Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Title: I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: April 3rd, 2012

Source: Purchased

My Rating: 5/5

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows? (Summary from Goodreads)

You know what the sign of a scary book is? When you read twenty-five pages - count em' twenty-five - and you have frightening serial killer nightmares. Barry Lyga, you won. Your book terrified me. And I loved every petrifying bit of it.

I'm a scared-y cat, a sleep-with-a-night-light, jump-at-every-sound, honest to goodness scared-y cat. But something really drew me to I Hunt Killers. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I needed to read it. When I finally got up the courage to start it, I was hooked. The mystery behind the killings and the need to know just exactly what was happening kept me flipping the pages, while cringing at every disturbing detail.

This book has no shortage of horror. I know I may be easily scared, but I can guarantee even fear-mongers will be looking over their shoulders after this one. Barry Lyga obviously did his research because he created one heck of a serial killer in Billy Dent. He also created one amazing character in his son and narrator, Jazz Dent. Although Jazz is, no doubt, a scary teenager, he's also got a lovable side to him. I couldn't help but adore his charm, strength, and ferocity to make more of himself than what he was raised to be. I love a hero with a dark side. It always makes me cheer for them that much more. I also loved the side characters in I Hunt Killers. They brought a light side to this shadowed tale, but were also willing to walk in the dark to help out a friend. 

One of the things that was so impressive about this book was the intricacy of the mystery. There were so many different aspects to it, but Lyga managed to piece it all together with clarity, all the while keeping the reader guessing about who the killer was. Every gruesome detail, while disturbing, had meaning and purpose all leading up to the unveiling of the killer. I will admit, I didn't guess the ending. I had no idea who the killer was, which made the reveal all the better. 

I Hunt Killers left off with so much potential for the sequel, and I cannot wait to find out where it goes. This isn't a series for the faint-of-heart (which makes it odd that I love it) but if you can get passed (or enjoy) the blood and gore you're going to find a story with passion, great characters, and enough fright to keep you up well passed midnight.

Update: after finishing this review last night, I proceeded to have nightmares about being attacked. I blame this book...and Barry Lyga.

- Ciara who is lost at midnight


Find this book: Amazon | Goodreads | Barry Lyga's Website

Waiting On Wednesday (15): Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

This Week's Pick: Rage Within (Dark Inside #2) by Jeyn Roberts

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: September 4th, 2012

In this apocalyptic sequel to Dark Inside"'s "well-balanced, realistic suspense" (Kirkus Reviews"), four teens continue the struggle for survival as they face a world gone mad. Aries, Clementine, Michael, and Mason have survived the first wave of the apocalypse that wiped out most of the world's population and turned many of the rest into murderous Baggers. Now they're hiding out in an abandoned house in Vancouver with a ragtag group of fellow teen survivors, trying to figure out their next move.

Aries is trying to lead, but it's hard to be a leader when there are no easy answers and every move feels wrong. Clementine is desperate to find her brother Heath, but it's impossible to know where he'd be, assuming he's alive. Michael is haunted by the memories of his actions during his harrowing struggle to survive. And Mason is struggling with something far worse: the fear that he may be a danger to his friends.

As the Baggers begin to create a new world order, these four teens will have to trust and rely on each other in order to survive. (Summary from Goodreads)

I've returned to doing Waiting On Wednesday! I took a two week break because I wanted to concentrate more on reviewing which I was having a bit of trouble with recently. I didn't want my blog to turn into one of those "meme only" ones, so I decided to hold off posting memes and catch up on reviewing. Although I'm still a bit behind, I'm going to start back up with Waiting On Wednesday!

I am so ridiculously pumped for Rage Within. Petrified to read it, but excited nonetheless. Dark Inside is one of my favorite post-apocolyptic books. It's original, terrifying and so unbelievable captivating; one of those books it's just impossible to put down. Dark Inside left off with so much potential and the promise of many hard days to come. The characters, all of with I have a huge attachment to, have a battle in front of them, not just with the Baggers, but with their own evil lurking inside them.

Rage Within is going to scare me silly, have me checking my closet for Baggers, and keep my eyes glued to the page. It's going to be fantastic.

If you haven't read Dark Inside check out my review and see if it's something you'd be interested in! Trust me, it's amazing!

- Ciara who is lost at midnight

Waiting On Wednesday (14): UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, in which bloggers talk about the books they are most eager for!

 

This week's pick: UnWholly (Unwind #2) by Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: August 28th, 2012

 

Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simultaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.
Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.
Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.

Thought-provoking is probably the best phrase to describe Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I read it about four years ago and I have never forgotten about it, or had its impact lessen. In fact, there is a scene in the novel that haunts me to this day. 

UnWholly is the highly anticipated sequel that many, myself included, have been waiting YEARS for. Although I thought Unwind could be a stand alone novel, I'm really interested to see where the story will go next. I'm sure Shusterman will deliver another heart-stopping novel, rampant with action, anguish and a tiny persistent sliver of hope.

- Ciara who is lost at midnight

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1)

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Release Date: September 27th, 2011

Source: Purchased

My Rating: 4.5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

I've always been slightly afraid of mirrors. You know in horror movies were people look away from the mirror then look back and the knife-wielding axe-murderer whatever is standing behind them? Yeah, that has made me very scared of mirrors.

So has this book.

I was literally shaking when I read it, and kept ducking and hiding from mirrors for days afterwards! I'm sorry, but seeing dead friends in mirrors instead of yourself? Yeah, it was terrifying. It was probably not my best idea to stay up 'til two reading but I couldn't help myself! I needed to know what happened! A midnight read at its finest.

I was absolutely hooked from the first page. That letter! Wow! What a grab. Actually, I could say I was hooked from the cover cause, um, yeah, one of the best covers I've ever seen. One question I heard about the cover, which made me love it that much more, was "Is the boy on the cover saving her, or pulling her under?" Every time I look at the cover I can't help but shiver.

The story itself was shudder-inducing (in a good way). Watching the main character, Mara Dyer, slowly slip into madness was engrossing while terrifying. Her visions had me cowering from the pages, while flipping them faster to read more. The flashbacks of the incident, the constant nightmares, and Mara's attempt to survive it all kept the story moving, and kept my heart-pounding.

Mara Dyer is not your typical heroine, and I loved that about her. She's dark, haunted, and scary in her own right. She's a bit of a tragic heroine; one fatal flaw could bring her all down. Which is fantastic (in a literary sense. I'm sure it's not so fantastic for Mara). A lot of books have strong female leads that have you cheering and rooting for their success. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer has a protagonist that has you staring in horror, yet fascinated by her every decision. I have to say, this series has a lot of potential. And the dark heroine of Mara is one to watch out for.

I have to also mention Noah Shaw. Although I found the beginning of their relationship slightly typical (by YA book standards), I adored him. I can't help but love a sarcastic hottie, with a sweet side. I mean really, who can!

I don't want to give away anything, so I'm going to put a big SPOILER ALERT right here (although, it's not really a huge spoiler, but if you don't want any, don't read this paragraph) but there was one thing that irked me about the book. I didn't like the supernatural element that was thrown in at the end. I liked the more contemporary, although a bit paranormal, style it was taking. But the end! Oh the end. Let's just say I NEED to have The Evolution of Mara Dyer in my hands...like yesterday.

If you're looking for a scary thrill-ride, pick up The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It'll have you cowering in a corner, while gluing your eyes to the page.
 
The cover of The Evolution of Mara Dyer was just released and my goodness is it gorgeous! As stunning and as deeply haunting as the first. Makes me wonder what's going to happen in the second book!

-Ciara who is lost at midnight