Deadfall ~ Anna Carey review [@AnnaCareyBooks @EpicReads @HarperTeen]

Deadfall (Blackbird Duology #2)
Harper Teen
June 16, 2015
256 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

In the compelling sequel to Blackbird, Anna Carey delivers a gritty and adrenaline-filled story of a girl desperate to escape her mysterious and terrifying assailants. Told in second person, this heart-pounding thriller puts the reader in front of the target.

A week ago, you woke up in Los Angeles with no memory of who you are. The only thing you knew: people are trying to kill you. You put your trust in Ben, but he betrayed you and broke your heart. Now you've escaped to New York City with a boy named Rafe, who says he remembers you from before. But the two of you are not safe. The same people who are after you are tailing Rafe as well. As the chase heats up, your memory starts to return, but your past cannot save you from the terrifying circumstances of your present, or the fact that one wrong move could end this game forever.

With enemies on every side, and not a reprieve in sight, Deadfall will grab readers and refuse to let go. Perfect for fans of the Maze Runner series and the Legend series.

Deadfall begins in a great way: it continues right where the Blackbird ended, down to the scene and sentence. It pulls you right back into the story and into the mystery.

'You,' the still unsure of your name main character of this novel told in the second person, have a few more answers now, but not enough. Blackbird helped us find out 'you' were in danger, with people out to kill you but you don't know why. Ben was supposed to be the one you could trust, but it now seems like that trust was misplaced.

I loved the new questions - and answers - Deadfall provided. Blackbird introduced us to this character, this girl who's forgotten who she is, who has people trying to kill her and who wants answers. This second book gives us - and her - at least some of those answers, but also shows just how real the danger is. And how far she's willing to go to get those answers.

These two books and their story are not predictable. I liked that they were full of surprises and revelations. Even which characters should be trusted and which have ulterior motives is not always as clear as you might imagine.

Deadfall, like Blackbird, is a fast-paced, entertaining mystery that will keep you guessing - and keep you reading!








thank you to the publisher for my copy of this book to review

Blackbird ~ Anna Carey review [@AnnaCareyBooks @EpicReads @HarperTeen]

Blackbird (Blackbird Duology #1)
HarperTeen
September 16, 2014
256 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

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.

I love that I went into Blackbird not knowing what to expect. With most of the story a mystery, you're in a similar position to that of the main character. She doesn't know how she got on the train tracks, she doesn't know what her name is or who she is. The only identifying thing on her person or in her bag is the tattoo on her arm: a blackbird with FNV02198 beneath it.

She doesn't know what, if anything, it means, though she's sure it means something.

She tries to figure out what the tattoo means and who she is - and to stay safe, which soon seems harder than she expected.

Unsure who to trust, what to question and where danger lurks, she has to trust herself . . . and hope.

Blackbird is told in the second person and it worked for me, in this case. It fits well with the characters missing memory. The 'you' didn't make me feel I was the character, but fit with the character. It seemed fitting that she didn't use an 'I' narration. The 'you' seemed like reminding yourself who you are, what you like or what you're doing. It was especially nice whenever she remembered or thought she remembered something.

The bits that both we readers and the character herself learn about who she is seemed to come at the right times and in the right amount. It isn't so much that you lose the mystery, but is enough that you can connect with the character - and become more engrossed in the mystery.

The ending definitely will leave you eager to read Book 2, Deadfall and with some answers but also some more questions. Blackbird is a quick, fun read and a great mystery.