Captive by A.J. Grainger Review

Captive by A.J. Grainger

“Words are a powerful weapon. A single one can change a destiny.”

The plot with Captive didn’t go the way I planned. It was much lighter than I expected – the focus was more on the romance and the kidnapping was only about a third of the book. After a while the plot did turn repetitive with Robyn and Talon escaping numerous times and also Robyn saving Talon many times.

The main character, Robyn was okay she did get annoying at times but mostly she was strong and smart. She literally survives a kidnapping and torture and remains positive throughout and she asks a lot of smart questions.

I really liked how the book was around the UK Prime Minister’s daughter – it was pretty unique for a YA book and showed how although the person in power might be your family (father) it doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of horrible things. In the background the plot idea of international leaders covering up for each other was interesting and delved into well.

The theme of family is highly important to the novel. Not just Robyn’s family and the effects of living in 10 Downing Street and the scandal but other families. Feather and her brother were separated which led to the entire kidnapping thing and similar Talon and his brother’s death led to the kidnapping too. It showed how different families were affected by trauma.

The romance was between Robyn and Talon and it was instant love. From the first meeting Talon was pitched as the good guy in a bad situation and it would have been annoying but Talon knew he wasn’t the good guy and his actions proved that. The romance was build way to quickly and the rushed feeling of the story made the second half terrible. Also the ending was really awkward between them.

I enjoyed the message behind the story of how no matter your good intentions (animal rights) going to extreme methods is never the solution.

The reason I gave this book 2 stars was that it was badly written – it was just so boring. It didn’t have an interesting start which led me to think it was going to be a boring book and it was. Plus the flashbacks were pointless and annoying – the conversations between most characters were also useless and annoying!

“It takes a lifetime of decisions to make us who we are”

★★☆☆☆

Waiting on Wednesday:Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lange

Waiting on Wednesday

 A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that people are eagerly anticipating.

My choice for Waiting on Wednesday this week is:

Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lange 

Publication: February 16th 2016 by Bloomsbury, 320 pages

Sam Cherie doesn't need friends. All she needs is to keep her mama sober long enough to skip out on her small Midwestern town and start a new life. But she's leaving town sooner than planned and in the company of the last three people she ever imagined.

What happens when a rebel, a bully, a geek, and a social pariah are forced to go on the run... is one part thrill ride and two parts Breakfast Club on wheels.

From the author of Butter comes a heart-stopping story of four very different teens and the night that changes their lives forever.

Aspen by Rebekah Crane Review

Aspen by Rebekah Crane

“Happiness isn’t a given in life. And when you’re happy, you should hold onto it.”  

Aspen’s life changes dramatically once she’s in an accident with the most popular girl in her school, Katelyn. Aspen has to live with the guilt from the car crash, Katelyn’s ghost following her around and deal with issues regarding family and friends.

The thing I really enjoyed about the novel is how it dealt with the struggle of trauma – post traumatic stress disorder. The book did overall revolve around Aspen’s daily struggle with acceptance and how hard it is to tell the truth. The book also dealt with interesting issues like parenting, depression and change.

Although the book has some interesting subplots the overall story went nowhere – there was this entire “mystery” built over the accident and the big reveal was disappointing. The reveal was that although Aspen had been driving and texting it was actually Katelyn’s fault as she intended to commit suicide. The mystery was built by Aspen trying to find out more information on Katelyn – this was done by shopping with Katelyn’s best friend and flirting with her boyfriend. So it’s not really a surprise when we don’t actually find anything ‘personal’ about Katelyn and her reasoning behind committing suicide.

At first Aspen seems okay but then she just gets really annoying fast. All she talks about is her hair, the lack of parenting she went through and pot. The story is then her telling everyone lies and meeting Katelyn’s ghost. Also asking creepy questions and cyber stalking.

The story had potential but the start of the novel dragged on and was boring, it did pick up near the end but by then I didn’t really care. The story had gone from the accident and recovering to her relationship with Ben (Katelyn boyfriend) and how everybody at their school judged them. Also the ending was rushed and not explained well.

★★☆☆☆