The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

 (Maximum Ride #1)

422 pages / 9 hrs, 38 mins

"Six unforgettable kids — with no families, no homes — are running for their lives. Max Ride and her best friends have the ability to fly. And that's just the beginning of their amazing powers. But they don't know where they come from, who's hunting them, why they are different from all other humans... and if they're meant to save mankind — or destroy it."  --from the publisher

I'm still scratching my head over this one, and not in a good way. It seems the reader is supposed to know part of the backstory, because the writing is disjointed and very little is explained. I give it three out of five stars, but that might be generous.

The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz

 (Jane Hawk #3)

491 pages / 15 hrs, 37 mins

"'I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.' Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she's breathing, she'll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom--and free will--of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane's husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane's enemies are determined to see her dead . . . or make her wish she was. Jane's ruthless pursuers can't stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born."  --from the publisher

The writing is excellent, but this installment of the series is very dark. I will probably continue on, but I definitely need a break. I give it four out of five stars for the writing and two out of five for the darkness.

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz

The Whispering Room
A Jane Hawk Novel
by Dean Koontz
513 pages











'Do what you were born to do'

These are the words that ring in the mind of a beloved teacher as she drives a car full of burning gasoline into a hotel. The police believe she was insane, but rogue FBI agent Jane Hawk knows the truth.

In the wake of many similar inexplicable suicides, including that of her husband, Jane picks up the trail of a secret cabal of formidable players who are bent on obtaining world power.

Now Jane has become an unstoppable predator. Those she is hunting will have nowhere to run when her shadow falls across them.

I enjoyed listening to the audio of this book narrated by Elisabeth Rogers

Goldenhand - Old Kingdom - Book 5 by Garth Nix

Goldenhand
Old Kingdom
Book 5
by  Garth Nix
368 pages








The long-awaited fifth installment in Garth Nix’s New York Times bestselling Old Kingdom series, for readers who enjoy series by Rae Carson, Kristin Cashore, Scott Westerfeld, and Cassandra Clare.

Lirael lost one of her hands in the binding of Orannis, but now she has a new hand, one of gilded steel and Charter Magic. On a dangerous journey, Lirael returns to her childhood home, the Clayr’s Glacier, where she was once a Second Assistant Librarian. There, a young woman from the distant North brings her a message from her long-dead mother, Arielle. It is a warning about the Witch with No Face. But who is the Witch, and what is she planning? Lirael must use her new powers to save the Old Kingdom from this great danger—and it must be forestalled not only in the living world but also in the cold, remorseless river of Death.

I enjoyed listening to the audio of this book read by Heather Wilds.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
Book 1
419 pages









Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill. The forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.


Contains mature content. Not suitable for younger readers.