Kara's Book Cravings: The Girl in the White Van

 

In one of my many trips to a my local Goodwill and used bookstore, I stumbled on THE GIRL IN THE WHITE VAN by April Henry. This is a young adult thriller, which we all know is one of my favorite genres!

The cover is okay, but the blurb is what really grabbed my attention. Basically, this is a story about a teenage girl who is kidnapped while walking home from Tae Kwon Do class. She's kept prisoner in a ratty old RV, along with another teen girl who'd disappeared almost a year prior. 

This was on the shorter side, less than 150 pages, and I was able to read it in one evening. The pacing was tight, and the tension was incredible!

The concept of this book is every woman's nightmare, and definitely every mom's fear. My heart was racing at points, and I had a surge of adrenaline at the end, which is always a sign of a good thriller. 

What I really liked about this book, though, was that the author didn't fall back on the girls being raped or sexually assaulted in anyway. They were simply being held captive by a deranged man with some very messed up ideas about gender roles. I also really enjoyed seeing the two girls take control, fight back, and save themselves. Yes, they have help eventually, but for the most part, they don't just sit around and wait. 

I also snagged another book by this author, and I'm excited to dive into that one next. 

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 12.19.2023 (Phone Apps)

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I'm not sure I could live without any of them. LOL. But the ones I tend to use the most are my social media apps--Facebook, (especially messenger) Twitter, Instagram. My banking apps and email. And I'm always playing either Monster Busters or Solitaire Grand Harvest. 

What are your must have phone apps?

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 12.12.2023 (Favorite childhood toys)

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I LOVED Barbies. I had so many of them, and all the accessories, too. I'd spend hours sitting on my bedroom floor playing with them, making up stories about their lives, decorating their houses. I also really enjoyed paper dolls, coloring books, and LiteBrite. As I got older, I discovered the original Super Mario Bros on the very first Nintendo gaming system. (Yeah, I just dated myself. LOL) 

What were your favorite toys growing up? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 12.05.2023 (Desert Island Book)

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The practical part of my brain says I'd want some sort of survival guide so I wouldn't die. LOL. But the book-loving part of my brain says I'd probably want Twilight. Preferably the entire saga, but if I can only have one book, then I'd take Midnight Sun or Breaking Dawn because they're the longest. 

What book would you want with you a desert island?

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 11.28.2023 (Winter TBR)

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I'm excited to finish the Torpedo Ink Series by Christine Feehan. This is a rather long series, so it's probably going to take me a while to finish. But if I do get through them quickly, I plan to just randomly work through my TBR by picking a book from my shelf and diving in. I find I read more when I do this as opposed to setting a reading schedule for myself. 

What books are you excited to read this winter?

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 11.21.2023 (What I'm Thankful For)

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I have a lot to be thankful for this year. First and foremost -- my family and friends. I wouldn't be able to function the way I do without them. They keep me grounded while also boosting me to reach for my dreams. 

I'm thankful for the amazing doctors at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the entire GI team for how well they always take care of my daughter and how they genuinely care about her. 

I'm thankful for my writing and publishing friends. This is a brutal industry, and if not for every single one of you, I'd have quit by now. LOL. 

What're you thankful for?

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 11.14.2023 (Sports and Recreation)

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I've never been a big sports person. I never played any in high school or college, though I was in my high school colorguard and would march in parades, twirling my flag. lol. As an adult, I'm still not a sports person. I do play golf with my husband on occasion, and I like to take walks with my dog, but that's about it. Oh, and I try to workout on a regular basis. 

What about you? Do you play sports? 

What're your favorite recreational activities?

Tell Me Something Tuesday: 11.07.2023 (Epic and Urban Fantasy)

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I'm honestly not a big fan of fantasy or sci-fi. I have read some urban fantasy, but not too much, and it often crosses the line into more paranormal in terms of angels and demons. The best urban fantasy book I have ever read was Pledge of Ashes by Amy Sevan. Seriously, if you're a fan of UF, check this book out. You won't be sorry!

I think the reason I'm not a fan of sci-fi and epic fantasy is because there's a lot of necessary world building, and reading that tends to bore me. I find myself skipping large chunks of text, and then that ends up confusing me. 

What about you? Are you a fantasy, sci-fi fan? 

What do you love about it?

Kara's Book Cravings: End of Days Series (Books 6 and 7)

 

So, I did it -- I finished the final two books in this series, and boy do I have a lot of thoughts. If you've been following along, then you know I was immediately sucked into this series, and I've blown through it really fast. If you need to catch up, you can do so HERE and HERE. Okay, now that we're all on the same page, let's do this!

GRIP OF EVIL is book 6 and is basically the book where everything really just falls apart -- way more than things already have, anyway. This is the ultimate climax where we finally get more information about the madman terrorizing the town and what his goals are. All of this books so far have had quite a bit of action, but this one was definitely the most action packed by far. 

We also learn a lot more about Isaac in this book, and his backstory, while I'm sure was meant to be tragic (and it was to an extent), it also felt a little over the top. And the connections to the small town and everyone in it was also too much, in my opinion. I mean, I get it -- I was born and raised in a small town, but at times, I felt like the author was throwing everything in just to shock readers. That didn't work for me. 

GRIP OF HONOR is the 7th and final installment in this series, and I struggled with this one. It was a quick read just like all the other books, but after all the action and reveals in book 6, this one fell flat. The defeat of the madman was way too easy. The rescue of one of the main characters was also too easy. 

The overall ending was rushed, yet still felt unfinished. I was left with so many unanswered questions. Like, the town elects a new mayor, yet we never see who. The book ends just before the announcement is made. 

The characters still have no concrete answers as to what happened or when the world will return to normal. I don't know if the characters are going to stay in town or move on. 

Also, beyond the end of the world survival aspect of this, I was really intrigued by the idea of the characters being raised by preppers. While we do get glimpses into their childhood and how they were raised, the whole prepper thing seemed like an easy plot device to give the characters the skills they (conveniently) needed to survive. I would have loved to had more interaction with the prepper parents / community. 

Overall, this was an engaging series, and I did enjoy most of it. Though I do feel like 7 books plus a prequel was too much. What do I mean by that? Well, tune in this Thursday for a more in-depth explanation, because I have a lot more to say on this!