Jo Michaels
Teoksen Innocent (Pen Pals and Serial Killers Book 5) tekijä
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Merkitty avainsanalla
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- Jo Michaels loves writing novels that make readers gasp in horror, surprise, and disbelief. While her browser search history has probably landed her on a list somewhere, she still dives into every plot with gusto, hoping "the man" will realize she's a writer and not a psychopath about to go on a rampage. Her favorite pastimes are reading, watching Investigation Discovery, and helping other authors realize their true potential through mentoring. She's penned the award-winning Pen Pals and Serial Killers series and the best-selling educational book for children, Writing Prompts for Kids, which has rocketed the kids that use it into several awards of their own.
Most of Jo's books feature the places she's lived: Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia. That's given her a special amount of insight to what makes those locations tick. Her works are immersive and twisty, and she wouldn't want it any other way.
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This was a fun and creative twist on the Zombie stories of late, coming at it from the perspective of people infected with a weird virus that mimics zombie behavior. I appreciated that the author obviously did some research to come up with a plausible explanation for Zombieism beyond "random unexplained viral outbreak/ voodoo/ witchcraft". That was pretty cool, and the fact that she based it on a mutation of an actual real virus, the Kuru virus, that comes from cannibalism was even cooler! But don't research the disease until after you finish the book. It will take you down a rabbit hole!
I enjoyed this more than Warm Bodies, despite the eww factor of zombie romance, but there was this niggling in my brain that it felt a bit familiar. I consume way too much Zombie entertainment, so it took me a minute to figure it out...
The TV show, iZombie... Not sure if it is a zeitgeist thing (the first season of iZombie came out in 2014, and this book was released in 2014. Before the TV series, I had not heard of the comics, and I am not sure most people had either.) But creepy, the similarities. Both girls are infected at a party that they should probably not have been at. One is on a house boat on a lake, the other is a hurricane party. Both are infected by a scratch from a guy who is putting on the moves and they are not interested! Both don't realize that they are turning into Zombies...
Fortunately, that is the end of the similarities (unless you count the delightful spunk the writers imbue upon the main characters, but each has her own unique flavor, so I won't count it!)
In a lot of ways, I enjoyed Ms. Michaels' I, Zombie more than iZombie. There was a lot of thought put into not only how one would contract such a virus, but also how that virus would affect humanity.
Was it perfect? Naw, there is no such thing. There were a few Deus Ex Machina moments, and a couple of points where I felt the story could have gone a less cliche route and been so much better, but on the whole it was a pretty good read that is quite thought-provoking for YA readers.
Totally passing this off to my teen boys, as I think it will curb their zombie-fervor end of the world hopes and dreams. Really makes one think if "Smash 'em til their all dead" is the best approach in the Zombie Apocalypse.… (lisätietoja)
I enjoyed this more than Warm Bodies, despite the eww factor of zombie romance, but there was this niggling in my brain that it felt a bit familiar. I consume way too much Zombie entertainment, so it took me a minute to figure it out...
The TV show, iZombie... Not sure if it is a zeitgeist thing (the first season of iZombie came out in 2014, and this book was released in 2014. Before the TV series, I had not heard of the comics, and I am not sure most people had either.) But creepy, the similarities. Both girls are infected at a party that they should probably not have been at. One is on a house boat on a lake, the other is a hurricane party. Both are infected by a scratch from a guy who is putting on the moves and they are not interested! Both don't realize that they are turning into Zombies...
Fortunately, that is the end of the similarities (unless you count the delightful spunk the writers imbue upon the main characters, but each has her own unique flavor, so I won't count it!)
In a lot of ways, I enjoyed Ms. Michaels' I, Zombie more than iZombie. There was a lot of thought put into not only how one would contract such a virus, but also how that virus would affect humanity.
Was it perfect? Naw, there is no such thing. There were a few Deus Ex Machina moments, and a couple of points where I felt the story could have gone a less cliche route and been so much better, but on the whole it was a pretty good read that is quite thought-provoking for YA readers.
Totally passing this off to my teen boys, as I think it will curb their zombie-fervor end of the world hopes and dreams. Really makes one think if "Smash 'em til their all dead" is the best approach in the Zombie Apocalypse.… (lisätietoja)
Emancipation is the story of Tobias and Jessica. Tobias is a serial killer who has been on death row for 8 years. Jess is a 24-year-old criminal defense attorney. They get to know each other via a pen pal program. Jess wants to get Tobias's conviction overturned.
You may think Emancipation will turn into a lovey-dovey romance, far from it.
It's a dark psychological thriller containing extremely graphic material.
I was in two minds about this all the way through.
The positives:
Jo Michaels' portrayal of a psychopathic killer was fantastic. The way he behaved and talked made a lot of sense. I loved the passages where the reader was inside his twisted mind.
I thought the story-line was creative and very engaging. It definitely held my attention and I wanted to continue reading to find out what happened to Tobias and Jess in the end.
But that's where the not-so-positives started as well.
I think if you read a lot of books in this genre, you will be able to pinpoint quite quickly what exactly is happening here, so there were no big surprises.
But my main issue was that the entire situation was so unbelievable. I'm not going to expand on this because it would ruin the story for any potential readers. If you can get past the can't-see-this-happening-in-real-life and just suspend disbelief for the sake of fictional entertainment, then you have yourself an exciting thriller here with some moments that will simply blow your mind. If you're squeamish, be warned, it contains some very unpleasant details.
I tend to give low ratings to books with unrealistic plots but because this kept me totally engrossed despite its implausibility and because I loved the serious wickedness of the characters, I'm giving it 4 stars.
This was my first book by Jo Michaels, and I am very curious to see where she'll take this series with her next book.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.… (lisätietoja)
You may think Emancipation will turn into a lovey-dovey romance, far from it.
It's a dark psychological thriller containing extremely graphic material.
I was in two minds about this all the way through.
The positives:
Jo Michaels' portrayal of a psychopathic killer was fantastic. The way he behaved and talked made a lot of sense. I loved the passages where the reader was inside his twisted mind.
I thought the story-line was creative and very engaging. It definitely held my attention and I wanted to continue reading to find out what happened to Tobias and Jess in the end.
But that's where the not-so-positives started as well.
I think if you read a lot of books in this genre, you will be able to pinpoint quite quickly what exactly is happening here, so there were no big surprises.
But my main issue was that the entire situation was so unbelievable. I'm not going to expand on this because it would ruin the story for any potential readers. If you can get past the can't-see-this-happening-in-real-life and just suspend disbelief for the sake of fictional entertainment, then you have yourself an exciting thriller here with some moments that will simply blow your mind. If you're squeamish, be warned, it contains some very unpleasant details.
I tend to give low ratings to books with unrealistic plots but because this kept me totally engrossed despite its implausibility and because I loved the serious wickedness of the characters, I'm giving it 4 stars.
This was my first book by Jo Michaels, and I am very curious to see where she'll take this series with her next book.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.… (lisätietoja)
Yassa Sure to Gain Author Loyal Readers
What would you do for love? What would you do to survive? Yassa, by Jo Michaels offers the warrior’s answer to these questions and then some. Written in first person, Yassa manages to give two points of view to its peak turning-point event without breaking a sweat. Some prologues can be ignored and one misses nothing, but readers of this novel should be very careful not to fall into this thinking in the case of this work. The prologue adds a completely new dimension to the work, and enhances the tale greatly.
In a world of marriages arranged for power, and ruthless warlords and warriors, real love is a rare commodity. Yet, even the most brutal and tactically driven of minds, can be conquered by a heart touched with love. Temujin, the main character of this tale can hardly be called a hero in many respects, but judgment is not always based on black and white facts; life is created by all shades of grey and color. In truth, some would say he suffers from some type of mental disorder. One person’s vicious killer can be another’s savior and love interest easily. Like all the characters within Yassa’s pages, Temujin is so emotionally charged and visually accessible that one is a part of each event, not just a barely interested onlooker.
The plot is alive with emotions and a spirit all its own, carrying each reader into life during the 12th century. Thus, with any tale of war and tribal rule, readers must be ready to deal with graphic violence along with the lighter side of such a life. Michaels has created a personal history for one many know only as a warrior and merciless conqueror, thus proving there are at least two sides to every story, and in this case, every reader is a winner.… (lisätietoja)
What would you do for love? What would you do to survive? Yassa, by Jo Michaels offers the warrior’s answer to these questions and then some. Written in first person, Yassa manages to give two points of view to its peak turning-point event without breaking a sweat. Some prologues can be ignored and one misses nothing, but readers of this novel should be very careful not to fall into this thinking in the case of this work. The prologue adds a completely new dimension to the work, and enhances the tale greatly.
In a world of marriages arranged for power, and ruthless warlords and warriors, real love is a rare commodity. Yet, even the most brutal and tactically driven of minds, can be conquered by a heart touched with love. Temujin, the main character of this tale can hardly be called a hero in many respects, but judgment is not always based on black and white facts; life is created by all shades of grey and color. In truth, some would say he suffers from some type of mental disorder. One person’s vicious killer can be another’s savior and love interest easily. Like all the characters within Yassa’s pages, Temujin is so emotionally charged and visually accessible that one is a part of each event, not just a barely interested onlooker.
The plot is alive with emotions and a spirit all its own, carrying each reader into life during the 12th century. Thus, with any tale of war and tribal rule, readers must be ready to deal with graphic violence along with the lighter side of such a life. Michaels has created a personal history for one many know only as a warrior and merciless conqueror, thus proving there are at least two sides to every story, and in this case, every reader is a winner.… (lisätietoja)
Palkinnot
Tilastot
- Teokset
- 18
- Jäseniä
- 61
- Suosituimmuussija
- #274,234
- Arvio (tähdet)
- 4.2
- Kirja-arvosteluja
- 4
- ISBN:t
- 22
Tobias is on Death row for killing a whole family. He is on a website called penpalinmate. com and receives letters from people, most to which he just throws away all except one, one that intrigues him. It's from a Jessica Phang, she is an attorney and has followed his case in law school. This letter gives Tobias a little hope as Jessica says she believes his innocence.
After a some letters back and forth and a few meetings they both believe there is a good chance of him getting freed, Tobias is already planning his next victim!
Will Jessica get his conviction overturned? Will Tobias be freed to kill again?
This is a gripping read which I encourage you to one click you will not be disappointed!… (lisätietoja)