Review: Hush Money (Talent Chronicles #1) by Susan Bischoff

Title: Hush Money

Series: Talent Chronicles #1

Prequel story: Impulse Control

Author: Susan Bischoff

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: August 2012

Published by: Susan Bischoff

Source: Borrowed form library

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Synopsis:

They call their abilities Talents, and that’s what they call themselves as well. Talents are people born with supernatural powers, feared by the population at large. Possession of an “unregistered ability” has become illegal, and those who are discovered are forcibly removed to government-run research facilities. For Talents, keeping their secret is the most important thing in their lives. For some, that need for secrecy begins to define who they are.

That’s how it is for Joss, a high school girl who does everything in her power to go unnoticed. She's incredibly bright, but strives to maintain grades that are good yet not too good. She doesn't participate in school activities, keeps quiet in class, eats by herself. Despite her longtime crush on Dylan, she wouldn't even think about trying to talk to him. Joss doesn't make friends of any kind, because friends can draw attention, friends can make you slip up, friends can make things complicated.

When new girl, Kat, steps in to rescue Joss from an uncomfortable situation with Marco, the class jerk, she doesn’t realize what she’s getting into, and it blows up in her face. Joss finds herself torn between a desire to do the right thing, to find some way to help a girl who was kind to her; and her need to mind her own business and fade into. For the first time, Joss begins to question the way she operates, and starts to long for connections with other people--especially a connection with Dylan, who's finally starting to talk to her.

But what's up with Dylan's sudden interest? As Marco’s best friend, can he be trusted at all?

It's bad enough when a girl's got to worry about friends, boys, over-protective dads, and shoes that pinch, but when you throw in blackmail, government agents with guns, and really annoying little sisters...that's just about too much to handle, even for a girl with an ass-kicking superpower.

My rating: ★★★★☆
Jocelyn (Joss) is a Talent. That means she has supernatural abilities. But having these powers has become illegal. That's why all of those who have been discovered are taken away by force to some government-run research facility. Yeah, its as fun as it sounds. The Talents there are treated like lab rats, and not too nicely. That is why it is important for Joss and her family to keep her (and her sisters) powers a secret.

Review: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Title: Hereafter

Series: Hereafter #1

Author: Tara Hudson

Genre: YA, paranormal, mystery

Publication date: June 2011

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: The publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis:

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

My rating: ★★★★★
I absolutely loved the book!

Amelia is 18…and dead. She drowned in the river. How, she has doesn’t remember. Now as a ghost she wanders aimlessly, lost. That is, until she meets Joshua. Actually, ‘meets’ isn’t the right word.

Review: Early to Death, Early to Rise (Madison Avery #2) by Kim Harrison

Title: Early to Death, Early to Rise

Series: Madison Avery #2

Previous book in this series: Once Dead, Twice Shy

Author: Kim Harrison

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: May 2010

Published by: HarperCollins

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis:

Seventeen, dead, and in charge of heaven's dark angels--all itching to kill someone.

Madison Avery's dreams of fitting in at school died when "she" did. Especially since she'd maintained the illusion of a body, dealt with a pesky guardian angel, and oh yeah, brought the reaper who killed her to his untimely end. Not exactly in-crowd material.

Now Madison has learned that she's inherited the job of dark timekeeper and is in charge of angels who protect fate, whatever that means. Never one to abide by the system, Madison forms a group of rogue angels who definitely don't heed the rules of the heavens. But as she grapples with terrifying new powers, Madison may not be prepared for what lies ahead--unless she gets some seriously divine intervention.

My rating: ★★★★★
Madison just learned that she is the dark timekeeper and that she is in charge of all the dark reapers who all follow the guidelines of fate. But Madison doesn't believe in fate; she believes in choice and she think that its time for a major change. You see, the dark reapers reap the souls of those who will do very bad things in the future. But Madison thinks that if she can convince them to make the right choice, they could save the person's soul. If she could only convince the Seraphs of this...

Review: The Christopher Killer (Forensic Mystery #1) by Alane Ferguson

Title: The Christopher Killer

Series: Forensic Mystery #1

Author: Alane Ferguson

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: February 2008

Published by: Puffin

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis:

As the daughter of a Colorado County coroner, seventeen-yearold Cameryn Mahoney is no stranger to death. in fact, she’s always been fascinated by the science of it. so she’s thrilled to finally get some hands-on experience in forensics working as her father’s assistant. but Cammie is in for more than she bargained for when the second case that she attends turns out to be someone she knows—the latest victim of a serial killer known as the Christopher Killer. And if dealing with that isn’t hard enough, Cammie soon realizes that if she’s not careful, she might wind up as the killer’s next victim...

My rating: ★★★★★
The genres I usually read are paranormal/fantasy, and this book is not that. But right away it became one of my favorites! If I didn't mention it before (and I'm sure I have) I am going into the medical field; I also watched a lot of medical shows, one of my favorites being Dr. G Medical Examiner. So yeah, this one caught my attention, and it did not disappoint! I absolutely loved it!!

Review: Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Title: Ultraviolet

Series: Ultraviolet #1

Author: R.J. Anderson

Genre: YA, paranormal, sci-fi

Publication date: September 2011

Published by: Carolrhoda Books

Source: The publishers via Netgalley (Thanks!)

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Synopsis:

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison’s condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can’t explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori—the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that’s impossible. Right?

My rating: ★★★★★
First off, I want to thank the publisher for sending me an ARC...thanks a ton :)

And now for the review. Well, what can I say? This book was just amazing! It was great! Man, I don't know what else to say besides that, lol

Perhaps I can tell you what its about, yes? haha okay
Alison has very unique abilities: she can see and taste sounds, she can hear colors and associate them with a certain color and personality and see colors beyond the normal visible spectrum, and she can also taste when someone lies and tells the truth...including her own lies.

She can do this because she has a condition called synesthesia. This basically means that, and I quote the book, "the senses are interconnected, or cross-wired, so that when one sense is stimulated one or more other senses respond at the same time." And for the being able to see beyond the visual spectrum thing, that is called tetrachromacy. "A tetrachromat is a person--excuse me, a woman, because human tetrachromats are inevitable female--with four color cones for vision instead of the usual three. That gives you a far greater ability than the average person to distinguish different hues, perhaps even see into the ultraviolet range." And because all this medical stuff is right up my ally (I plan on majoring in nursing and getting a minor in psychology) I did a little research of my own. That's right, I pulled out my medical dictionary! And they indeed are real conditions. Awesome!

Its pretty amazing what she can do, but it is also what got her stuck in a mental institution =/ You see, Alison believes that for some reason her abilities have gotten stronger. And when she got in a fight with Tori, according to Alison, her abilities got sooo out of control that she killed Tori by disintegrating her. It was all very odd: one second Tori is there, and the next she is gone. No trace of Tori was found.

Afterwards, her senses were still really screwed up and she got a little crazy so her mother put her in some psychiatric unit. There she meets Dr. Sebastian Faraday who helps her out with her problems, more so than her own psychiatrist. He listens to what she has to say, and he seems to care. He even helps her understand what is going with her. And Alison may or may not be falling for this scientist ;)

And then things kinda get twisty from there. Lies intertwined with the unexpected. And the mystery of Tori is solved *cue dramatic music* lol

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author has a great writing style. I really liked how it went from the present to the past, and how the flashbacks tied in with what was going on in the present. I liked all the visuals and descriptions. They were so great that I could see the images perfectly! And the twists and turns...OMG they are just great! And there was really nothing I didn't like about the book :)

A perfect combo of mystery, sci-fi, paranormal, and believe or not, romance ;) A great read!

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a comment! :)