Book Review: Kate Unmasked

That’s right I am posting a review of yet ANOTHER book by the amazing author Cindy M. Hogan. I think I’ll stop doing this the day she stops writing books. So what book did I read?  

Kate Unmasked, book 1 in The Code of Silence series—a thrilling story about a girl whose desire to know who here real parents are lead her into dangerous paths that might be her doom. Like the tagline says, “Some secrets should stay dead and buried.”

What I liked about the book (all of Cindy M Hogan’s books actually) is that it’s clean. She proves that it is possible to have a thrilling suspense novel set in modern times that is free of language and sexual content without damaging the story or the believability. I liked that I could relate well with Kate and even see some of myself in her. This books makes you sit back and think what you would do if you were in Kate’s position. It’s a book filled with suspense, mystery, a dash of romance, and above all—page turning fun. While not all the mysteries were solved in book 1 she gives you enough to satisfy and teases you to read book 2. I can’t wait to read book 2, Kate Concealed, and luckily I don’t have to. It is also available. Don’t you love authors that get their books out quick? 

Synopsis:

The mysteries of her past consume her.

Seventeen-year-old Kate has never stopped searching for the secrets of her past—the secrets that began with her missing birth parents. After years of every lead drying up and every hope turning false, Kate finally lucks onto a promising lead.

Determined to find the truth once and for all, Kate travels to the gritty New Jersey shore. But what she finds is worse than she ever could have imagined. She can’t hide from who she is, and now she must face the awful consequences of finding the very people she should have been hiding from.

Some secrets should stay dead and buried.

A young adult action/adventure novel filled with mystery, suspense, romance, and lots of thrills, sure to thrill both teens and adults.

Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Unmasked-Code-Silence-Book-ebook/dp/B014TAKYDO/

http://www.amazon.com/Kate-Concealed-Code-Silence-Book-ebook/dp/B01AX546YW/

Gravediggers

I just finished another great read by Cindy M. Hogan. This time it was Gravediggers, a story about a 17-year-old boy name Billy who works digging graves the old fashioned way—with a shovel and lots of elbow grease. It’s a murder mystery filled with suspense, conspiracy, trials of friendship, teen-romance, tons of good southern humor, and most of all: relatable-believable-EMOTION! Cindy M. Hogan has this ability to capture the teenage voice is such a way you become the character—it’s rather brilliant and one day I hope to have just a little bit of that in my own writing. This is what makes all of her books so captivating; the characters have such real, raw emotions that they can’t help but leap from the page and turn to life before your eyes. 

This book would make a great film! (Anyone know any filmmakers?)

I’d love to see Billy’s story continue. He had such aspirations that I’d like to see them fulfilled. Any chance we could get a sequel, Cindy? Maybe see him solving more mysteries before he becomes an FBI agent? I can always tell when I have finished a good book when I long to keep reading after the last page. This book certainly left me that way, wanting to know more, see more, experience MORE. Note: there isn’t anything lacking in this book so the more I am referring to is me wanting another book with these fantastic characters—even the setting was its own character!  Awesome job, Cindy! I’ll enjoy my sleep until the next book you release.

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Billy thinks his father s murder will never be solved until he stumbles across an old ammo box while digging a grave in his small-town Tennessee cemetery.
What he finds leads him to question everything he knows, and his search for answers will uncover more than he bargained for: lies, secrets, and conspiracies and behind them all, a dangerous truth.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Gravediggers-Cindy-M-Hogan/dp/0985131845/

Fires of Invention

This is one of those books that I was looking forward to for a very long time. I remember when the author, J. Scott Savage, first explained the premise to me after it was picked up by his publisher, Shadow Mountain. He told me then that he felt it was his best book so far. To him I have to say, yes, yes, it is! As many of you already know I am a HUGE fan of J. Scott Savage, not just his amazing books, but the amazing guy behind the books. He has been instrumental in not only my own writing career but I dare say hundreds of writers (young and old) and has become truly a great personal friend. Okay, enough man-gushing about Savage, let’s talk about his book: Mysteries of Cove: Fires of Invention.

There are few books that when I read them they inspire me to create art. Fires of Invention is one of them—which is rather ironic because in the world of Cove creating anything (art included) is against the law. That’s just one of the fun things I loved about this book. Another is that Savage has really embraced the idea of steampunk. While this isn’t set in a altered Victorian era it screams steampunk. The whole world of Cove is a giant machine and all its citizens are greasy gears working to make society flourish. Again and again this idea of cogs and gears is brought up and so intertwined in the belief system of the characters that it becomes real.

The one thing Savage has always done well in his books is create well-developed, relatable, realistic, lovable characters. His main character in this story is no exception! Middle-grade readers and beyond will connect with Trenton immediately. He is smart, determined, considerate, and brave. He is also filled with wonderful flaws which throughout the book you see him transform into strengths. It’s truly a story about accepting who you are not matter the costs and I like that a lot. I won’t go into too much detail about the building of the mechanical dragon or the other intense and brilliant moments in the book—you’ll just have to read it for yourself. This has been one of the best books I have read this year! The ending took me by surprise and I cannot wait for the next installment! Bravo, Savage!!

Summary of Fires of Invention:

 

Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and invention is a curse word.

Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.

Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlikely anything they’ve ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on and quite possibly their very lives.

 Link: http://www.amazon.com/Fires-Invention-Mysteries-Scott-Savage/dp/1629720925/

A Reading Adrenaline Rush

I love books that have a fitting title. Adrenaline Rush, by Cindy M. Hogan, is one of those books whose title screams exactly what the book is about: exciting-heart-pounding-thrill-seeking-RUSH. This book will put you on the edge of your seat and you won’t sit back until the very last sentence is read. Seriously, it’s that good! It had me staying up late, forgetting about the time, and just reading. Cindy Hogan is a master at creating suspense and that longing for a happy ending. I think her best talent, especially with this book, is the voice of Christy (aka Misha). There are few authors that can pull off a voice so real you forget what you’re reading is fiction. You become swallowed up into the world of spies and freaky criminals (I say freaky because what Christy goes through in this book is CRAZY—the Circus of Feats…um never EVER sign me up for that). I thoroughly enjoyed the underlining theme in the book that hinted at faith and one’s trial of faith. I can’t say too much on the subject because it will spoil most of the book but I believe it was the most powerful element in the book. There comes a time in every hero’s journey that the hero (or in our case heroine) break—too much causes them to lose their faith in themselves and their belief in God and so they stop. Christy is no different. But it’s her unique struggle with her faith will make you sit up and take notice. Yes, this book is a super rush of adrenaline as you read, but you also come away with a better sense of about yourself because you’ve connected with Christy and she’s made you take a long look in the mirror evaluating what makes you so strong. Few books can accomplish both. Yes, I have already started the next book!

Synopsis: A madman with a mission is kidnapping groups of thrill-seeking high school seniors across the country, and it's up to Christy to stop him. To do so, she must take on a fearless alter ego and infiltrate a group of adrenaline junkies bent on pushing life to the limit. Death-defying stunts are only the beginning: two groups fit the profile, and Christy must discover the real target before it's too late. If she chooses the wrong group, more people will disappear. But choosing right puts her as the prime target—with no guarantee that she'll get out alive. Full of action and adventure, mystery, and suspense that is guaranteed to thrill teens and adults alike.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Adrenaline-Rush-Cindy-M-Hogan/dp/0985131853/

Other books by Cindy M. Hogan:

Swashbuckling Summer Reading

Who doesn’t love a good story about the sea with swashbuckling tales of pirates, sword fights, and treasure? I think with the popularity of films like The Pirates of the Caribbean (now onto its 5 movie!) it’s safe to say, everyone loves these kinds of stories! The book I just finished reading you won’t find Captain Jack Sparrow or Captain Barbossa, it’s not a tale of stolen Aztec treasure, or even a quest to claim a mermaid’s tears, but it is just as moving, gripping, and much, much more real. The Swift, by Alex Banks, is a story about loss, family, friendships, and above all hope. Yes, there is plenty of fighting, adventure, sea-talk, and pirates, but all that is just the icing on the cake.

What I loved most about this book was how real the characters are. The main character, Pete, has such raw emotions throughout the book you can’t help but feel them yourself. I rarely read a middle-grade book where the characters have such power in their emotions, such realness. I found myself angry when Pete was angry, sad when he was sad, and I choked up plenty of times when Pete cried. This book had me flipping the pages and consuming the tale in no time at all. Normally I’m a slow reader, with work, kids, sleeping; I take days and days to finish a book. This one I had read in two days because it hooks you in with mystery and gives you adventure. I will be adding this to my collection beloved pirate books; it will rest alongside Treasure Island and Peter and the Starcatchers.

Summary: The night eleven-year-old Pete planned to shoot the winning goal in the championship hockey game was the same night his dad was lost at sea. Now, eight months later, his mom still cries all the time, his beloved grandfather, stricken with Alzheimer’s, can’t even remember him, and they’re about to lose their crappy old house to the bank. To make matters worse, his twin brother Henry blames Pete for all of it. After all, they were a family of fishermen—if Pete had gone to help on the boat instead of to the game, their dad might still be alive. While searching the attic for stuff they can sell, Pete finds a battle-torn ship-in-a-bottle. When he and Henry show the bottle to their grandpa, the three of them are transported back in time—on board the very ship that’s going down.  Battling pirates and the raging sea, the boys must learn to work together to help their grandpa save his past. If they don’t, they won’t have a future to return to.

 

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Swift-Alex-Banks/dp/1927847052/

Another great read by Alex Banks is SOS BOYS. Which I read last summer and loved! This one is a story in space and it's just as fun and gripping as this one!

A Little about Alex Banks: Alex Banks likes to say she holds a black belt in awesome since the only kind of kicking-butt she does is on paper. She lives in Utah with her kickin' husband, two sparring sons, one ninja cat, one samurai dog and four zen turtles. Alex writes Young Adult and New Adult fiction (suitable for readers over fourteen) under the name Ali Cross.