RIP X: Book Review: Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong

R.I.P. X is hosted this year by The Estella Society

Goodreads Summary:

Olivia Taylor Jones's life has exploded. She's discovered she is not only adopted, but her real parents are convicted serial killers. Fleeing the media frenzy, she took refuge in the oddly secluded town of Cainsville. She has since solved the town's mysteries and finds herself not only the target of its secretive elders but also her stalker ex-fiancé.

Visions continue to haunt her: particularly a little blond girl in a green sundress who insists she has an important message for Olivia, one that may help her balance the light and darkness within herself. Death stalks both Olivia and the two men most important to her, as she desperately searches to understand whether ancient scripts are dictating the triangle that connects them. Will darkness prevail, or does Olivia have the power to prevent a tragic fate?

My Thoughts:

I love when a series just gets better and better. When I first started reading the Cainsville series, I was unimpressed.  Then I read the second book in the series, and thought wow this is so much better than the first! Now, after reading the third installment, I am in love. 

Things are picking up speed, and more is being revealed about Olivia, Gabriel, Ricky, and especially her parents! I don't want to get spoilery so this will be a very vague review, I apologize. I just hate when I read a review then feel like I don't need to bother reading the book. So let me just say, this book has action, secrets are revealed, and best of all, there is Gabriel. I am Team Gabriel all the way and in this book the reader is treated to more of his innermost thoughts. We learn more about him, his vulnerabilities, and his character shows real growth. 

Aside from the inevitable love triangle stuff, we learn more about the murders, which had me a bit lost. I am still a bit lost, but feel like I do know slightly more than I did. Also, the fae. Always a favorite of mine in the supernatural/paranormal genre, and in this book we get treated to more fae. 

Overall:

I really enjoyed this book, and was sad when it ended! I can't wait for the next in the series. 

Creepy Factor:

I like things creepy, and in my opinion, this book was not so creepy. But still really good!

R.I.P. X Book Review: The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

R.I.P. X is hosted this year by The Estella Society

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Goodreads Summary:

The latest novel from New York Times best-selling author Jennifer McMahon is an atmospheric, gripping, and suspenseful tale that probes the bond between sisters and the peril of keeping secrets.

Once the thriving attraction of rural Vermont, the Tower Motel now stands in disrepair, alive only in the memories of Amy, Piper, and Piper's kid sister, Margot. The three played there as girls until the day that their games uncovered something dark and twisted in the motel's past, something that ruined their friendship forever.

Now adult, Piper and Margot have tried to forget what they found that fateful summer, but their lives are upended when Piper receives a panicked midnight call from Margot, with news of a horrific crime for which Amy stands accused. Suddenly, Margot and Piper are forced to relive the time that they found the suitcase that once belonged to Silvie Slater, the aunt that Amy claimed had run away to Hollywood to live out her dream of becoming Hitchcock's next blonde bombshell leading lady. As Margot and Piper investigate, a cleverly woven plot unfolds—revealing the story of Sylvie and Rose, two other sisters who lived at the motel during its 1950s heyday. Each believed the other to be something truly monstrous, but only one carries the secret that would haunt the generations to come.

My thoughts:

A lonely stretch of road, a crumbling hotel, a house filled with secrets..it's beginning to sound a bit like a Hitchcock movie isn't it? Vaguely reminiscent of Psycho's Bates Motel, Hitchcock does have a bit role to play in this book, although a small one.

This book is told through three different points of view, at three different time periods. Rose in the 1950s, Amy, Rose's daughter in the 1980s, and Piper in the present day. Amy, Piper, and Piper's sister Margot were close childhood friends until the summer of 1989, when something happened to split them up, a secret that started all the way back in the 50s with Rose and her sister Sylvie. The reader is also treated to the occasional point of view from Sylvie, in her letters to Mr. Hitchcock.  

McMahon does an incredible job of building suspense ~ I had to put the book down sometimes because just wondering what was going to happen freaked me out. The settings and atmospheres were perfect for each time frame, and really added to the story. The Night Sister had so many twists and turns and secrets that even though it scared me, I absolutely had to finish the book to find out what was going on, and what really happened ~ in the 50s and in present day. Two mysteries for the price of one! The ending once revealed was just a teensy bit so-so for me ~ I had a little bit higher expectations after such a big build up, but it really wasn't bad. McMahon had a different take on a familiar theme, so that was pretty cool. 

Overall, this book is a perfectly spooky read, especially this time of the year! You just might find yourself listening to those sounds that go bump in the night a little more closely, after reading this one.

R.I.P. X Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

R.I.P. X is hosted this year by The Estella Society

In a dark, dark wood has been compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. It seems the trend now for Gone Girl to be the go-to comparison. I can't say that I see the similarities, other than it being a mystery with a female protagonist. However, like my feelings for The Girl on the Train I was not a huge fan of the main character. 

When Nora receives an invitation to her old school pal Clare's hen night, she is reluctant to go. She hasn't seen Clare in ten years, hasn't even talked to her in as long. She decides to go, after being told by Flo, the matron of honor, that Clare really wants Nora to be there. 

So she travels with  another friend to a remote wood in the middle of winter, to stay in the glass house that Flo has borrowed from her aunt for the small hen's weekend. Cell service is spotty, and there is no one else around for miles, just trees and snow and that winter silence. Can we say creepy? It doesn't exactly scream bachelorette party to me!

(Side note: I found this place online on a few years ago, and always thought it would be fun to stay there. Not so creepy here but rather peaceful)

The party commences, complete with cocaine, a trip to a shooting range, and the use of a spirit board. To me, this party would not be fun, and I found it all kind of odd. Like teenagers who had more money were throwing this shindig. But then something goes wrong, and it all goes to hell. 

The reader learns that at some point there was a falling out between Nora and Clare ~ they had been close friends for years, Clare was the more natural leader while Nora was the quiet one, more likely to follow Clare's lead. It adds to the suspense of the story, what happened, what happened, you want to know! 

When I was in high school, I used to read Christopher Pike all the time. That is what this book reminded me of. A grown up Christopher Pike book.

 I wasn't in love with this book, but I was definitely hooked enough by the mystery to want to just keep reading it until I found out all the answers. I disliked Nora thoroughly - I found her weak, and I have a hard time with weak main characters. Again, not sure why this was compared to Gone Girl as Amy was evil but brilliant and vibrant, not like this watered down milk toast of a character. (wow I guess I really disliked Nora!)

I give this book a creepy rating of 5/10 for setting and for mood.