by Kay | Nov 15, 2013 | Reviews |
The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George
Series: Saratoga Woods #1
Published by Hodder & Stoughton, Viking Juvenile
Pages: 448
Genres: Young Adult
Source: Received for review from publishers
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Rating: The first young adult book by a #1 New York Times bestselling author
Whidbey Island may be only a ferry ride from Seattle, but it's a world apart. When Becca King arrives there, she doesn't suspect the island will become her home for the next four years. Put at risk by her ability to hear "whispers"--the thoughts of others--Becca is on the run from her stepfather, whose criminal activities she has discovered. Stranded and alone, Becca is soon befriended by Derric, a Ugandon orphan adopted by a local family; Seth, a kindhearted musician and high school dropout; Debbie, a recovering alcoholic who takes her in; and Diana, with whom Becca shares a mysterious psychic connection.
This compelling coming-of-age story, the first of an ongoing sequence of books set on Whidbey Island, has elements of mystery, the paranormal, and romance. Elizabeth George, bestselling author of the Inspector Lynley crime novels, brings her elegant style, intricate plotting, incisive characterization, and top-notch storytelling to her first book for teens.
Spoilers for the lack of plot.
Thoughts: I’ve been putting off this review for months. Why? Because there really aren’t too many ways to say “boring as hell”.
Honest to God, I have no idea how I managed to finish this book. Maybe it was in the desperate hope that, in the end, the ”mystery” would have some sort of interesting conclusion? This was obviously delusional on my part, because there was barely a mystery.
Let me see if I can explain:
- girl with psychic powers arrives on an island.
- girl ignores the only real mystery in the book: the disappearance of her mother.
- girl falls in insta-love with The Perfect Guy™.
- The Perfect Guy™ is injured Tragically and Mysteriously™.
- girl kinda, sorta investigates!
- turns out The Perfect Guy™ just fell over.
- The Perfect Guy™ is fine!
- mother is still missing…. oh well.
That plot? Elizabeth George draws it out over 448 very long pages. Do you see what I mean about the lack of mystery? The lack of tension? Elizabeth George is not a bad writer, she’s just not writing about anything worth writing about.
I really, really, really have trouble understanding how a novelist as celebrated in the crime genre as Ms. George can have written this book. Although I have not read her other works, I can only assume that a seasoned crime fiction writers knows that a murder mystery needs a murder and a mystery in order to qualify.
*screams*
Bottom line? The Edge of Nowhere is dull, tedious and disappointing. Elizabeth George can write, but she can’t deliver a plot… or come up with one, for that matter. Maybe her adult books are better? I have no idea.
by Kay | Apr 9, 2013 | Monthly TBR, Shelf Absorbed |
So, my last monthly TBR pile turned into a two-month pile. That’s my life: lots of books, way too little time! Although I know I can’t read all of these books, I’m glad I have monthly pile. It gives me a bit more focus, rather than just staring at my TBR Mount Doom in terror.
I’ve got a few newbies on this month’s TBR pile: books I’ve received for review that I might not have found out about otherwise.
Also, I’ve got a few on the pile that I kinda “need” to read – namely, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (ebook). I am desperate to listen to the BBC radio version of this classic UF novel, so I need to finish off the real thing first! To be honest, I’m finding it a bit hard going at the moment – great but a bit confusing. I also really really really want to get to Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor and The Killables series by Gemma Malley.
I’ve also got a few newbies off of Netgalley (Ink by Amanda Sun and The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau) though the likelihood of me getting to those this month is very, very, very low. But I will! Any day now…
by Kay | Sep 23, 2012 | Book Haul |
Hello fellow book lovers! It’s been months, but I am back with a big book haul a-la Stacking the Shelves (Tynga’s Reviews) / In My Mailbox (The Story Siren) / Mailbox Monday.
These aren’t all the books I’ve acquired since my last post, but it’s a fair bunch of them. I also picked up a bunch at Eastercon, where I met a tonne of authors and covered for a radio station with another presenter. The segment was broadcast months ago, but is not online yet. Once it is, I will do a mini (belated) wrap-up!
Moving on… For Review I received:
- The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George – This cover is really, really lovely. Hope what’s inside is as good as what’s on the outside!
- Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan – I’m reading this right now and – after a few horrible pages – am quite enjoying it! Reviewed the first in this series here.
- Breathe by Sarah Crossan – I actually requested this one; it just sounds super awesome. Sarah’s blog tour is coming round soon, so you should see her one the interwebs soon.
- Zombies Don’t Cry by Rusty Fischer – This sounds absolutely hysterical and is on my very-soon-to-read pile!
- Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton – This is book… 21 (?!) of the Anita Blake series. Seeing as how I am on book four of this series, I think it will be a while before I get to it. Though I have to say, the new UK covers are gorgeous.
- Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich – I’ve never read a book by Janet, but I know she’s super popular. This is the second book in a series – anyone know if I can get away without reading the first?
- The Chemickal Marriage by Gordon Dahlquist – This cover is GORGEOUS and the book sounds fab – but, again, it’s the third in a series. Do I need to go out and buy the first two?
- The Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith – This is supposed to be candy-covered brilliance. Not sure why I haven’t read it yet…
- 1.4 by Mike A. Lancaster – Again, this is the second book in a series that I haven’t started. I have 0.4 on my kindle, though. May splash out on the paperback if I like it, as the cover is so freakin’ creepy!
- The Watcher by Charles Maclean – This is a re-print of a horror novel that came out in the 80s. I was surprisingly intrigued by the premise, despite it not being my genre.
- Skin Deep by Laura Jarratt – This sounds rather painfully good. I think I’ll have to get myself in a zone before I start it.
- Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley – This sounds rather fun, and I’ve heard great things about the author.
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – Usually I am not a fan of historical novels, but this one sounds really, really good! And it has had fantastic reviews.
- The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman – This is the second in a series, but I think I can get away without reading the first. I hope so, anyhow, as this one sounds super-super cool! Like a Season 4 Supernatural episode…
- Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee – Reading the summary for this one, I’m not sure quite what it is going for. It’s a dystopian, post-apocalyptic… horror novel? I think so, anyhow.
- The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore – This series isn’t up my alley, so I passed it on to an actual teenager (surprise, surprise!).
- Dissing You Already by Kate Kingsley – Again, not really my kind of book! Passed this one on as well.
- Shadow of Night and A Discovery of Witches (not pictured) by Deborah Harkness – This is one of those series that has had some fantastic crossover appeal. I am eager to see why so many people liked it!
- Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer – I have never been attracted to Jodi’s books, but this one sounds brilliant. Contemporary fiction mixed with a fairy tale = just my cup of tea.
- A Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder – I have had mixed feelings about Maria’s books; I really hope this book lives up to the quality of Poison Study and not the “meh”-ness of Fire Study.
- Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne – This one sounds super creepy!
- The Out of Office Girl by Nicola Doherty – Since I knew this wasn’t going to be my kind of book, I passed it on to a friend… who really, really enjoyed it. Apparently, if you are looking for a new chick-lit-type author, check out Nicola.
- Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler – This is written by he-who-is-also-known-as Lemony Snicket! I read some rather polarized reviews for it, so I am curious to find out what I think of it…
I was going to include a bunch of books that I bought as well, but after that I am rather exhausted! You’ll see them next week.
Any suggestions, people? I’ve got Zombies Don’t Cry and Breathe up next on my TBR pile, but I’d love some input!
