Curse is the final book in the Blur trilogy, featuring Daniel who has been seeing 'blurs', which are basically hallucinations, or are they? In the previous books, he has been thrown into several murder cases because of this ability, but in Curse there is very little going on besides Daniel solving crime through his ability. Only, this time he is not only helped by his friends but also by some like-minded kids. By which I mean, they have special abilities as well. And these abilities just happen to be the exact ones they need to crack the case. What a coincidence, right?

This was another fast read, but I get the feeling more and more that I don't completely understand the YA mystery genre. Teens solving crime seems weird to me under the best of circumstances but where is the police in all this? The ending did not surprise me, but left me wondering because Daniel didn't really receive a way to better handling or accepting his blurs. As such, I had hoped Curse would bring more closure to the story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Fury is the sequel to Blur, and as in the first book, Daniel is seeing things he wishes he wouldn't see and is trying to figure out what it all means. It had been a while since I read the first book and so the details were a bit blurry for me, but it was repeated at the beginning of Fury, so it didn't feel like I had to go back to Blur.

While this was an entertaining read, I couldn't shake the feeling it was a bit forced at times. Also, without putting spoilers, there is a lot here that didn't surprise me in the end at all. Which was maybe a bit of a let down, but it still was a very quick read. I already have the third book in the series and I plan to read it soon, so I hope the story will take a turn to the original in that one.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first time reading Steven James, who apparently is a master of suspense and this his first YA mystery. Daniel, the MC, starts seeing 'blurs', or basically the ghost of a recently deceased classmate who asks him to investigate her dead. (Why she doesn't just tell him what happened, since she was present at her own dead, is beyond me but would have made for a much shorter book, of course).

What follows is on the one hand a rather standard situation where Daniel together with his best friend and love interest look into the death of said classmate. On the other hand it is also Daniel's story as he is trying to figure out what is real and what isn't and is he going mad or not?

While not the most original mystery and not un-put-downable, it was a nice read and I will continue with the next in the series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

~~#Blur by Cambria Hebert

(GearShark # 4)

This book is # 4, in the Gearshark series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader understanding, and to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this amazing series in order.

Dylan AKA Arrow has had nothing but heartache until recently.  Now he has to make a decision about his future.  He does not want to bring in more pain to those he loves, so he has put off stating his own wants.

Jason AKA Hopper is attracted to Arrow.  Everytime they are in the same room, it hums with electricity.  Before they get burned, can they choose to make a future?

This was a  bittersweet story.  So much pain.  So many things broken.  Well written, and full of sparks flying.  I loved the honesty of the characters and how they sync so well.  This is really a great addition to the Gearshark series.  I give this book a 3/5 Kitty's Paws UP!