Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part.

Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs.

Or so she thinks. Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut from author/artist Vera Brosgol. 

So, remember how I said I didn't really like graphic novels? Well, I still don't, but I might pick one up if it appeals to me enough. It's like fantasy, I don't really like it, but if one leaps out at me I'll put aside my prejudices for long enough to read it. Hey, that's how I discovered some of my favorite books, like The Road or Marina or the Six of Crows duology. 

So I picked up Anya's Ghost because it seemed like a really sweet graphic novel with some very mild horror elements about a girl from a Russian immigrant family who wanted to fit in despite everything and ends up meeting a ghost. As I strongly believe that Ghosts R Great, as well as my interest in Russian culture, I knew I had to read this book. 

I suppose, despite the ages of the characters, that it's middle grade, though I can't really tell with graphic novels. But the depth, or lack thereof, was right along the same level I've come to expect from middle grade works and thus I file it under middle grade. Fight me.

First, the negative. It had the same problem as the other graphic novels I read this month in that it seemed to be lacking depth, and felt rushed, leaving me wanting more from Anya and her story. The ghost thing, as well as the crush thing, felt like the author was really rushing to resolve that storyline. It's rare that I say this, but this book could be at least 100 pages longer. In fact, after finishing, I went on Goodreads, hoping for a sequel. I wanted more of Anya and her world and her friendship with Siobhan. Heck, I'd be fine with a webcomic- in fact, if she hadn't resolved the ghost storyline, this book idea would make a really freaking cute slice-of-life webcomic along the same lines as Sandra and Woo, or a more dramatic comedy like that one about the English school and the forest whose title I can't think of at the moment (sorry, it's been like 3 or 4 years since my webcomic phase- I stopped reading them when I started reading novels again). I mean, I guess that isn't a negative, since that means I liked the book enough to want more.

Because I did. I liked the message Brosgol was trying to get at. I liked the characters, and thought each one had a ton of potential. I loved Anya's family, and how even though she was embarrassed by them and how they tried to cling on to their old traditions while still assimilating to some degree, she still loved them- especially her brother, Sasha, who was your typical pain in the ass but loveable little brother, and her mother who, sure, was a little embarrassing but worked really hard to give her daughter a private school education- albeit a bad one. And I did love how Anya's crush's girlfriend wasn't some generic bitchy blonde mean girl, but was actually a really nice person. She reminded me of a girl I knew in high school- blond, beautiful, athletic, good grades, gifted singer, etc etc but also one of the nicest girls I knew. I think people like that exist just to make the rest of us feel bad.

So I guess my final thought is that this book is one of the best graphic novels I've read. Which I suppose isn't saying much, but still. Also, if I could, I'd commission Brosgol to write a webcomic based on Anya's Ghost. I suppose what this is means is that, while I don't love speculative fiction in real books, it's a lot better in graphic novels. Maybe it's because of the shorter length or the pretty illustrations, but if I must read speculative fiction in the future, especially paranormal or fantasy, I'd love it to be in graphic novel form. I think I'd pay good money to see books like Six of Crows or Marina (please God make that happen!) in graphic novel format. Not The Road though. I don't think that one would work too well.

7.5-8 out of 10

The AIDS Generation by Perry N Halkitis Review

For young gay men who came of age in the United States in the 1980s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic was a formative experience in fear, hardship, and loss. Those who were diagnosed before 1996 suffered an exceptionally high rate of mortality, and the survivors -- both the infected individuals and those close to them -- today constitute a "bravest generation" in American history.

The AIDS Generation: Stories of Survival and Resilience examines the strategies for survival and coping employed by these HIV-positive gay men, who together constitute the first generation of long-term survivors of the disease. Through interviews conducted by the author, it narrates the stories of gay men who have survived since the early days of the epidemic; documents and delineates the strategies and behaviors enacted by men of this generation to survive it; and examines the extent to which these approaches to survival inform and are informed by the broad body of literature on resilience and health.

The stories and strategies detailed here, all used to combat the profound physical, emotional, and social challenges faced by those in the crosshairs of the AIDS epidemic, provide a gateway for understanding how individuals cope with chronic and life-threatening diseases. Halkitis takes readers on a journey of first-hand data collection (the interviews themselves), the popular culture representations of these phenomena, and his own experiences as one of the men of the AIDS generation.

This riveting account will be of interest to health practitioners and historians throughout the clinical and social sciences -- or to anyone with an interest in this important chapter in social history.

This book took me about forever to read. I started it sometime after Tell the Wolves I'm Home, because I thought it was fitting, and put it down, picking it up again at the beginning of the month and spent the rest of the month trying to read it.

It's not that this was a bad book, not at all. In fact, it was an interesting look at the AIDS epidemic from the eyes of men who, while being HIV positive, did not yet get full-blown AIDS. I could tell how passionate Halkitis was about helping those with the disease, and his interviews with the men seemed to actually help them.

But I'm not a science person, at all, and the writing was very scientific. I wanted more from the actual stories of the men than I got, and was quickly sick of the repetition in the book. Some of the men were referenced more than others, and I sometimes had a hard time keeping them all straight. I think I also read the term "youth-obsessed culture" like five times over the span of two pages once. But at the same time, this is all personal preference. This isn't a novel, it's more along the same lines as a study published in an academic journal. It's not supposed to be artfully written. 

The subject matter is fascinating, though, and I enjoyed reading about the AIDS epidemic from those who were involved in it but didn't perish. I especially liked the parts about the modern gay community, a community often romanticized or portrayed as this flawless, unconditionally accepting community when in reality, it's not anymore. In a lot of respects, the gay community in the 21st century is like mainstream society, in which youth is put on a pedestal and even 50 year olds are labelled as out of touch with reality and treated with disrespect despite whatever they've been through. It's all so depressingly vapid, and I felt bad for the men in the book for having to deal with this in even the place they once felt like they fit in. In some respects, they reminded me of WWII or Korea vets in nursing homes, though perhaps Vietnam might be a better comparison. Of course, I say all the above as a straight white girl, albeit one who has done her research.

So everything I got out of the book was great, but the process of reading it was painful, to say the least. I kind of hit that treadmill effect, in which I might spend an hour reading, and then look at my percent through counter of Kindle and see that I was basically back where I started. This was not an easy read for me, to say the least. That being said, I think this book would be fabulous for someone studying the AIDS epidemic, or someone who simply enjoys academic studies more than I do. To me, this was a classic case of great book, but just the wrong fit for someone like me.

7 out of 10

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier Review + A Mini Review of Dare to Disappoint by Ozge Samanci

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

Catrina and her family are moving to the coast of Northern California because her little sister, Maya, is sick. Cat isn't happy about leaving her friends for Bahía de la Luna, but Maya has cystic fibrosis and will benefit from the cool, salty air that blows in from the sea. As the girls explore their new home, a neighbor lets them in on a secret: There are ghosts in Bahía de la Luna. Maya is determined to meet one, but Cat wants nothing to do with them. As the time of year when ghosts reunite with their loved ones approaches, Cat must figure out how to put aside her fears for her sister's sake - and her own. 

I'm not really a graphic novel fan. As much as I love art and animation and all that, graphic novels never really caught my eye. Maybe it's because graphic novel art reminds me a lot of the new Cartoon Network art, which is kind of unappealing to me. Also, a lot of graphic novels just kind of blend together and none of them stand out when I browse for books at my local library. 

But this month I read not one but two graphic novels. And I remembered another reason why I don't usually read graphic novels, but I'll get to that in a second. This is the first, which I picked up on a whim and also because, as I think I mentioned before, I really enjoy Raina Telgemeier's work. She's one of the few middle grade writers who have managed to hold my interest, and I find her art style unique and pleasant for a graphic novel. I especially like her memoirs, though I did also enjoy Drama, her first middle grade straight up novel. 

So with all that in mind I picked up Ghosts. I was intrigued by this book when it first came out in the September of last year, but then got distracted by other books that came out around that time, like A Gentleman in Moscow and Crooked Kingdom. I liked the fact that it was about a little girl with cystic fibrosis and her older sister dealing with the very real possibility that her sister will not live very long. I've never read a book that had a girl with cystic fibrosis in it, though I was aware of its existence, and really liked that representation. I also liked the Mexican cultural elements. Latin, especially Mexican, culture is so vibrant and colorful and quite interesting. Also, the Day of the Dead is easily one of the most interesting holidays out there, and I was a little in love with the Northern California town she created to set her story in- I'd never live in California, but if I had to, it'd be to there. Or San Francisco. Either one. 

That being said, my favorite part was the illustrations. I loved Telgemeier's take on ghosts. I admit, I expected a more realistic style of drawing ghosts and was really happy when I saw those cute little things. I also really liked her character designs and how she goes to extra lengths to make sure that all of her characters, even the background ones, are visually interesting and unique. 

Of course, this book does have flaws. It is a middle grade book, and a graphic novel, so the emotions don't reach as deep as they could have been. The characters aren't as developed as they could have been, and their development was pretty instantaneous. Both of these are common problems I have with graphic novels- I find that they're usually pretty short, and as such are pretty surface level in terms of depth. Often I leave them wanting more. 

But overall, I did enjoy this book, about as much I can enjoy a middle grade graphic novel. Also, ghosts. I really love ghosts. I'm tempted to pick up Anya's Ghost now because of this book. Recommended for any middle grade reader, graphic novel lover or not.

7.5 out of 10

And now, a mini review of Dare to Disappoint by Ozge Samanci

Growing up on the Aegean Coast, Ozge loved the sea and imagined a life of adventure while her parents and society demanded predictability. Her dad expected Ozge, like her sister, to become an engineer. She tried to hear her own voice over his and the religious and militaristic tensions of Turkey and the conflicts between secularism and fundamentalism. Could she be a scuba diver like Jacques Cousteau? A stage actress? Would it be possible to please everyone including herself?

In her unpredictable and funny graphic memoir, Ozge recounts her story using inventive collages, weaving together images of the sea, politics, science, and friendship. 

Not crazy about this book. It had a lot of the same problems as Ghosts, but with a storyline that endeared me less and with what seemed like much less heart. I felt like Samanci just wrote this book because of the success of books along the same lines as this, like Persopolis (haven't read that one, and honestly, it doesn't really appeal much to me). 

I also felt that Samanci didn't really know where she was going with this book. Did she want to write a book about her father's pressure on her, fundamental Islam, a picture of Turkey at the time, what? The book felt as confused as Turkey did during the 80s. The lack of her telling us any time periods confused me, and made this not the best book for someone interested in a history of modern Turkey. Perhaps that's intentional, to mimic her feelings about what she should do with her life, but I don't know.

So what did I like? It was easy to read- I read the whole thing in one sitting without even checking it out because I was tired of my other book- and the mixed media elements were interesting even if it did add to the confused, jumbled together nature of the book. Some parts were actually pretty funny, but other times her jokes missed the mark a bit. My favorite parts were at the beginning of the book, when she talked about her experiences in primary school- the book kind of lost me as she entered her teenage years.

But the art style was mostly unpleasant and the ending felt unfinished and I left this book feeling very meh. I suppose if I want to read a book about Middle Eastern culture (I'm referring to the Middle East more as a cultural construct, not a geographical one in this context, because I know that Turkey isn't part of the Middle East geographically and people get all butthurt about it), I'd pick up something by Khaled Hosseini. His books are longer, and they lack the pictures, but his characters and portrayals of their situations are unmatched. Adore his stuff.

5-5.5 out of 10 

The Cabin by Natasha Preston Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

“The secrets you hide from yourself are always the most dangerous.”- The Cabin, Natasha Preston

They think they’re invincible.

They think they can do and say whatever they want. They think there are no consequences. They’ve left me no choice. It’s time for them to pay for their sins.

A weekend partying at a remote cabin is just what Mackenzie needs. She can’t wait to let loose with her friends. But a crazy night of fun leaves two of them dead—murdered.

With no signs of a forced entry or struggle, suspicion turns to the five survivors. Someone isn’t telling the truth. And Mackenzie’s first mistake? Assuming the killing is over…

This is my third foray into the world of Natasha Preston and I'm sure most people would have stopped at only one. Especially when I consider one of her books- The Cellar, which I've talked about at length here- to be one of the worst books of all time. But when I found out she came out with another thriller, and one that used to be on her Wattpad, for crying out loud, I jumped on it. Just an aside, but stay away from books that mention any of the author's social media on the cover. That's a principle to live by.

I think my favorite part about Natasha Preston's writing is her dialogue. In this book, Mackenzie's conversations with Blake take the fucking cake. My favorite is her first conversation with him, which is where the quote from under the picture came from. After all, when you meet someone for the first time, don't you like to go on a walk with them to discuss all their deepest, darkest secrets?

Of course, Preston's writing style is just bad to begin with. One thing I noticed about her writing is that she does try to show us things instead of telling us them, but then she tells us it anyway. Like when one of the characters apparently hates to admit he's wrong. She literally writes something along the lines as "the grimace on his face made his apology look painful" and then directly after that she says "Aaron was stubborn and hated to admit he was wrong." Like no shit, we got that the first time. Maybe she thinks her readers are stupid and don't know how to put two and two together. Of course, it could also be a sign of a writer insecure in her own style, in which case reviews like this probably don't help much, but I'm not her therapist what do I know?

Also, some of her word choices are just bad. Like at one point she describes the (male) detective as having a "swollen belly". What was he, pregnant?

She's not too good at characters and character relations either. I would say character development, but all the characters in here remain pretty stagnant. If you want a better look at Preston's idea of character development try Awake (though you'll find it's about as instant as her idea of love). Seriously, the first time Blake pulled up on page I about lost it. He's a bad boy. With a leather jacket and heavy boots and scruffy dark hair and a piercing gaze (I like to picture James Hurley, but that's just me). And he's broody and has circular conversations and asks girls he doesn't know what their deepest darkest secrets are. And apparently that's how he gets mad pussy. But deep down inside he's a wounded, tortured soul and is in desperate need of a Miss Pollyanna to bring it out in him. 

The two have an almost instantaneous connection, that of course starts with one of my favorite thing ever- the two love interests hating each other when you know they'll get together in the end. Or in 4 pages, whichever works. I admit though, instalove usually doesn't incite in me the same rage that it incites in a lot of people, maybe because I don't read a lot of romance or books that focus on romance- in fact, I actively avoid those books. So I don't usually come across it, and when I do it usually amuses me. Preston's attempts at showcasing the intense emotions that come with being both hopelessly drawn to someone and hating them by such jewels as "he was too close and too far away at the same time". Not even in a dime store romance novel would that line get a pass. 

The other characters weren't the best, either. The emotions they felt and their secrets felt put on for drama as opposed to real issues. That being said, the only secret that actually felt genuine was Mackenzie's, but Preston quickly ruined that with the whole Josh blackmail part. In fact, Josh felt way too flawed to be actually realistic, like Jesus, is there anything about that guy Courtney could have liked? This book kind of had the same effect on me as an episode of Degrassi- the edgy 2000s Degrassi not the new show or the original. So much exhausting drama, so little time. All of it put on. I'm not saying that teenagers couldn't have dealt with these same issues, I'm saying that the way Preston dealt with them made them seem superficial and cartoonish. And ultimately boring. It's not a high stakes horror thriller, akin to a found footage teen movie. 

Also, Mackenzie, for someone who seems to enjoy drinking and getting drunk, you have no place to judge someone for getting high. I don't do either- my control freak tendencies make anything that alters my mental state an automatic no- but if you want to get high, whatever. Just don't come crying to me if you get caught, and don't expect me to join in. Same with getting drunk, though obviously if it's a problem I'm not going to condone that. Also, one of the secrets seemed to be a much bigger problem than how it was treated, but we ain't going there now. I'm sure someone has 20 paragraph long manifesto on everything "problematic" about this book on Goodreads but frankly, I don't have the energy to be that angry about a book I can't take very seriously anyway.

And with that, I'm done with Preston for the near future. Until she puts out another thriller, at least. But let me leave with a couple choice quotations, showcasing the immense talent of Ms Preston:

"His muscular frame and bedroom eyes really did make me want to got to bed."

"I shuddered in delightful anticipation at his tone."

Enjoy.

3 out of 10

The Roses of May by Dot Hutchison Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

“I carry the names of those other victims, but it's not from guilt. From sorrow, usually, and from rage. Our agents tried to protect us from the extra wounds that come with serial cases, but it isn't their fault that we're broken people who don't always react the way  we're expected to.”- The Roses of May, Dot Hutchison

Four months after the explosion at the Garden, a place where young women known as the Butterflies were kept captive, FBI agents Brandon Eddison, Victor Hanoverian, and Mercedes Ramirez are still entrenched in the aftermath, helping survivors in the process of adjusting to life on the outside. With winter coming to an end, the Butterflies have longer, warmer days of healing ahead. But for the agents, the impending thaw means one gruesome thing: a chilling guarantee that somewhere in the country, another young woman will turn up dead in a church with her throat slit and her body surrounded by flowers.

Priya Sravasti’s sister fell victim to the killer years ago. Now she and her mother move every few months, hoping for a new beginning. But when she ends up in the madman’s crosshairs, the hunt takes on new urgency. Only with Priya’s help can the killer be found—but will her desperate hope for closure compel her to put her very life on the line?

If you'll recall, I really loved The Butterfly Garden. It was creepy, it was intense, it was a crime novel, it just worked for me. So when I found out it would be a trilogy, and a second book would be coming out this year, I just sprang for it. 

Unfortunately, this book ended up only being alright. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it.

I think the problem with this book was that it felt confused. It didn't know whether it wanted to be a sequel to The Butterfly Garden or a standalone/companion crime novel or a contemporary YA drama. This, combined with the bizarre without warning shifts in POV between first person singular and third person singular and second person singular made this book feel jumbled together. The transitions between these weren't smooth at all, and made for a jarring reading experience.

Which is a shame- I would have really loved this book if it was more focused. Because the idea behind it was fantastic- serial killer who kills one girl a year, and each girl is found surrounded by a different type of flower? I like that idea almost as much as the idea behind The Butterfly Garden. 

I mean, the writing wasn't the problem. Hutchison is honestly a very good writer, and I especially love the way she writes descriptions, making them seem so effortless. While I did cringe a bit reading from the killer's POV, as he sounded too stereotypical and even a bit like Clover from The Cellar, that part was my favorite part of the book- it was the only part that really intrigued me. Priya's parts got a bit boring, and I was annoyed that we had to keep following her, half the time wondering what made her so special and the other half wishing she would get killed off to give this book some needed action. The FBI agents bored me more than they should have had, and again I kept wishing that Hutchison just focused on this killer and not Eddison's (also, Eddison didn't really sound like Eddison in this book, don't really know why) "relationship" with Priya, which got real old real fast, or the butterflies. 

I suppose I should have been more happy they came back than I actually was. But I kept feeling like that storyline was over, and every time I saw Bliss and Inara again I just kind of rolled my eyes and sighed. Not to mention Priya was basically just like Inara. I think in trying to force this book into a sequel she lost a lot of what made The Butterfly Garden work so well. Perhaps the interview format in the first book with the kind of distant FBI agent would have worked better for this book, too. I felt like the killer in this book was second fiddle to everything else and wished I could get more invested in the mystery than I actually was.

Maybe also another problem is that only one victim was focused on way too much. I wanted to hear about the other girls, who were mentioned but not even given a blurb. They were far more interesting than Chavi, sad to say. 

But I'm still going to stick with this trilogy for the final book, probably with Mercedes Ramirez as the main FBI agent (though, was she in the last book? I don't remember). Hopefully, she'll go back to the roots (pun not intended) of the trilogy with it. Still, my hopes for this trilogy have been knocked down to middling if that.

7 out of 10

The Secret Place by Tana French Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

“If I've learned one thing today, it's that teenage girls make Moriarty look like a babe in the woods.”- The Secret Place, Tana French

The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption says, I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.

Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to get a foot in the door of Dublin’s Murder Squad—and one morning, sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings him this photo. The Secret Place, a board where the girls at St. Kilda’s School can pin up their secrets anonymously, is normally a mishmash of gossip and covert cruelty, but today someone has used it to reignite the stalled investigation into the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to find out who and why.

But everything they discover leads them back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends and their fierce enemies, a rival clique—and to the tangled web of relationships that bound all the girls to Chris Harper. Every step in their direction turns up the pressure. Antoinette Conway is already suspicious of Stephen’s links to the Mackey family. St. Kilda’s will go a long way to keep murder outside their walls. Holly’s father, Detective Frank Mackey, is circling, ready to pounce if any of the new evidence points toward his daughter. And the private underworld of teenage girls can be more mysterious and more dangerous than either of the detectives imagined. 

Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden, 

Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not 

Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither 

Living nor dead, and I knew nothing, 

Looking into the heart of light, the silence. 

Oed’ und leer das Meer.

I chose this quote from TS Eliot's The Waste Land, because the entire time I was reading this book, this verse just kept repeating itself over and over in my head. It makes sense in the concept of Chris Harper's killing. Also, I've been listening to Alec Guinness' recitation of it a lot lately, not sure why, but I highly recommend it. It's like 20 minutes long, but it's worth a listen. 

So now I'm all caught up with the Dublin Murder Squad. Not quite sure how to feel about it. On one hand, I'm relieved- as much as I enjoyed these "behemoths" (they may be only 400 pages, but they feel like 600)- I'm glad I don't have to put aside a week in June to get through one. On the other, I'm sad that I have to wait for 2018 (I think she publishes every two years) to get the next Dublin Murder Squad book. She just has such wonderful ideas and characters and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. And who's going to narrate- I'm thinking maybe Breslin from The Trespasser, since he kind acted like Kennedy did in Faithful Place, though I'm hoping for O'Kelly. I would say Fleas might also be an option, but he's a bit too much like Mackey. But who the hell knows?

Also, after reading one of her books I find myself using the same phrases as her characters. Fuck me, the spit of you, bleeding, etc, I just use it all. It's pretty funny actually.

This book was different from her typical Dublin Murder Squad books. But, in my opinion, it was different in a better way than Faithful Place was. Like, it only took place over the course of a day, maybe two. And interestingly, it was told in a kind of dual narration, half of it being first person with the spotlight being on Det Stephen Moran, the other half being third person focusing on the main four girls who were suspects in the case. And, believe it or not, it was successful. 

Of course, the first time it was a bit jarring, given that there was no warning about the POV shift, but as the story unfolded it really worked. This probably had a lot to do with the little interest I had in Stephen Moran and the little connection I felt he had to the case. Sure, on the surface it was there, but it wasn't the same connection that Ryan or Maddox or Mackey or Kennedy or, hell, even Conway had to the cases in their respective books. I felt like Moran was her most vanilla narrator yet- he lacked the usual distinctive voice that I've come to expect from French MCs (ironically, that's probably what makes him stand out in her array of main characters), and even his backstory was pretty generic. He reminded me of a watered down Det Sam O'Neill from the first two books (an aside: I always thought Sam was jipped of his own book- would have loved to see him mucking around the countryside he grew up in solving a murder). 

On the other hand, Holly and her friends were fantastic. I loved getting involved in their odd little world, that ended up even turning dangerous. In some aspects, it reminded me of that Jodi Picoult novel about the witches, but I much preferred Tana French's take on it. Though the supernatural aspects were a bit underdeveloped, I still enjoyed them immensely as I'm still on my Twin Peaks high (by the way, I was underwhelmed and unnerved by the first two episodes, but I watched the third episode yesterday and I think I'm now hooked- it got a lot better real quick). The killer also pleasantly surprised me. Frankly though, I think it's a testament to French's skill that she actually got me really enjoying and understanding the close friendship these girls formed- normally, I hate reading about friendship, as I mentioned in my The Pearl Thief review.

Interestingly, I think the side characters were better than the main character. By better I mean more developed and better written. Not more likeable, although I prefer Mackey in small doses. He's much more fun in this book than he was in Faithful Place. Nice to know he's back with Olivia, by the way. Conway, I still don't like. She's a great character, but, quite frankly, I really didn't like her in The Trespasser and I still really don't like her. She's like the kind of character I hate- the one who would stub her toe and then sue the offending desk for discrimination. Also, I still think that if it wasn't for Moran, she'd make a horrendous Murder detective- she's too obnoxious and abrasive, with absolutely no tact. In a lot of ways, and forgive me if this is a stupid comparison, but she reminded me of Jess from Gilmore Girls. I don't know, but she just got under my skin like Jess got under my skin. The world isn't out to get you, Conway. Maybe if she stopped acting like that, she might have actually gotten more chances, more good cases. She made me miss Cassie Maddox- both had the same experiences in Murder, but Maddox dealt with it in a far more mature way.

But honestly, the fact that I didn't like Conway didn't impact the rating at all (though it did annoy me enough to knock The Trespasser down to an 8 out of 10- though perhaps if I revisit that book after reading the series up to that point and giving it the time I deserve I might rate it higher, but I'm not that inclined to do that in the near future). If anything, that just raised French higher in my eyes, because Conway is entirely unlike any of her other characters. Sure, out of all her main characters I'd probably get along with Maddox the most, followed by Ryan, but all of her characters are so easily distinguishable, and all of them felt like real people. I've reiterated this so much in my reviews of her books, but that's because it's the truth. 

Bottom line, I am now an unapologetic Tana French fangirl. And I don't fangirl for many things. In fact, apart from a Percy Jackson phase in fifth grade, I think I've only ever considered myself a fangirl for two things- the Unwind series (something I've little written about with the exception of my abandoned Tag Tuesday posts), and Twin Peaks (something I've been writing about with fervor lately because it's been my obsession since January). But now, I want to add Tana French to that list. I believe that her books should be mandatory reading for any crime novel lover. Or hell, even just one of hers, since I guaran-damn-tee that she has written a book you will love. Contemporary family drama fans- Faithful Place. History lovers- The Likeness. Paranormal mystery enthusiasts- The Secret Place. Those who love social commentary- Broken Harbor. Feminists- The Trespasser. And good old fashioned mystery fans- In the Woods. Just pick one of hers up. Sure, they take up a lot of your time, but you wouldn't regret it.

8.5-9 out of 10

PS: After reading this book, my current rankings for the Dublin Murder Squad are as follows:

Bookwise: In the Woods, Broken Harbor, The Likeness-The Secret Place (tie), Faithful Place, The Trespasser

Protagonist-wise: Cassie Maddox, Rob Ryan, Mick Kennedy, Frank Mackey, Stephen Moran, Antoinette Conway

Sekret by Lindsay Smith- Series Thoughts

Lindsay Smith's Sekret is a historical fantasy/science fiction novel duology taking place in 1964 and follows primarily Yulia Chernina, a Soviet girl who discovers that she has the ability to read minds. From there, she is taken by the KGB and trained as a spy to weed out Soviet dissenters and American spies. The first book, Sekret, takes place primarily in the Soviet Union, the second, Skandal, in America. Warning: the first book has a "love triangle" though it's fairly obvious who she'll end up with. Personally, I'm not too bothered by them myself, as I don't really see what's so rage-inducing about them- only time they piss me off is when the girl doesn't think she's attractive. But regardless, if you are a love triangle hater I'd skip this one if I were you and save yourself all the rage. 

I adore the covers of these books and they look fantastic together on my shelf. And the story idea is just as great. Seriously, Sekret went on my want list as soon as I heard the synopsis on Booktube- and I'm not a historical fantasy fan. But, sadly, both these books could have been so much better.

I did really enjoy the first book. It was fun and action packed and brainless, with a really great spy novel vibe. The second book... not so much. In fact, it was basically a repeat of the first book, but taking place in America now as opposed to the USSR. In fact, I would have been just fine with this book being a standalone, but hey, I suppose I should be happy with the fact that it was only a duology, and not an entire series or even a trilogy. Because fuck that. 

I also think that both these books didn't really have much staying power. I kind of got over Sekret in like a week and am sure that Skandal will go the same way. 

The characters were alright. I didn't really hate anyone, but the villains were fairly obvious and nothing anyone did really surprised me. In fact, as I really enjoyed the writing and the action, the characters actually ended up as the weak link in the story. Honestly, it's surprising that the books got as "high" scores from me as they did with such bad characters, because, while writing trumps both, I usually weight characters over plot.

I think I've made it clear that Sekret is my favorite book of the two. In fact, I recommend reading Sekret just as a standalone and not feeling forced, like I did, to read Skandal. Unless, of course, you like reading the same book over again, but in a different place. But for what it's worth, this duology is good slump reading, though they aren't masterpieces. For that purpose, I liked them just fine.

Sekret: 7.5-8 out of 10

Skandal: 6.5 out of 10

Overall Series Rating: 7 out of 10