I Will Have My Revenge

It takes two people to keep a secret, and in Frances's case she is one of the only ones left who can reveal the truth. When the luxury yacht, Persephone, overtakes a tragic end, Frances and her friend, Libby, appear to be the only two who escape. Days later, Frances survives and is rescued by Libby's father; she then discovers there were two other people who witnesses the tragedy: Senator Wells and his son, Grey. However, Grey and his father lie about the outcome of the event claiming it was a rouge wave that overtook the ship, but this was not what Frances remembers from that day. Her

parents, Libby's mother, and every person on board that yacht were murdered in front of her.
Knowing the truth, Libby's father offers Frances safety and a chance for new life by taking on Libby's identity. However removed she gets from the tragedy, Frances cannot forget the pain and suffering and continues to plot her revenge against her one time love, Grey, and his father.
As she slips seamlessly into Libby's new life, and her plan becomes more and more real,  Frances comes faced with countless obstacles in achieving her plan. And, when it comes down to it, will she be able to betray Grey? Or has someone else plotted to silence her for good?

Carrie Ryan's Daughter of Deep Silence is a thriller that revolves around the idea of retribution. I am a huge fan of Ryan's work as I read her other series, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, twice through. Her writing is great, and she has this way of creating such a connection between the reader and the heroine. Frances finds herself suddenly orphaned with no one and no life to return to after the tragedy. Libby's father takes her in and gives her a life, but you can still sense her anger, her pain, and of course her need for revenge. She has plotted and planned; the lengths she goes to for this plan to succeed is truly remarkable. Every single detail down to the name of the senator's secretary has been thought through and thoroughly placed.
I marked this as a "self-discovery" book because throughout Frances becomes less Libby and truly begins to realize who Frances is and was. It is evident to readers the need for revenge has overtaken Frances and Libby's identities so the line between real and fiction is fading. The journey this novel takes is definitely suspenseful. Honestly, I feel it was a great thriller that truly left readers wondering who are the Wells's covering for, and what happens when they catch on that "Libby" is alive and on their trail. Definitely a great read with a unexpected end.

Hello Flowers.

The Cellar by Natasha Preston started, for me anyway, with the pretty covers. I know it's always about the color and the cover design. Upon reading the back cover, I was interested. As I started reading, I became terrified. I think this may have been a contributing factor as to why it took me a while to finish. *By the way, I did finish this and the next book a few months ago, however time has been escaping me lately. Again, my apologies.*

The story starts off with Summer Robinson and her utmost perfect life. She's a pretty teenager with a super caring and loving boyfriend, her family seems all too perfect. One evening, Summer went out to meet her friends at the local club, yes I know clubs are for older people but for some reason they can get in I think it takes place in England...I don't know, but she never makes it. Summer is kidnapped by a man only known as "Clover" who seems to be mistaking her for a girl named Lily.  She was drugged, and upon her coming to, Summer finds herself in the cellar of this man's home where she meets three of her "sisters": Rose, Poppy, and Violet. She was not being mistaken for Lily, this man has renamed her in order to fit into his perfect family.

Summer soon discovers these three women were also abducted, but none had a home, a family, or any kind of life to go back to. Each morning, the four women must dress in almost identical clothes to sit down at breakfast where Clover greets them. Then they have the entire day while the man of the house is at work to read, watch movies, or just sit idling. Clover puts on this persona of a fake family to come home to because he has no one to call his own. The women are given a home and expected to obey. The flowers are a symbol of how everything grows together; and now Summer finds herself expecting to be the perfect "Lily" in order to blend into the family.

Weeks turn to months, but Summer is still optimistic that her family and the love of her life, Louis, will find her somehow. However, the cellar is always locked, and even when opportunity strikes for escape, Summer has seen the result of those who try to cross Clover. Summer must continually keep herself strong in the hopes that one day she will be able to be free; but first she must endure the torture Clover has in store- which in reality is just becoming a family filled with love, affection, and perhaps once he has known his "flower" for a longer time, much needed sexual release. The other women seem delusional, but there is this constant hope within Summer, as well as her family members, to get her back home.

Quite honestly there were a lot of times in this novel I was legitimately scared. The villain, Clover, is a psycho. He slips into everyday life by having a normal job, a normal life, and when he does go shopping for clothes he always seems to have the right answers to draw suspicion away. It was actually terrifying to know how easy it was to kidnap and hold these women, and it was even worse to know the man considered them his "family". It makes you really consider serial killers, serial rapists, and kidnappers.

I believe the story ended a little conveniently, but I don't think the author could ethically ended it differently. You travel with this young naive protagonist through the horror of murder, rape, and kidnapping; your only hope is the light at the end, even if it's death for some. I did give this story 4 stars on Good reads because it was well written and it caused me to have these feelings of fear. In fact there were a few nights when I had legit nightmares of events. There are other novels Preston wrote with a similar premise, but I think I want to skip those. The book is very close to real life and the mind of a psychopath, so I feel one is enough to give me a good view on what we see. Be my guest to keep going. The book was easy to get through...physically anyway. 

Never Forget the Potential One Solitary Pawn Has to Change The Entire Game

Kitty Doe's fate lies in the hands of the test. In this futuristic world, young men and women at 16 take a test to determine their intelligence. Once the results are found, these children have their marks engraved on the back of their necks. A mark of a IV or V prove a normal life with acceptable jobs, VI or above show great intelligence and therefore receive jobs that are more aligned with the Prime Minister and the high ranked family of Harts.

However, marks of III or lower only lead to meaningless work that no one wishes to complete. Often times in order to make enough money, these people sell themselves to brothels in hopes of a more enriching life.
Then there are those people who disobey and are taken into Elsewhere, which is just as mysterious as it sounds. No one knows what is beyond Elsewhere, but everyone knows this is no place to travel.

Kitty's test results land her a III. The government wishes to send her to Denver to complete her work of sweeping sewers, but Kitty's one choice this night changes the course of events. Her attempts to sell herself at a brothel land her a proposition from the Prime Minister himself: He will change her marking to a VII, she just has to leave her life behind. When she agrees, Kitty does not realize what this VII could mean, or what dangers it presents.
In Aimee Carter's Pawn, Kitty finds herself masked, a plastic surgery procedure where the individual is transformed into another person. In Kitty's case, Lila Hart; the Prime Minister's niece and one of the most powerful people in the world.
Kitty soon realizes this VII meant changing her identity, her world, and becoming Lila, who was killed because her actions were not well liked by the Prime Minister. She begins to uncover secrets, shocking revelations, and she realizes the Harts have no intention to let her go. But she fears for Benji, the boyfriend she left behind. How will she ever be able to make it back to him and explain this? But what scares her the most; the Hart family have all sorts of different agendas. The day Kitty does not serve her purpose, not only will they kill Benji, but what is to stop them from killing her?

I picked this novel up out of curiosity. The idea of marking children for their potential jobs is one that has been seen before, however the government involvement has dark plans. The dark plans aren't for their citizens...it seems to be a family affair. Each one is against the other, blackmail is common, and it is never clear whose side anyone is on. Knox, Lila's real life fiance, and Greyson, Lila's cousin, seem to be the only two who are 100% truthful. Kitty is no fool, but with each chapter and each new plan, it begins to get harder and harder for her to fight for her control. She is Lila, and it seems as though her hope in ever finding a life with Benji where they can be free is far from her grasp.

I really liked this concept, the family dynamic was very interesting, and the ending does come as a shock. It was so incredible how these people had no regard for human life. The amount of "accidents" and blatant killings was disgusting. But it proved to show there is a rebellion trying to squeeze through. And despite her troubles, Kitty does not plan to sit back and let anyone tell her what to do.
Overall great book, and seems like it will be a great trilogy.