Review: Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage

Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Release Date: Feb 21st, 2017
Purchase: Amazon

Mira and Francesca Cillo—beautiful, overprotected, odd—seemed untouchable. But Ben touched seven parts of Mira: her palm, hair, chest, cheek, lips, throat, and heart. After the sisters drown themselves in the quarry lake, a post-mortem letter from Mira sends Ben on a quest to find notes in the seven places where they touched. Note by note, Ben discovers the mystical secret at the heart of Mira and Francesca's world, and that some things are better left untouched.

My Thoughts:
This was very different than I thought it was going to be.  I expected a dark thriller, but it turned out to be more of a sad story with a dark twist and I have to say it kinda worked.

The whole story is about Ben trying to find out why his neighbors, Mira and Francesca, committed suicide together.  He finds a note shortly after their passing and feels like it's his duty to Mira to find out her story.

Like I said I thought this was going to be a thriller, but it was just really sad.  The more we learn about the two sisters, the sadder it gets and a lot of things start coming to light by the end.  These things are not said in so many words and I kind of wish they had been.  I think it would have given the story another layer that it needed.  Keeping it as it was though did give the story a bit of mystery that was intriguing and let the reader draw their own conclusions.  In my opinion both ways would have worked, but I personally would have liked a better overall explanation.

My favorite thing about this story was the setting.  It felt very Jersey Shorish and mob/old gangster.  I thought this was a fun spin and I liked the way the girls family was described.  They were blood and blood always helped blood.  This helped lighten the story a tad, and it needed that because it was so sad.

One thing that I wished would have been wrapped up was Nick.  I am still not quite sure what his role was and it bothers me a tad.  I think the author left a little too much up to the readers imagination and could have tightened her storylines.  I for one like to have things spelled out for me so I feel a bit off not knowing things for certain.  

I did like this though and enjoyed it more than the authors previous works.  I think this style is just something I will have to get used to if I continue on with Savage (her previous book had the same kind of open endedness) and I think I will because this one was intriguing and fun.

3.5 snowflakes

  

Review: After the Woods by Kim Savage

After the Woods by Kim Savage
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: Feb 23rd, 2016
Purchase: Amazon

Would you risk your life to save your best friend?

Julia did. When a paroled predator attacked Liv in the woods, Julia fought back and got caught. Liv ran, leaving Julia in the woods for a terrifying 48 hours that she remembers only in flashbacks. One year later, Liv seems bent on self-destruction, starving herself, doing drugs, and hooking up with a violent new boyfriend. A dead girl turns up in those same woods, and Julia’s memories resurface alongside clues unearthed by an ambitious reporter that link the girl to Julia’s abductor. As the devastating truth becomes clear, Julia realizes that after the woods was just the beginning. 

My Thoughts:
After the Woods is a thrilling creeptastic ride that showed me just how crazy people can really be.

The synopsis does a fantastic job setting up the story.  The book starts out showing us what happened in the woods that day with Julia and Liv, but as you can guess we don't know everything and man was this book explosive.

I think my favorite part of this book was the atmosphere that Kim Savage has created.  This setting was creepy from the get go and that darkness continued throughout the story in so many ways.  It almost felt like a sinister shadow was following each and every character and I promise I could feel it in my fingers while holding this book.  This to me was genius!  I loved this and I didn't want to put this book down!

The only thing that truly bothered me was the ending. After so much build up I expected an explosion, but that's not what happened.  Things become very clear to the reader, but I think a certain character got off a little too easily.  I think Julia deserved more after what she did for this person and it just didn't feel right to me.  I liked Julia and I thought she was a super strong character, but she needed more closure from these horrific events.

Other than the ending I truly enjoyed this book.  I even liked the romance!  It felt a bit rushed, but that's not uncommon amoung YA books and in this one I actually totally bought it.  If you are looking for a super suspenseful kidnapping story with a huge twist this is for you!  I can't wait to see what Kim Savage comes up with next!

3.5 snowflakes

Guest Post: Kim Savage

Guest post topics are so hard for me almost to the point of painful sometimes because I never know how far I can go.  So, when I asked Kim Savage to cast her own high school Scream movie I thought for sure she would pass, but she's amazing and was totally up for the challenge!  Not only was she up for the challenge she KILLED IT!  Ha I made myself laugh XD This is by far one of my favorite topics ever and Kim did an amazing job with it!  

Check this awesomeness out!

   

Randy: There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance, number one: you can never have sex.

[crowd boos]

Randy: BIG NO NO! BIG NO NO! Sex equals death, okay? Number two: you can never drink or do drugs.

[crowd cheers and raises their bottles]

Randy: The sin factor! It's a sin. It's an extension of number one. And number three - never ever, ever, ever under any circumstances say, I'll be right back - 'cause you won't be back.

Stu: I’m getting another beer, you want one?

Randy: Yeah, sure.

Stu: I'll be right back.”

I love dark humor, satire, and insider jokes. When it was released nearly 20 years ago, the first SCREAM movie was a wickedly fresh mash-up of all three. SCREAM laid out the ground rules for horror movies, then played them for laughs.

Back in 1996, Drew Barrymore was the only sure-fire box office draw. The rest of the cast was filled with lesser-know, budding stars.

Kinda like The Sweet Sixteens.

In this guest post, I’m casting my own SCREAM send-up with some members of The Sweet Sixteens debut authors group. If you haven't heard these names before, you will, very soon. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

 

The role of doomed Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) will be played by Darcy Woods, author of SUMMER OF SUPERNOVAS (Spring 2016), about a girl’s quest to connect with her astrological soulmate before their planets misalign. Like Drew, Darcy is a sparkly gal. Like Casey, whose bubbly nature belies a knack for horror movie trivia, Darcy’s surprising party tricks involve grenades and bayonets. Ghostface wouldn't stand a chance against Darcy, but it would be fun to watch.

 

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) will be played by Heidi Heilig, author of the mythic THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE (Winter 2016). Like Sidney, Heidi is both adorable and fearless. Need proof? GIRL’s timeline spans contemporary New York, ancient China, and 19th century Hawaii, to name a few. Call it world-building without a net.

 

Sidney’s boyfriend, the secretly evil Billy (Skeet Ulrich), will be played by Jeff Zentner, author of THE SERPENT KING (Spring 2016). Firstly, “Skeet” sounds a lot like a minor character in THE SERPENT KING, his satisfyingly layered novel set in the rural South. Second: okay, that’s it. Because Jeff’s a good guy, and Billy is a seriously bad dude under all that hair gel.

 

Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) will be played by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of FIRSTS (Winter 2016). Everyone knows that in horror movies, the virgin dies last. But Sidney loses it and still survives. Laurie’s protag Mercedes is decidedly not a virgin, and she not only survives—she thrives. Yes, FIRSTS is that original, and utterly awesome.

Deputy Dewey (David Arquette) will the played by Brooks Benjamin, author of MY SEVENTH MY GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS (Spring 2016). When David Arquette was cast, they wanted someone more manly-slash-burly, but Arquette played Dewey quirky, and thus far more interesting. Brooks’ debut could be a straight-forward dance-victory story, but it’s about fitting in and following your heart, and it is hilarious. Also, Brooks claims to gain power from wearing funky socks. Enough said.

 

Because Stephenie Meyer says gender flipping is in, Randy (Jamie Kennedy) will be played by Shannon Parker, author of the heart-pounding contemporary about love and obsession, THE GIRL THAT FELL (Spring 2016).

 

Stu (Matthew Lilliard) will be played by Everly Frost, author of FEAR MY MORTALITY (Winter 2016), because her title is something secretly evil (sensing a theme?) Stu might hiss. Also, “Everly Frost” just sounds like a movie star.
Frost’s understudy is Parker Peeveyhouse (WHERE FUTURES END, Winter 2016), for the same reasons.

 

Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), SCREAM’s red herring, will be played by Jeff Garvin, author of SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN (Winter 2016), about the struggles of a secretly gender-fluid teen. In real life, Liev Schreiber is this insanely talented classical actor. In real life, insanely talented Jeff has been an actor and the front man for a rock band. Seriously.

 

The Phone Voice of Ghostface (Roger Jackson) will be played by Marieke Nijkamp, author of THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS (Spring 2016), since she can phone it in from the Netherlands.
Alternately, the role will be played by Kurt Dinan, author of DON’T GET CAUGHT (Spring 2016), because we’ve traded emails for months and I’m convinced he has an extremely resonant voice in person.

Janitor (Wes Craven, in a cameo role) will be played by me. Because I am the creator of this monsterpiece.

What’s your favorite scary movie? Answer correctly, or Ghostface won’t be pleased.

OMG KIM!  This was AHMAHZHINNNG!!!  I love that you switched the gender for the villain!  Brilliant!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  You are a total rock star and I can't wait to read After the Woods!!!!

About the Author:
KIM SAVAGE is a former reporter who received her Master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. She worked as a business journalist, pitching story ideas along the lines of "When Murder Kills Property Values." You get the idea. Today, Kim lives in a town north of Boston, Massachusetts, near the real Middlesex Fells Reservation of After the Woods. Born directionally challenged, the fear of getting lost in that lovely, dark forest lives close to her skin. She and her husband have three children, each of whom beg to appear in her books. They shouldn’t.

You can follow Kim on Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter, and visit her at kimsavage.me. AFTER THE WOODS (February 23, 2016 with FSG/Macmillan) is her debut novel.
Find the Author:

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

 

After the Woods by Kim Savage

Publisher: Farra, Straus, and Giroux

Release Date: February 23rd, 2016

Purchase: Amazon

An emotionally-charged debut novel about the deadly lies hidden beneath a destructive friendship.
One year ago, two best friends, Liv and Julia, were attacked in the woods by a paroled predator. In an attempt to save Liv, Julia was left behind while Liv escaped. After spending three days in the woods trying to escape her abductor, Julia was rescued. She only remembers what happened in the woods in terrifying flashbacks. Now, on the eve of the anniversary of the attack, a body is found in the woods. This discovery rips open fresh wounds between the two girls as the truth about Liv's role in the kidnapping is revealed.