Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel (ARC Review)

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

Xavier Oaks doesn't particularly want to go to the cabin with his dad and his dad's pregnant new wife, Nia. But family obligations are family obligations, and it's only for a short time. So he leaves his mom, his brother, and his other friends behind for a week in the woods. Only... one morning he wakes up and the house isn’t where it was before. It's like it's been lifted and placed... somewhere else. When Xavier, his dad, and Nia go explore, they find they are inside a dome, trapped. And there's no one else around...

Until, three years later, another family arrives. Is there any escape? Is there a reason they are stuck where they are? Different people have different answers -- and those different answers inexorably lead to tension, strife, and sacrifice.

My Review:

So this book surprised me, in a very very good way. I think I finished it in a little over a day and enjoyed every moment of it. I loved Xavier as a main character. He was smart, resourceful and just a good character. I appreciated that Kenneth Oppel avoided all the cliches when it came to the parents. Usually in stories where the main character is a teen dealing with a blended family, the step mom is a bitch or the dad is an ass. This family is well balanced, well written and well rounded. They genuinely care about each other. It was refreshing. 

The mystery of what happened to them is intriguing. I particularly enjoyed when they were trying to figure things out in the beginning. They tried things that normal people would, plus they did so in a smart way. It put me in their shoes and had me nodding like "yeah I'd try that too." I also liked the parts where they acclimated to their new environment in a logical and well explained way. 

When the new family appears, things do indeed get tense. I found myself on edge trying to figure out if everything that they did made sense or made them seem a bit shifty. The tensions between both families was realistic and made sense. (No artificial drama for plot purposes) The interactions were the best parts of the book, in my opinion. Seeing the reactions from both sides, seeing how almost polar opposite the new family viewed their situation was interesting. It made me wonder how I would react in that situation. 

The ending was fun. There were parts that were expected and parts that surprised me. I recommend this book. I'm still thinking about it a few days after finishing it. 

~Before He Finds Her by Michael Kardos~ ARC Thriller Review

Title: Before He Finds Her

Author: Michael Kardos

Genre: Thriller

Publish Date: February 3rd 2015

Publisher: Mysterious Press

Blurb: 
Everyone in the quiet Jersey Shore town of Silver Bay knows the story: on a Sunday evening in September 1991, Ramsey Miller threw a blowout block party, then murdered his beautiful wife and three-year-old daughter.

But everyone is wrong. The daughter got away. Now she is nearly eighteen and tired of living in secrecy. Under the name Melanie Denison, she has spent the last fifteen years in small-town West Virginia as part of the Witness Protection Program. She has never been allowed to travel, go to a school dance, or even have internet at home. Precautions must be taken at every turn, because Ramsey Miller was never caught and might still be looking for his daughter. Yet despite strict house rules, Melanie has entered into a relationship with a young teacher at the local high school and is now ten weeks pregnant. She doesn’t want her child to live in hiding as she has had to. Defying her guardians and taking matters into her own hands, Melanie returns to Silver Bay in hopes of doing what the authorities have failed to do: find her father before he finds her. Weaving in Ramsey’s story in the three days leading up to the brutal crime, Before He Finds Her is a stirring novel about love and faith and fear—and how the most important things can become terribly distorted when we cling to them too fiercely.


My Review:
This book's blurb caught my attention the moment I read it. I thought it sounded like a unique take on the thriller genre, and I was correct. There are a couple of really neat twists, and turns.  I liked that Melanie was a smart girl, yet also made mistakes. Her character was someone that's in a very unique situation. She's in hiding from her father, who by all accounts murdered her mother many many years ago. She's been given a new identity and a new set of parents. She's grown up and is wanting to explore the world, but can't. Her Uncle and Aunt (her parents) are worried that the moment she leaves their safe zone, she'll attract her father, whom is apparently still looking for her.

Events happen, and Melanie finds herself wanting more information about her past. Her life is nice, but she can't shake the notion that there is something more out there she should know. So she goes on an journey to her childhood home to dig for clues. Clues that will help her figure out what actually happened, and why she's been hiding for her whole life.

The writing is nicely done. I did feel a few parts could have used a little trimming, but overall the plot flowed very swiftly. The plot itself was great! I wanted to know what happened, what caused everything to go wackadoodle in the Miller's life. I wanted Melanie to find out about her past. The twist was fun and I honestly didn't see it coming.

All in all, I enjoyed the book.

*I received this book for free in exchange for a review.*