Tag: amnesia

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Blonde Identity

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

First line: Here’s the thing about waking up with no memory in the middle of the night, in the middle of the street, in the middle of Paris: at least you’re waking up in Paris.

Summary: Waking up in the middle of Paris with a splitting headache and no memory of how she got there or who she even is, a young woman is being told to run because people are trying to kill her. As she and the handsome stranger race across Europe to escape the assassins they realize that she is the identical sister of the spy who is the actual target. In hopes of discovering why she is being chased and finding her sister the two pose as newlyweds. But as they learn more about the reason she is being hunted, the woman cannot decide who to trust, the man who rescued her or the sister she cannot remember.

My Thoughts: Having recently read Ally Carter’s newest book, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, and really enjoying it I decided to try another of her adult rom-com mysteries. This one I listened to rather than read which I feel like sometimes affects my reception to a story. I did enjoy this and plan to read book two this fall but it didn’t hit with me as much as the other one.

This is a fast paced romantic spy comedy. When I started I got The Spy Who Dumped Me vibes. I liked the banter between the characters but I struggled a little with the instalove. It all happened really quickly. But this could be because the plot had to move fast. It was a quick spy novel where they are running for their lives. There are several twists which may be a little predictable but all in all it was a fun read and kept my attention throughout. I hope to see the characters developed more in upcoming stories.

Monica’s Musings: House of Hollow

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

“You shouldn’t be afraid of the truth. It’ll set you free, right?”-Krystal Sutherland, House of Hollow

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were children, something they can’t quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats.

Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar. But when her eldest sister, Grey, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister’s ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind.

As Iris retraces Grey’s last known footsteps and follows the increasingly bizarre trail of breadcrumbs she left behind, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.

The closer Iris gets to the truth, the closer she comes to understanding that the answer is dark and dangerous – and that Grey has been keeping a terrible secret from her for years.

My Thoughts: Calling all fans of dark fairy tales! Right from the get-go, this story drew me in. While reading, the hairs on my arms stood up, and I lost my appetite several times at the many grotesque descriptions throughout. When I look for a creepy read, I do not aim to have the bejeezus scared out of me. Nor am I hoping to be so freaked out that I won’t sleep for a week and have to check every dark corner for fear of monsters. Rather, I want that perfect balance where a story is actually chilling, but it is also so much fun that I want more. And this book hits it right on the nose!

I loved how the story unfolded, with lots of little clues and happenings building up to a set of twists and turns. I’m not sure what I expected going in, but it sure wasn’t this. With its darkness and vivid imagery, this story feels like a fairy tale gone wrong.

Book Review: A Stranger in the House

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

First line: She doesn’t belong here.

Summary: When Tom comes home late from work he finds the house empty.  His wife, Karen, is missing but her phone and purse are still there.  Where did she go?  Shortly after he receives a visit from a police officer telling him that Karen has been in a car accident in a rough neighborhood.  What was she doing there?  When he visits her at the hospital, she cannot remember what happened in the previous hours.  However, when a body is found murdered near the area of the car accident Karen becomes a suspect in the investigation.

Highlights: Lapena’s second novel is gripping and a fast read.  I liked the ways that little facts and tidbits are revealed slowly throughout the story line.  The end was not what I was expecting.  I should have known to expect a surprise after the author’s previous book.

Lowlights: Several of the details and twists were easily predictable but it was still enjoyable to read and know that I was correct.

FYI: Perfect for fans of Girl on the Train and All the Missing Girls.