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1madchild's review against another edition
3.0
jesus, that took at turn.
good listening though, could have had a slightly longer ending and more maggie please.
good listening though, could have had a slightly longer ending and more maggie please.
kpjt_books's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't read any other Zac Brewer - but I know my daughter has and she enjoyed the Vladimir Tod series a lot. This story tries to jam a lot of plot into a relatively short page count which makes things feel thick and rushed. There were parts that as a reader I found a bit too unbelievable, but other parts that were so real and raw - hence the 3 star review. I enjoyed it, but the more tenuous plot points felt unnecessary. I'm anxious to have my daughter read it and see what she thinks.
mckinlay's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the relationship dynamics in this book but the mystery fell flat. And the end wrapped up waaaaay too easily.
luckies_universe's review against another edition
2.0
This was lukewarm for me. The beginning intrigued me, and I was ready for a quick and easy YA murder mystery, but … I'm not sure what I got instead?
In short, Adrien's adoptive parents perished in a fire, leaving him with his adoptive sister, Grace, who hates him for seemingly no reason. He leaves for four years, but comes back to his old school because his godfather has a terminal illness and doesn't have long to live. Once back at his old boarding school, Adrien faces issues regarding Grace, his parent's death, and his friendships.
Where do I even begin? There were so many different plotlines running simultaneously, it's like the author couldn't decide what to pick, and this resulted in none of the storylines being deepened, instead giving readers cursory and weak plots.
Adrien struck me as a bit of a 'pick me' boy most of the time, and his inner monologue bored me after the first few pages.
And the ending. No spoilers, but it was an ocean of WTF moments and not in a good way. It was unrealistic even for YA and there was ZERO character development by the end, or, rather, the characters suddenly got over their years worth of trauma and issues in the space of about five pages.
It was just confusing, irritating and just a whole lot of missed opportunities. It had potential, but it was not fulfilled, unfortunately.
In short, Adrien's adoptive parents perished in a fire, leaving him with his adoptive sister, Grace, who hates him for seemingly no reason. He leaves for four years, but comes back to his old school because his godfather has a terminal illness and doesn't have long to live. Once back at his old boarding school, Adrien faces issues regarding Grace, his parent's death, and his friendships.
Where do I even begin? There were so many different plotlines running simultaneously, it's like the author couldn't decide what to pick, and this resulted in none of the storylines being deepened, instead giving readers cursory and weak plots.
Adrien struck me as a bit of a 'pick me' boy most of the time, and his inner monologue bored me after the first few pages.
And the ending. No spoilers, but it was an ocean of WTF moments and not in a good way. It was unrealistic even for YA and there was ZERO character development by the end, or, rather, the characters suddenly got over their years worth of trauma and issues in the space of about five pages.
It was just confusing, irritating and just a whole lot of missed opportunities. It had potential, but it was not fulfilled, unfortunately.
aw_reads's review against another edition
3.0
"How do you think I should have been treated? Like some long-term houseguest?"
"Like their adopted son." She picked up her napkin and held it to the corner of her eye. It was a ploy of sympathy that she had used in the past, but there were no tears there. Not even the threat of tears. "Not like their actual son."
The Blood Between Us is a short, small town mystery/drama piece written by Zac Brewer (formerly known as Heather Brewer), bestselling author of the Chronicles of Vladimir Todd. And while I haven't read the Chronicles myself, I've heard many good things about the series. (It remains on my TBR list, just like all the other poor souls on there). But the prestige of the author was not why I picked this book up. I love me some family drama and some small town mystery, so the plot intrigued me from the get-go.
Unfortunately, the story didn't quite live up to its potential.
For this book, Brewer's main strengths lie in his clear, matter-of-fact writing and his MC, Adrien Dane. The writing is very straightforward and bypasses the poetic flourishes found throughout a great portion of YA novels nowadays. I enjoyed the author's succinct style, especially since it lent itself to the characterization of Adrien, who is a no-nonsense, blunt, snarky teenager dealing with the tragic death of his parents and the mistreatment by his adoptive sister. Adrien is a relatable teen that exemplifies great levels of angst, lust and melancholy, and what's more, while returning to the past he had hoped to leave behind, he also deals with questions concerning his love life and sexuality, which is always a welcome topic to integrate in today's YA and NA novels.
The shortcomings of this book are mostly found in the lackluster profiles of all the other characters involved, especially Grace, (whose mean girl attitude is so exaggerated it is nearly comical) and the uninspired ending to the mystery. Viktor is the only secondary character I am willing to make an exception for, but all others fail to impress. The first three chapters were strong and set up the suspense carried until the bitter end, but the remaining chapters failed to maintain the intrigue of the beginning.
While the ending was shocking, it was far too rushed and pretty anticlimactic. The problems presented in the beginning were fixed too easily and while the ending wasn't exceedingly happy, it did tie up some loose ends a little too nicely. I almost believe the entire story could have used another POV, specifically Grace, to flesh out the characters and their relationships and to enhance the mystery aspect of the book.
Despite its flaws, the story does have its own dark charm and it does include some topics (i.e LGBTQ, orphanhood, bullying, dysfunctional family) readers might enjoy. And the cover is gorgeous. So, I'll give this book a solid 3 out of 5 stars for this charming coming-of-age mystery and a genuine recommendation for your TBR list.
"Like their adopted son." She picked up her napkin and held it to the corner of her eye. It was a ploy of sympathy that she had used in the past, but there were no tears there. Not even the threat of tears. "Not like their actual son."
The Blood Between Us is a short, small town mystery/drama piece written by Zac Brewer (formerly known as Heather Brewer), bestselling author of the Chronicles of Vladimir Todd. And while I haven't read the Chronicles myself, I've heard many good things about the series. (It remains on my TBR list, just like all the other poor souls on there). But the prestige of the author was not why I picked this book up. I love me some family drama and some small town mystery, so the plot intrigued me from the get-go.
Unfortunately, the story didn't quite live up to its potential.
For this book, Brewer's main strengths lie in his clear, matter-of-fact writing and his MC, Adrien Dane. The writing is very straightforward and bypasses the poetic flourishes found throughout a great portion of YA novels nowadays. I enjoyed the author's succinct style, especially since it lent itself to the characterization of Adrien, who is a no-nonsense, blunt, snarky teenager dealing with the tragic death of his parents and the mistreatment by his adoptive sister. Adrien is a relatable teen that exemplifies great levels of angst, lust and melancholy, and what's more, while returning to the past he had hoped to leave behind, he also deals with questions concerning his love life and sexuality, which is always a welcome topic to integrate in today's YA and NA novels.
The shortcomings of this book are mostly found in the lackluster profiles of all the other characters involved, especially Grace, (whose mean girl attitude is so exaggerated it is nearly comical) and the uninspired ending to the mystery. Viktor is the only secondary character I am willing to make an exception for, but all others fail to impress. The first three chapters were strong and set up the suspense carried until the bitter end, but the remaining chapters failed to maintain the intrigue of the beginning.
While the ending was shocking, it was far too rushed and pretty anticlimactic. The problems presented in the beginning were fixed too easily and while the ending wasn't exceedingly happy, it did tie up some loose ends a little too nicely. I almost believe the entire story could have used another POV, specifically Grace, to flesh out the characters and their relationships and to enhance the mystery aspect of the book.
Despite its flaws, the story does have its own dark charm and it does include some topics (i.e LGBTQ, orphanhood, bullying, dysfunctional family) readers might enjoy. And the cover is gorgeous. So, I'll give this book a solid 3 out of 5 stars for this charming coming-of-age mystery and a genuine recommendation for your TBR list.
angelikareadsavariciously's review against another edition
3.0
It was decent, but it really lacked the finesse to be a great thriller.
infectedarea's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
kberman20's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Focused too much on Adrian and Caroline’s love
ps_a22's review against another edition
3.0
The mystery of this book was awesome. From the tension in the family to the compromising circumstances of the plot, I loved reading this novel. I found the chapter title's very clever, and the whole affiliation with chemistry gave the novel another dimension. The plot-twist at the end was mind-boggling even though it made perfect sense. Who knew that the true criminal was standing in the background the whole time?
All in all, Grace and Adrien's story was awesome
All in all, Grace and Adrien's story was awesome