Review: Jackaby

JACKABY by William Ritter

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Synopsis:
Abagail Rook, a curious girl, is in need of a job. When she arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, one of her first interactions was with R. F. Jackaby. A detective who specializes in the supernatural. Whatever that means. Abagail’s need for work and shelter come at the time when Jackaby is in need of an assistant because a murder has just occurred. The police are convinced it is an ordinary killer and Jackaby, well… let’s just say he’s not so convinced that the killer is even human.

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First line:

It was late January, and New England wore a fresh coat of snow as I stepped along the gangplank to the shore.

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Favorite Lines: 

“What’s that you’re drawing?” I asked.
Jackaby scowled. “Recording the dates. Keep going.”
“Is that an elven language or something?
He stood back from the chalkboard and stared at it blankly. “No.”
“Are those pictograms? What is that bit you just finished? The one that looks like a goose tugging at a bit of string?”
“That’s a seven.” – page 88

“That the battles are usually in her head does not lessen the bravery of it. The hardest battles always are.” – page 104

“Does this smell like paprika or gunpowder to you?” – page 149

“She had the dull expression of one who has been scooped out entirely, and does not know what to do with the emptiness.” – page 213

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Review (My thoughts):  

What can I really say? When I ended Jackaby I was sad. I was sad it was over. Jackaby is one of those characters that get under your skin. He crawls inside your head and stays there. And you’ll welcome the company because as crazy as Jackaby is, he is also brilliant and wildly entertaining. He is logical to a fault, witty and sometimes lacks finesse. At the same time, he is giving and kind-hearted. I did care about Abagail, but I was much more interested in Jackaby. (I mean, the book is named after him after all).

Jackaby is sort of like the Sherlock Holmes for the supernatural world. He sees things we can’t in crime scenes. For example, a man was murdered in an apartment building. His chest was tore open with bite marks. Most people think, “this person is sick.” Not Jackaby. The most logical explanation we could come up with would be the most illogical explanation for Jackaby.

I won’t give much away in this review because I really, really want you to get to know him for yourself. If you haven’t read Jackaby you’re doing yourself a disservice because this guy is awesome. He’s Sherlock Holmes’ teenage son.

Jackaby is a ride! Full of adventure and laughs! It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. If you love a good whodunnit, read Jackaby. You’ll never be able to guess! (Well, kinda. The suspect was kind of easy to spot. But, Jackaby was so entertaining, I didn’t even care that I’d figured mid-way through).

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5 glasses – I’m totally obsessed! 

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*Buy Links*

 Amazon | B&N

I Love YA Week!!!

Omg I’ve been swamped this week! So much that I totally forgot about I heart YA week and how I was supposed to post a book everyday….sorry. So, here it goes. (These books are in no particular order. It was very hard to choose 5 YA books that I loved. I had to think sooooo hard. The books that I left out I don’t own. There will be a Recommended Reading list at the end of this post for all the homies (books) I left out.) I hope you all realize how much I freaking love YA!!!!!

•  Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone – J.K. Rowling

I don’t know why anyone is surprised. I am obsessed with the Harry Potter series and everything about it. I don’t have to tell you why I love it, especially if you know me. (I still want a Hogwarts wedding) J.K. Rowling paints a picture of a wonderful wizarding world full of dizzying spells. At the same time, it is the age-old story of good vs. evil and a young boy is pushed into his greatness. (My favorite kinds of stories). I’ve said this hundreds of times but J.K. Rowling (to me) will always be the GOAT. Don’t believe me? Check her bank accounts.

• The Hardy Boys series – Franklin W. Dixon

These were some of the first books I ever read. I have both Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, but I liked the boys better. The Hardy Boys centers around two brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy, who are amateur detectives. These books were how I figure out most mysteries now by taking note of the very little things, which turn out to be very big things later on in the books. I have up to #10 on the bookshelf (over my shoulder). I guess my momma got tired of buying them for me lol. I haven’t read these books in years, but I still want a Jalopy haha.

(Then I started reading)

• Shatter Me – Tehera Mafi

What can I possibly say about this novel besides the fact that it’s groundbreaking. Tehera Mafi has turned the young adult literary world on its ear with this book. For one, the premise is original. (There are books similar but I think Tehera has a very original concept). The book centers around Juliette Ferrars, a girl whose touch is lethal. She has been thrown in an asylum because of something horrible she did in her past. In the beginning, I thought the girl was insane, but when I kept reading, it turned into something thrilling, suspenseful and beautiful all at the same time.

• The Mediator Series – Meg Cabot

Four words: I love Meg Cabot. I love her writing style. She seamlessly threads the readers’ into the lives of her characters like we’ve known them our whole lives. She usually writes funny, laugh-out-loud novels, and this one is sort of the same. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a light, airy book at all. It centers around Suze Simon who is a medium, or a mediator. Basically, she can talk to the dead. Ghosts, mostly. She’s like a young Theresa Caputo. It’s usually easy to communicate with the dead until she meets Jesse, a ghost that lives in her room, who is deathly attractive. The Mediator Series is six books all together. You should read them, trust me, I’m a writer.

• Lock and Key – Sarah Dessen

I own every single Sarah Dessen book. She is seriously an amazing writer. She gets what it’s like to be a teenager. I wish I would have read these books while I was in high school. Usually, I hate when adults write young adult books because they seem “preachy”. But Sarah Dessen has mastered the young adult voice. Lock and Key is about a girl, Ruby, whose mother abandons her. She was living on her own for a little until Social Services discovered her filthy trailer with no running water, etc. She is forced to live with her estranged older sister Cora and her new husband. Bummer. Great book, read it.

So, that’s it! Those are my top five books, but I have soooo many more YA books that are amazing. Here’s a recommended reading list: (I’ll only give you 20. Read. Them.)

**Oh! Also try Alex Flinn – Breathing Underwater and Gail Giles – Shattering Glass

1. The Selection (trilogy) – Kiera Cass
2. The Skin I’m In – Sharon Flake
3. (All of the Harry Potter books)
4. Divergent (trilogy) – Veronica Roth
5. The Uglies (series) – Scott Westerfield
6. Private (series) – Kate Brian
7. Privilege (series) – Kate Brian
8. When I Was The Greatest – Jason Reynolds
9. Pretty Little Liars (series) – Sara Shepherd
10. Shadowlands (trilogy) – Kate Brian
11. Dorothy Must Die – Danielle M. Page
12. The Fault in Our Stars – John Green
13. Size 12 is Not Fat (series) – Meg Cabot (not necessarily YA, still great nonetheless)
14. The Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster
15. Matilda – Roald Dahl
16. Harriet The Spy – Louise Fitzhough
17. Hollywood High (series) – NiNi Simone & Amir Abrams
18. Rumor Central (series) – Reshonda Tate Billingsley
19. My Own Worst Frenemy (series) – Kimberly Reid
20. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Sherman Alexie (VERY FUNNY!)

Hope you enjoyed!

Necole, over and out!

#PitMad: Full Query for The Package

On Twitter today there are a shit ton of authors querying their novels in 140 characters or less.

I took a stab at it for The Package:

Authors loved it and I got a lot of followers and positive feedback!  For a full query and chapter 1 of The Package click here! OR click in the menu under THE PACKAGE SERIES.

 

Over and out.