Book Review : Deadly Little Lies (Touch, #2) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Lies (Touch, #2) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition (November 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781423111450
• ISBN-13: 978-1423111450
• Available on: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository
  

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift--pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?

Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her.

But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past--and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it’s up to Camelia to figure out who—before it’s too late.

Okay, so I was supposed to finish Darcy and Fitzwilliam first before starting to read this one. But I was tempted, and I'm sure you know how mortals are prone to temptation, so... please forgive me, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy?

Deadly Little Lies is the sequel of one of my favourite books, Deadly Little Secret. I had high expectations for it, but the story kind of fall short for me, because the plot was more or less the same as the first book, only with a different villain.

The diary entries by Alexia, Camelia's schizophrenic aunt seemed to be irrelevant to the story. I had a feeling that the author inserted the excerpts without actually relating it to the story. Maybe it had a little relation to Camelia's new-found foretelling powers, but on a major scale, it's just a waste of pages.

I'm disappointed. But maybe I'll still give the third book a chance, for the sake of my much loved Deadly Little Secret.

Rating:

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of the hugely popular young adult novels Blue Is for Nightmares, White Is for Magic, Silver Is for Secrets, and Red Is for Remembrance. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Laurie attended Merrick College and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson.

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Book Review : Love Is Hell by Various Authors

Love Is Hell by Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin, Laurie Faria Stolarz

Product Details Reading level: Young Adult Paperback: 272 pages Publisher: HarperTeen (November 25, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0061443042 ISBN-13: 978-0061443046 Available on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sure, love is hell. But it's totally worth it.

In these supernatural stories by five of today's hottest writers—Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), Scott Westerfeld (Specials), Justine Larbalestier (Magic or Madness), Gabrielle Zevin (Elsewhere), and Laurie Faria Stolarz (Blue is for Nightmares)—love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all.

From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard-and-fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good-looking ghost with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more than ever.

Note: This book consists of 5 individual short stories. I will review them one by one.

Sleeping with the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz

I started off with this story, feeling very excited. I had read Stolarz's Deadly Little Secret not long ago and loved it to pieces. But I found Sleeping with the Spirit boring and predictable. This is definitely not one of Stolarz's best works.

Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld

This one was even worse. I never really finished it. While most people has a liking for this particular story, I found myself confused and clueless about the whole thing. Sorry, Scott, I really love your Uglies series but Stupid Perfect World is not for me!

Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbalestier

Unexpectedly, I found myself enjoying this story more than the previous two. Thinner Than Water is downright beautiful, bone-chilling and treacherous. Well done, Larbalestier!

Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin

Fan Fictions somehow reminds me of a short story written by Anthony Horowitz in The Complete Horowitz Horror. It's called The Hitchhiker. Does that title ring a bell? I was surprised by how this author (whose name I've never heard before) weaves this eerily twisted story perfectly, sending readers away feeling shocked and awed at the end. Kudos to Gabrielle Zevin!

Love Struck by Melissa Marr

I enjoyed this story. It was really sweet and charming. Filled with Celtic myths of Selkies (mythological shapeshifting creatures - often in the form of seals - that lives in the sea) and a decent amount of teen romance, this story is going to make you smile.

Overall Rating: - 3.5 stars

Book Review : Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; First Edition edition (December 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423111443
• ISBN-13: 978-1423111443
• Available on Amazon
  

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...

Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help--but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

From the best-selling author of Blue is for Nightmares comes a story of paranormal romance that's sure to be a thrilling and chilling teen favorite.

This book piqued my interest from the first page onwards. Camelia's life is normal, until she is saved by a mysterious boy from a car accident. The boy touches her on the stomach, then leaves quickly. Wanting to find out her saviour's true identity, Camelia approaches the newcomer of her school whose name is Ben. Ben looks exactly like the guy who saved her life, but he denies about having seen her before, much less saving her.

Ben is an outcast in the school, as he is accused of causing her ex-girlfriend's death, despite the fact that it was an accident. Camelia's curiousity makes me want to know more about Ben and the person he really is behind his facade.

I can only say one word : Wow. Intrigue, suspense, mystery... all these elements are present in Deadly Little Secret, and Laurie's way of presenting her story is truly amazing. As the story unfolds, we discover that the main character, Camelia, is being stalked by someone. And the creepy guy keeps on harassing her by making strange phone calls and sending weird items to her. She is scared, but she is unable to tell her parents about it because she doesn't want to burden her mother when she is too emotional about her aunt's mental health.

Now the question is, who is the stalker? I was totally fooled by the characters' appearances. I didn't realize it was him until the final chapters. Now, a book which can trick me into selecting the wrong baddie deserves some compliments.

This book is entertaining and fast-paced. Some may compare it to the Twilight saga because of the few things that are similar to it, but aside from those little things, this book holds its own charm and good points. Laurie is a brilliant writer and I'm hope to read more by this author in the future.

Notes: Deadly Little Secret has some kissing scenes, but there's nothing overboard. Recommended to teenagers above 14 years of age.

Rating:

Thanks to Crystal from My Reading Room for ordering this book for me! I won $10 to The Book Depository on her blog.

About the Author

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of the hugely popular young adult novels Blue Is for Nightmares, White Is for Magic, Silver Is for Secrets, and Red Is for Remembrance. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Laurie attended Merrick College and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson.

Buy Deadly Little Secret on Amazon