Review: I Hunt Killers
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Arc from publisher
What It’s About: Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a charming teenage boy. To look at him he seems like every other teenage boy, but Jasper Dent is the son of Billy Dent, one of the world’s worst serial killers. Billy has been in jail for 4 years now, and Jasper has lived with his grandmother and the worry that someday he may become his father. Billy taught Jazz a lot about what makes a good serial killer, and now Jazz fears he may turn into his father. When the body of a woman is found in a field Jazz just knows it is the work of a serial killer. Now he has to convince the police to believe him before more bodies start piling up.
What I thought: I was really in the mood for a thriller and I Hunt Killers satisfied my craving. Jazz’s fears about becoming his father are completely understandable because of how he grew up. Lyga does a good job with the twists and turns in the plot so you are never really sure who the killer is until Jazz starts to piece it together. The ending leaves you itching for book two, which is out now. For me I Hunt Killers is a mashup of Dexter and The Following, which means I suggest you pick up a copy and start reading today.
A Few Things
I know it has been a while since I’ve posted. I’m in the middle of reading two books (Dearly Beloved & Code Name Verity), and listening to another (An Abundance of Katherines). Expect reviews for them when I’ve finished.
To hold you over until then here is a book trailer for An Abundance of Katherines:
At work tomorrow I’ll be book talking The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. If you haven’t read it I suggest you do, as it is one of my favorite books. I never wrote a review for it because I read it before I started blogging. Hopefully I will get around to writing one someday, or perhaps I’ll post the book talk I come uo with on here. I will leave you with the trailer:
Oh and in case you hadn’t heard The Book Thief is being made into a movie. For information check these websites:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-book-thief-heading-to-theaters
Book Trailer
I received a lot of books for Christmas 🙂 so rather than taking books out from work, I’ve decided to catch up on what I own.
Here is the trailer for Code Name Verity by Wein which I’m currently reading:
Review: Shatter Me
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
What it is about: No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she’s finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time—and to find a future with the one boy she thought she’d lost forever. (Summary from Goodreads.com)
What I thought:
Juliette hasn’t seen or talked to anyone in months that is until Adam shows up as her new roommate. Through her friendship with Adam, Juliette learns that she has the power to change her life. Her touch doesn’t have to be a curse. As the story progresses Juliette begins to heal thus getting stronger and more confident. It is nice to see Juliette go from a weak character to a stronger character, and I look forward to seeing her grow in the next book.
Shatter Me is told from Juliette’s point of view, which is great because you get to know her and what’s going on inside her head in regards to everything. However, Juliette has been in solitude in an asylum for years. While she isn’t crazy (she is locked up because of her touch) solitude has messed with her head. Juliette tends to repeat things. Sometimes just a word, other times a sentence. At times this can be annoying, however, it seems to lesson as time goes on because Juliette becomes more secure in who she is (that or I just got used to it and stopped noticing). Also the crossing out of words is employed used a lot especially in the beginning. These techniques help to give you an idea of who Juliette is. While not insane she is broken, and needs to heal.
Many of the reviews I read before reading Shatter Me complained about the number of metaphors in the book. I did notice there are a lot more metaphors in Shatter Me than I usually see. I will admit there were points where the number of metaphors in the text interrupted my reading flow because I had to reread the paragraph to figure out what was actually going on.
Shatter Me has romance, despite Juliette’s lethal touch. It’s a dystopian novel in that the Earth has been polluted to the point where vegetation no longer grows with ease and animals are scarce. The Reestablishment has taken over, promising to fix things, but instead they now control everything. There are super powers (need I say more?)! There is a great bad guy in Warner’s character. Also, there is the promise of a strong female character.
I will definitely be picking up Unravel Me to find out what happens next to Juliette.
Oh and here’s the trailer for Shatter Me:
Let’s Get Graphic! Zita the Spacegirl and Legends of Zita
Review: Zita the Spacegirl and Legends of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
I have wanted to read Zita since I saw its sequel in a webinar a while back. I finally got around to it while temping in the children’s department of a local library.
What it’s about: One day while playing in the woods with her friend Joseph, Zita comes across an object in what appears to be a meteoroid crater. Naturally Zita has to push the big red button (even though we all know not to hit the big red button!). A portal is opened and Joseph gets sucked through. Zita then pushes the button again in order to rescue Joseph. Thus begins Zita’s adventures in space, which then continue on in the Legends of Zita.
What I liked: Zita is scared to death to push the red button again, but she does so in order to save Joseph. Once she lands on the planet, Zita does everything to find Joseph and refuses to leave until she has rescued him. Along the way Zita makes some friends. Strong Strong, One, Mouse and Randy are fiercely loyal to Zita, and help her in her quest to find Joseph. The group looks after one another and Zita saves them as much as they save her. Do they become loyal friends unrealistically fast? Yes, but I’m okay with that because it’s a cute story which shows the importance of friendship. I love Zita because she fights for her friends and for what she believes is right. She is scared and in a strange place filled with strange creatures, and yet she doesn’t give up on her friend. 
Zita’s adventures are far from over at the end of Legends of Zita. I for one will definitely be getting the next book when it comes out. If you love graphic novels, and are looking for a cute strong, with a loveable group of characters then check out Zita the Spacegirl.
More Book Trailers!
Here are some book trailers for the books sitting in my ever-growing “to read” pile:
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente:
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga:
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan:
Check It Out
I’m currently reading Diviners by Libba Bray (look for the review in the future). I just wanted to share the amazing book trailer as a way to entice everyone to also read it.
P.s. – So far I’m loving it!
Recollections: Reviews by a Book Lover 