Ally Carter
Scholastic Press
January 2015
From the book's back cover, Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:
1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.
Only after reading the book does one appreciate the intricacies of those points.
What's different about this book
I've enjoyed most of Carter's young adult works. They are generally light, with humor and repartee witty dialog. This book had those qualities as well, in addition to a hint of tragedy and mystique. I tired quickly of Grace's overly-dramatic characterization: I had trouble understanding what made her think / fear she might be crazy? The story line was good enough to keep reading, but not solid enough to win me to the series -- until the plot began to resolve and it got interesting. Unfortunately that point was in the last few pages. So for me, the story was slow to engage me, but I was hooked by the end of the book. This book may be the first in a series that, all too rarely, proves to have sequels that are stronger and more compelling than the first. I'm counting on Carter being able to finesse that and produce a rousing and engaging mystery suspense series.
What I'll do now that I've read it
Carter is a favorite author for my young adult female readers who like a little spying and suspense with their adventure and romance. So I'll be talking this book to both those who know Carter, and those who might want to get into a more political setting. Should be an easy book talk. Good stuff.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
No comments:
Post a Comment