Blood & Sawdust

Blood & Sawdust by Jason Ridler

Blood & Sawdust follows the life of Malcolm Modris Tanner, a street-smart 14 year old with a smart mouth and an almost magnetic connection to trouble. Malcolm hasn’t had an easy life. At a carnival as a young child he witnessed the murder of his mother and since then he has had to grow up quickly under the abusive strain of his older brother, Robert, who nurses a drug addiction. Malcolm intends to use the money earned by betting on illegal fights to find their mother’s killer and avenge her death, that is, if he can earn enough and keep it from disappearing into Robert’s next fix. 

Blood & Sawdust also follows the life of an unassuming circuit player, known previously as Stretch Armstrong and currently as Milkwood, who gets paid to act as a punching bag. His real name is Francis Milkwood Mace, son of a famous wrestler who earns no respect in the brutal circuit. However, Milkwood has a secret to hide, one that keeps the money pouring in and the blood flowing. Only it’s not always his blood and people are starting to notice that he can heal much faster than he should.

Malcolm leaves his hometown of Troy, New York for a Fringe Tourney being held in Canada hoping to win big seeing as he’s developed a knack for picking out winning circuit players. However, he can’t shake the habit of always secretly betting on the underdog with his own hidden stack of cash. When Malcolm and Milkwood’s lives intertwine their problems are exacerbated tenfold. Malcolm ends up on the wrong side of Judge Sayers, his finger-eating dog Samson and his equally ill-tempered daughters who also share their father’s lust for blood. Not only do both Malcolm and Milkwood attract countless meatheads with bulging muscles, but suddenly a new danger arrives in killer heels driving a silver corvette. Malcolm has caught the eye of Lash, a beautiful woman with inhuman charms, and the ability to get what she wants whenever she wants it no matter who has to die in the process. When Malcolm learns that Lash and Milkwood have a secretly bitter history together he has to decide whose side he’s on. This becomes increasingly difficult when Lash offers him a way to get the Judge off of his back and take down his mother’s murderer all at once and not a moment too soon.

Just when Malcolm believes he’s on the road to freedom, a familiar dark figure stained with brown tobacco resurfaces. His mother’s killer has returned, but this time the tobacco-chewing fiend has a new target…Malcolm.

This novel is not for those who like slow beginnings, and honestly who does? Right from the start you’re thrown into a world of harsh realities seen through the eyes of a kid who has been forced to adapt or die. You can almost see the steam rising from the dark streets and smell the sweat rolling off of the brutal characters Malcolm encounters. This world is all engulfing and easy to fall into but not a place you would want to stay and rest. This story is told from two separate perspectives, which fill you in on the back-story and internal monologue of both main characters simultaneously so you never miss a snide remark or suspicion as it floats through our two protagonists’ minds.

Starting off I was prepared for the cringe-inducing gore, what I wasn’t prepared for was the heartfelt storyline. I love a novel with an enticing plot and this one doesn’t disappoint. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing even remotely sappy about this book. This modern world is unsympathetic and you won’t find any handouts here but there is a certain level of compassion that keeps a steady pace throughout the storyline and keeps your humanity firmly grounded. I love the idea that in a harsh town pity, sympathy and concern still exist even if they’re the rarest forms of emotion available. You find yourself cheering on the main character, Malcolm, even when you disagree with his choices. You want him to come out on top for everything that he’s been through and rooting for the underdog has never paid off more.

The Secret Circle Trilogy

The Secret Circle Trilogy by L. J. Smith

The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part 1 

             (Book #1)

The Initiation and The Captive Part 1 follows the life of Cassie Blake, a high school junior living with her mother in New England and harboring some serious homesickness. Her life takes an interesting turn that sets her fate in motion when she has a romantic run in on the beach with a red-haired, mysterious stranger. However, much to Cassie’s disappointment he soon disappears and Cassie’s mother decides it’s time to move on, crushing Cassie’s dreams of leaving New England and heading home. After moving to her mother’s hometown, New Salem, and into her grandmother’s dreary, imposing old house Cassie starts trying to establish a new life for herself. First on her agenda is making new friends, which becomes quite a task after having a run in with the school bully Faye Chamberlain and her gang who make sure that Cassie is deemed an outsider. It’s then that Cassie starts to notice a group of students who seem to defy the school rules, who are both popular and avoided by the rest of their peers and who are known as the Club. The Club consists of Diana, the group leader and peacemaker, Suzan, the group airhead and comic relief, Nick, the standoffish rebel, Faye, the resident bad girl, Deborah, the resident bad girl in training WITH a motorcycle, Laurel, soft spoken and nurturing, the Henderson brothers Doug and Chris, twin troublemakers, Melanie, logical and knowledgeable, Sean, the group scaredy cat, and finally Adam, the boy who has stolen Diana’s heart and is MIA for the first half of the book (or is he?). The Club needs 12 members to fully operate and Cassie is about to be initiated into the group, ditching her outsider label forever. Yet the Club has hidden secrets and a dark history that Cassie couldn’t know about until an evil is unleashed on the town and people start dying. Cassie is torn between her love for Diana, her fear of Faye’s threats and the need for the Circle to work together to protect New Salem. Cassie will need to decide who she can trust and fast.

The story starts out with some cringe-worthy teenage dramatics. Cassie has emotional outbursts both crying and yelling at her poor mother when they first move to her grandmother’s house. Cassie also seeks attention from her peers hoping to be noticed or accepted by anyone. I had to continuously remind myself that this is high school and we’ve all been there at some point or another. I stuck with the story and I’m glad that I did because the payoff was extremely rewarding. As the story unfolds Cassie is forced to grow up and put her temper tantrums aside. The writing seems to grow up in its own way as well and you no longer feel as if you’re reading a YA novel when bodies of students start showing up on school grounds. I made a special trip to the bookstore for the second book in this trilogy (weird I know but each book contains 1 and ½ stories so together they both make up the trilogy) so that I would have it ready before finishing the first book. I knew that once I finished the first book I would want to jump straight into the second one to see how Cassie’s story would end. I have to say I was instantly hooked, it was never a question of if I would give in to this story but when and the answer was straight away. I must say through her dark persona and evil antics Faye remains my all time favorite Club member in both the book and show. There is something so enduring about giving into desire the way she does without any thought or fear of consequence. She is completely self-indulgent and not apologetic for it at all. This is a girl who knows how to use her inner strength and physical appearance to get whatever she wants right when she wants it. 

The only grammatical error I found was the misspelling on page 77 of Faye as “Fay”. However, because Fay is an alternative spelling of the name and not an actual grammatical error I still rate the Grammar of this book as a 5. Also, there is a very confusing typo on (page 261 book 1) that states that Faye’s mother is dead. I believe the word “mother” was supposed to be “father” seeing as later in the book (page 379 book 1) we discover Faye’s father’s headstone in the old cemetery. Also on (page 14 book 2) it is said that Faye’s mother is “sick in bed” while the girls are throwing a party at Faye’s house.

The Secret Circle: The Captive Part 2 and The Power 

             (Book #2)

Cassie Blake moved to New Salem against her will and was initiated into the Club in the first book. It turns out that Cassie’s mysterious guy on the beach was Adam, who she learns is dating Diana when he returns to the Club in time for her initiation. Cassie constantly battles between her uncontrollable attraction to Adam and her unconditional love for Diana. Now let’s catch you up to speed. All of the members of the Club are descendants of an ancient line of witches, including Cassie. The powerful bloodlines come together to form a circle of twelve witches who unknowingly unleash an evil entity known as Black John onto the town of New Salem when they discover a crystal skull. The Club itself is in chaos as the leadership vote arrives and Faye goes head to head with Diana for the position.  Now as the Circle struggles to find a way to resist Black John they are forced to turn on each other. Someone in the Club has been feeding valuable information to Black John and no one can be trusted. Bodies are starting to pile up and darkness stalks the Circle as they attempt to put a stop to it once and for all. The Circle desperately searches for The Master Tools, the only thing that would allow them to stand a chance against the evil Black John is conjuring for them. Yet, Black John still has a few secrets up his malevolent sleeves, one giant secret in particular that could change Cassie’s outlook on everything she’s ever believed in and make her wonder just who exactly she is…or could be if she chooses to embrace her dark side.

I flew through this book, I just couldn’t wait to see how the Circle would progress and who would still be standing by the end. Without giving anything away, the love triangle that occurs had my heart aching for the characters. I have to note that I do know that there are more books under The Secret Circle title however, I’m aware that these books are not in fact written by L. J. Smith and due to reviews that I’ve read I’m not entirely sure if I’ll be reading the remaining books. I’ll definitely keep you updated if I do.

I have to say that I discovered this trilogy only after watching the entire season of the CW show, entering into it with high hopes and expectations. Fans of the CW show will probably be a little disappointed by the lack of steamy romance between the Club members and the slight character differences that appear in the book. Some noticeable differences right from the start are that the name of the town that Cassie moves to in the book is New Salem while in the CW show it is Chance Harbor. Another notable difference is that Cassie is a brunette, while Diana is a sunshine blonde. Also, Cassie’s grandmother is described as “ancient” compared to the limber and lively woman who portrays her in the show.  Despite the differences, the book in itself is an exceptionally fun ride and should not be overlooked. Even though I was prepared and to be honest slightly disappointed that the storyline in the books was almost completely different than that of the show I still found myself mesmerized by it. I enjoyed this trilogy and am definitely looking forward to sharing it.

*Note: A fun book to have on hand while reading this trilogy is The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall. I found this book to be extremely helpful when identifying the different crystals and stones used by the Club.

Standing Room Only: Two Years in New York City

Standing Room Only: Two Years in New York City by Sarah Protzman

Okay, so lately I’ve been having a mini New York obsession. (Happens to everyone, right?) It all started about a week ago, after getting back to my quiet, rural life from a two-day trip to see How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette on Broadway. Usually, I’m quite happy to live on the outskirts, away from the hustle and bustle of fast-paced city life. However, this time I found myself moping, missing the sights and sounds (but maybe not the smells) of city living. There’s just something about being in the center of all of that energy, surrounded by people with places to go and things to do. Naturally, seeking both comfort and empathy, I turned to books. I came across this title and it immediately caught my eye. How could I say no?

Standing Room Only: Two Years in New York City follows the life of Sarah Protzman, a 24-year-old ambitious blonde, who decides that she’s finally going to make her lifelong dream of living in the Big Apple come true. She sets off from her hometown of Colorado with a firm determination and motivation, despite having no place to live and no job waiting for her there. As she adjusts to big-time city living, big-time city spending and begins to pick up on the dating scene she is bombarded time after time with disheartening obstacles. Between being yelled at by her ill-tempered landlord and her eccentric, rarely-sober roommate rubbing her the wrong way it’s incredible that she can still find New York to be endearing. Nevertheless, even through the embarrassment, pain and heartbreak, she does and she realizes that she’s living her dream despite a few mishaps…and poorly placed banana peels.

This book took about a little over an hour to read but is one of those rare pieces that will stay with me forever. The quotes in this book were so genuine and hit me on such a personal level that I could relate to the entire story despite never having lived in a city nor on my own in my entire life. One of the best things about this book is the layout. What started out as a personal blog was transformed into a diary and then published so the pages flow together with a natural speed. I love that the author doesn’t harp on aimlessly or drag out certain scenarios to the point where you’re no longer interested, there’s something new constantly taking place so there’s no chance of the reader becoming bored or distracted. I also love the level of honesty portrayed throughout the pages. The author isn’t afraid to tell you exactly how she is feeling or admit to the fact that she’s made a mistake or two in the past. I found her incredibly funny, refreshing and easy to relate to especially when she breaks down on the subway whilst carrying her 40lb backpack of possessions. I wouldn’t hesitate to read anything by this author in the future and I may just have to make another trip back to the city that never sleeps through these pages in order to get my city fix. Until I can get back there in person, that is.

The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

The Turn of the Screw follows the life of a young unnamed governess as she makes an exciting journey to Bly House, the dreary property of an attractive yet equally distant and mysterious uncle who has employed her to govern his young niece Flora and nephew Miles. On the massive estate the governess is immediately taken with the uncle’s charm but her infatuation is somewhat crushed when she is informed, by the caretaker Mrs. Grose, that he is frequently away from Bly and that he prefers to handle business that way, in fact, he prefers to take a back-burner approach to anything that has to do with the children. Mrs. Grose also informs her that she’s not the first to fall in love with him, yet the previous governesses who were also so fond of him seem to have all mysteriously disappeared or suffered misfortunate fates. The children are introduced and are just as charming as their uncle but twice as affectionate and present. Yet, just when the governess seems to be enjoying her time at Bly and learning her place on the large estate strange noises and apparitions begin to stalk her. Frantic, she recounts these to Mrs. Grose who reluctantly admits that there were two previous employees, Peter Quint and Miss Jessel, who worked on the estate that match the descriptions of the apparitions that have been haunting the governess. The governess begins to calm down, rationalizing that these employees must have come back, only to learn that they had both died years ago. As the loving behavior of the children begins to shift to mischievous and hurtful antics the governess begins to wonder if she’s simply going mad or if the ghosts of Bly house are purposely using everything she loves against her.  

  

I found this book incredibly hard to get into. I really had to focus (as in turn off all electronics, background noise and stare at it until it makes sense). The writing style is aged, old century lingo with the narrator constantly using run on sentences and injecting opposing ideas into the middle of them. There’s also the issue of, at some points, not knowing exactly who it is that is speaking, which made it even more difficult to follow the storyline. When I reached the middle of the story however, (almost 59% through my Kindle says) the plot pace quickened and became increasingly interesting (or perhaps that was just the excitement of being more than half-way done with the book). If you’re into that old century feel and can withstand the somewhat annoying and confusing dialogue then this just might be the book for you. 

Rose Madder

Rose Madder by Stephen King

Rose Madder follows the life of the unfortunate Rosie Daniels who has been dealt a bad hand ever since high school, when her last name was still McClendon and her fate was first decided with Norman Daniels. Norman is a police officer but he’s also one of the most brutal, psychotic and abusive husbands to walk the earth. He resents Rosie, finding new ways to both humiliate and torture her for simple things such as reading a book he disproves of or leaving a smudged fingerprint on the bathroom mirror.  She’s survived his temper for 14 years until one day, while making their bed, a stray drop of blood changes everything. Rosie walks out of their miserable life together, leaving Rosie Daniels behind and transforming into Rosie McClendon once again. She seeks shelter in a large, bustling town and begins to push the reset button on her life. She purchases a framed oil painting, something old and unseen with the title Rose Madder scrawled across the back in charcoal. No one else can understand Rosie’s fascination with the painting, why she feels such a pull towards it or even why sometimes late at night it seems the subjects of the painting roam freely into her world. She’s happy for the first time in 14 years, she has a job and she has friends, Anna, Pam, Gert and Cynthia who are all members of the local Daughters and Sisters shelter for abused women that took Rosie in at the lowest point in her life. She has her very own apartment and even a new spark in her love life by the name of Bill Steiner. She has one more thing. She has Norman Daniels hot on her trail and he wants to talk to her up close…real close…and he’s willing to take down anyone who stands between them.

The beginning of this story punches you in the gut. Literally. The book opens on a scene where Rosie is crumpled in pain, laying in a pool of her own blood after one of Norman’s violent outbursts and trying to decide whether or not she’s losing their unborn child. This story is relentless, raw and unforgiving. Stephen King creates such a sympathetic character with Rosie that there is no way you can’t feel something for her. Her vulnerability, how terrified and how unprepared she is out in the real world are all such believable traits for a woman who has barely lived for 14 long years. Despite the quality of the storyline, this book had a large amount of grammatical errors such as “Expect” when he really meant “Except” and “Wadk” instead of “Walk”. However, I enjoyed the eerie dream quality this story took on, it blurred the lines between what was real and what was imagined, to the point where you almost couldn’t tell which was which. This book opened a doorway between reality and the painted world beyond, and I’d be willing to walk through and explore it several more times.  

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

                  (An Eclipse Novella - The Twilight Saga)

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner follows a newly transformed Bree Tanner through her dangerous and confusing new immortal life. She’s managed to survive as a vampire for 3 months under the strained rule of notorious vampire Riley mostly due to luck and her clever notion that hiding behind Freaky Fred (a large and intimidating vampire with a knack for mentally repelling other vampires) will render her invisible. She falls in love with Diego, Riley’s trusted right-hand man. Out of respect and fear they both support Riley’s rules and follow them to a T. They know only one thing for certain, the most important of his rules, you must be home before sunrise unless, of course, you want to explode into ashes.  However, when Bree and Diego become trapped inside a sun-infested cave after coming back from a late hunt they learn the truth about the sun, and begin to question not only Riley’s knowledge but also his motives. They want to know exactly what source he ‘s been extracting these lies from. Is it the woman in the house he frequently visits, the one they’ve never seen? Is it the group of hooded figures that rarely come to call, giving them chills down their already frozen spines? When Diego suddenly disappears one day Bree is left to question their existence alone. As Riley’s army makes their journey from Seattle towards Washington (Forks, to be exact) Bree struggles between her need to reach Diego and her fear of what lies ahead. She’s faced with a terrible choice of fight or flight, but just what exactly are they fighting for and who’s commands are they truly fulfilling? She’s heading towards death itself with only half-truths and half an army on her side.

In all honesty, I didn’t like this book. Not because it wasn’t interesting or was poorly written, but because it took one of my favorite characters from the saga and completely twisted her into something I didn’t care for. I had a fixed image of Bree, a character I easily felt sympathy for, but when she began calling herself a god I realized this wasn’t a character I could relate to. She was revealed to be something completely opposite of what I had envisioned. What I did like about this book was the glimpse into the backstage action that we finally got to see. My sympathy immediately shifted from Bree to Riley himself, as he was dragged over and over through the maze of lies Victoria pulled him through. He was just as much a victim as any of the other newborns, only he was the one left holding the blame. I think this book allowed his character to redeem some respect and brought closure to some of the unanswered questions fans of the saga still had. 

The Trylle Trilogy

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

Switched 

  (Book #1)

Switched follows the life of Wendy Everly, your typical under-achiever who is bounced around from high school to high school while her older brother Matt and guardian Aunt Maggie plead with her to stop slacking off. She’s felt like an outsider her entire life, well, ever since her mother tried to impale her with a butcher knife at her sixth birthday party. Her mother claims that Wendy is not the same child she was pregnant with and swears that Wendy is responsible for somehow misplacing her unborn son. Shortly after Wendy makes a promise to Matt that she’ll begin applying herself at school, she begins noticing a dark, mysterious figure watching her (amazing the things you notice when you’re actually awake in class). Finn Holmes isn’t your typical teenager and when Wendy confronts him about his staring problem she realizes just how unusual he can be. He begins dragging her down a frustratingly sloping road of “He likes me; He likes me not”, and constantly turns up outside of her bedroom window, much to the displeasure of Matt who promptly vows to kill him. Finn forces Wendy to acknowledge the reasons why she feels like an outsider. Why she seems to always get her way, why she hates wearing shoes and why she’s the only Vegan in her entire family. Wendy is an outsider, in fact, she’s not even human. Worst of all, for any teenager, Wendy realizes that her mother was right.

It’s a little sad to say, but what initially prompted me to download this book was her clever use of the word ”Batshit”. In all seriousness though, the storyline grabbed me immediately. I can’t resist dark stories about violent, knife-wielding family members, it helps me forget about my own dysfunctional family for a while. Now I know what you’re thinking, a high school teenager in a new town being stalked by a mysterious guy who has a habit of climbing through her bedroom window. I get it, I thought that too.  Rest assured, there are no sparkles involved. While there are more than a few similarities to *ahem* other stories I’ve read, this book manages to hold it’s own and cleverly veers off of that “Been there, done that” road. I was hooked by the storyline but I stayed for the characters, especially Matt, who openly struggles with the unstable balance of being both a father-figure and brother to Wendy. It was way too easy to develop feelings for these characters, and that has to be one of the best things about this book.

(*Note: I chose to grade each book as a separate entity instead of grading the entire trilogy as a whole.)

Torn 

  (Book #2)

The one thing I hate about sequels is that they don’t begin where they left off. They constantly go back and re-explain things that (if you had read the first book) you should already know. And honestly who reads the middle of a trilogy without reading the beginning?

Okay so to catch you up to speed, Wendy isn’t human, in fact, she’s royalty. Wendy has to come to terms with who she is, battling her longing to remain with her host family or her duty to step up and lead her people, the ones who have been waiting so many years to finally meet her.  Wendy is also struggling with the immense disappointment of meeting her biological mother, Elora, who is distant and cold, and learning to share Matt with his biological brother, Rhys. Things begin to get a little more complicated. The Trylle tribe (or the dream team as I’ve come to think of them), which chiefly consists of Wendy, Finn, Duncan, Rhys, Willa, Tove and most recently Matt, is having an incredibly busy time. Finn, as a low-ranking tracker, has to learn to hide his feelings for Wendy from everyone else for fear of exiling himself and his entire family. Also, the Vittra, an enemy tribe who are bent on kidnapping Wendy prove that they’re not afraid to kill, maim and injure innocent bystanders to get to what they want. It’s only then that Wendy learns the truth about her biological father, King Oren, leader of the Vittra. It’s in her father’s household that she befriends Loki, a strange, non-violent member of the Vittra who seems amused and even intrigued by her.  Tove takes on the immense goal of training Wendy to control her psychic powers, preparing her for an inevitable battle with her own father and his people. We learn a little about Elora’s past, at least the love triangle she plays a part in, which her daughter, it seems, is doomed to repeat. Elora’s powers have drained her to the point where she’s clinging to life by her fingernails. When she dies Wendy will become Queen and the Vittra will come with a vengeance. Wendy’s complicated love triangle comes to a point with an awkward proposal before abruptly transforming into an unpredictable love square. Between wedding plans, strategizing how to overthrow the king, and wondering just what dark secret Matt has been concealing under the covers, Wendy has less time and more to lose than ever. The choice between love and duty has never been an easy one, but where do you start without knowing exactly where you stand? Wendy has to find out, and she has to find out fast.

This took what I expected to be a thoroughly predictable storyline to astonishing new heights and undiscovered depths. Sure, I was able to foresee the proposal probably from the very beginning but that’s where my crystal ball became hazy and unfocused. The love square, well that was just brilliant, and the fact that Wendy’s father would be revealed as her darkest enemy was just another pleasant surprise. I have to admit I didn’t see that coming and that’s exactly what I like to see (or not see) in a good book.  

Ascend 

   (Book #3)

Wendy begins coming into her own, taking on the duties her mother is now too weak to perform and actually, for once, acting like the Princess everyone expects her to be. She’s fighting against centuries of narrow-minded traditions set in place by both ignorance and fear (and just think she hasn’t even turned 18 yet). The coy but friendly Loki is treated like a chew toy, allowing the King to take out his frustrations on his skin to invoke a reaction from his daughter, and seeks shelter in Wendy’s palace. He then begins to reveal his true feelings for her and he’s not the only one. Ironically, it takes Elora being on her deathbed to prompt her to have a decent relationship with her daughter. It becomes clear just how much she now regrets her isolation and how much she had to go through to keep Wendy safe. With her childhood now behind her and her wedding fast approaching Wendy doesn’t have time for doubts or hectic thoughts. So, of course, the night before her wedding Finn decides to arrive ready and willing to show her exactly how much longing he’s been concealing (now that’s good timing). Her father decides to crash her wedding the next day to simply deliver a message and when Wendy assures him that she can’t be intimidated he saunters off but by no means backs down. Instead, he attacks a nearby village, destroying houses and killing thousands. He then launches an ambush on a small Trylle group who were out assessing the damage, killing some and injuring others, including Finn, much to Wendy’s dismay. Wendy then takes matters into her own hands attempting to barter with the king in exchange for peace for her people. However, the king’s twisted words convince Wendy to question Loki’s motives and she begins to wonder just how much of what he’s told her has been a lie. When the group travels to help the nearby village recover Wendy’s life joins the shambles surrounding her. She’s overcome with unexplainable emotions and overstressed about the future of her kingdom. After being beaten physically and emotionally, she’s close to the very edge of sanity. Her loveless marriage, her kingdom and her mother’s life are all hanging by a thread. The devastation around her opens her eyes to how real the threats from her father are and how horribly this could all end for her friends and her people. She begins to realize that this can only truly end in either war or murder. The question is just how do you kill pure evil and how much do you have to sacrifice to protect the ones you love?

This was by far my favorite book in the trilogy. It was the first time I allowed myself to leave the shallow waters of denial and was forced to admit that I was falling for these characters. The scenes between Tove and Wendy had me laughing so hard that I actually had to put down my Kindle, pick it up, reread the lines and start cracking up again. This was definitely the darkest of the three books, with unsuspecting turns and downright shocks to the system. I found myself actually screaming “What!?” at some of the choices being made. The one complaint that I have is that the grammar was a constant annoyance throughout the entire trilogy. There were misspelled words and even entire halves of sentences missing. However, for me, this book saved the entire trilogy.  Ultimately by the end, I was sad to see these characters go.