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Lauren Judd (0 KP) is asking for a recommendation

Feb 15, 2018  
Recommend Me
Recommend to me a good stand alone fantasy Young Adult Fiction Novel
     
Never Tell (Detective D.D. Warren #10)
Never Tell (Detective D.D. Warren #10)
Lisa Gardner | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller
8
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Includes Detective D.D. Warren, Flora Dane, and FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy (1 more)
Can stand alone
A stand-alone, multi POV novel and the 10th novel in the Detective D.D. Warren series.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

I was not my parents' favorite child. I was not even the favorite daughter. Let me say my family has a strange sense of humor so my dad bought me Lisa Gardner's novel "The Other Daughter". I laughed and let the book sit for a few years. When I eventually read it, I knew I found an author I would definitely read again.

Never Tell by Lisa Gardner can stand alone. The multi POV thriller is the 10th novel in her Detective D.D. Warren series. It includes Flora Dane who was first introduced in Find Her, the 8th novel in her Detective D.D. Warren series.

In Find Her, Dane was kidnapped while on spring break and held for 472 days. Since then, she in now working as Warren's unpaid Confidential Informant). The agent who was instrumental in rescuing Dane was FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy, daughter of FBI Profiler Pierce Quincy, a main character in Gardner's FBI Profiler series. Kimberly Quincy also returns to assist with Warren's case.

It might be difficult to understand the connections I mentioned if you have not read prior books. The book does stand alone and will make you want to go read the others.


Review published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/27/19.
  
The Good Daughter
The Good Daughter
Karin Slaughter | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
10
8.2 (25 Ratings)
Book Rating
I love Karin Slaughter novels and this one did not disappoint!

Her books are gripping, full of emotion and the intensity begins with the opening chapter and doesn’t let go until the end.

This is a stand alone novel and I read it in two sittings.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
  
The Hard Stuff
The Hard Stuff
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel is outstanding! It is the second in a series but works just as well as a stand-alone since the author does a great job of giving the reader all the information needed without overwhelming the story. This exciting novel is everything an action thriller should be. It is fun, exciting, riveting and interesting. I can’t wait to read the next Joe the Bouncer book which I’m certain will be a page turner you can’t put down, just like this one.
  
The Dark Bones
The Dark Bones
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This follow up to A Dark Lure did not disappoint. Set in the same area, it revisits a few characters from the debut but is almost entirely a stand alone novel. It was exciting and thrilling, just like it’s predecessor. The characters were well rounded and had the depth and realism that make a great novel. I wish the “initial” case had been delved into a bit deeper but I was very happy with the story and all its components. Can’t wait to see what comes next!
  
The Girl at the End of the World
The Girl at the End of the World
Richard Levesque | 2013 | Dystopia, Young Adult (YA)
7
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
It was a good dystopian fiction. I like how the female was a very strong protagonist. Most fifteen year olds I know would not survive so it seemed a bit unrealistic in that was because she was not a prepper family. That did not distract from the story though. It was well paced and had a good flow. It was a stand alone novel not part of a series and sometimes we need those in our reading lives.
  
Overall, this was a great read. Some parts were completely terrible while others were absolutely fantastic. I would only reread parts of this novel as certain stories are better than the others but all in all, it’s a 4 star read.

Type: Stand-alone/ multiple short stories contained in one book

Interests: Witchcraft, Short Stories, LGBTQ+, Romance, Family, Multiple POV’s.

Point of View: Multiple of different characters

Audience/ Reading Level: 14+ as there are some serious scenes that are a bit more mature.
  
The Rules of Magic
The Rules of Magic
Alice Hoffman | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.8 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
Timeline doesn’t seem to make sense (0 more)
Better than the original
I love backstories, and this one didn’t disappoint! This was an excellent prequel that explored the heartbreak that shaped the aunts from Practical Magic. It was an excellent stand-alone novel, even if you haven’t read Practical Magic. I felt like the ending was a little rushed, and I couldn’t figure out the timeline. Regina was born in 1961, but her daughters were adults in the 1990s (assuming Practical Magic takes place when it was written).
  
Stalker (Joona Linna #5)
Stalker (Joona Linna #5)
Lars Kepler | 2019 | Thriller
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interesting story (0 more)
Slow start (0 more)
5th novel in the Joona Linna series. Can stand-alone
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Stalker by Lars Kepler is the 5th novel in the Swedish police series involving the main character, Joona Linna. Linna is a detective who is on the hunt of an obsessive, stalking serial killer who secretly video records his victims before brutally murdering them. He taunts police by sending them videos showing the victim alive and clearly unaware they are being recorded.

This novel can stand-alone but, according to reviews on Goodreads, the earlier novels provide information and background stories on characters in the series. I have never read the previous books but have had several of them on my "want to read" list since the 4th book, Sandman, could be found all over social media last year.

I was hesitant to start the series because, I have found when a book has that much hype surrounding it, it feels like a disappointment when reading. I did not feel that when reading Stalker. The novel started off slowly. This may be because I was not familiar with the characters. Familiar or not, after the slow start, I was sucked into the story and will be moving the rest of the series to the top of my "want to read" list.

Review published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/21/19.