Broken Harbor

I just love Tana French. I read the first three of her books right in a row after I discovered them. Then I sucked it up and read other stuff for a couple of years. And finally, her next book! I was not disappointed. I love her characters. I love the Irish brogue. I love how she chooses a main character from a previous book's supporting character. I love the twists and turns. I will admit - I figured this one out but I certainly don't hold that against her. It didn't take anything away from the story because there is so much more to it than just a whodunit. This story has depth people! You feel like you know these players and can identify with them as someone you know. That takes talent. And Tana's got it. Love her. 10 out of 10.

Shadow of Night/Gone Girl

Well I can see that I've gotten a little behind on my blog entries. I've read two books since I finished the Song of Ice and Fire series. Both were pretty good. But I must admit that I do miss the land of Westeros. No, I won't go on again about all that, but I will reiterate that it made a lasting impression.

So, I think I'll start with Shadow of Night. This was the much-awaited for sequel to A Discovery of Witches. Which I recommended to just about every single person I know who has ever picked up a book. I will admit that I wasn't very impressed with the beginning. In fact I was downright worried and kinda ready to put it down. But I hung in there, and I'm glad I did. Diana and Matthew had some adventures back in Elizabethan England/Europe. It was not nearly as good as the first. And not nearly as good as I had hoped. Having said that, I still love the characters. I won't boot them from my friends list on Facebook or anything. And I'll read the third book when it comes out for sure. But I won't be as eagerly anticipating it as I was this book. I might not buy the autographed copy from Books-A-Million when it comes out. Like I did for this book. I think I'll give it 7 stars.

The next book I read was Gone Girl. It is being read by a lot of reading bloggers, and I'm seeing it get more popular. And everyone seems to have the same type of initial impression... kind of a "holy shit" thing. I would definitely agree with that. It isn't like anything I have ever read. These characters are very.... dysfunctional? warped? Let's just say the author does a splendid job of letting you really get to know them. If I had any criticisms of her portrayal of them, it would be a small one. That she needs to do something about Nick's good looks. I think it plays a big part of the book, but she could have used that better along the way. Not sure if that makes sense, but I kind of kept forgetting that about him until the later part of the book. The other criticism I have, and this is a BIG one, is about the ending. It SUCKED!!! I absolutely hated it! And I am usually very diplomatic when it comes to opinions and looking for any sort of reason to give both sides credence. No, it really sucked. I did not like it one little bit. I don't know if Flynn intended to end it that way, or if she got so caught up in the story that she just couldn't do anything else. But for me, it just did not work at all. I can't say much more without giving the story away. So, I'll give this a 9 star rating. It definitely was suspenseful and unique. Actually just the kind of read that I was itching for.... except for... you know... the ending.