Friday, October 21, 2016

Blog Tour: Shutter by Laurie Faria Stolarz ~ Review & Giveaway

Blog Tour: Shutter [Top 10 & Giveaway]

ShutterShutter by Laurie Faria Stolarz


Source: ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

THE FACTS
• Julian Roman, age sixteen, is an escapee from the Fairmount County Juvenile Detention Facility.
• His parents, Michael Roman and Jennifer Roman, are dead.
• Julian is wanted for murder.

THE QUESTIONS
• Why is Julian Roman on the run?
• Just how dangerous is he?
• And who did kill Michael and Jennifer Roman, if not Julian?

Seventeen-year-old Day Baker views life through the lens of her camera, where perspective is everything. But photographs never tell the whole story. After Day crosses paths with Julian, the world she pictures and the truths she believes-neatly captured in black and white-begin to blur.

Julian is not the "armed and dangerous" escapee the police are searching for, but his alibis don't quite add up, either. There is more to his story. This time, Day is determined to see the entire picture . . . whatever it reveals. Did he? Or didn't he?

Day digs deeper into the case while Julian remains on the run. But the longer her list of facts becomes, the longer the list of questions becomes, too. It's also getting harder to deny the chemistry she feels for him. Is it real? Or is she being manipulated?

Day is close to finding the crack in the case. She just needs time to focus before the shutter snaps shut.




I've been a fan of Laurie Faria Stolarz's books for a while. She's one of the authors I read back in my early YA reading days---when I went from Twilight to L.J. Smith and branched out. I have such fond memories of reading both the Blue if for Nightmares books and the Touch series, and then later Bleed, so I was super excited when I got the chance to read Shutter. Lucky for me, Shutter did not disappoint.

The premise of Shutter was intriguing. A boy on the run accused of murdering his father and the girl determined to find out what really happened. It makes for a great mystery set up and I was drawn in right away. Then as the story proceeded and more information was given and things became unclear, it was literally impossible to put this book down. I read the entire thing in one sitting. No breaks or anything.

The writing was intense and paced well. Things were revealed at appropriate times where I didn't have a chance to get disinterested in the story. I had to keep reading to find out what was true, what was twisted, and who actually murdered that man. Plus, Stolarz's writing is great in general. There's a special quality to it that makes the novel feel so well crafted---because it is. This is a well written mystery that I enjoyed.

The main characters, Day and Julian, were so interesting. Day is the girl who decided to try to uncover the truth of Julian's dad's death, and while that may seem like an unwise endeavor (because DANGER), I'm actually kind of in awe. She's smart and determined and has a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong--and she stand up for what's right and fights against what's wrong. It's admirable.

As for Julian, he's on the run and accused of murdering his father. His story is murky and dark and I felt for him so much. It was a huge need for things to turn out how they should with him that added to driving me forward while reading. He was in such a terrible situation and I wanted him to be okay. I especially enjoyed the snippets of the novel that were in Julian's point of view---his journal writings. They gave great insight into his mind, even if they weren't always clear.

The minor characters, Day's friends, were less intriguing to me and while I understand that her moments with them helped in grounding her and setting her side of the story, I wasn't a huge fan some of the moments with them. Parts were necessary to the plot, which were good, but I found it hard to care about the parts pertaining to them that didn't have to do with Julian's case. That said, I do understand why they were included and they didn't really take away from my desire to continue reading the novel. I still read it in one sitting without a problem.

Overall, Shutter is a well crafted mystery that I was unable to put down. From the first page to the last, I was utterly invested in this story. Day and Julian were deep characters with complex stories whose relationship I loved watching evolve, and the murder case was intriguing. Shutter was enjoyable and well worth the read!


4 stars - An utterly captivating mystery I was unable to put down!



~About the Author~ 
laurie-faria-stolarzLaurie Faria Stolarz grew up in Salem, MA, attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston.

Laurie Faria Stolarz is an American author of young adult fiction novels, best known for her Blue is for Nightmares series. Her works, which feature teenage protagonists, blend elements found in mystery and romance novels.

Stolarz found sales success with her first novel, Blue is for Nightmares, and followed it up with three more titles in the series, White is for Magic, Silver is for Secrets, and Red is for Remembrance, as well as a companion graphic novel, Black is for Beginnings. Stolarz is also the author of the Touch series (Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, and Deadly Little Lessons), as well as Bleed and Project 17. With more than two million books sold worldwide, Stolarz's titles have been named on various awards list.



~Giveaway~ 

Three (3) finished copies of Shutter (US only)



~Tour Schedule~ 

Week 1:

15 comments:

  1. Excellent review today! I love that this is a fun mystery to read and keeps the reader guessing and wanting to turn pages. I can't wait to read this for myself as a huge fan of mysteries.

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  2. Really enjoyed the synopsis of the book. The book sounds intriguing. Looking forward to reading.

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  3. Really enjoyed the synopsis of the book. The book sounds intriguing. Looking forward to reading.

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  4. Enjoyed the review sounds like a good read.

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  5. Enjoyed the review sounds like a good read.

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  6. Great review. Can't wait to read this!

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  7. So excited to read this book! It sounds like it's definitely going to be original! Great review!

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  8. i love to reaed book and then i like to see new authors

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  9. I've been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it!

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  10. I love this author, thank you for the giveaway!

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  11. This sounds like a great read. I love YA mystery. Thanks for the chance!

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  12. This sounds awesome! Can't wait to read it!! :D

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  13. This book sounds really good! I hope I get to read it!

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