See How They Run by Ally Carter

See How They Run by Ally Carter is the second book in the Embassy Row series. I wasn't too impressed with the first one, so I'm not sure why I picked this one up. The lure of a free galley, I suppose, and then the need for a fast-paced, light read. It was a mistake, though: the main character's histrionics wore on my nerves. So, learn a lesson from my experience, and pass this one up if the first book didn't do anything for you. On the other hand, fans of the first book will probably enjoy this one, too.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

All Fall Down by Ally Carter

All Fall Down by Ally Carter is the first book in her new Embassy Row series.

When she was 13, Grace saw her mother die -- she heard the explosion; she saw the scarred man with the gun. But nobody believes her. The fire that killed her mother, she is told, was a tragic accident, not a bomb. There was no scarred man, no gunshot. Now, at age 16, Grace has been sent to live with her grandfather, the US Ambassador to the small European nation of Adria. Last time she was in Adria, she broke her leg jumping off the wall between the German and Canadian embassies, so she has something of a reputation for being a daredevil and a troublemaker -- not the best combination for an ambassador's granddaughter. Add to that the new accusation of craziness, and you can see why her grandfather's staff seems to be watching over her with a high degree of solicitude. But Grace still manages to find herself in places she's not supposed to be, overhearing conversations not meant for her ears. The Scarred Man is is Adria -- and he's about to kill again. The only people who believe Grace are her new friends, other misfit children of diplomatic staff. But what can a handful of teenagers do against an international assassin?

I found this book interesting, but a little frustrating. Part of the problem, of course, is that it's setting up a new series, so a lot of the hints dropped in this book presumably foreshadow major plot points in future books. The ending, while not exactly a cliffhanger, does leave readers wanting more, as it ends with Grace just about to get some answers regarding her mother's death. I thought that there were some obvious questions that Grace never asked (like, why would anyone want to kill her mother, an antiques dealer and wife of a minor military officer?). I also thought that the tunnel network under the city was way too convenient -- easily discovered by Grace, but apparently not by anyone else in the city. And there's a very slight romance angle that I just didn't buy. In many ways, this was a typical Ally Carter novel -- action, suspense, and a generally fast-moving plot, with lots of snappy dialogue -- but I didn't find it quite satisfying.

(Reviewed from a finished copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal is assigned reading for a seminar I'm attending in January. I can already tell that I'm going to have a hard time discussing it critically . . . because I loved it so much!

Jacob Grimm may have died in 1863, but his spirit is doomed to wander until he figures out what it is he has left undone. After some years of roaming, he finds a boy in a small town who is one of the few in the world who can hear the voices of ghosts. Jacob knows that there is also in Jeremy's small town a Finder of Occasions, who will do Jeremy harm if left unchecked. If Jacob can protect Jeremy and encourage him to excel in school and go away to college, Jacob reasons, he can perhaps move on himself, to whatever comes next. Of course, it won't be that easy. . . .

I'm over-simplifying the plot with that summary, and certainly not doing it justice. This book has magic, humor, suspense, and romance. The characters are excellent, the writing is brilliant, and I didn't figure out who the Finder of Occasions was until fairly late in the story, though perhaps a savvier reader would have caught on sooner, since there are some nice fairy-tale related clues dropped with gentle precision at key points. There are some dark parts to the story, as well -- I wouldn't recommend it to kids, necessarily, but readers from middle school up who love magical realism and fairy-tale references should definitely read this book!

This is one of my rare five-star reads, and will definitely be among my favorites for the year.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

I received Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I've read all of Henderson's other works, so I am basically right in the center of the target audience for this book.

Paul Falcon is a high-ranking FBI investigator. When small-town cop Ann Silver stops by his office and drops a hot lead on his desk, related to a cold case he's been trying to solve for years, Falcon finds himself interested in more than just the evidence envelope she hands over. Ann is an enigma to Falcon -- one he'd like to try and solve. Will Ann let herself get close to him, or will the secrets in her past keep them always at arm's length?

One of the most interesting things that Henderson did in this book was to make Ann the fictional author of all of Henderson's earlier works -- and to make those works based on Ann's friends' lives. On one hand, this is a clever device to allow characters from the O'Malley series and Henderson's other books to crop up as characters in this book, despite the fact that Ann was not a character in the earlier books. On the other hand, it does make Ann a bit of a Mary Sue. While she's not a perfect character (more on that later), she does have mad skillz as both a writer and a homicide investigator, as well as an intimate relationship with God and a talent for forming and maintaining close friendships. She comes across as a bit of a Superwoman.

Unlike Henderson's earlier books, the suspense element was dialed down several notches in Full Disclosure. I kept waiting for that edge-of-your-seat moment when the hired killer is holding a gun against one of the characters' heads . . . it never came. There's plenty of intrigue and several shocking revelations, but they're all in the past, not part of the main action of the story.

On a personal note, I also thought that the romance lacked heat. Ann is intensely private and afraid of commitment, and most of the story is told from Falcon's perspective. While he was fully involved in trying to make a romance happen, I found Ann's hesitant and standoffish attitude extremely off-putting. Other readers may not have this reaction, however.

So, the amount of criticism I'm leveling may make it seem like I didn't enjoy this book. On the contrary, it held my attention nicely. While I might have liked to see a little more romance and a little more suspense, I did enjoy the way characters from previous novels were woven into the story, and I liked the way the two major cases that Falcon was working intersected. I would recommend this to Henderson's hardcore fans -- but for those who like inspirational fiction and romantic suspense, I would recommend giving The Negotiator a try and working your way up to this book.

(Reviewed from an advance copy courtesy of the publisher, via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)

The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott

If I had to use one word to describe The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman, it would be "squicky." I did read the whole thing . . . but now I kind of want to wash my brain.

To briefly summarize, the Thirteen Hallows are artifacts that were used thousands of years ago to seal demonkind into a prison. The demons have been biding their time, waiting for a human to come along who is brilliant, ambitious, and ruthless, and who will collect and activate the Hallows, releasing the demons. That time has come -- the current Keepers of the Hallows are all growing old, and are unable to protect their artifacts any longer. When one young woman, Sarah Miller, stops what she thinks is a mugging, she is caught up in the danger and horror of what's happening with the Hallows, and her fate becomes inextricably linked with theirs.

First of all, the good: this book is definitely gripping. Even when I halfway wanted to put it down, I kept reading to see what would happen.

But that's about all of the good that I can think of to relate.  The writing, while not cringe-worthy, was nothing out of the common run, and the characters all seemed a little flat to me.  Moreover, I am not a fan of thrillers or horror, and this book contains elements of both. Let me put it this way: a book that uses the word "abattoir" several times to describe various scenes is probably not my thing. Multiple descriptions of gristly murders and kinky rituals had me nearly putting the book down at several different points. So, if your taste is anything like mine, I'm definitely not recommending this book. On the other hand, the reviews I read were generally positive -- so those who enjoy gore-spattered fantasy/horror/thrillers will probably love this book.

I'll leave them to it -- and be a little more selective of my reads in the future.

(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)