The Kari AnnAlysis

Archive for May, 2010

Liza Kelly left Hollywood to get a break. She went from a publicist to the stars to Liza K, Sudoku specialist for an Oregon newspaper. Only when she returns to LA for a Sudoku tournament does her life get back in the fast lane. One of her good friends is killed after he tells her he thinks there are clues to some crazy news stories embedded in the Sudoku puzzles. Now, she takes the puzzle by the horns and is forced to help once it gets personal. Along with her editor, her estranged husband and her high school boyfriend, she has to get down to solving business before more people die.

I picked up this book because I love Sudoku. My dad got me hooked on it a few summers ago. I don’t just stop at Sudoku though, I love crosswords and word searches and you name it, I’ve got a book for it. I was actually surprised how much I learned about the number puzzle in this book. There were solving tips and little explainers on how to get the hard ones. And that was on top of the drama and death.

I definitely liked this book and will pick up the rest of the series. It was written well, kept me on my toes trying to figure out the murders and the puzzles and made me feel like less of a nerd knowing there are other goobers out there who are puzzle dorks.

I give Death by Sudoku 5 bookmarks.

We finally know who killed Cheyenne Martin and it’s time to get a little R&R. So instead of going home for Christmas, where Noelle points out Reed will be mobbed by the media, they all are going Carribean. This is a Christmas tradition for Noelle and the gang, but Reed isn’t sure what to expect.

We see a lot of old faces on the island including Kiran and Taylor, Amberly and Tiffany. We also meet new, gorgeous ones including the Ryan twins, Sawyer, Poppy and the most beautiful man alive, Upton. Of course she does great with Kiran, Taylor and Noelle, but since she’s got the lead in the Upton Game, Poppy and her posse aren’t really fans.

And then the strange stuff starts to happen. Poppy disappears, Reed has two almost death experiences and someone is lurking in the shadows.

The beauty of the vacation spot in this book makes my mouth water. These are the kinds of places you see in your dreams and these girls are living it (well, through Kate’s writing). The weather is warming up here and I would love to be relaxed on a beach. I wouldn’t even need the designer gowns or Casino night.

While this book had the drama built into it, it didn’t leave me hanging as the last book did. I know they will still be on the island in the next one, but I don’t really know what to expect. My guess is that Reed ends up with Sawyer, just a hunch.

Now, I still have a hard time believing these girls are in high school. It still amazes me the things they know, see and do. I know that people with this much money do have the opportunity to live like this, we’ve all seen the reality shows, but I have a hard time fathoming going to St. Barth’s at Christmas my junior year in high school.

I give Paradise Lost 4 bookmarks.

Cheyenne Martin was murdered, there’s no doubt about it. And that’s jut the tip of the iceberg of the drama in Reed’s shoes. She’s been voted out of Billings, all the creepy Cheyenne stuff is happening again, and oh yeah, Reed murder suspect number 1.

To clear her name, Reed starts investigating the case herself.
List of suspects:
IVY SLADE
Missy
Lorna
Marc
Trey
S.O. –> Whomever that is

But she’s not the only one trying to solve this murder, and she’s not the only one who creepy things are happening to.

The murderer in Revelation will shock you, the eerily similar situation that unfolds will haunt you – and then it will all go to black with the pulling of the trigger.

I absolutely loved this book. Nancy Drew mixed with a private school. And I definitely didn’t know who the killer was and most certainly didn’t get the connection to the school. I know I am being vague, but if I give you an inch, you’ll get the whole kit and kaboodle and this one is too good to spoil.

This book kept me turning the pages. I started it Sunday afternoon and couldn’t go to bed Monday night until I was finished. And then because of the suspense, I had to start Paradise Lost to see who got shot!

I am glad I took a little break from the Private Series because this book was worth the wait. I give Revelation 5 bookmarks.

Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should be Reading. And as you know, I never follow the rules.

You are supposed to open your book to a random page and pick two random sentences. I pick awesome sentences to make you want to read what I am reading. And, I always exceed to the two sentence limit.

This is from Revelation by Kate Brian.

Pg25: “The Pemberly single was one of the most depressing things I’d ever seen. The old wood floods were scratched and gouged, and a crusty stain seeped out from beneath the single bed. All the old, dingy furniture was shoved up against the walls-bed to my left, desk straight across, dresser to my right-leaving just enough space in the center of the room to walk through. Above the bed was one tall, skinny window with peeling paint all around the pane, and the whole thing looked like it might fall off if I tried to open it. I turned to check out the closer right next to the door. It was one-tenth the size of the one in Billings and closed over by a folding accordion door in faux wood.”

Ok, so this is by far the longest teaser I have given, but it was so worth it. Yes, one of the Billings’ girls is out. And can you believe the hole they put her in *sarcasm*.

What are you reading this week?

Spring has sprung and in just 4 short months, 4 teenage lives will change.

Jena is the bubbly Jewish girl with lots of curves. She loves quotes and will learn a lot on a spring break trip to Paradise. Skye is an actress, curly dark hair, body of a goddess and a lot more problems than is willing to tell everyone. That is until she learns a little about her father and everything starts to make sense.

Now to the boys. Dakota is having some major teen drama. He may look like a heart throb, but a broken heart and a death have put him in a dark place where he isn’t really thinking with his head or heart if you know what I mean. His complete opposite brother Owen is backwards to say the least. He hides behind his blog, Loser on a Laptop, because he doesn’t feel comfortable expressing himself in the flesh.

The lives of these four are about to change. From lust to love to death and suicide, I am glad to not be a teenager in this book.

I have been adoring the cover of this since I first saw it and at the book sale over the weekend, I saw it on the shelf, brand-new and beautiful. Even though I bought 15 books, I had to grab this one as well.

Mackler brings us a quick read, I read it in less than 24 hours. She did a great job of making me remember what it felt like to be a teen, in the midst of high school relationships and learning about myself.

She starts with Jena and each quarter of the book is told from a different character. I love how the writing changed to match the personality and life of each character. But I feel like I was just getting to know the character when the narrator changed.

One thing I didn’t like about this book was although the loose ends were wrapped up, I didn’t feel like I had closure. I guess I was just wanting a little more.

I give Tangled 3 stars.