Just Finished Reading...Every Word by Ellie Marney

Every Word (Every #2)
by Ellie Marney
Published on September 8, 2015
by Tundra Books

Source: ARC giveaway at Book Expo America
Synopsis from Goodreads: James Mycroft has just left for London to investigate a car accident similar to the one that killed his parents seven years ago...without saying goodbye to Rachel Watts, his 'partner in crime'. Rachel is furious and worried about his strange behaviour - not that Mycroft's ever exactly normal, but London is the scene of so many of his nightmares. So Rachel jumps on a plane to follow him...and lands straight in a whole storm of trouble. The theft of a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, the possible murder of a rare books conservator, and the deaths of Mycroft's parents...Can Watts help Mycroft make sense of the three events - or will she lose him forever?
My take:  All the Sherlock inspired YA that I've read this fall have been really great. I read Every Breath, the first book in this series, and liked it a lot. I'm a huge fan of Aussie YA and the fact that this is set in Australia was a big plus to me. And then there was the romance -- between a troubled guy and a tough, no-nonsense girl -- perfection!

At first I was a tiny bit wary of Every Word, because it seemed to be headed into cliched YA territory -- the second book trope of the love interest pushing the girl away for her own good. But before long, that got worked out. Every Word does everything a second book in a mystery series should do -- it has a self-contained mystery (a carjacking with some connection to a missing rare book) but also adds to the overall series plotline, which revolves around the murder of James Mycroft's parents.

I often complain that YA mysteries and thrillers are a little too PG to be truly thrilling, but Every Word was gritty and suspenseful while still seeming like YA. The mystery -- involving a suspicious carjacking and a missing rare book -- was really well-crafted, with all the clues laid out for analysis. And there was a pretty gruesome autopsy scene that was both poetic and disturbing -- the writing in these books is really excellent.

I should be filled with excitement about the next book in this series, except that it's already been published in Australia and early reviews say that there's an Out of Nowhere Love Triangle that pops up in the third book. Seriously? I really want to read it, but I'm not so up for that. Stay tuned.

Also, I'll be doing a roundup of Sherlock inspired YA, if you're a Sherlock newbie who wants to know what's out there on the YA front.

Comments

  1. Noooo! No love triangles. LoL Gah. This was sounding like a really good series until you said that. I've not read any Sherlock inspired YA's but this one does sound good. I like that even though it's a YA novel, it still has some darker elements to it. I'm all for light YA reads but I like to change it up every now and then.

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  2. I love Aussie YA too! They are some remarkable authors hailing from that corner of the world. Liking the sound of this, love triangle and all...

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  3. I haven't heard of this book/series yet. So not cool that the next book has a love triangle - especially an out of nowhere one. I do like the Sherlock Holmes thing so I look forward to the roundup you are going to do.

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  4. Omg, what??!? A LOVE TRIANGLE IN THE 3rd?!?! *cries piteously* I just finished the second book too, and I'm about to buy the third because afjdksalfd I love this series so so much and both books have been solid ALL THE STARS ratings for me. But. Love triangle?! nooooooooo.
    I love the details and the mystery and how adorable they are. *sniffles happily* And of course they're so so Australian which is a monstrously big plus. They say stuff like "stonkered" and I'm like "YOU SPEAK MY LANGUAGE." XDD

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  5. I HATE HATE love triangles....But this series sounds fantastic

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  6. I'm nervous about the third book too but I trust that Ellie will do what works for the story (I hope). I can't believe I've not ordered the final book but it's so pricey! Why won't Book Depository get it in stock!? I'm glad you are enjoying the series! Give me alllll the Sherlock YA books, haha

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  7. I wouldn't consider it a love triangle at all (yes, I read the book, yes there's a guy from the girl's past the pops up, but there is not real love triangle feels, at least they didn't seem to be there for me!)...

    So glad to hear you really enjoyed this one! I'm in LOVE with this series!!

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