The Disappearing Act

 

I received an ARC of this book.

The Disappearing Act is about Mia, a British actress on the cusp of hitting it big, who takes a little time to visit Hollywood during pilot season. She’s never been there before and so is quite happy to make a connection with a fellow actress at an audition. But when Mia’s new “friend” disappears into thin air, Mia is confused and concerned to say the least. Did she really disappear, did she ever really exist, or is someone playing a disturbing game with Mia?

This was quick easy read and I enjoyed it. It’s a perfect beach/vacation ction book. 

Things that I liked:

* The reliable, single narrator. It seems like EVERY book right now has multiple points-of-view, multiple timelines, and at least one narrator that the reader isn’t sure can be trusted for whatever reason. While those books can be fun, it was refreshing to read an “old-fashioned” mystery. 

* The author did a wonderful job of evoking the almost magical quality of Hollywood juxtaposed with the harshness of the city. The isolation that Mia feels as a newcomer is palpable.

Things that I didn’t like:

* The author had a habit of ending a chapter with a big event or reveal and then skipping over the aftermath and fall-out in the next chapter until Mia reveals what happened in an offhand way that makes each of these big incidents seem not quite so important. Every time that happened it felt like a bit of a let-down. 

* Without giving away any spoilers, I wasn’t a fan of how the ending/“epilogue” was spread out over two chapters. If those had been re-worked into one “event” I think it would have been more impactful. 

All in all, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

The House of Ashes

The House of Ashes, by Stuart Neville

 

I received an ARC of this book.

I wouldn't call this a fun or quick read, but it was definitely a good book. The story and characters really stayed with me even after I finished the book.
The story starts with Sara, a young wife whose husband has moved the couple to a remote Irish cottage that has been in disrepair. But the book really, in my opinion, picks up with Mary's story, who apparently lived in the same house some years earlier. Mary was incredibly compelling, even as a very young girl. The author is able to use Mary and her point of view to relate some of the horrifically tragic events that take place in the house, and very effectively does that without being graphic or gratuitous. In a book that deals with such serious issues, this was a very smart way to let the reader know what was going on without having to implicitly describe things in detail that would be very unwanted. (The last book I reviewed on this blog, Snow, was just the opposite. There were descriptions of things that I had absolutely NO desire to read.)

I was completely drawn in by Mary and, even though I had some idea of what would happen to her, I was rooting for her throughout the book. Even though the reader pretty much knows what heinous event took place in that house decades ago, the author still does a superb job of building the tension to a point that when it does finally occur, it almost feels like a relief.
I would have liked a little more fleshing out with Sara. While she was a main character I feel like I knew her less that may of the secondary characters.
This is a haunting book that deals with serious issues. I did like it, despite thinking early in that I would not. It is very well written.

Snow

Snow by John Banville
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I do have to say this book was well-written. The author did a great job of drawing the reader into the environment of the book. Languid, fat snowflakes drifting through the grey leaden sky characterized the whole book. No one seemed in a hurry. There was no sense of urgency to solve the crime or find those responsible for the gruesome murder of a Catholic priest. At one point Strafford remarks upon how the snow seems to have distorted time. I felt the same way, reading the book. It felt VERY slow. Strafford also remarks, more than once, about how everyone he encounters gives him the sense of actors in a play, portraying their assigned roles. I agreed with him, there, as well. Everyone felt intentionally stereotypical--they knew how they were expected to act. The problem with that was that I, as the reader, really felt like there was much more going on under the surface which was never addressed. Who were these people, and who were these people really supposed to be? Despite all this, I really didn't have a huge issue with the book until the flashback "Interlude," told from the Catholic priest's point of view. It was completely unnecessary. This may be a bit of a spoiler, but I knew exactly what had happened to the priest and why it happened way before I got to this part in the book. "Hearing" the priest's actions in his own words didn't serve any purpose other than to horribly graphically describe things that the reader already surmised had been going on. From this point on, for me, everyone in the book just seemed depressed, sad, and hopeless. The flash-forward ending didn't help matters. I was left confused. Was this a mystery, a commentary on the abuses of the Catholic Church, a tale of people who let other's expectations and the fickleness of fate dictate their lives? While the author did a very good job of transporting the reader to 1950s Ireland in the dead of a snowy winter, I would not recommend this book at all.


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Invisible Girl

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I could not--and didn't want to--put it down. We know a girl is missing. We don't know what happened to her, or who all was involved. There are several potential "suspects," and it is very intriguing to read along and try to unravel the clues. Saffyre is a great character, and as the book moved to its conclusion I was really rooting for her, and I was worried about what had happened to her. Owen was really interesting as well. The character development for everyone was great. Even the ending seemed perfect. Some of the content, especially the "intel" stuff, might not be for everyone, but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense, mysteries, and thrillers.


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The Second Wife

The Second Wife by Rebecca Fleet
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
This was an interesting book. After reading the first bit, the book quickly changed and became something I wasn't quite expecting, but it was still engrossing to read. The mystery of what really happened the night a family home burned down was twisty, unexpected, and hard to put down. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries, suspense, thrillers, or just a fun read.


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The Lost Apothecary

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was not for me. For some reason I just had a hard time connecting with the characters. I felt like I could see bad things were going to happen to them way in advance, and they were all just not making smart decisions. Others may really enjoy this book, but I did not.


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Hush (Hush: #1)

Hush by Dylan Farrow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I tried to like this book, but I could not figure out this book. In the beginning I felt I had a handle on what was going on, the world the author was trying to create, and the challenges Shae was facing. But once Shae left her home to try to find answers and her place in the world, the book seemed to become a completely different story. Everything took a sharp turn and I felt completely confused. Things began to happen that didn't make much sense, and the world the author was creating felt very different from the world in the beginning of the book. Character development really took a back-seat, and I didn't have much of a connection to the characters. When I put the book down I did not want to pick it back up. I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it.


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