Heartsick Review

Heartsick is a riveting, exciting, and suspenseful book. If you like movies like Silence of the Lambs, I can almost guarantee you will like this book. Archie Sheridan is a good and dedicated cop. However, his life in shambles because he was tortured by the notorious Beauty Killer, Gretchen Lowell, and was forever changed by the experience. He pops pills and is pretty much obsessed with the woman who tortured him. A new serial killer, the After School Strangler, is on the loose, targeting young girls with the same features. Archie comes out of his retirement to lead the team to stop him. Can Archie pull it together to save the next girl from being a victim?

A relationship such as Gretchen Lowell and Archie Sheridan's has not been seen since Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling. Gretchen and Archie's relationship is intensified beyond the latter couple's because of the ten day torture he suffered at her hands. Archie is an honorable, but traumatized cop. He has a drug abuse problem, much like Dr. House. Because of his fixation on Gretchen and substance abuse, he has lost his family, his wife, his friends, and pretty much his whole life as he once knew it. Archie is a likable character, despite his many flaws, and you truly want him to figure out the case and detach himself from Gretchen.

Gretchen is a fascinating character. She is a very prolific serial killer. She is unpredictable in both her mood and action. She literally influences almost every aspect of the plot from her cell in jail. Even the third person narrative that oscillates between Archie and Susan, his shadow reporter, passes over Gretchen, enhancing her mystery. Every scene with her was enjoyable for me because I just didn't know what to expect from her, whether she would smile and be sweet or completely tear down a person and leave them a quivering mass of nerves.

Heartsick is a riveting tale, featuring a suspenseful plot, complex characters, and (of course) murder, using fluid and easy language. I can't recommend this book enough. Whenever I read it, I just can't put it down.

5/5

The Silver Kiss

Zoë is a pretty normal teenage girl, except for the fact that her mother is dying of cancer. It has made her grow up very fast, assuming responsibilities not typically expected of others her age. She is also kind of a loner. It's hard to have friends when they don't know how to talk to you or how to act around you because of tragedy. Simon is a tortured, but alluring vampire, driven by revenge for his mother's death. These two lonely souls meet up and join forces against an evil force that is killing unsuspecting young women in a horrific way.

I remember really liking this book as a child. It generated my interest in the vampire genre that has flourished ever since (as you can see from my library). Upon rereading it as an adult, I found that I still liked it, but not nearly as much as my younger self. The plot is pretty predictable and cliché at times. Girl meets and falls in love with vampire. Vampire hates his own existence, mopes, and wants to eat girl. There are so many teen vampire books out there with similar plots. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the cheesier lines and predictable points in the plot. I also felt that the character development was a little slow, making me connect later with the characters than I would like.

Still, I feel that this book is special, despite its flaws. I really like that there is a fantastical plot line alongside a very realistic plot line. The juxtaposition of the two grounds it a little more in reality and makes the characters more believable. The Silver Kiss is more gory and horrific than most other books in the teen vampire genre, which makes my inner horror fan happy. Plus, the ending is beautiful and still brings tears to my eyes.

This book has gore, horror, romance, and action. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of other teen vampire novels.

4/5

Mondays and RIP IV Challenge

I've decided to join in on this What Are You Reading on Monday thing. You can join in the fun here.

So, this last week I have finished:

* Jennifer's Body by Rick Spears

* The Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman

* Never Slow Dance with a Zombie by E. Van Lowe

* Dark Visions #1: The Strange Power by L.J. Smith

* The Zen of Zombie by Scott Kenemore

Currently Reading or About to Read:

* Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

* The Lost Steps by Alejo Carpentier (for my Music and Literature class)

* Equus by Peter Shaffer (for my Mythology and the Stages of Life class)

* Dark Visions #2: The Possession by L.J. Smith

What are all you guys reading right now?

I have also decided to join another challenge: R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril IV! I am taking on Peril the First: Read 4 books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose. I haven't chosen any specific books, but I will definately review them all and share them with you here. Have a great Labor Day!