Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer
Publication Date: December 29th, 2015
Publisher: Kensington Books
Pages: 322
Source: Netgalley/Publisher
Rating: 4/5
I've been waiting for what feels like years for a new book from Kemmerer. I make it no secret that her Elemental series is one of my absolute favourites. It's pretty much everything I want in a series of books. Thicker Than Water is a little different but still has Kemmerer's signature writing and fully developed and personality filled characters.
Kemmerer does an excellent job of setting up what is ultimately a very head scratching mystery. Obviously with it being a mystery I can't give much away, but Thomas is being blamed for his mother's murder. And it really doesn't make sense. The murder scene is really tricky and all evidence really does point in Thomas's direction. As to why he's being ostracized by the town. It's hard not feel for Thomas seeing as he's in this alone. His mom and him are new to the town. This is where Charlotte comes in. Even though she only meets him at his mom's funeral she believes he's innocent. The problem there is her brothers and dad are police officers and besides being over protective they obviously want Charlotte to keep her distance from Thomas. But that's really not happening. Their instant attraction to each other(Kemmerer is a romance writer at heart) might start to slip a veil over what's really important. Thomas is a great brody character, and is really hard to read. Even though you get his POV, with some key points missing it's really hard to 100% believe that Thomas is innocent. Charlotte looks a little meek on the outside but I soon came to see her as a sassy and smart girl.
Like I mentioned, the mystery is on point. There is thousand twists I didn't see coming. One of them adding a bit of a paranormal element to the story. It really adds a bunch of thrilling moments. I honestly could not even guess how the book would end. And because Kemmerer is such a snappy writer, writing a romantic mystery really worked well with her writing style. I know this is supposed to be a stand alone, but I don't want that. I need a sequel. Which is really my only qualm with the book; we just get the answers and that's not enough. There's no open ending, But there's so much more that could be built upon. So here's hoping.
Kemmerer does an excellent job of setting up what is ultimately a very head scratching mystery. Obviously with it being a mystery I can't give much away, but Thomas is being blamed for his mother's murder. And it really doesn't make sense. The murder scene is really tricky and all evidence really does point in Thomas's direction. As to why he's being ostracized by the town. It's hard not feel for Thomas seeing as he's in this alone. His mom and him are new to the town. This is where Charlotte comes in. Even though she only meets him at his mom's funeral she believes he's innocent. The problem there is her brothers and dad are police officers and besides being over protective they obviously want Charlotte to keep her distance from Thomas. But that's really not happening. Their instant attraction to each other(Kemmerer is a romance writer at heart) might start to slip a veil over what's really important. Thomas is a great brody character, and is really hard to read. Even though you get his POV, with some key points missing it's really hard to 100% believe that Thomas is innocent. Charlotte looks a little meek on the outside but I soon came to see her as a sassy and smart girl.
Like I mentioned, the mystery is on point. There is thousand twists I didn't see coming. One of them adding a bit of a paranormal element to the story. It really adds a bunch of thrilling moments. I honestly could not even guess how the book would end. And because Kemmerer is such a snappy writer, writing a romantic mystery really worked well with her writing style. I know this is supposed to be a stand alone, but I don't want that. I need a sequel. Which is really my only qualm with the book; we just get the answers and that's not enough. There's no open ending, But there's so much more that could be built upon. So here's hoping.
This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
Publication Date: Sourcebooks Fire
Publisher: January 5th, 2016
Pages: 288
Source: Netgalley/Publisher
Rating: 4/5
I'm still kind of at a lost of words when it comes to this book. And this will not be a review filled with many words. With guns and school shootings taking up a lot of news time recently, This is Where it Ends really hits home. I expected a powerful and heart wrenching read and that's exactly what I got. The four different POV's offered four very terrifying and haunting versions to what was happening in the school. I didn't expect to appreciate getting so many POV's, especially when two of them were from outside where everything was happening. But because all four kids had different connections and relationships to the shooter it made the book a little more harder to digest. Their range of emotions took me straight through the pages. And I was most definitely scared for the lives of everyone in that school. And yes, I did find the change through the POV's flowed really well and that all four were important to understanding, Tyler's(the shooters) story.
This is Where it Ends is told in present tense over a very short period of time. It felt like I was in the school for this very terrifying hour. I couldn't have stopped reading even if I had to. That being said, as much as I knew the flashbacks we experience through the characters are important to the story, it could take me out of the moment and shift my emotions a bit too much.
Nijkamp brought a lot of diversity into the story. Which could have so easily been forgotten about with such a prominent topic as a school shooting being the focus. For me that help keep the book more realistic. There were bits and characters that were a wee bit over dramatized. Tyler being one of them. Although I still found the story compelling, and don't think I wasn't crying for half the book. That ounce of too much drama pulls back from what the story is trying to get across. Like the heroes that arise in the midst of a horrific situation. A few moments(deaths) came across as too much shock. Still in the end This is Where it Ends is haunting and so so sad.
Happy reading!
Brittany
This is Where it Ends is told in present tense over a very short period of time. It felt like I was in the school for this very terrifying hour. I couldn't have stopped reading even if I had to. That being said, as much as I knew the flashbacks we experience through the characters are important to the story, it could take me out of the moment and shift my emotions a bit too much.
Nijkamp brought a lot of diversity into the story. Which could have so easily been forgotten about with such a prominent topic as a school shooting being the focus. For me that help keep the book more realistic. There were bits and characters that were a wee bit over dramatized. Tyler being one of them. Although I still found the story compelling, and don't think I wasn't crying for half the book. That ounce of too much drama pulls back from what the story is trying to get across. Like the heroes that arise in the midst of a horrific situation. A few moments(deaths) came across as too much shock. Still in the end This is Where it Ends is haunting and so so sad.
Happy reading!
Brittany
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