Review: Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Thicker Than Water

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Published: 4 January 2015
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Children's
Source: Allen & Unwin
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: **** 1/2  

My Review:

Imagine you have just moved to a new town with your mother. A town where you know absolutely no one. Then your mother is murdered, and if that wasn't bad enough, everyone in the town thinks you did it. You finally meet someone you can connect with in this town and they are the sister of three of the cops that are the most hell bent and proving your guilt.

This is the situation we find Thomas Bellwether in at the beginning of this newest paranormal thriller from Elementals series author Brigid Kemmerer and this novel is Ms Kemmerer at her best.

Right from the beginning I felt for Thomas and the situation he was in and desperately wanted him to prove his innocence As story built and grew, I found my belief wavering...Was he the killer? I think I changed my mind back and forth at there 3 or 4 times before the electrifying and chilling conclusion finally gave me an answer.

I loved that this book kept me guessing from beginning to end. Ms Kemmerer layered it exactly right so that every new revelation added more questions for every answer that you got and the reader got to go on the journey of discovery with both Thomas and Charlotte to try to find out what really happened that night.

The strong plot line is not the only great thing about this novel. I also loved the characters. The story is told in alternating points of view by Thomas and charlotte and Ms Kemmerer did a wonderful job in giving each of them a distinct voice so that even if each chapter didn't have the name of the character narrating it, the reader would be able to tell straight away. I also felt the characters were well written and easy to connect with. I felt Thomas' sense of isolation in this town where everyone thought he was a killer and I felt Charlotte's irritation and sense of claustrophobia at the constant over protectiveness and constraints laid on by her brother, parents and grandmother.

I loved her best friend Nicole, in part because we share the same first name but mostly because I am a sucker for a well drawn loyal best friend and this best friend's personality leaps out of the page at you. I loved Charlotte's brothers protective ness of their sister even as I chafed at the bit for Charlotte. Ms Kemmerer really captures the different personalities and this helped bring the story to life.

If you are a fan of a good YA thriller but not a huge paranormal fan, don't be put off as whilst there is a paranormal vein running through this book, it is first and foremost a thriller and a chilling one at that. One you won't want to put down till you have turned the last page and then mulled over it some as you digest the ending.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours and am extremely happy to give this book 4 1/2 stars.

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer

Thomas Bellweather would never knowingly hurt someone he loved. But when his mother is murdered inside their locked house, he is the only suspect. Even his cop-stepdad can't protect him forever in a new town where no one knows or trusts him.

The only person who believes him is Charlotte, sister to three protective cops and straight-up dangerous to Thomas. She knows there are pieces missing in the puzzle, and she's determined to find them.

But finding things that are hidden could get them both killed.

 

Purchase: Allen and Unwin | Bookworld | Amazon | Booktopia  | Book Depository

WWW Wednesday #18

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme formerly hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading and now revived by Taking on a World of Words.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you will read next?

What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading the Every Breath (Every #1) By Ellie Marney.  I have been trying to read more Aussie YA and have heard good things about this series. Unfortunately I left it to read until the day before it was due back to the library so I had to buy my own copy to continue. I am currently on page 42 and looking to finish it in the next day or so. It's also a goal for a goodreads challenge I am doing which is another good motivation to finish it  :-)

What did you recently finish reading?

 

I managed to read three books this week. 

With Christmas on its way, I decided I wanted to read some Christmas themed romance so I borrow some Christmas anthologies from the library. So far I have managed to read The Gift by Nora Roberts which is a collection of three stories; Home For Christmas, All I want For Christmas and Gabriel's Angel. I enjoyed these especially AllI Want For Christmas which was very cute. The other two anthologies I borrowed seem to be a combination of these three short stories + 1 extra story each which is a little disappointing but I am still looking forward to reading the new stories. 

I was lucky enough to receive Thicker than Water by Brigid Kemmerer, author of the Elementals series, from Allen and Unwin this week and pretty much dove straight into it. I will be posting my review next week but I will tell you that I loved it and read the whole thing in virtually one sitting. :-)

I also read Demon Road by Derek Landy this week.  I actually received this in the goodie bag at BTCYA in November and finally got around to reading it and I was pleasantly surprised.  Again, planning to post the review within the next week or so but definitely enjoyed it more than I expected.

What do you think you will read next??

As mentioned I have two other Christmas anthologies to finish. They are Christmas Angels which has First Impressions and Last Christmas contains This magic moment. 

I have a review book to read Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley to read. According to the blurb, its about the Bronte siblings and the worlds they wrote about and imagined when they were children and about the power of imagination. It looks like an awesome read and I am looking forward to it.

As it is Christmas in just a matter of days,  I am leaving a blank space in my reading schedule this week as I am hoping to receive a book or two that I just might want to read straight away. Here's hoping! :-P 😛

So what are you reading this week? Are you expecting any good books this Christmas?

   

In My Mailbox #23

Welcome to  In My Mailbox, a meme run by The Story Siren where each week over 200 bloggers post on their blogs the books they have bought, received to review or won in the past week. 

To find out more information, get involved yourself or see what's in other bloggers mailboxes this week head over to The Story Siren or to find out what is in my mailbox this week, keep reading.

Don't forget to comment and post your IMM link or just let me know what's in your mail box this week.

Not a huge week this week but some great titles.

Purchased (For Kindle):



Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer

Purchased (Paperback):



Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Library:



Lover Eternal by J R Ward
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

So what did you get in your mailbox this week?

On My Wishlist #1

Welcome to my very first On My Wishlist! 

On My Wishlist is a meme that was originally created by Book Chick City and is now hosted by Cosy Books where we can showcase (and squee about) books that are on our individual wish lists whether already or still awaiting publication.

For more information or to get involved yourself, head over to Cosy Books and check it out!

Lastly, don't forget to comment and let me know what books are on your Wishlist this week.




Underworld (Abandon #2) by Meg Cabot

Publication Date: 8 May 2012

Synopsis (via Goodreads):Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.

But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.

And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape.

Comment: So while Abandon may not have been one of my most favourite books of 2011 (read my review and see why), I did enjoy it enough that I can't wait to get my hands on the next book Underworld and find out what happens next. Published earlier this month, I am determined to get my hands on this book at some stage. 

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta Publication Date: 3 July 2012

Synopsis (via Goodreads):When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member. 

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Comment: Firstly I love the cover! It has a dark mysterious look to it (probably helped by the word dark in the title :-p) combined with an unearthly quality that drew me to it.   The synopsis sounds interesting to but truthfully it's mostly the cover that has led this to be put on my wish list this week :-)

Storm (Elementals#1) by Brigid Kemmerer Publication date: 24 April 2012
Synopsis (via Goodreads):Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death. And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca. Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all. The storm is coming . . . Comment: This has been getting a number of good reviews all around the blogosphere and is the reason it is on the list this week. 



The Grave Witch by Kalayna Price
Publication Date: 5 October 2010
Synopsis (via Goodreads ):Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say. As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around... To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life...and her soul. Comment: This was recommended to me a while back and I still haven't gotten around to buying it. Worse still, they don't have it at my library so I can't borrow it either. I will read this eventually!



The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead Publication Date: 12 June 2012

Synopsis:The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

Comment : So technically I have already pre-ordered this but since it doesn't come out till June 12 and  I WISH I COULD READ IT RIGHT NOW, I figure it belongs on my Wishlist :-p

So what has been added to your Wishlist this week?