Poisoned Apple

Snow White’s a goth and Prince Charming’s a jerk.

On Neve’s eighteenth birthday, her stepmother kicks her out. A group of diner rats offer her refuge—including Brendan, who offers his couch for her to crash on. But the more time she spends with him, the more he confuses her. One second, he’s kissing her. The next he’s pushing her away.

Believing her life has reached rock bottom, Neve struggles to ditch her “damaged girl” label. But when she uncovers the truth about her life, she’s rocked to her very foundation. Will Neve be able to hold on to the good things coming her way, or will her bad luck poison everything?

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

Sometimes life seems like a fairy tale. And other times, it tries to turn you into the villain. It's an old cliché, but it still resonates: life is hard. For Neve, it's almost impossible. Poisoned Apple, a novella by Katherine McIntyre, shares the story of an abandoned, orphaned girl and how she tries to overcome the bad luck that follows her.

 

Neve knows that there is no love between her and her stepmother. Evil doesn't even begin to describe the witch, but Neve still hoped that after her 18th birthday she would still offer Neve a place to live. Alas, no. The novella begins with Neve celebrating her special day by packing her suitcase and leaving her home. From the beginning, readers see both Neve's bravery and her vulnerability. An instant connection is made as the author appeals to the pathos of the readers. The connection deepens with each obstacle that Neve encounters. The writing style helps to sway the reader onto Neve's side by showcasing the nature of other characters. With all that Neve goes through, it's courageous that she still fights for happiness.

 

The plot begins with Neve's birthday and her stepmother kicking her out of the house since the child support will sequentially stop. Neve packs a suitcase and leaves, finding a 24-hour diner with a group of friends that invite her to sit with them. She doesn't know it, but this group of guys will be her saving grace. Readers will whip through this entertaining and emotional novella. I found Poisoned Apple quite engrossing, but I was a little confused by the title. Though I saw the parallels, I thought that it would more closely follow the story of Snow White ... it did not. I still enjoyed the novella overall. The only real problem I had with the story was the ending. Emotions were high and it looked as if Neve would never overcome the unfortunate hand that life had dealt her. And then Prince Charming appears. Romantic and heroic, but it was a little too corny for my tastes. Neve's promise of happily-ever-after just didn't seem real. Though I emotionally connected with Neve and wanted her to find that elusive happiness, the ending didn't hit home. However, I'm sure some readers will love the ending as it paints the future in a purely positive light. Poisoned Apple it a novella that swells with emotion, loss, and the hope to rise above it all.

 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Snatched

When Kara was ten, the shifters took her parents.

A year ago, they took her best friend Hunter.

And now, the night before her first military strike against those monsters on the surface, the shifters take the only person she has left: her little sister Lizzy.

The snatched don’t come back. That’s what Kara’s believed her entire life, but the first person she finds above ground is the best friend she thought lost forever. Turns out, the higher ups lied. Other colonies are out there, hell even folks who toughed it up above. If anyone knows how to get her sister back, these people would. However, unless she can rally these surfacers into an army, one girl with a shotgun won’t survive long against the very creatures that overturned her world.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Monsters roam the surface of the Earth, killing and capturing any humans they come across. With bodies that seem indestructible and the ability to teleport, they rule while the citizens of this planet hide underground. Katherine McIntyre shares this horrifying world with readers in her novel, Snatched. 

Kara, the main character, is an Orris girl - strong, sarcastic, and full of gumption. She's a seventeen year old military member who has just completed her first mission on the surface. Kara is an incredibly brave and serious soldier. Her focus is keeping her little sister safe. Especially since Lizzy is the only family she has left. Readers will connect with Kara through the book's point of view. Because everything focuses around Kara, readers will witness what Kara is fighting for. When Lizzy is snatched by the monster shifters, Kara is determined to do whatever it takes to get her little sister home safely. Her courage and loyalty play the biggest role in helping readers relate to Kara. 

The plot of the novel begins with Kara's first mission during which a shifter is spotted. Because of the sighting, another mission is immediately formed. Just before leaving for the mission, Lizzy is captured by the shifters. Kara keeps the news to herself and goes on the mission knowing that she'll find a way to track down, and save, her sister. Snatched is pretty fast-paced with the characters barely getting a moment of rest, though I felt like the timeline described in the novel didn't match up a few times. The writing style is horrifyingly detailed, especially the monster fighting sections, but became a bit repetitive. I felt like I was re-reading sentences every once in a while. Regardless, the book was absorbing. McIntyre does a good job creating a believable dystopian setting for the survive-and-rescue plot. 

Rating: 3/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (149)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers



Snatched (Kindle 29%)
   - Katherine McIntyre

Our higher-ups had always told us that the shifters snatched us to thin our ranks, that they'd port us to the surface and drop us from the skies. But that shifter and the one who'd attacked me had been intent on keeping us whole.