Review: Circle of Silence

Circle of Silence by Carol M. Tanzman

WiHi #2

Harlequin Teen - July 24, 2012

288 pages - Young Adult, Fiction,

Source: The Publisher via Netgalley

http://www.caroltanzman.com/

Facebook: Yes

Twitter: @CarolTanzman

I received a copy of this digital galley, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Goodreads Summary: The biggest story of my life could be how it ends. It’s my turn to run a Campus News crew, and I’ve put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead. A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flagpole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda or initiation secrets—until a student lands in the hospital under strange circumstances. I will blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt... …or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don’t trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is not important to this story.) But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera or a victim in the top story of the newscast be sure to watch Campus News at 9:00 a.m. this Friday.

My thoughts:

                Valerie, a reporter for Campus News , is working on the story of her life. But the cost must be her life. MP starts with small pranks but soon they escalate and someone gets hurt. As the B team races to uncover MP’s identity and purpose, the danger increases and the enemy is closer to home.

                Okay, I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading Circle of Silence. I think that this was a pretty decent read, though it didn’t create a whole lot of excitement. I like the characters and their interactions with each other.  Val and Bethany’s relationship is awkward. No, they don’t get along with each other and it’s normal for sisters to be distant with each other.  But there were moments that Val actually reached out and tried to connect with Bethany. Bethany is the little sister, and for her there is a mixture of emotions that she is dealing with: jealousy and not having a group to belong to (just to name a couple). Regardless of the awkwardness, there was a lot of love within the family. This fact makes some of the events that happen a little unbelievable.

                As far as the romance, not every story requires a love triangle and I tend to avoid triangles.  There were an equal amount of reasons for both guys, but ultimately I think Val made too big a deal out of choosing. It is high school though.  My favorite part of the book was how B-team worked together and going after the stories.  I did like the characters and the passion that they had for their pursuits.

Recommendation: While I think that there is a lot of room to increase the tension and excitement within the story, I did enjoy it. And I still think that it’s worth checking out.

3 stars ***

Always Shine,

Starr K

               

Review: First Frost

First Frost by Jennifer Estep

 Mythos Academy 0.5

Kensington Books – July 1, 2011

30 pages – Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

http://www.jenniferestep.com/

Twitter: @Jennifer_Estep

Facebook: yes

Source: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:  I am Gwen Frost, and I have a Gypsy gift.  It's called psychometry - that's a fancy way of saying that I see images in my head and get flashes of other people's memories off almost everything I touch, even guys. My gift makes me kind of nosy. Okay, okay, maybe a lot nosy--to the point of obsession sometimes. I want to know everything about everyone around me. But even I don't want to know the secrets my friend Paige is hiding or the terrible loss that will send me to a new school - Mythos Academy, where the teachers aren't preparing us for the SATs, but to battle Reapers of Chaos.  Now I have no friends and no idea how my gift fits in with all these warrior whiz kids.  The only thing I do know is that my life is never, ever going to be the same.  .  .

                This has been sitting on my kindle for a while now, and since I was going to begin this series I thought that I would start with this.  I am glad that I did. I guess that I would have been fine without reading it, but there is something about reading events as they happen and not as a reflection or memory.  I don’t know much about psychometry or gypsies, but I am definitely intrigued. I like Gwen immediately, and that may have to do with the fact that she really is kind of special. She’s nosey and that kind of gets the ball rolling with the events that happen in First Frost – how she learns Paige’s secret.  Don’t think she knew that would be the thing that changes her life forever.  She wanted to do the right thing and it came at a price. A price that even Gwen is sure she would have knowingly paid.  I’m sure this is a lesson that will come into play many times for her.  It was a nice quick read, and a great way to get started in the series.

What's Next? Touch of Frost 

4 Stars ****

Always Shine,

Starr K

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