Book Review: Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Photo taken from Goodreads

Book Info

   

Title:  Slice of Cherry

Author:  Dia Reeves
Publisher:  Simon Pulse

Language: English

Format:  Hardcover

Pages:  512 pages

ISBN - 13:  978-1416986201

Source:  Purchased, Fully Booked

Buy this book on Amazon 

Summary

From Goodreads: 

"Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.

It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities…"

Review

First of all, this book is not a part of a series.  This is another Twisted novel by Dia Reeves, in which Bleeding Violet was the first Twisted book.  That's where the connection ends. Reading this book was like reading a psychotic's version of Alice in Wonderland.  It was definitely crazier than the first book.

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves stood out against other books with its unique premise.  You rarely see protagonists acting like the bad guys.  Most books that feature a 'villainous' main character mostly show their inner kindness, but this book, with its sticky-sweet but deadly heroes refused to strike a balance between the good and the bad, and just told the story as is, the brutal truth unsettling but fascinating.  Kit and Fancy Cordelle were sisters whose murderous tendencies they let shine through when Fancy discovers a door that will let them hide every evidence of their crimes.  However, they only kill the 'bad guys' and try to help in improving their community, as opposed to the merciless and inconceivable rampage their father, the Bonesaw Killer, enjoyed that led to his imprisonment and imminent execution.

I know that comparing this to Bleeding Violet is unfair as they are two different books.  But it is strikingly clear that what made Bleeding Violet such an awesome read was because of its characters.  On the other hand, Slice of Cherry in my opinion will be distinguished by its plot.  

Fancy and Kit were not as strong characters as Hannah from Bleeding Violet was.  Fancy was too whiny and though most of the story was seen through her point of view, I disagreed a lot with her and cannot get into her.  Usually, I absorb the points of view of characters whose thoughts are mirrored in the narration.  In her case, I had difficulty doing that and got irritated with her actions more than once.  Kit was a bit too lukewarm.  The more interesting character among them for me was Ilan.  He provided much of the humor, and this sense of wholeness that was not too felt from the other characters, especially the sisters.  Gabriel, on the other hand, was just too flat.

Character problems aside, the premise was very intriguing.  It was like reading the Dexter series by Jeffrey Lindsey, only younger, girlier, and more twisted.  The plot was what attracted me to this book in the first place and although I did not agree much with every character, I was still mesmerized by the flow of the story.  The strange occurrences, the 'door,' it made me admire Ms. Reeves more as I delved more into her imagination.  And although her main aim is to just tell a good story, I think she managed to leave a few lessons along the way without the reader consciously noticing.  

You know the best part of the book that I liked?  It's the cover.  It totally speaks to me and looks exactly as what I thought about this book.  It really spoke volumes about the ingenuity of this book and the strange, unique, but fantastic story contained within.

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: Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk

Photo taken from Goodreads

Book Info

   

Title:  Tell-All

Author:  Chuck Palahniuk
Publisher:  Anchor

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  192 pages

ISBN - 10:  0307389820

ISBN - 13:  978-0307389824

Source:  Purchased, National Book Store

Buy this book on Amazon 

Summary

From Goodreads: 

"The hyperactive love child of Page Six and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? caught in a tawdry love triangle with The Fan. Even Kitty Kelly will blush. Soaked, nay, marinated in the world of vintage Hollywood, Tell-All is a Sunset Boulevard–inflected homage to Old Hollywood when Bette Davis and Joan Crawford ruled the roost; a veritable Tourette’s syndrome of rat-tat-tat  name-dropping, from the A-list to the Z-list; and a merciless  send-up of Lillian Hellman’s habit of butchering the truth that will have Mary McCarthy cheering from the beyond. Our Thelma Ritter–ish narrator is Hazie Coogan, who for decades has tended to the outsized needs of Katherine “Miss Kathie”  Kenton—veteran of multiple marriages, career comebacks, and cosmetic surgeries. But danger arrives with gentleman caller Webster Carlton Westward III, who worms his way into Miss Kathie’s heart (and boudoir). Hazie discovers that this bounder has already written a celebrity tell-all memoir foretelling Miss Kathie’s death in a forthcoming Lillian Hellman–penned musical extravaganza; as the body count mounts, Hazie must execute a plan to save Katherine Kenton for her fans—and for posterity. "

Review

If you are a big fan of Old Hollywood movies, Old Hollywood stars like Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and others, you best read this book as it incorporates into its fictional world the likes of Lillian Hellman, Hedda Hopper, and Walter Winchell.

Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk relates the story of fading Hollywood star Katherine Kenton and how Hazie Coogan, her personal assistant discovers a murder plot by the latter's newest beau Webster Carlton Westward III through his celebrity tell-all book about Katherine, which documents how Katherine Kenton dies.  This morbid story of celebrity narcissism is told through Hazie's eyes in a very unique way:  Its narration is aided by this 'camera' that 'shows' the reader what he/she needs - or does not need - to witness.  It's like watching a movie on paper.

At first, this peculiar way of narration sort of muddles the reader's thoughts and distracts them from fully getting absorbed in the story, but as the plot progresses and the excitement builds, this unusual method even helps in fully understanding not only what is shown and explained, but what is implied and hidden.

The ways that Hazie and Katherine did to deflect the threatening ways in which the latter would be killed were so hilarious and downright ridiculous, and the excerpts from the fictional memoir so outrageously sexual and disgusting it's funny.  This book is filled with astounding amounts of humor without even intending to.

Like Old Hollywood stars' hidden scandals and tightly-kept secrets, this story is not all that it seems.  The discerning reader would be quick to point out inconsistencies in this book - which are not of an editorial nature, but which would help in understanding the direction that the plot would be taking towards the end.  A predictably-unpredictably ending would surely leave the reader "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" as sung by Helen O'Connell backed by the Jimmy Dorsey band.  If you've read this book, you perfectly know what I am talking about.

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.  

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

(Photo taken from Jodi Picoult's website)

Title: House Rules
Author: Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Atria International
Language: English
ISBN - 10: 0743296443
ISBN - 13: 978-0743296441
Rating:

House Rules:

1. Clean up your messes
2. Tell the truth
3. Brush your teeth twice a day
4. Don't be late for school
5. Take care of your brother; he's the only one you've got.

Those are house rules set up by Emma Hunt, mother of Jacob and Theo. She has been burdened since Jacob was two years old by responsibility for Jacob's condition. He has Asperger's syndrome, making him, although exhibiting exceptional intelligence, hopeless in expressing himself well and reading social cues. His interest in forensic analysis has made him a fixture in police crime scenes, telling them what to do which usually turns out right. However, when a friend was murdered, the police suspect him and take his Asperger's symptoms to imply guilt.

I read an interview of Picoult regarding this new book here and it was good that she really did her homework with regards to Asperger's syndrome, forensic analysis, and the legal issues involved. However, if I were to do like Jacob and pretend that this novel is a CrimeBusters episode, I'd say I solved the murder just right after Chapter 2. A murder mystery this is not; I'd like to think this is more of a-love-between-brothers story, or an-inside-look-into-the-Asperger's-syndrome, or better yet, a simple family's love and struggle for normalcy amid mental/psychological illness.

Most of the time, I wonder about what other people think while they are doing something. What is going through the butcher's head while cutting a pig open; or what a mother thinks about while slapping a wayward child's face? This novel definitely provides a lot of insight into each of the character's heads, even Jacob's. I like the depth of her imagination, that she was able to give a good impression of what's running inside an aspie's head; but it is not only imagination that she was able to pull it off properly, her research gave a lot of credibility into her words.

Story-wise, I thought the pacing was very good, and I like the sprinkling of real-life murder cases in some parts, all of which are trying to say, "It's not what it seems." It encouraged the readers to really dig deeper and use their imaginations to figure out what is going to happen. I really think that the author wanted the reader to solve the mystery, but it would have been better if she added another twist or so, that way maybe I wouldn't have been able to solve the murder earlier, and prolonged the suspense more.

The character development is also satisfying. I like how Emma, the mother, the one who devoted her whole life for Jacob's well-being, was finally able to recognize and fulfill her own needs but not ignoring her responsibilities. I like how Theo finally found the answers to his questions, and dissolved his desire to become apathetic to his brother's plight.

Overall, this book is very insightful, informative, and interesting. The characters are very lovable, even Theo in all his teenage angst. This is a book worth reading and re-reading with the rest of your family that will definitely draw you closer and appreciate the compassion that you give each other.