This book was engrossing, but also gross. Im not talking about the part where they eat grubs (that's just good sense in a survival scenario) I'm talking about the protagonists love interest being her teacher. Secondary characters react negatively to this but the protag ignores their rather feeble concerns and the narrative does as well. Iresponsable and creepy of the author to let this go unchallenged.

I didn't really like the main character and I'm unsure if the author intended her to be sympathetic or not. She's presented as an unreliable narrator and morally corrupt, which could be interesting. But she is also implied to be mentally ill (via trauma, neglect, and aforementioned relationship) and so her violence and deception come across as more of a negative trope than a layer to her character.

I wouldn't say I regret reading this book, but I do regret buying it and it's heading right back to Half Price Books where it came from. ( )

I received this copy from the author.

I wasn't sure what to expect, going in, never having heard of a concept like that of Melophobia. A world without music, where self expression is a crime.

I absolutely enjoyed this reading experience. The voice of the novel at the beginning reads to me like an old detective film, which is what drew me in at first. Then the openness and honesty of the characters kept me reading.

There were so many twists and turns, real characters with flaws and inner and outer conflicts. Every element that makes a great story was there.

And the ending? Powerful. True to the story and the characters. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great crime novel, unexpected twists and turns, a bit of romance and fast paced action. ( )

I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Please see my full reviews available at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com.

For requesting arcs and books to review, please visit www.netgalley.com. ( )

What Lies Within is a story that is dark, dangerous, and entertaining all at once.

This is the third book that I’ve read written by James Morris. And his writing always amused me, because all of it was hard to put down once you start reading it. The twist and turns of the events as you go deep into the story will keep the adrenaline flood your body. The mysteries behind the happenings are tough to guess because every time I tried to decipher it, the revelations will eventually throw my guess back at me.

The characters are developing as the story goes. I liked Winstons more because he is the friend that everyone would like to have. He is someone whom we can tell our secrets without feeling scared that it will be revealed someday. He is someone who is always there for Shelley, no matter how dangerous and deadly the moment is. He is willing to go through hardships as long as he can be with Shelley and be sure that she is okay. How sweet is that for a friend, right?

As for Shelley, sometimes, I don’t like her decisions. She is complicated, and sometimes, I feel like she is somewhat psychotic. She always just go with whatever she thinks was right, not until something happened. She discovered a secret that she should not know, and when she learned what it hides about herself, it makes her more interested in revealing the secrets that were kept from her. But, as she comes closer to it, the more dangers it pulls towards her. I loved it when she changed into someone willing to fight for everyone and not just for herself.

The plot is seriously a hell. I didn’t expect what lies within this novel. I thought it was just a simple story that will make you on the edge of your seat, but it was not. It is more than that. “Nature vs. Nurture” has something to do with it.

I like everything about this book. The suspense and the thrill for every turn of the pages. I only want to know more about the black-outs she was experiencing and what does it imply about herself. I wish there is a sequel because I’m still craving for more. I want to know what she will do now and what are the secrets that she will yet discover as she searches for it. But, overall, this is a fast-paced story that I recommend to all thriller readers. Be warned that there are some gory scenes in the story. ( )

I had heard about this book through a group chat that I am involved in. Some of the others in the book blogging community were asked to read and review it as well. One of them asked if I would want to review this book since they were not going to do it. At the time I was ending my semester and someone else in the group chat said it sounded like their type of book, so I said to recommend them. Well flash forward to a few weeks ago when I received an e-mail from the author asking if I would want to review his book. I immediately jumped up and down in excitement! Of course I said yes, I mean hello you are reading the review for the book, come on now. Did you think this had some other ending to it? It didn't hurt that the author is a former writer for "Smallville", which my best friend has watched every single episode of and would have killed me if I had said no to anyone that was even connected to it in a six degrees of Kevin Bacon type of way, so I started the book as soon as I received.

Now let me start with the bad, which there is very little of. First off, the book is graphic in some parts. Most especially it is graphic during those first few opening pages due to the crash. Some of the content can be a little off-putting and may be hard to push through. If you get through those initial pages though you will be rewarded with a rich and engrossing tale of survival and what happens to individuals pushed to their breaking point by wanting to simply survive. This point about individuals being pushed brings me to the next bad point of the book: this isn't a book about likable characters. There is hardly a one of them to be found within the books pages. Sometimes this lack of a likable character can make you feel rather disconnected from what is occurring, but if you truly understand that this is a complex examination (even if it is a fiction book) of the human spirit in a survival mode you can understand that perhaps these characters would have been likable in a completely other environment.

The is a fast-paced book. Something is always happening. It reads very much like a television series that has been adapted into a book, which I think works in its favor. You are never left feeling bored or uninterested in the overall story taking place. There are those shocking moments contained within it that you don't expect. Sometimes these can feel forced or can make a reader cringe, but here I found myself loving the little shocks that I was not expecting. I loved them to the point that I actually had to post on twitter that the book was shocking me! The story makes you think one thing is going to occur and then something else happens entirely. There was a moment that I was not expecting about roughly 70% into the book (I was reading a kindle edition of the book). I found myself shook to my core. I thought the book was about to end, but then I saw that 70% and said "Oh no! Something is about to go down. What in the world else could happen to these kids?" and when it happened I was positively shaken to the core, but in context of characterization and story the moment made total sense. I loved that nothing was out of character for anyone during the entire book. Every single shocking moment was more that you just wouldn't expect it in normal society and you forget that these kids are not in normal society. They are fighting to survive in a way that most of us luckily will never understand. I truly connected with that survival mode that they throughout, which made me see these characters as 3-dimensional instead of flat stock characters that are sometimes used in other books. Without giving away any of the characters plots or who they are in context of the book I will say that my favorite character, for some reason, was Molly. There was something that drew me to her and her struggles during it all.

The last thing I want to mention about this book was that when I reached the words "THE END" for one of the first times ever I wanted there to be another book. I wanted to know more. I wanted to see more. I wanted to know what happened after that moment at the end. I would purchase a sequel book and the author would not have to send it to me for review. I would straight up purchase it with my own money because this book made me enjoy it that much. I want to see a continuation of this! If you can't tell, since I don't give a star rating to my books here, that I rather enjoyed it. I think this is a book that deserves all the recommendations that it can get. Please see below where you can purchase it, it is worth the time spent reading it. It took me a few days to get through it because of the graphic content in places, but as someone that abhors violence stating that I enjoyed this book it has to be rather engaging and interesting of a story. ( )