The Mime Order

      Well, I have been preeeeettttyyyy busy these last few weeks because ya know...Creative Non-Fiction and life. It's all good though I enjoyed the project, but that meant I didn't have much time for reading. I started this book while on break and read some when we came back. It's the sequel to a book called The Bone Season. In order to sit down and read this book, you have to be in the right mood and like these kind of books. By these kinds of books, I mean dystopian societys, because this series introduces a whole new world, called the Aether, that can be very very confusing and leaving you sitting there thinking how'd that happen or wait what. I know it certainly did that to me. That's what I meant by 'Right mood' because you'll have to think a lot during this book and always be connecting the dots. Even if you're not in the "Right Mood." Shannon does such an excellent job of compelling the plot forward and she can pull you into that "Right Mood" and before you know you'll have read 75 pages. Just like me!

    We all need to thank Samantha Shannon because she was kind enough to leave 5 or so maps and a chart of all the different Clairvoyants. Ah yes, the Clairvoyants, the people with uncanny ability to connect to the Aether through different ways. Without the information listed above the reader would be left stranded in the dark. Here, let me give you an example, "The Augur and I traveled to I-2, got off the metro without being detected by any Poltergeists, then got on another metro to I-4 to meet the Binder," (Shannon 74). The wha wha and what? If you read the first, you would know what these are but if you just flipped there and read it, you would be so confused. That's why I find myself constantly flipping to map and charts in the back because without it we would be questioning everything.

    While this is a good book, you have to read the first book first, well I mean, it makes sense, but in other series you can just pick up a book with some random number on the cover. However! That is not the case with this book. It would make no sense whatsoever because this book picks up right where The Bone Season left off. I plan on continuing this book soon and you should too if you like dystopian books on steroids,

Play Dead

Harlen Coben is one of my favorite Mystery writers, he does such an excellent job at keeping the readers at the edge of their seat and making them want to read until dusk. Mystery books are probably my favorite to read because I love the multiple intriguing plot lines that keep you guessing until the very end. That's what exactly happened here, I finished this book in about 2-3 days tops, and I thought I was the detective that was one step ahead of the criminal. Until. BAM. It hit me. It was the character you least expected, the character who stood aside until it was his moment. The character that made havoc break lose. Yes, that character.

It is pretty funny though, this was one of his first books I believe, written 20 years ago. At the front of my copy (a re-printed copy), it says, "If this is one of your first books of mine. Put it down. Return it. And grab another one." I just thought this was really hilarious that an author would this in his book. But after reading it, you can totally tell the difference between this and one of his now-a-days, his voice, writer's craft, and just the feel you get from it. But all that comes with time and I like that he warned us and recognized it himself. To be frank, the plot is well written but it is so far-fetched and there would be so many alternate solutions, but hey that what makes this book so unique.

To me, what makes this book a good mystery book is that one, the characters are well developed and are very distinguished. Like I said, the plot line is well written but it would need a revamp if it was done today. My favorite thing about the plot line is that he gives you a hint of what is coming up, sometimes in very subtle ways or just out right says something that hints at the upcoming pages. Then, when it all comes together, it is just so genuine and is a good mystery. Sometimes, I would catch his little hints then sometimes I wouldn't. The reaction is greatly differed between when I realize it...or I don't. I got this book out of my parents bookcase, almost every book in that bookcase, they have read, so sometimes when something insane happened, I would always run upstairs and be like, "WOW YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS"...but they do believe it because they've read it. Yet again, I do that with a lot of things.

It was a great book and recommend it to anyone who likes a good ol' mystery!