Shade Me by Jennifer Brown

Publication Date: January 19^th, 2016

Series: Nikki Kill (bk. 1)

Genera(s): Contemporary Thriller

Subjects: mystery, crime, mental disorders, abilities, synesthesia, musicians

Setting: Brentwood, California

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, past tense: Nikki Kill

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 441 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover 

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Katherine Tegen

Summary/ product description: “Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray. Thanks to a rare phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.

Always an outsider, just one ‘D’ shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies. It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.

The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?

As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultra-rich Hollis family, and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, never-do-well older brother Dru. While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson.

Shade Me is award-winning author Jennifer Brown’s first book in a thrilling suspense series about Nikki Kill.”

My Review:  Shade Me is a unique crime mystery. The main character has synesthesia. Every number, letter and emotion has a unique color to her. When Nikki gets a call from a classmate in trouble, and then a call from the hospital, she wonders why was she the one called? What does the famous Payton Hollis have to do with her? Payton was beaten to the edge of death and is in a coma. Nikki starts to dig into the mystery of who attacked Payton and why would she have a phone with only her number on it.

Nikki is a really awesome main character. The way she describes her synesthesia is really cool. Her synesthesia has been a problem most of her life, though. In school is distracted her. Math and English class especially. In high school it’s affecting her Chemistry grade the worst. To Nikki, 3’s and E’s are purple and she gets them confused. 0 is black, 1 is brown, 2 is pink, 3 is purple, 4 is silver…ect. Words have unique colors from the separate letters. Fear is bumpy gray and brown, danger is sparkly white. It’s really amazing how the author came up with all of this. She must have made a color list to keep track of everything so Nikki’s synesthesia is consistent.

Her synesthesia makes her unique, but she’s also a black belt in tae-kwon-do. She’s really kick-ass at it. I was in tang-soo-do for a few years and only made it to high blue belt (next would be brown, high brown and then black). I love how dedicated she is to her martial art classes. It’s such a cooler sport than cheerleading or soccer. Self-defense is important, but Nikki is sometime on offense in this book. My sensei would have never approved of her risky behavior.

The other characters in the book are pretty well thought out. Nikki’s dad is a photographer, and very lenient. He doesn’t punish her or ground her for getting bad grades or skipping school. The Hollis family is messy. Dru is Peyton’s brother and bit of a player. He and Nikki get romantically involved, but he’s also a suspect in the attack. Luna, their half-sister, is a total bi-otch, Peyton-wannabe. Their father is a movie director and a jerk. His wife isn’t that great either. There’s also Detective Martinez, who’s investigating the attack. He’s kind of young and helps Nikki. Nikki keeps her own investigation a secret mostly. No one but her dad and a counselor know about her synesthesia.

Shade me is a thrilling mystery and I recommend it to fans of YA mysteries about crime, such as Dangerous Lies and Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick. The Masked Truth by Kelly Armstrong, No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale, Clarity by Kim Harris.

Cover Art Review: Simple and cool. Love the colorful type treatment. Kind of don’t like the girl’s face though.

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Series: Standalone

Genera(s): Contemporary Thriller/Romance

Subjects: survival, hostages, crime, winter, mystery, love, mystery

Setting: Wyoming

POV/Tense: 1^st person past tense: Britt

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 392 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover/Paperback

List Price: $18.99/$9.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster: BFYR

Summary/ product description: “Danger is hard to resist in this sexy thriller from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Britt Pheiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

Britt is forced to guide the men off the mountain, and knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there…and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

“Rife with psychological twists exploring themes of revenge, misogyny, and familial duty” (Publishers Weekly), Black Ice is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…”

My Review:  Black Ice was so much better than I expected. I’m not usually into books without and sci-fi or paranormal stuff, but I do love a good mystery. Black Ice has the survival situation of a dystopian novel and a dark romance that’s to die for. Britt was planning on spending spring-break hiking in the Teton mountains of Wyoming with her friend Korbie.

When the weather takes a deadly turn on their way to Korbie’s family cabin, they exit the vehicle to seek shelter. One of the guys who are in the shelter they come was Mason, a guy Britt saw earlier at 7 Eleven and a friend of his. Britt ends up in a hostage situation, having to lead the guys out of the mountains or face death. It’s scary for her and she had to leave Korbie behind. Britt plans on finding help and escaping her captors, but it’s harder than she thought. The weather isn’t cooperating and she doesn’t have much supplies. Bad stuff happens and dark secrets unfold.

Black Ice is a perfectly thrilling winter read. I recommend reading it during a blizzard. It’s heart-pounding and page-turning. It’s the kind of book that would make you nervous. I don’t think I’d ever get in a situation like Britt has. I do kind of feel like she made some stupid decisions at the beginning. People should not go into the mountain to hike in March. I watch Prospectors on the Weather Channel and they say the snow is usually around through May. I love the setting of Wyoming. Unearthly is the only Wyoming series I’ve read. This book doesn’t show case the touristy side though. It shows the treacherousness of the mountain climate.

I’m happy I read this and would definitely recommend it. The romance seems like Stockholm syndrome, but it is kind of hot. If you love books about survival or murder and crime or mystery, it’s a must read. It reminds me of some movies like The Gray. There are animal attacks and hunting and all kinds of crazy stuff. I love Becca Fitzpatrick’s book. I still need to finish her Hush, Hush series though.

Cover Art Review: I think I prefer the newer cover, but the old is okay.

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

Series: Standalone

Genera(s): Contemporary Thriller/Romance

Subjects: witness protection, crime, identity, secrets, addiction, summer, small towns

Setting: Thunder Basin, Nebraska

POV/Tense: 1^st person past tense: Estella Goodwin (Stella Gordan)

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 384 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster: BFYR

Summary/ product description: “A teen is forced to make a fresh start after witnessing a violent crime—but love and danger find her anyway in this novel from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

My Review:  It’s not to often I read a book without any fantasy, paranormal or sci-fi elements, but when I do my go-to genera is mystery thrillers. This one didn’t really have a lot of crazy scary thrills, but it did have a hot cowboy. And all I could think of was Tucker from Unearthly, my favorite contemporary cowboy. Chet would now be my second favorite. Most of the book Stella didn’t want Chet romantically, but cowboys are hard to resist.

Dangerous Lies is about Estella Goodwin, who’s given the fake name Stella Gordon and put in witness protection after witnessing her mother’s drug dealer murdering a guy in her home. She ends up in Thunder Basin, Nebraska, which is a small rural town. Carmina, a retired policewoman is taking care of her during her stay. She’s a very tough no-nonsense woman. Stella’s not happy about her situation, but then she mets Chet, the cowboy next store who care for his younger teenage brother ever since their parents we killed by a drunk driver. Chet’s helpful and kind, but Carmina doesn’t seem to like him. Stella befriends him. She also gets a summer job at a diner and make friend with her coworker Inny.

This book was loads of fun, surprisingly. I love the setting. It’s awesome. Summer in Nebraska with country stuff. Sounds like the perfect escape. I love it when fun stuff happen in books, like picnics, rodeos, summer-y things. This is the perfect summer book and makes me wish it was still summer. I love country western stuff to. I imagined accents from the characters, but I’m not sure people in western Nebraska sound like Texans. Probably not. I’ve only been to Nebraska once on my way to Colorado in 2003. It’s pretty much like South Dakota, but less touristy.

There’s a jerk named Trigger in this book. He seems to recognize Stella but can’t place her. He plays baseball and he might even get into the majors. I figured out why her recognized her early on. It was pretty obvious. Stella’s boyfriend Reed was also put into witness protection, but she doesn’t know where. He used to play baseball also. Stella used to play basketball in high school, and Chet say he did too. Stella joins a coed softball team. So, lots of sport stuff mentioned. I’m not athletic, so I don’t care. I used to play basketball for fun, but I wasn’t that great.

I recommend this book to fans of YA thrillers by Cat Patrick, Romily Bernard, Michelle Gagnon, and other, and series like Becoming Mara Dyer (which I have not read, but I understand that Mara Dyer was a fake name). Also, Black Ice, another Becca-thriller I need to read.

Cover Art Review: Simple. Definitely says thriller. I love the raindrop embossment texture. I love stroking this cover.