The Housemates by Iain Rob Wright (Review)

 

The Housemates

By: Iain Rob Wright

·  Print Length: 234 pages

·  Publisher: SalGad Publishing Group; 1st edition (December 8, 2013)

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,847 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store), #94 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Suspense > Horror

·  Goodreads Rating: 3.92/5 stars out of 198 ratings and 40 reviews

Synopsis:

TEN DAYS, TWELVE COMPETITORS, TWO MILLION POUNDS CASH. What at first appears to be a wonderful opportunity for Damien Banks turns out to be the worst nightmare he can imagine.

Trapped inside a house with eleven strangers, and a booming voice known only as 'The Landlord' controlling his every move, Damien will be forced to compete not only for the money, but for his life.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN…

Reoccurring Statements between 113 Amazon Reviewers:

·         “It's suspenseful, sick, and twisted and will keep you reading well into the night. ”

25 reviewers made a similar statement

·         “The ending...well, just when you think nothing more could possibly happen...!!  ”

16 reviewers made a similar statement

·         “Thank you Mr. Wright for the very entertaining read and I look forward to reading more from you.  ”

10 reviewers made a similar statement

(*All Amazon/Goodreads stats are accurate as of the date of this post)

My Raw Status Update Reactions:

• ·         14% - “Befitting the reality television premise there is a parade of stereotypical characters and other trappings that would make me not want to sign up for one of these things. Aside from the fact it's tots shady and red flags are popping up that nobody's leaving this house in the same condition they entered....” 

• ·         22% - “Okay - so now that the worm has turned towards the unseemly premise the stereotypical housemates are utterly plausible and I'm eager to learn the backstory on the seemingly normal/respectable characters. Fingers crossed it's a bit Agatha Christie.”

• ·         28% - “This book is doing an excellent job of building suspense while keeping me guessing. Also WTF, people have some vendettas here that are SO petty!”

• ·         71% - “Okay called one twist cold but the other was a no-go.”

My Unspoiled Review: Some other reviewers have likened the premise of THE HOUSEMATES to SAW meets BIG BROTHER but I would add-on that there’s a little Agatha Christi’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE mixed in (no spoilers, just a reference).  The book delivers on desperation and gore while a group of strangers face their dwindling chances for survival.  The hollow personas of the roommates match those you would expect to appear on reality television, making them seem less the cliché, but are further justified when the true nature of the book seeps into the open.  The characters without POVs distinguished themselves convincingly and even proved memorable in certain respects, which is vital when the reader’s keeping track of eleven characters they’ll need to care about. The protagonist was unbelievably decent, as in I had trouble suspending disbelief that he should be that decent.  It felt like one of those cases of “having your cake and eating it too” where he’s supposed to have this everyman/last sane man/upstanding citizen vibe but is also a reformed bad boy can summon his dark, checkered past when it comes to posturing but not in life-or-death scenarios.  That contraction made in his behavior – especially given his dire situation – did not humanize the premise but detract from it in ways that felt contrived and insincere.  The ending – without giving spoilers – was implausible and offered no surprises.  Fortunately, it’s always rushed so about 95% of the book is suspenseful and even startling at times.  I won’t go so far as to say the ending “ruined” the book for me.  Truly, I didn’t.  Despite being underwhelmed by the mad-dash wrap-up I was having a good time throughout novel and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I give Wright the credit of being an effective storyteller who gets mileages from a premise some might have tired of and managing a few thrills along the way.  His continuity editing; however, was sloppy.  I noticed several instances of him miscounting contestants (such as the tally of votes against contestants or seven contestants are remaining but citing six have been eliminated), which felt like a lazy oversight considering how instrumental these figures are to the stories suspense/character fates and makes me wonder if Wright had written a previous draft where these numbers were accurate but didn’t double-check after rewrites.  Again, it was only few instances and – beyond that – the proofreading was fine. Although I realize it sounds like I’m complaining a lot about this book and trying to talk people out of it I would recommend THE HOUSEMATES to readers who can handle violence and like a story that keeps you turning pages.  There are a myriad of things I could praise about the story but doing so would ultimately spoil its gruesome charm and nasty tricks.  It’s a decent, fast read despite its kinks and die-hards of such plots or part-time horror fans might genuinely be impressed.

 Check it out for yourself or see what other reviewers have said at Amazon and Goodreads.

Thank you for considering this obscure book as a future read and feel free to leave comments if you would like to discuss this novel more!

Take One with You by Oak Anderson (Review)

Take One with You

By: Oak Anderson

·  Print Length: 217 pages

·  Publisher: N/A

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,255 Paid in Kindle Store, #57 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Crime Fiction > Vigilante Justice

·  Goodreads Rating: 4.38/5 stars out of 29 ratings and 18 reviews

Synopsis:

Charlie and Sarah, two disaffected teens dealing with depression, meet in an online chatroom and soon hatch a plan to bring meaning to their lives by encouraging other despondent individuals to help eradicate the "scum of society", such as pedophiles and rapists who have escaped justice. Anyone determined to commit suicide is urged to first kill someone who "got away with it" before taking their own life. Why not, they ask, "take one with you?"

The idea goes viral and things rapidly spiral out of control. As they develop feelings for each other, their worldwide followers begin to enact a very different version of their idea, perverting its original intent and threatening the thin line between civil society and criminal anarchy. Just as they find the hope of happiness together, Charlie and Sarah must deal with the monster they've created, a global epidemic of murder-suicide that threatens the very core of their humanity.

Take One With You is a unique crime thriller/millennial love story that poses the question: If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, would you kill someone tonight? Someone who had done something terrible. Someone who deserved to die. If so, who would it be? If you wouldn't go that far, what about your neighbor? Your friend? Your enemy? Who draws the line? Who decides who lives and who dies? And what if we all began to take justice into our own hands?

Reoccurring Statements between 12 Amazon Reviewers:

·         “Very well written, I couldn't put the book down.  ”

Silvia Stouffer| 4 reviewers made a similar statement

·         “It felt so real and had me wanting more and more!  ”

2 reviewers made a similar statement

·         “Was a great read...fantastic writing, looking forward to the next book!  ”

1 reviewer made a similar statement

(*All Amazon/Goodreads stats are accurate as of the date of this post)

My Raw Status Update Reactions:

·         10% - "Wow! Hellova start! Pretty sure Big Max is the second-cousin, once-removed of the Devil. Or a transplanted Stephen King character. Whichever makes him sound more despicable."

·         30% - “Gee - whoda thunk a book about murder-suicides would be a bummer? Def. not a power fantasy premise. The patchwork anecdotal quality is interesting instead of a straight narrative.”

·         47% - “Ya'll need to work on your anger management.”

·         66% - “Ok so this book is obviously focused more on what drives the characters into extreme action as opposed to depicting gritty murder scenes, like the opening. More a social commentary than splatter fest.”

My Unspoiled Review: Anyone reading TAKE ONE WITH YOU’s synopsis could assume they’re in for a resplendent splatterfest or adolescent revenge fantasy; however, for a book about murder-suicides its implementation is more cerebral than graphic.  Whether this might entice or turn off readers all depends on your expectations and sensibilities, TAKE ONE WITH YOU’s emphasis is on exploring the tragedy of desperate, shattered souls who use – often vindictive – homicide as a means to alleviate their depression and/or validate their soon-to-be ended existence.  For those reasons the characters have a deplorable tinge to them that readers may feel sympathy towards but are unlikely to find relatable in most instances. Instead of a straight narrative featuring a single protagonist TAKE ONE WITH YOU splices its storytelling between multiple POVs and snippets from news and social media outlets.  The combination creates a duality – microcosm and macrocosm – of events that compliments the premise of en mass vigilantism and the motivations for it.  Alternating from the psychology of perpetrators/victims (readers could debate who’s who) to the sociological ramifications of the TOWY movement frames the whole picture with intermeshing perspectives.  Ultimately this cultural impact adds a sense of authenticity that might have been neglected if the reader was limited to the personal journey of one or several characters. Oak Anderson’s decision to incorporate fictitious media/social reactions to support his narrative shows his dedication to telling an encompassing tale in an imaginative, multifaceted manner.  That level of diligence and versatility speaks well of his determination to engage his readers and – hopefully – Anderson will maintain that tenacity in works beyond TAKE ONE WITH YOU.

Give This Book a Chance If You Like:

• ·         Crime Thrillers
• ·         Books with despicable people that you hope will end up dead
• ·         Anecdotal narration
• ·         Books with creative formats, like pictures or transcripts

 Check it out for yourself or see what other reviewers have said at Amazon and Goodreads

Thank you for considering this obscure book as a future read and feel free to leave comments if you would like to discuss this novel or recommendation more!

Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt (Review)

Chosen Ones (Book 1 - Lost Souls Series)

By: Tiffany Truitt

·  Print Length: 400 pages

·  Publisher: Entangled Teen (June 12, 2012)

·  Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,001 Paid in Kindle Store

·  Goodreads Rating: 3.75/5 stars out of 1,686 ratings and 210 reviews

Synopsis:

Life is bleak but uncomplicated for sixteen-year-old Tess, living in a not-too-distant future where the government, faced with humanity's extinction, created the Chosen Ones, artificial beings who are extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

When Tess begins work at Templeton, a Chosen Ones training facility, she meets James, and the attraction is immediate in its intensity, overwhelming in its danger. But there is more to Templeton than Tess ever knew. Can she stand against her oppressors, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?

Reoccurring Statements between 47 Amazon Reviewers:

·         “You know where he stands from the beginning--you see his struggle and his desires all over him, and that just makes me love him more!  ”

9 reviewers made a similar statement

·         “She maintained a strong exterior while still flirting with romance with love interest James.  ”

8 reviewers made a similar statement

·         “It's just nothing new, unfortunately, and I feel detached from this story because too many points of the plot weren't given enough time to develop.  ”

9 reviewers made a similar statement

(*All Amazon/Goodreads stats are accurate as of the date of this post)

My Raw Status Update Reactions:

7% - "I don't know why but I came into this book thinking I would get disenchanted by the dystopian premise but it's less "the ivory tower of lies waiting to collapse" and more "ya'll need to be deprogrammed because your values anger me". Not a criticism, just me readjusting my brain/expectations. More like the book Matched, than - say - Wither at the moment." 19% - "Ugh. This dystopia has some serious misogyny happening and the chosen ones are creeps. Def reminded of Matched with the sterility and social restraint." 37% - "You know what I love in a romance - uncertainty, awkwardness and yearning. Not pining or feeling insecure about rejection but wanting someone and not knowing what you're supposed to do with yourself because of that emotion. This book has that touch of melancholy and it snares my interest." 52% - "I love how multifaceted the characters are in this novel. Tess is one of those "unpleasant" protagonists but considering her life and world, you see where her "sugar and ice" personality comes from and hope she'll thaw out. Also James is heartaching with how displaced he is in the world and awkwardly trying to humanize himself when he was bred to be something less. Great stuff." 71% - "Oh dystopia. I should be accustomed to your genre's audacity and injustice yet there are still times you drop my jaw with human depravity as well as our tolerant abiding of it. This is why I would not survive dystopia - I would get my mouthy ass killed because I would not be able to shut up about how absurd and pathetic everyone is acting! Not the book's fault - mind you - I just have a death wish.” My Unspoiled Review: A dismal dystopia that will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the stifling sterility of Matched as well as social inequality and injustice of The Hunger Games. By no mean take this to mean that I'm trying to compare Chosen Ones to those other popular series or suggest it's a knock off in anyway, I'm merely hoping to give readers and enthusiasts of the genre an overview to consider coming into this book. Chosen Ones isn't trying to sell any fantasy about dystopia. There's no pretty face hiding an uglier story. The seamy underbelly is there from the start and the protagonist, Tess, is already damaged from it. It's a broken world featuring the fractured dregs of humanity being gradually replaced by the genetically superior pretty boys - the titular Chosen Ones. The romantic plot featured in this novel truly appealed to me because it was sincere, awkward and fits well into the repressed premise while remaining engaging.

Give This Book a Chance If You Like:

• ·          Despairing dystopian settings
• ·         Paranormal romance light on the love-triangles
• ·         Flawed/damaged heroines
• ·         Sensitive love interests

 Check it out for yourself or see what other reviewers have said at Amazon and Goodreads

Thank you for considering this obscure book as a future read and feel free to leave comments if you would like to discuss this novel or recommendation more!