Book Review: The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello

Photo taken from Booksneeze

Book Info

Title:  The Mountains Bow Down

Author:  Sibella Giorello

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson 

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  384 pages

ISBN-13:  978-1595545350

Source:  Publisher, Booksneeze

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Summary

From Booksneeze:

"Everything’s going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . .

That’s what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, the Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh’s forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis—handsome Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack—who might not be as arrogant as she originally thought.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a mystery so daunting that even the mountains might bow down before it."

Review

I believe that the best Christian fiction are those that teach you something without coming off as preachy and holier-than-thou.  This book, The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello, is a perfect example of a Christian-oriented novel that subtly blends fiction with Christianity.  The story is about Raleigh Harmon, a workaholic FBI agent who goes on a vacation (sort of) and gets on a cruise, only to find herself caught in the middle of a mysterious death of another passenger that she stubbornly insists is not just a simple case of suicide, despite popular belief. 

Fast-paced, riveting, and emotionally-charged, this story will take the reader to an intense ride through an Alaskan cruise, following Raleigh as she struggles to work out the mysterious death of a co-passenger, the worsening rift in her family, and the disconcerting presence of former rival and now co-investigator for the passenger's death Special Agent Jack Stephanson.

Raleigh seems to be the woman every girl wants to grow up to be:  Beautiful, brave, intelligent, and strong.  However, what a young girl does not know is that every woman has her share of problems, and Raleigh's in particular, is very heavy.  This story shows that beneath her seemingly perfect facade is a cracked mirror that she tries hard to stop from shattering.  This emotionally-charged book explores a person's faith in faith, that when everything seems impossible, it is the time when God's presence is felt the most. 

But far from the very serious tone of the synopsis and theme, this book is full of humorous quips and observations, contributed by the various characters all equally vivid and realistic.  Each person affects the story in no small way, every action and dialogue contributing to the tumultuous ending.  Reading about each character, the reader will feel like he/she has known that person personally, like that character is standing right in front of you and addressing you instead of the other person that he/she is supposed to be interacting with in the book. 

Raleigh's voice is consistent with her personality and the flow of her story.  She gives a fast-paced account of her adventure and reflects constantly about her actions.  We understand that she is a very introspective person.  And we also learn that far from being the woman who has an answer to everything, we see how vulnerable she is.  This significant aspect of the book is what allows the Christian values and lessons to peek through the pages, without sounding too self-righteous, even a non-believer would approve. 

If you are tired of the usual suspense thriller fare offered by other contemporary writers that seem to have 'less soul,' I highly recommend that you read this book.  It has every element that an exciting thriller novel has, but this offers more:  heart, soul, and faith.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Photo taken from Goodreads

Book Info

   

Title:  Where She Went

Author:  Gayle Forman
Publisher:  Dutton Juvenile

Language: English

Format: Hardcover

Pages:  208 pages

ISBN - 13:  978-0525422945

Source:  Purchased, Power Books

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Summary

From Goodreads: 

"It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other."

Review

At last, he speaks!

Adam, the lovable rocker boyfriend of comatose Mia Hall on If I Stay is back on this new novel by Gayle Forman, Where She Went and this time, he gets to tell the story.  He takes us three years after Mia's accident, three whole years where his band made it big on Hollywood, he's now a bona fide rock star, and Mia has gone to Juilliard and is now one of its top musical students.  However, this new lease on Mia's life is not what you think - Adam and Mia have broken up and went their separate ways.  In this book, Adam dissects what happened, why it happened, and where she (Mia) went.

Okay, that bit about where Mia went is sort of silly.

But onto the review.  I try not to compare a book with another book in a series because that's just stupid.  Even if they hold the same story, they are still very different.  But let me just say that I liked this book better than If I Stay, which is not to say I did not like the latter - I did, a lot in fact.  But Where She Went is so much more emotional and poignant and touching, despite Adam's rock star denial tendencies:  fear of being alone, the constant feeling of being alone, fear of being recognized in public, etc.  His narration sounded so lost and lonely that not just reflects the discontent he experienced as his career shot up, but especially the grief that has not left him ever since Mia turned her back on him as she left for New York and never looked back.

Unlike in If I Stay, where we saw Adam through Mia's eyes, we now understand first-hand his insecurities, his doubts, his feelings about the accident and his relationship with Mia.  We now see a more flesh-and-blood Adam as he takes us to a journey of his loneliness after Mia left and of his excitement and disappointment as his band's status took off.  The story was explosive in that a surge of emotions would surely flood the reader especially in the part when Adam and Mia finally see each other again.  Do they get back together?  That seems to be the most popular question, and the answer is not as satisfying or troubling, nor as exciting as the events that would lead up to it.  Indeed, in this book, the end does not justify the means.  The means eclipse the end. 

But even if this story is told through Adam's eyes, we still see a consistent portrayal of Mia and the other characters we have come to love in the previous book, although some aspects of their characters were changed to reflect the three years that went by.

Majority of the chapters were introduced with a stanza from the lyrics of songs Adam has written during his heartbreak and which were used in his band's album that pushed them to center stage.  The words were quite heart-wrenching thought-provoking, even inspiring, I was so moved close to tears that I ended up writing poetry (one of which I posted on this blog that was inspired a little by Adam's lyrics and John Mayer's music.  Fantasy meets Reality.) and trying my hardest not to get depressed.

In essence, the premise of this story is quite simple, but that simplicity is what makes this journey that the reader takes with Adam in this book remarkably refreshing and nostalgic, no unnecessary drama, no unrealistic plot lines, no complicated situations that seem impossible to get through.  This simplicity is also what makes this book perfect for almost everyone who would like a good, uncomplicated, and undemanding read.  But just because it is undemanding does not mean it's 'put-downable' - it will suck you in and keep you reading until you reach the end, but it will not tire nor bore you in the time that it kidnaps you within its pages.  A perfectly-written sequel, that may even be read on its own.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice

All opinions expressed in this book review are my own and not influenced by any party in any way.

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.  

Book Review: True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas

Photo taken from Goodreads

 Book Info

Title:  True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet

Author:  Lola Douglas 

Publisher:  Razorbill

Language: English

Format:  Hardcover

Pages:  272 pages

ISBN-10:  1595140352

ISBN-13:  978-1595140357

Source:  Purchased, Buy the Books

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Summary

From Goodreads: 

"Fresh out of rehab, teen star Morgan Carter is taking a step out of the spotlight. She just doesn't realize how big a step. Morgan's mom sends her to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to recover. Even with a makeunder, an assumed name, and a fake identity, Middle America is going to mean a serious lifestyle adjustment for this Hollywood starlet. "

Review

Had I known this would have a sequel I would have bought them together!

So.  Hollywood starlet Morgan Carter is the total party girl.  Along with her best friend Marissa Dahl, she drinks and dances like there is no tomorrow.  However, after an almost-fatal incident in one of the clubs, Morgan was placed in rehab and subsequently sent to live in a small town under the guise of Claudia Miller, seventeen-year-old high school student.  The plan was to live in hiding for a year, write everything that happens to her in a journal, and write a tell-all book to make the perfect comeback.

This book is such as smash that if I was only allowed to bring one thing in a deserted island, I would bring this book and never mind the comfort that sunscreen, my laptop, my iPod, my e-reader, or another person could give me.  Okay, so I might be exaggerating a bit if this book is the only thing I would need, but if asked to pick one book I would pick this.  This book is perfect for just lying around (under the sun? Under the stars? Take your pick) and helping pass the time.  BUT that does not mean that this is just another of those light-reading young adult books that you can finish and forget about within a minute of reading it.  This book may not be listed under the 'ground-breaking, emotional, and heavily intelligent novels' either but to read this story, it gives the reader a good laugh, a good story to share, a good kick in the butt (everyone could relate to what Morgan/Claudia went through), and a good lesson to ponder and practice.

I am all praises for the author's crafting of Morgan's/Claudia's character.  She was the stereotypical shallow teenager in the beginning of the story but you sense the underlying insecurities and longing that every teenager also feels.  Underneath all her wealth and fame, she was just a regular teenager longing for her mother's affection, a father's guidance, and normal friends who would laugh and cry with her and with whom she could share some silly and some profound experiences apart from doing drugs and alcohol.  Her voice in the beginning was whiny and diva-ish, but progressing through the story, her voice changes to that of a regular angst-filled teen whose main concerns were getting all the homework done.  But don't get the idea that a major change would take place in her character just so the author could point out that this is a coming-of-age book.  Morgan/Claudia still retains some of her diva personality and learns to put it to good use. She was also able to use her experience in the movie industry in order to help her friends, complete projects, and use as topics for her homework.  

But Morgan/Claudia aside, I thought the other characters were great too.  They exhibited a very likable and realistic personality, even those stereotypical characters like most of the antagonists.  Anyway, that's what we love to hate about villains anyway, right?  That they are cast from the same stone - which the reader only sees and not the characters themselves which makes it more interesting, because in this story, I kind of predicted some of the events already and who would be the biggest villains and although I already guessed them, I was still blown away at how things turned out.

With regard to the story, it was just a simple story but what made it interesting was that the author made the plot a bit different from what we are used to .  There were some unexpected surprises here and there which made a more exciting read and kept me turning the pages until I found that I have come to the end.  It was simply, yet tastefully, smartly, and cleverly written that when I finished, my first impulse was to clap for the author.  The second was to go scurry off and find Book Two.

And that is why I hate books with sequels.  Most of the time, they're so brilliant and I can't find the next book fast enough.

I'll be sure to update you once I've gotten a copy of More Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet.  It's going to be fun!

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

All opinions expressed in this book review are my own and not influenced by any party in any way.  
 
Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions. 

So 5 Minutes Ago by Hilary de Vries

 

(Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  So 5 Minutes Ago
Author:  Hilary de Vries
Publisher:  Villard

Language: English
ISBN-10:  1400061385

ISBN-13:  978-1400061389

Buy this book on Amazon

Rating:

If I previously thought that chick lit will always be the best go-to book for a light read, then I am now going to change that opinion.  This book was too negative and whiny and I could not get through each chapter without thinking that I would love to strangle the main character Alex if I were given the chance.

The story is about a Hollywood publicist in her thirties,  Alex Davidson, who finds herself torn between her loyalty for her previous DWP boss Suzanne, and the new boss of  DWP -  G, amidst juggling her career keeping B-list Hollywood clients' careers afloat, her personal and love life, and her family.  

This book had so much promise because once I read the blurb in the book, it just screams "Girl Power!" and that was why I could not wait to read it.  I. Was. Wrong.  The potential girl power story turned out to be a major bitch fest of a thirty-something woman against the whole world.  I would have been able to look past that if the rest of the story is great but the lukewarm climax and ending, the fictional celebrity names like 'Scrappy,' 'Scooby,' or 'Phoenix,' and shallow minor conflicts that tried to create tension where there shouldn't be did not help this read to be salvageable.

But bland, whiny plot aside, I thought the writing was good, dialogue crisp, characters vivid and realistic.  I would have loved even bitchy Alex if the plot were different or written more creatively.  Among the characters however, I loved Steve, Alex's assistant, the most.  He's such a fun, down-to-earth, and efficient assistant and friend to Alex, I would have loved to meet him if he were real.  

So overall, this book is light, interesting due to its Hollywood theme, but not really that earth-shattering.  If you would like to get an inside peek on Hollywood, you may pick up this book, but only for the sole purpose of looking into the inner workings of that formidable industry.  Otherwise, steer clear of this book.  A good read this book does not make.  Only something to waste time while I dunno, waiting for your break in Hollywood, I guess.