Mini Reviews: Settling by Shelley Workinger and Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

From Goodreads: At the beginning of the summer, Clio Kaid was one of a hundred teens brought to a secret Army installation. But it was no ordinary camp and they weren’t ordinary kids ... Picking up where “Solid” left off, Clio and her friends realize that they aren’t ready to go home; they’re determined to stay on campus and continue their journey of self- discovery. But someone doesn’t feel the same way and will do anything to drive them away – even kill. Friendships will be tested, abilities will evolve, and more secrets will come out as the teens race to stop the killer before he sets his sights on one of them ...

My Rating: 2.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Shelley Workinger’s Settling, the sequel to Solid, was really hard to get into. I thought the pacing was extremely slow (though it did pick up a little near the end), and found the ending to be kind of abrupt. Also, it continues to be hard to get emotionally attached to the characters, and this was especially the case with the main character, Clio, who was moody and kept pushing away her friends. Even though there was a reason for this (and it was nice to learn a little more about Clio’s abilities), it made the plot sort of drag along. Moreover, the book still only gives you a rough idea of what Clio and her friends are capable of doing. Ultimately, Settling has the same issues that I found with Solid – and this time the story just wasn’t as interesting.

Settling was released in July 2011 by CreateSpace.

Comments About the Cover: It’s not as nice as Solid’s, but I like that it hints at the climax of the book.

This ebook was received from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

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From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn’t as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She is special. She sees visions, and for those she’s seen, it’s already too late. Trinity arrives on her aunt’s doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she’s seen. But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica’s disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She is kind-of dating Jessica’s ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario. Nothing prepares Trinity for the dark odyssey that ensues while searching for Jessica, including the surprising romance she finds with Chase, or the shocking truths she learns, not just about the girl who has gone missing, but the past that has been hidden from her. 

My Rating: 1 heart 

Thoughts on the Novel: After reading Shattered Dreams by Ellie James, my main thought was, “Why the heck did I finish this book?!” Although the novel starts off promisingly with a group of teenagers sneaking into an abandoned house to play Truth or Dare and Trinity, the protagonist, getting a few terrifying visions, the plot soon fell apart. I had literally no idea what was going on the entire time, and much like Trinity, couldn’t tell the difference between what was a vision/dream and what was reality – a feeling I very much disliked. As well, the ending was pretty much impossible to guess – it’s unpredictable even in hindsight – and no motive at all is provided for the person doing what he did.

On top of that, the characters were hard to like or care about – I read the book yesterday and had to look up the main character’s name in order to write this review – and the same can be said about the romance. Oh, and the latter half of the book suggests that there might be a possible love triangle in the future.

Shattered Dreams was released by St. Martin’s Griffin on December 6, 2011.

Comments About the Cover: The cover doesn’t exactly match the darker feel of the story.

In exchange for an honest review, this ARC was received from the publisher (St. Martin's Griffin) for free via NetGalley.