Review: We'll Never Be Apart

Author: Emiko Jean

Series: Standalone

Released: October 6th 2015

Publisher: HMH BfYR

Length: 279 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Murder. 

Fire. 

Revenge. 

That’s all seventeen-year-old Alice Monroe thinks about. Committed to a mental ward at Savage Isle, Alice is haunted by memories of the fire that killed her boyfriend, Jason. A blaze her twin sister Cellie set. But when Chase, a mysterious, charismatic patient, agrees to help her seek vengeance, Alice begins to rethink everything. Writing out the story of her troubled past in a journal, she must confront hidden truths.

Is the one person she trusts only telling her half the story? Nothing is as it seems in this edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from the debut author Emiko Jean. 

Is it possible to enjoy a psychological thriller even if you guess the mystery in the prologue? Being well written but somewhat predictable, We’ll Never be Apart by Emiko Jean brings forth this dilemma I struggled to resolve before deciding whether to recommend the book. On the one side, the plot Jean crafted is largely dependent upon the big reveal in the last few chapters, a mystery that can be guessed on the very first pages. On the other side, though, the book has plenty going for it along the way, and Emiko Jean’s writing style itself is enough to make this worth our while.

Review: Vengeance Road

Author: Erin Bowman
Series: Standalone
Released: September 1st 2015
Publisher: HMH BfYR
Length: 336 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Revenge is worth its weight in gold.

When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers—and justice. What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate’s quest for revenge may prove fatal.

Vengeance Road, Erin Bowman's unique foray into young adult western genre can only be described as a success. As the author’s note clearly explains, the highly anticipated project was something Bowman had brewing for years and that much forethought was evident from every page. Vengeance Road is dark, violent, gritty and honest, all the things I’ve come to appreciate in YA fiction above all else.