AOTR BOOK CLUB: JANUARY

“THE WORLD BELONGS TO THOSE THAT READ” – RICK HOLLAND

Introducing the AOTR Book Club! Rather than publishing my top 10 books twice a year, I’ve decided to take on the challenge and review 4 books every month. I’ll give each book a short summary (without spoilers), my personal star rating, and will finish each post with a list of the books I plan to review the following month. I hope you can read along with me!

The Host
Stephenie Meyer
****

Definitely one of the more ‘stranger’ books I’ve read. The concept is so imaginative! Hats off to Stephenie for creating a world that no one else has dared to. Because the concept was so different to anything else I had read before, it made the characters so much more intriguing. Meyer’s has definitely grown as an author from her debut ‘Twilight’ series. There were rumours of a sequel, which I would have been really excited to read, but nothing so far! Definitely recommend this one for all you Sci-Fi lovers out there.

Where They Found Her
Kimberly McCreight
***.5

This was a true page turner! I love how it was told from so many different people’s perspectives and each one was more messed up than the last! A newborn infant girl is found in a park near a river, exactly where a high school student was found dead 20 years earlier. As the town tries to figure out who the mother of the child is, many secrets unravel. I had a hunch on whom the guilty party was- and I was right, which kind of killed it for me – but I have seen many reviews where people had no idea what was coming, so you may be surprised.

Child 44
Tom Rob Smith
****

An intense crime mystery set in early 1950s Russia, the main character works for the state police and uncovers a series of child murders. Smith is brilliant at making you feel the constant sense of dread, insecurity, and paranoia that his characters feel every single day of their lives; making the book almost unbearably suspenseful. It keeps you absorbed, wanting desperately to know what’s going to happen next, but half-terrified to find out. There are two books following the intial installment and I’m looking forward to reading more of this story.

Dark Places
Gillian Flynn
****

Gillian Flynn sure does love writing about horrible people doing horrible things but I LOVE reading her twisted stories. Libby Day is a sole survivor of a horrendous massacre. Her mother and two sisters were brutally killed one night and, mostly thanks to Libby’s testimony, the murders were attributed to Libby’s older brother Ben. At age 32, and out of money, Libby will do just about anything to get cash; which includes helping a group of people prove Ben’s innocence. The story itself is gruesome. Prepare yourself for brutal killings, molestation, bullying, Satan worshipping, drugs and underage sex. Underneath all that is there is a great mystery that will keep you guessing until the last moment.