Celebrating Debutantes 2016: The Killer in Me by Margot Harrison (Movie Cast + Giveaway)

Hi guys! For today in Celebrating Debutantes 2016, I'm featuring The Killer in Me by Margot Harrison. It's about serial killers. I've always been drawn to the mechanics, the psychology and the creepy thrill in general of serial killer films. This would be my first book about it, if ever. Margot is going to talk about her ideal movie cast for her debut. Stick around for a giveaway - open internationally - at the end.

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I’m a huge movie fan—in fact, I see a movie every single week (you can find my reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where I’m a critic). So when I write, I tend to “cast” my book as I go along. The Killer in Me has a small cast — just three major characters — but I’ve thought a lot about who I’d like to see play them on screen. Here goes:

Nina Barrows would be played by Kacey Rohl

The main character of The Killer in Me is a girl who believes she has a mysterious connection to a serial killer—she knows what he’s going to do next. On the NBC series “Hannibal,” Kacey Rohl plays Abigail, the daughter of a serial killer who may or may not have been his accomplice. Abigail is a wonderfully ambiguous character: One moment she seems like a normal teenager dealing with tragedy; the next moment, she just might be a cold-blooded murderer.

I wanted the reader to wonder about Nina in exactly the same way. On the surface, she’s an anxious girl who’s afraid of her own shadow — but is she hiding something darker underneath all her nervous mannerisms? Rohl would be the perfect actor to bring out both those possibilities. Her eyes are blue, and Nina’s are brown, but I can deal with that.

Warren Witter would be played by Charlie Heaton

Warren is Nina’s best friend, her sidekick, the person she tells her secrets to—and maybe more. He’s the kind of friend who agrees to go on a road trip to help you catch a killer, even though he’s not sure that killer actually exists. He’s sweet, funny, nerdy, and nursing a huge crush.

When I wrote the book, I imagined Warren as a younger version of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But now that I’ve seen Stranger Things on Netflix, I know exactly who I’d cast: Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan Byers. Jonathan is a quiet guy who initially seems a little sketchy before revealing himself to be an awesome son, brother, and friend. His relationship with Nancy reminds me so much of Warren and Nina, especially in the scene where they visit the Army Surplus store to stock up on weapons. (Warren teaches Nina all about guns.) Jonathan even has a great relationship with his mom, just like Warren does with his. Heaton would rock this role.

Dylan Shadwell would be played by Michael Shannon (younger version)

Yes, I know. Casting a younger version of an actor is cheating. But I can’t imagine anyone better for the role of a guy who MAY or may NOT be a serial killer than this character actor, who can move from “down-home friendly” to “ultra-creepy” in a heartbeat.

Nina believes Dylan Shadwell is the killer she’s searching for. But she has no physical proof, and when she comes face to face with her suspect, he’s not what she expected. Could this sweet, shy guy who made his stepdaughter a dollhouse be a killer? She needs to get close to him to find out.

You may know Shannon for bad-guy roles like Zod in Man of Steel, but he can pull off the soft-spoken nice-guy thing, too—see Midnight Special, where he’s just a desperate dad trying to save his son. He’s also done full-on mentally unstable in movies like Bug and Revolutionary Road. It takes an actor with that kind of versatility to pull off the shadings of Dylan’s complex character. Most importantly, though, he has incredibly spooky eyes—perfect.

Truth is, I’d be ecstatic to see anyone cast in a film version of my book. But putting together this dream cast was a blast!

About the Author:

Margot Harrison was raised in the wilds of New York by lovely, nonviolent parents who never managed to prevent her from staying up late to read scary books. She studied at Harvard and Berkeley and now lives in Vermont, where she works at the newspaper Seven Days. Her favorite part of the job is, of course, reviewing scary books and movies. The Killer in Me is her first novel.


Find Margot: Website| Goodreads | Twitter 

Book Description:

Hardcover, 368 pages
Published July 12th 2016 by Disney-Hyperion

Seventeen-year-old Nina Barrows knows all about the Thief. She’s intimately familiar with his hunting methods: how he stalks and kills at random, how he disposes of his victims’ bodies in an abandoned mine in the deepest, most desolate part of a desert.

Now, for the first time, Nina has the chance to do something about the serial killer that no one else knows exists. With the help of her former best friend, Warren, she tracks the Thief two thousand miles, to his home turf—the deserts of New Mexico.

But the man she meets there seems nothing like the brutal sociopath with whom she’s had a disturbing connection her whole life. To anyone else, Dylan Shadwell is exactly what he appears to be: a young veteran committed to his girlfriend and her young daughter. As Nina spends more time with him, she begins to doubt the truth she once held as certain: Dylan Shadwell is the Thief. She even starts to wonder . . . what if there is no Thief?

Giveaway

Thanks to Margot for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs: Copy of The Killer in Me + Swag
Scope: International

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Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!

[Blog Tour] Review + Giveaway: The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer by Laxmi Hariharan

Book Description:

Paperback, November 13, 2014

A YA thriller, with strong dystopian undertones and a kickass protagonist, taking you on a white knuckle ride through a disintegrating Bombay City.

A girl desperate to rescue her best friend.
A cop willing to do anything to save the city he serves.
A delusional doctor bent on annihilation.

When Ruby Iyer's best friend is kidnapped by the despotic Dr Kamini Braganza, she will do anything to rescue him. Anything, including taking the help of the reticent Vikram Roy, a mysterious cop-turned-rogue on a mission to save Bombay. The city needs all the help it can get, and these two are the only thing standing between its total destruction by Dr Braganza's teen army. As Bombay falls apart around them, will Ruby be able to save her friend and the city? Will she finally discover her place in a city where she has never managed to fit in? And what about her growing feelings for Vikram?

Reviewer's Copy: Ebook

Source: Badass Marketing(Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer was unlike any book I have read in the past. First and foremost, it was set in chaotically gorgeous Bombay. It also had heavy whimsy - which made various pieces of the story work together as a whole. Because of this, one side of the novel was hihgly unpredictable, while the other side remained predictable. It was hard for me to classify under which genre The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer would fall: YA paranormal, YA contemporary or YA science fiction? It was a crossover, more likely. It had undertones of dystopia, with the onslaught of pre-apocalypse, hints of paranormal/fantasy with the mythology involved, whispers of science fiction with the experiments, and finally contemporary with the budding romance.

Ruby was an imperfect yet determined heroine. Ruby’s flaws made her more realistic for me. She was fiery, had a bit of a temper, dangerously on the brink of violence and yet there was good in her: her desire to save her friendship with Pankaj, and to rescue her best friend, and finally to stop Dr. Braganza. She was a balanced character. Although I was not able to fully connect with her, I found her interesting.


Vikram, the policeman who kept on helping Ruby, was one of the characters that stood out for me. Strict yet thoughtful, he went out of his way to help Ruby. There was something so gentle, tame and sweet about him. Though I wished that more of his personality and past would be explored so that I could get to know Vikram more as a character. The almost-love tension between him and Ruby were one of the things I liked to read.

The plot itself was quite unpredictable. The pre-apocalypse came with bursts of violence, whimsy, and blood. It was, in fact, startlingly harsh that I found myself rereading some parts in utter horror. In a sense, the novel had good action and suspense bits, the kind that makes your heart race, and makes you sit on the edge of your seat.

The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer was heavily whimsical, atmospheric and unique. Set in chaotic and culturally colorful Bombay, I felt like I was transported to India. The series is one of a kind and has a very high potential to be an epic series that readers could sink their teeth into. With the original story and high rate of unpredictabiity, Laxmi Hariharan would keep readers entertained. Readers that indulge in suspense/thriller, culturally evocative literature, and dystopia/apocalyptic stories will like this.

Rating:

3 Cupids = Unrequited book love.
Had certain expectations for the book. The book was flawed but I still enjoyed it.

About Laxmi Hariharan

A near life experience told Laxmi Hariharan to write. She never stopped.

Laxmi is the creator of Ruby Iyer, and the Amazon bestselling, eLit Gold winner The Destiny of Shaitan (Bombay Chronicles, 1). She has been a journalist and a global marketer with NBCU and MTV. Laxmi also blogs for Huffington Post, among others.

London is where she writes. Bombay is what fires her imagination.

Reach Laxmi: Twitter | Website.


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Review: Blackbird by Anna Carey

Book Description:

Hardcover, 256 pages
Published September 16th 2014 by HarperTeen

This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her.

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined.

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

Reviewer's Copy: ARC

Source: Harper Collins(Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

I expected Blackbird to be something like The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings, in the sense that there would be chasing, hunting and killing. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mystery/thriller with a strong contemporary vibe. At first, I was taken aback with the second person narration. I found it to be unique and extremely risky. Because of this, I got to participate in the heroine's journey. I, myself, became the heroine in a sense. Though I struggled a bit in the beginning because of the second person POV, eventually I got accustomed to it.

I had come to know the little bit of Sunny that was revealed in the story: quick hands, quiet footsteps, smart and a little bit lost, curious and passionate. Through the flashbacks, small details were given, enough to make sense of the puzzle that was Sunny's life.

Blackbird had startlingly violent bursts of action and adrenaline all over it. This was coupled with the heroine's lack of memory, which made things more interesting. There was something cinematic, heart-pounding-panting-in-the-moment vibe about these events. The second person narration could be a factor in this effect, as I, the reader, was involved.

Throughout the story, the questions, that were buzzing around my head like bees, were answered one by one. But I am a bit frustrated that there was one question, the most important one for me, that remained unanswered. The curiosity about Sunny's past before she was thrown into the wild chaos drove me crazy. That burning curiosity alone, though, was enough to make me rush through the pages. The ending was hopeful and was the perfect surprise for a weak and bone-tired Sunny.

Blackbird was a limb-jolting-read-at-the-edge-of-your-seat and one-of-a-kind mystery thriller. With a contemporary vibe, a dash of romance, a handful of crimson violence and adrenaline rush, and a smattering of colorful memories, readers would be entertained, mind-boggled, and delighted. The second person narration might not be for everybody. But I would recommend that you try it out for yourself. This book is ideal for readers who want a short, can-be-finished-in-one-sitting book, readers who want mystery thrillers and finally, readers who are interested in books tackling memory.

Rating:

4 Cupids = Strong book love.
I really enjoyed this. I recommend this!

Review: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Guys, I'm part of the Black Ice Blog Tour hosted by Pinoy Book Tours. I volunteered to be the firs to post because I'm just so excited for Becca's standalone! Been a fan of hers for years now and I must say that Black Ice didn't disappoint me.

Book Description:

Hardcover, 400 pages
October 7th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

Reviewer's Copy: ARC

Source: Becca Fitzpatrick + National Book Store and Penguin Teen(Thank you!!)

My Thoughts:

Note: Spoiler free! It's such a shame I can't share with you what I really want to say. Please feel free to fangirl with me @precious_shusky

Hush, Hush was one of my first YA reads ever. Let me put it this way: I loved Becca's writing a lot. With Black Ice, I honestly didn't know what to expect out of the story but I definitely expected something good. I wasn't disappointed.

With the setting of far-from-civilization Wyoming mountains and the fierce cold and the stuck-in-the-here-and-the-now situation, Black Ice had the fine elements of a thriller. Throw in uninhabited cabins with history of death and blood and two kidnappers, and the author had me reading at the speed of lightning. There was something about being stuck due to the situation and the weather that made my heart hammer and drove me into a jittery, paranoid mess of a worried reader. These elements brought out the desire and the fight to survive in our heroine, Britt. She was really struggling against all odds: against her kidnappers, against the weather and even against her own weaknesses and emotions.

Britt, as a character alone, without the dangerous experience, was lovable and unforgettable. She began her journey to the mountains with just one thought in mind: to prove to her ex-boyfriend Calvin that she could go backpacking and survive the Teton Crest. Instead, she proved herself as a survivor in more ways than one. She ended her journey with eyes wide open, observant and appreciative of life. As she spent her days in the mountain, she was looking back on memories. In these moments, I got to know her well: her past, her feelings, the changes that happened in her life, her little observations about the people around her, her relationships and most of all, her strengths and weaknesses. The flashbacks tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel closer to Britt. I loved her to bits. Every step of the way, I was cheering her, scheming with her and thinking with her.

Mason. He was truly one in a million. Being one of the kidnappers, I should have hated and doubted him from the start but for some reason, I couldn't. He was an enemy and an ally but on top of it all, he was a mystery that I wanted to savor, examine and solve him. He could be harsh, go with his partner in crime, and act like he does not care at all. However, Mason also has a soft side - he was gentle, thoughtful and considerate sometimes. He was both, effectively driving Britt insane into interpreting his actions and evaluating his motives. Through it all, I found myself drawn to him, admiring his well-planned mission, his beautiful mind and everything about him.

The exchanges between Britt, her kidnappers, Korbie and Calvin were quite colorful and meaningful, shedding light on who they really were when it comes down to dire and desperate circumstances. Black Ice peeled off the characters' layers, revealing their personalities, weaknesses and strengths with every page. The characters that were introduced in the beginning of the novel were not the same characters that I encountered in the ending. There were changes in them, revelations and final decisions on who they would be and who they would be with. No one was perfect. No one was the same after what happened in Wyoming. I absolutely loved this part about Black Ice.

Black Ice is absolute perfection with the sizzling romance, the heart-pounding intensity and explosions of violence, the mind-blowing twists and turns and the lovable well developed main characters. Unputdownable, deliciously good, atmospheric, beautifully written, Black Ice is delightful for readers who are looking for psychological thrillers and standalone novels. This novel took away my heart. I'm in love with Black Ice (and Mason). If you are into crime in fiction as well, try this. I promise, you won't regret it. I highly recommend this!

Rating:

5 Cupids = Eternal book love.
I will never, ever, ever forget this book. I highly recommend this!

Review: Wicked Games by Sean Olin

Book Description:

Hardcover, 343 pages
Published June 10th 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books

Wicked Games is the first book in a sexy thriller series where passion, lies, and revenge collide-perfect for fans of Simone Elkeles and Sara Shepard.

To all the locals in the small beach town of Dream Point, Carter and Lilah seem like the perfect It Couple-but their relationship is about to brutally unravel before everyone's eyes.

Carter has always been a good guy, and while Lilah has a troubled past, she's been a loyal girlfriend for the last four years. When smart, sexy Jules enters the picture at a senior-year bash, Carter succumbs to temptation. And when Lilah catches wind of his betrayal, she decides that Jules needs to pay.

By the end of the summer, the line between right and wrong will be blurred beyond recognition. Blood will be shed. Nothing in Dream Point will ever be the same.

This juicy summer read will keep readers turning pages until the shocking, nail-biting finale.

Reviewer's Copy: ARC

Source: Harper Collins (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

I admit: Wicked Games was addicting. It was hard to put down and at the times when I did, I felt that the intrigue, the dirty bits and the steam were pulling me back, sucking me back to the story. Though it was enjoyable, it was not the "ideal" read for me.

Dream Point was every bit as dreamy as I thought it would be when it came down to the ambiance, the sweet and hot rush of romance, the fun memories and all the sugary stuff. But it also has a darker side: jealousy, betrayal amidst shadows and waves and dirty secrets. I liked that the story revolved around the unraveling and solidifying of two separate relationships. It was the rise and fall of connection, emotional ties and romance as we know it.

Lilah and Carter's relationship was in shambles. There were down sides for the couple: Lilah was a bit paranoid and out of control while Carter had too little control. It was an emotional roller coaster for me. Seeing Lilah's heart get broken, her tears and eventually plotting and retaliating, was emotionally exhausting. I could feel her pain. On Carter's side, I could see how he tired he was and how the relationship he had with Lilah was damaging him. It was no longer healthy for both parties. He did not plan to get tangled up with Jules but in the presence of luscious, sexy Jules, his weakness got to him. This was the second contemporary book that I read with cheating in it. It was and always will be an uncomfortable topic for me. In Wicked Games, it was even more highlighted as it became the spark to the entire disaster. What I did not like about this was how Carter seemed so insensitive about what he did. Though with the whirlwind romance that he was experiencing with Jules, I couldn't blame him if his focus went to an entirely different way.

Individually and separately, I liked reading about Jules, Carter and Lilah. It reminded me of my youth, raging feelings and how the present felt like the most important thing in the world. Each one of them had their ups and downs. They were perfectly imperfect: the justified representation of a true human being. They made mistakes, they made special moments and they were 100% real.

Overall Wicked Games was an intense, steamy edge-of-your-seat read. This is perfect for people who enjoy reads (and TV shows) with drama, betrayal and evil plotting. It was a fast read for me. I felt like I was watching a show on TV, getting into the heads of the characters but not getting too emotionally attached.

Rating:

3 Cupids = Unrequited book love. Had certain expectations for the book. The book was flawed but I still enjoyed it.

Review: This is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell

Book Description:

Paperback, 216 pages
November 1st 2012, Hardie Grant Egmont

A father who misses his son.
A soldier home from war.
A man with nothing to lose.

When Brian Stutts walks into a first-grade classroom with a gun, Emery and Jake’s world is blown apart. They’re just teenagers helping to tutor some kids, but now they’re at the centre of a deadly hostage crisis.

While Jake tries to get a secret message to the outside world, Emery reaches out to the desperate, unstable man. But Brian Stutts is holding the gun, and one way or another he’s not leaving without his son.

Source: Jennifer + Hardie Grant Egmont

My Thoughts:

In a sentence, This is Not a Drill is the kind of book you should be reading if you want a quick read. What I expected was a story that would keep me on the edge of my seat and that was what I got. I was not disappointed with This is Not a Drill. The author did an amazing job in keeping the level of suspense high and creating an unpredictable atmosphere. Although the beginning started out a bit slow for me, eventually the pace quickened and it left me reading through the entire book in a few hours.

In the beginning, I delved into the lives of Emery and Jake, two ex-lovers who were assigned as tutor partners and had to endure the awkwardness of it all. I liked both of them. They were flawed and realistic in my eyes. Emery was suffering from the POTS syndrome while Jake was dealing with the loss of his mother and the new woman who was trying to fill in her shoes, The Christine. The tension between them was so apparent sometimes while in other times, the tension faded away to make way for what they really felt. I'm a sucker for romance and although that wasn't expressed much in this book, since that wasn't the main point of the story, I still appreciated it.

One of the things I liked most in this novel were the flashbacks. Just like the flashbacks in Article 5 and Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons, the flashbacks revealed so much about Emery and Jake's lives and relationship. I could feel waves of emotion coming off of these flashbacks and later on, see the traces of these emotions in the present, during Emery and Jake's conversations and thoughts. The alternating perspectives also gave me a chance to get into both of their heads and see the complete story from the two points of view.

Brian Stutts, the soldier and hostage-taker, was both scary and vulnerable. Of course, just like in any other hostage-taking tale, we are against the hostage-taker. We perceive them as the sole menace in the tale. However, in this particular story, Stutts was not just a menace but he was also a victim of circumstances and violence. As a soldier in Iraq, he experienced things that were life-changing, albeit not in a good way. His narrative within the story was an interesting take on the lives of soldiers before and after their service, as well as on life and people in general. This soft, tortured side of Stutts made me ache. His story was miserable, painful, frustrating and 100% realistic.

Another thing that I liked about this novel: the children. The innocence and love radiating out of these children was refreshing. This balanced out the heaviness of Stutts' actions and story.

This is Not a Drill is a kaleidoscope of emotions and perspectives. Riveting and heart-pounding, this eye-opener will keep readers at the edge of their seats, as well as tickle their minds and urge them to rethink about life and the blurred line between good and bad. I recommend this to readers who like realistic contemporary (the heavy kind) and thrillers.

Rating: