wait to see how far she comes in the next 2 books. I even shipped her hard with Elend. I fell hard for the 2 of them together and I have strong feelings regarding them together. This doesn't happen to me! Where are all these feels coming from. 

I am dying to know how the story continues in the next few books. For now, I am going to take a break and get some of the mess that built up read. This book has really shown me how interested I am in the fantasy genre and that I shouldn't back down from serious high fantasy. I definitely recommend this book to everyone. It's fantastic. 

Quote: 
“Our belief is often strongest when it should be weakest. That is the nature of hope.”