Review: Vengeance by Megan Miranda

Summary from Goodreads:
Nobody really believes in a curse. Until you know the people who disappear. Too much coincidence, you look for reason. Too much death, you grasp for something to blame. Carson pulled Delaney out and he died on the side of the road with her mouth pressed to his. Her air in his body. Troy. She told the cops it was suicide. Didn't matter. The lake released her and grabbed another. But when Decker's father dies in a pool of spilled water on their kitchen floor, all Decker can feel is a slow burning rage. Because he knows that Delaney knew that his dad was going to die. She knew and backed out of his house and never said a word. Falcon Lake still has a hold on them both, and Decker can't forgive Delaney until he knows why.


So it would appear that Megan Miranda has written another book that has left me completely gob smacked. What can I say about vengeance that I haven't already said about her other books? 

Vengeance is a sequel to Miranda's debut novel, Fracture, except this time the book is told from Decker's point of view. Can I get a hell yeah? I mean, who didn't just adore Decker in Fracture? Decker became a harder character for a good portion of this book and I think it was important that he did. He reacted in a normal, human way to a difficult situation and it made me love him more. Miranda's wonderful writing style effortlessly kept me engrossed through Decker's development and his challenges.

Decker's and Delaney's relationship is different from that of the end of Fracture. In many respects we are seeing the relationship that they had throughout fracture. Delaney is the same girl that we know and love. However, while I adore her we are seeing her through Decker's eyes and they aren't seeing her too favorably at the present time. Once again, the writers powerful writing is brought in to play here.

I honestly can't begin to praise Megan Miranda enough. I feel as though all of my words will fall short. The writing was wonderful and engaging and entertaining. The characters were real, you lived them, you hated then but you wanted them to be happy because they aren't bad people. They are good people that bad things have happened to. The entire book was eerie and creepy and wonderful. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Much more. I will admit that I never hold out too much hope for sequels but, given Megan Miranda's wonderful writing style, I had my hope unconventionally high. And guess what? They were surpassed even more than I could hope for.

I realise now that this has been more of a gush fest than a review. Ah well. Go read it. Now.

Review: Hysteria by Megan Miranda ~ Leona

Summary from Goodreads:
Mallory's life is falling apart. 

Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can't remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear...

When Mallory's parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There's the hand that touches her shoulder when she's drifting off to sleep. A voice whispering her name. And everyone knows what happened. So when a pupil is found dead, Mallory's name is on their lips. 

Her past can be forgotten but it's never gone. Can Mallory live with that?

Having adored Megan Miranda's debut novel, Fracture, I began reading Hysteria with high expectations. Let me tell you, they were met..and surpassed. I didn't think it would be possible for me to love her second book as much as I loved the first one. But I did.

As soon as I read the first line: My mother hid the knife block. I was intrigued, and then I was hooked! Megan Miranda has a way with opening lines. Fractures first line was wonderful and Hysterias was awesome.
The mystery that we get a feel for at the beginning continues through out the book. I was completely captivated in finding out more and more about our main character, Mallory. She killed her boyfriend so the tension we feel between her and her parents and those around her is understandable. I loved her and her love interest was awesome! Words cannot describe.

Allow me to introduce you to the love interest. His name is Reid and I love him. There's something about a guy whose name is my favourite past time. Reid was the most wonderful love interest that I could imagine. When he was first introduced I was rather weary of him. I thought he was just another stuck up guy who wanted to take advantage of Mallory. That is not what he was at all. He was sweet and charming and he was good for Mallory. I have only one question "Where can I get a Reid?"

This book had a lot of twist and turns and was constantly shocked by the changes throughout it. There were times when I felt emotional because there were parts that were brilliantly written and powerful. The ending of Hysteria left me hungry for more and i kind if wish that this wasn't a stand alone. But in other ways I'm glad that it was a standalone.

Hysteria is definitely one of my favourite books of 2013 and I cannot wait to read Megan Miranda's next book.

Author choice video

I asked Megan Miranda: If you had to choose one song to listen to for the rest of your life what would it be?
Megan answered: Hahaha, for the rest of my life? Guess it better stand the test of time.... er, something by U2.

So I have picked my favourite U2 song! Its ONE! Enjoy!

Author Interview: Megan Miranda

Today I have the wonderful Megan Miranda, author of Fracture!

What made you want to become a writer?

I don’t think there was ever a moment when I thought “I want to become a writer.” I wanted to write, but being a writer seemed like such a dream. So I wrote, but mostly as a hobby. And then I had this “why not?” moment, and I think I became a writer right then. It’s when I started treating it like a job, writing every night, in the hopes it would eventually become my job. I wanted to write simply because I love to do it.

Where did you get the idea for Fracture?

It mostly stemmed from questions I had about the brain—especially from the stories I’d hear about people who had a tumor, or had a tumor removed, and their personalities would change. I wondered how much of us is the product of our DNA, and how much of us is something more. I wondered how others would treat a person who had changed. The plot, and Delaney’s “change,” all originated from these questions.

How long did it take you to write Fracture and did you do much editing with it?

It took me 3 months to write the first version, very little of which made it into the finished product. I had to rewrite it—twice—from scratch before it was “ready.” That took another 6 months. And then of course there were more edits after it was picked up by the publisher, trying to make it the best book it could be. I really enjoy the editing process… once I know what I’m doing. Now, I rarely show anyone my writing until I’ve done a fair amount of editing.

Tell us about your publishing journey with Fracture.

I ended up signing with my agent after that first version of Fracture – and then spent 6 months rewriting. After that, though, it sold pretty quickly to Walker/Bloomsbury in a 2-book deal. It’s been such a pleasure to work with them.

Did you have a favourite book or author when you were younger?

My very first favorite book was Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Once I reached middle school, I started reading a lot of Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz. And I loved the darker classics that we read in high school (Heart of Darkness, The Stranger, etc).

What is your favourite book at the minute? Why?

It changes frequently, but at the moment it would have to be The Fault in our Stars by John Green. How could it not be? Gah. So good.

If you could change one thing about your book what would it be?

I changed the book a whole lot through revisions, and I’m really happy with how the story turned out in the finished product. There’s nothing I’d really choose to change at this point. There are some things I would’ve liked to explore more (certain characters’ back stories), but Fracture was Delaney's story.

Do you have any advice to aspiring writers?
Read a lot. Write a lot. Rewrite a lot :)

What are you currently working on now? Can you tell us anything about it?
I have a standalone YA psychological thriller set to come out in early 2013. It's about friendship, memories, and the fine line between the real and the imagined. I'm also working on 2 other projects that I'm pretty excited about.




Thanks for having me!

Pleasure was all mine Megan!

You can find out more about Megan and her books here.
My review of Fracture is here.