Monday, March 31, 2014

Mini Reviews: Ask Me by Kimberly Pauley and When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens

From Goodreads: Ask Aria Morse anything, and she must answer with the truth. Yet she rarely understands the cryptic words she‘s compelled to utter. Blessed - or cursed - with the power of an Oracle who cannot decipher her own predictions, she does her best to avoid anyone and everyone. But Aria can no longer hide when Jade, one of the few girls at school who ever showed her any kindness, disappears. Any time Aria overhears a question about Jade, she inadvertently reveals something new, a clue or hint as to why Jade vanished. But like stray pieces from different puzzles, her words never present a clear picture. Then there’s Alex, damaged and dangerous, but the first person other than Jade to stand up for her. And Will, who offers a bond that seems impossible for a girl who’s always been alone. Both were involved with Jade. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she becomes a target. Not everyone wants the truth to come out. 

My Rating: 4 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Ask Me by Kimberly Pauley was a thriller I enjoyed. Although a lot of people may find who the killer is to be very obvious, it took me a while to venture a guess as to who the murderer could be; and only when Aria figured out her own riddle did all the clues really fall into place for me.

Besides the good mystery, I liked Aria. I found it very easy to sympathize with her frustration of being an oracle and having to answer any question she overhears, her loneliness due to being considered a freak by her classmates, and her desire to be normal.  

Ask Me will be released by Soho Teen on April 8, 2014. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Soho Teen) for free via Edelweiss.
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From Goodreads: First Daughter Audrey Rhodes can't wait for the party she has planned for Friday night. The decorations are all set and the pizza is on its way. But the Secret Service must be out to ruin her life, because they cancel at the last minute for a "security breach," squashing Audrey's chances for making any new friends. What good is having a bowling alley if you don't have anyone to bowl with? Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless - until she discovers Alice Roosevelt's hidden diary. The former first daughter's outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun ... and more problems than she can handle.  

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens was a nice MG read, which imagines what life as a First Daughter is like in modern times and contrasts it with the fictional – though based upon much research – diary chronicling Alice Roosevelt’s experience as a First Daughter in 1901. I liked seeing how similarly restricted both girls felt but also discovering how much more freedom the First Daughter would have had just a century ago.

Since I don’t know much about American history (being a Canadian, duh!), I enjoyed learning about Alice Roosevelt. While I liked Audrey, she seemed very young (which isn’t surprising because she’s only thirteen) and not as interesting in comparison to the sixteen-year-old Alice.

When Audrey Met Alice was released by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky in February 2014. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Raincoast Books) for free.

5 comments:

  1. So glad you finally got a 4 star read in, Z! I was getting a bit worried that you wouldn't find one soon. I'm curious as to how the oracle works in Ask Me. The MG book sounds cute too, but I also don't know much about Alice Roosevelt either. I'll pass the recommendation along to some readers that I know who like historical fiction.

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  2. The MC in Ask Me sounds pretty cool, and I don't think the predictability would bother me-I may not even be able to guess, ha!

    I love first daughter stories! They are always so fun.

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  3. These are both new to me. I don't know anything about Alice Roosevelt either, but it's probably the thriller that I'm most interested in reading. I tend to be pretty slow on the uptake when it comes to mysteries so I'm thinking I wouldn't be able to guess the murderer right away either, so bonus!

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  4. I like the sound of both of these, though I'm more curious about Ask Me. I love a good thriller, and especially like when you can't work things out quickly. I'll have to check these out. Great reviews, Z! :)

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  5. These two sound good but I'm more curious about Ask Me. It sounds paranormal-ish thriller. I don't think I've read something like that before? Anyhow, I find that I also tend to be the last person to know who the culprit is inspite the hints so I might like it except I smell love triangle.

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