One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards

Author: Natalie D. Richards
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Expected publication: October 4 2016
Pages: 320

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.* 


Introduction

       Nobody is happy when rain falls during a mandatory senior hiking trip. Everybody is even less impressed when a flash flood cuts the group in half, each stuck on one side of the overflowing river.
   
       They all thought the rain was the largest of their worries, until Luke, Jude, Emily, and Sera wake up groggy and confused with words etched on the skin of their wrists. Luke got the word Dangerous. Jude got the word Deceptive. Emily got the word Damaged. Sera got the word Darling. They have no idea what these words mean, why they were drugged enough to sleep through the day, why their teacher won't wake up, or why all of their stuff is destroyed. What they do know is that they need to get out of the woods, although somebody in the forest with seems determined that they don't get out alive.

Cover

        Interesting cover, different from what I usually see with Natalie D. Richards' covers.

Sera (and Luke, kind of)

       I liked Sera mostly. I wasn't a huge fan of the backstory between her and Luke, or how she kept resisting everything because of her past with her mother. I'm struggling to explain what I mean, but I feel like if Sera was going to blame a lot of her trust issues on her mother, than more story should have been written in with the relationship between her and mother, instead of just continually mentioning that falling for someone like Luke is exactly what her mother would do.

Jude and Emily

       I liked these characters a lot individually, but the close friendship/relationship seemed to develop really fast and abruptly I wasn't very much into it.

Mystery

       I had my suspicions about who the psychopath was before the ending revealed it, but it was still very enjoyable to read, and the way that you are lead off course of the real person behind it was believable. Even though I say that I had my suspicions, I wasn't entirely sure, as I don't think it was that obvious, especially when thinking of the motive
Story progress

       The story takes a while to really get going, but in the book's defense it was written to be a suspenseful thriller, so there is supposed to be a lot of buildup, and it's completely understandable for the style.

Conclusion

       I had a few gripes with the relationships in this book, but nothing horrible or earth shattering. I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I would definitely read this book again. One Was Lost reminds me once again why Natalie D. Richards is my favourite author, and as always, I can not wait to read more from her.

     

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Author: Courtney Summers
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Date Published:  June 19 2012
Publisher: Saint Martins Griffin

Introduction
       The zombie apocalypse is here. Six kids have taken shelter in an old high school. While everybody else in the group is finding ways to fight for survival, Sloane Price is struggling to find a good reason to stay alive. Nothing in life is going right for Sloane. When she was to home, her father would beat her. The only thing that made life worth living was her sister Lily and their plans to run away together when Sloane got old enough. Six months ago, Lily ran away without her. With Lily gone her father was unbearable. When apocalypse came, Sloane left, and found 5 other kids, Rhys Cary, Harrison, Trace, and Grace. Now at the school, nobody is really ever in a good mood. Nothing looks good. Soon they will run out of water, eventually out of food, and they can never get enough sleep with all the zombies aching to get inside.

Cover
       The cover is pretty cool. I love the blood spatters in the corner.

Characters/Relationships
       The characters in this book are all pretty awesome. No huge complaints. Except, everybody gets super angry at Harrison for crying all the time. When in reality, that is probably what I would be like. I know that I wouldn't be the only one freaking out all the time. I mean, lets be real here, I can't handle a spider. I would not be brave in times like that.
       Rhys and Sloane might like each other, but in my opinion they were both just lonely. It was never super personal or serious.

Conclusion
      I really liked this book. It wasn't action, explosions, or all blood and gore. It tugs on your heart a little and you might end up shedding a tear, but you probably won't end up in a full out cry every time you read the book. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes zombies and is okay with sad elements. I wouldn't recommend this book to younger readers, as there is mention of sex and some clothes do get shed.