4.53

1

Mar 04, 2016

DNFing at the beginning of a month is never a good sign for me. But I can’t help it. I started this read back in February - ha, like that was ages ago or something - and I can't muster the motivation to continue this unexciting story.

WHEN is just not what I was looking forward to read; I wanted a paranormal story, not a contemporary and I needed a mature heroine, not someone who acts first and thinks later. I mean… of course calling a mom to assure her that her son is really in danger and will
DNFing at the beginning of a month is never a good sign for me. But I can’t help it. I started this read back in February - ha, like that was ages ago or something - and I can't muster the motivation to continue this unexciting story.

WHEN is just not what I was looking forward to read; I wanted a paranormal story, not a contemporary and I needed a mature heroine, not someone who acts first and thinks later. I mean… of course calling a mom to assure her that her son is really in danger and will die soon will make you look extremely suspicious and very much crazy.

I like the fast-pacing, but the atmosphere, characters and the rest are uninteresting elements.
...more

0

Sep 03, 2014

Do you know what the blurb of Death Date reminded me of?



Quick, somebody call L.

3

Apr 12, 2015

The cover of the book will give you a dystopian/sci-fi sort of vibe, so I was totally surprised to find out that this is YA contemporary with a dab…er…a splash of paranormal which in this case is both good and bad.

It’s good because the story revolves around a very creative premise. Maddie has an abnormal ability to read people’s deaths, the figures plastered on people’s foreheads (such a lovely sight!).

It’s good because the plot navigates along an unexpected route that made the paranormal
The cover of the book will give you a dystopian/sci-fi sort of vibe, so I was totally surprised to find out that this is YA contemporary with a dab…er…a splash of paranormal which in this case is both good and bad.

It’s good because the story revolves around a very creative premise. Maddie has an abnormal ability to read people’s deaths, the figures plastered on people’s foreheads (such a lovely sight!).

It’s good because the plot navigates along an unexpected route that made the paranormal theme a psychological thriller as Maddie finds herself trapped in a murder investigation because of her exceptional ability. I was instantly captivated by the creative take on the plot and the fast build up of suspense due to my newly found passion for the said genre.

It’s good because the writing is simple and direct via Maddie’s POV whose voice is very much appropriate for her age of 16. Her character is very realistic and relatable and I felt really bad for her to be caught in the midst of the most terrible situation. I find the saying “Terrible things happen to good people” a perfect description to Maddie’s state.

The realism however seems to have ended there because as soon as the detectives entered the scenes, almost everything became very unrealistic starting with the dumb (sorry for the word) detectives, Agent Wallace and Agent Faraday.



Their stupidity is completely infuriating and every time they make a snarky comment to Maddie, I earnestly want to possess her to tell them:



Or do this:



• Actually, I want to do the above things to Maddie’s teachers and classmates and basically almost all characters in the book who seem to have forgotten that a person is innocent until proven guilty!

But despite the bad, I still found myself intently trying to determine who the real bad guy is. The author managed to evoke my suspicion on several characters (although some are obviously just distractions) and I was still surprised when the real culprit was revealed and although the ending was overly like a fairy tale happy ending (with the annoying characters including Agent Faraday redeeming themselves), I still liked it, because Maddie deserves it.



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1

Sep 12, 2014

I'm DNFing this. Everything is just so far fetched and I have zero interest to keep going past the halfway point. I seem to be in the minority here so I'm not sure what I missed, but this one's not for me.

Why? Ok so, Maddie can see deathdates on everyone's forehead which I find really interesting for a book premise - I enjoyed that aspect a lot actually - but the use of it in this plot is ridiculous most of the time. This girl tells a mother her son will die (important to note the mom came to I'm DNFing this. Everything is just so far fetched and I have zero interest to keep going past the halfway point. I seem to be in the minority here so I'm not sure what I missed, but this one's not for me.

Why? Ok so, Maddie can see deathdates on everyone's forehead which I find really interesting for a book premise - I enjoyed that aspect a lot actually - but the use of it in this plot is ridiculous most of the time. This girl tells a mother her son will die (important to note the mom came to her), then the mom freaks when he son doesn't come home from school one day and tells the cops the MC is to blame for his disappearance. Not even 24 hours after the son went missing (before it would even be considered a missing person's case IRL), the FBI - yes, the FB-Freaking-I - are at Maddie's school wanting answers.

Ok fiiiine I could still roll with this even though it had already become unrealistic. But then the FBI start using all their time and resources in following/stalking Maddie day and night. They show her images of evidence which makes her puke and almost pass out. Then they find out she just aced a test the day after the boy disappeared, had an alibi, and is in general not AT ALL the type of profile a killer of this magnitude would be. There is no way the FBI would actually consider this teenage girl a suspect only because the victim's mom went to a psychic reading and needs someone to blame. I mean c'mon. Maybe the problem is that I have seen a LOT of cop shows and read many serial killer mysteries so realism in this area is a must for me.

There are other things that made me cock an eyebrow, too. Like the stupid things they do to "warn" someone of their upcoming death via a cryptic bday card (making the ramifications uber predictable), and how the plot will pause for random daydreams of some random boy she sees twice a year that she apparently has this "connection" with. And why has her own death date not been mentioned yet?

Anyways, if I keep reading I fear my eyes will fall off from so much rolling.

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3

Mar 21, 2014

If you think this is your usual paranormal book where a girl finds herself capable of doing some pretty cool shit and doesn't know how to use it and consequently gets frustrated until she finds the Love Interest/s who help/s her channel her powers for good before they run off to the sunset to their happily ever after, STOP RIGHT THERE! I shit you not,When by Victoria Laurie is anything but... that. It gets rid of the overused PR formula and breathes into it new life. I'm telling you right now If you think this is your usual paranormal book where a girl finds herself capable of doing some pretty cool shit and doesn't know how to use it and consequently gets frustrated until she finds the Love Interest/s who help/s her channel her powers for good before they run off to the sunset to their happily ever after, STOP RIGHT THERE! I shit you not, When by Victoria Laurie is anything but... that. It gets rid of the overused PR formula and breathes into it new life. I'm telling you right now that this book will surprise you in the sickest way possible (and I mean that very positively).

Being able to know when someone will die is definitely not an easy burden. If I had this curse put upon me, I don't think I would be able to accept it easily and would probably lock myself in my cabinet so I won't see another person again. I was rather nervous to see how the book would portray Maddie's overall reaction and perspective about it, but I thought the book handled it beautifully and realistically. You can tell that Maddie's not totally happy about it as she oftentimes have difficulty coping with it, but she does take advantage of her "gift" especially since her father died and she and her mom needed money to get by. You can absolutely feel the anger and frustration brewing inside her at the fact she can't save anyone from their impending deaths. She hates that she could only warn them, and hates that some of them don't take her seriously until death is staring at them at pointblank range.

And man, the way Maddie tells them, we can really feel the pain in her words. It's amazing how such a PR book feel so personal. I mean, seriously, EVEN I WAS SO AFFECTED I FELT LIKE CRYING IN FRUSTRATION! Add to that the suspense of the plot. Man, oh, man, the way the story unfolds here with the murders and everything really makes you want to scream and check the last page just so you can be reassured everything will be fine in the end. It was absolutely nerve-wracking to see our heroine continuously doubted and seen as a serial killer. If you combine the thrill each page gives you and the very intimate and realistic voice of Maddie, it would make a 100% amazing reading experience, which this book was in a nutshell.

If there was one thing I didn't really like about this, it was the fact that the heroine kept refraining from telling her lawyer and the authorities about important information using the lamest fucking reasons as possible. "Oh gee weez, I keep seeing that dark truck following me everywhere! I should tell my uncle but he and I had just a fight so I don't feel like saying it now." or "Well, that guy leered at me and looked at me like he was going to kill me, but I don't think I should tell that to the FBI because it was probably a coincidence." or "I think I'm being stalked, but I conveniently forget UNTIL the very end. WHOOPSIE!"

And I'm like FUUUUCK YOOOOOOUUUUU.



That bit seriously pissed me off, especially since it was such a recurring incidence. I mean, girl, there is a serial killer on the loose and you don't bother telling that ONE IMPORTANT SINISTER GUY because he's probably harmless in the end and his looking at you that way was just a coincidence?! What kind of illogical motherfucking sorcery is this crap?! It was seriously so irritating.

Other than that, this was a great book. READ IT. ...more

5

Sep 06, 2014

Oh, what a feast for my senses!



My verdict: Incredible, addictive and absolutely well done (in terms of writing style, characters, plot, suspense, even that cute ending)!

“When” or “Death Date” (depending on the edition) is an amazing paranormal story full of mystery and turnarounds. It has a gripping plot, great character development.. and for some reason I simply can’t get it out of my mind. I really loved it and now its memory is haunting me – not that I’m complaining ^_^

In fact, I want this Oh, what a feast for my senses!



My verdict: Incredible, addictive and absolutely well done (in terms of writing style, characters, plot, suspense, even that cute ending)!

“When” or “Death Date” (depending on the edition) is an amazing paranormal story full of mystery and turnarounds. It has a gripping plot, great character development.. and for some reason I simply can’t get it out of my mind. I really loved it and now its memory is haunting me – not that I’m complaining ^_^

In fact, I want this story to be made into a movie, because that’s how it played out in my mind – and if you are curious, yeah, it felt like a mind-blowing mind-movie. Pun intended.

In paranormal-mystery books it’s easy to get lost through all so many details and lose focus of what’s important, but this story was kept pretty tight.
I also loved how all threads were entwined, how some of the ‘superficial’ details came back to bite us when least expected. And I loved the emotional side of it - with our main character feeling guilty for the death of her father, with her needing to take care of her depressed & alcoholic mother, with all the bullying and the need to prove their innocence (because she wasn’t the only one accused for those crimes).

You might need to know that this book was absolutely great, even though it didn’t focus on the romantic side – in fact the romance was somewhere way in the background (putting a smile on my face from time to time), just waiting for everything to be fixed before surfacing. And yes, I didn’t want it any other way because it worked so beautifully this way. And the ending was so sweet and hopeful.

Conclusion:

Dear Victoria,

I’ll be watching you!
You are on my favourite-authors list right now and I can’t wait to read another YA book from you.

Love,
A new big fan of yours

Happy midnight reading!

* ARC received from the publisher for review.
** Find the complete review at: ReadingAfterMidnight.com

Post-reading quick notes:

I am not sure what's the actual title for this book (my ARC is called 'When', here it is called 'Death Date'), but oh, just how beautiful this book is!! Incredible, addictive, absolutely well done (characters, plot, suspense, even that cute ending)

I'll tell you more soon, just for now know that this is AMAZING!!!

____________________________________________

Blog (EN) | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Bloglovin' | Blog (RO)
____________________________________________ ...more

5

Nov 14, 2015

Fantasy + Mystery thriller = Is the best!

If you would have a special ability. What would it be? I would like to be a jumper (so I can just go to places I wanna visit) haha. By the way, this book is recommended to me by the awesome Katerina. Thanks to her I got to read this awesome book.

Anyways, the story is about this 16 year old girl, Maddie who has an ability. But lemme remind you that abilities are not always good. The girl sees numbers on everybody’s forehead. This numbers are death dates. Fantasy + Mystery thriller = Is the best!

If you would have a special ability. What would it be? I would like to be a jumper (so I can just go to places I wanna visit) haha. By the way, this book is recommended to me by the awesome Katerina. Thanks to her I got to read this awesome book.

Anyways, the story is about this 16 year old girl, Maddie who has an ability. But lemme remind you that abilities are not always good. The girl sees numbers on everybody’s forehead. This numbers are death dates. She can tell when you are going to die. This kind of ability is new to me which made me enamor the story line more.

Her ability doesn’t do her good. She cannot stay in the city or places where there are a lot of people. She can’t bear to see these dates. She tried to warn people of their dates, and people don’t believe her and they think she’s crazy.

At present, she does future telling because of her alcoholic/jobless mom. She reads death dates and it helps them financially. But one death resulted to chaos. Maddie and her friend want to do something with these death dates. They warned a mother of his child’s near death but instead accused them of killing the kid leading them to be prime suspects. The problem is, Maddie can only see dates, not how or where it will happen.

Most part of the story is about the case, FBI trying to find out the killer. It is like a CSI type story but with fantasy touch to it.

What I really like about the book is that it made me think and puzzled. I had my own predictions of who the killer is but woah! Who would have thought! Really, you guys have to read this.

The writing style is so good. It was able to get me into the depth of the story. And the characters were well written, they totally bring flavor to the book.

A highly recommended book to fantasy/suspense/mystery/YA readers.


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4

Sep 18, 2014

4.5 stars
When is a very impressive and incredibly compelling standalone book by Victoria Laurie. It’s the sort of book that pulls you in from its first sentence and refuses to let go. The opening chapter does an excellent job in making us care for Maddie, our protagonist, and at the same time, it gives us a great idea of what lies ahead. This suspenseful, surprisingly well-written book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, which wasn’t achieved through cheap tricks and tropes, but through a 4.5 stars
When is a very impressive and incredibly compelling standalone book by Victoria Laurie. It’s the sort of book that pulls you in from its first sentence and refuses to let go. The opening chapter does an excellent job in making us care for Maddie, our protagonist, and at the same time, it gives us a great idea of what lies ahead. This suspenseful, surprisingly well-written book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, which wasn’t achieved through cheap tricks and tropes, but through a story so well-built that it would leave anyone breathless.

Maddie has been seeing numbers on people’s foreheads since she was a baby, but it wasn’t until her father died that she realized what they actually mean. The numbers she sees are people’s death dates and she is never mistaken. She has also never succeeded in changing someone’s date, even though she tried on several occasions. But being who she is, she can’t help trying again, only this time her attempt puts her in a world of trouble.

From the start, Maddie won me over with incredible ease. Forced by her alcoholic mother to abuse her gift and read people’s death dates for money, Maddie still found a way to be herself and help where she could. She made smart choices from the start, and even when she ended up right in the middle of a murder investigation, she did the best she could for everyone. I felt everything she felt in this book, the grief over her father’s death, the shame over her mother’s drinking, her love for her best friend and her desire to help.

When has a movie-like quality to it and every scene is shaped to achieve its full potential. The tension builds slowly but steadily, all the way to a heart-stopping finale. The mystery is well-done, clearly the work of an experienced author, and it kept me guessing throughout. When the killer was finally revealed, I was completely taken aback, but it made sense in retrospect, which I think is the holy grail of crime fiction.

I adored the romance aspect of this book mostly because there was no romance, not until the very end. With everything going on around Maddie, pushing her into a relationship of some sort would have been a bit ridiculous, and I’m so happy Laurie chose not to take that route. As it is, the small glimpse of romance ahead was tasteful, well-timed and simply delightful. It’s just one of the things that make this book stand out.

In short, Victoria Laurie did a fabulous job with what seems to be her YA debut. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for her next book, but even if we do, I have a feeling it will be worth the wait.


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2

Jan 01, 2015

Full review NOT to come because while trying to find out if this novel will have a sequel (the ending is open enough for it), I realized why the author's name sounded so familiar: she's a BBA from 2008. I'm not going to spend a good hour of my time writing about her book when I'm just going to end up humiliated in her books one day. This novel has been given the rating it earned regardless of my opinion of her behavior.

When turned out to be an okay thriller that actually took into account the Full review NOT to come because while trying to find out if this novel will have a sequel (the ending is open enough for it), I realized why the author's name sounded so familiar: she's a BBA from 2008. I'm not going to spend a good hour of my time writing about her book when I'm just going to end up humiliated in her books one day. This novel has been given the rating it earned regardless of my opinion of her behavior.

When turned out to be an okay thriller that actually took into account the fact people's days of death can change unlike other death-is-a-set-date books (trust me, when guillotines exist, NO ONE has a set death date because you ain't surviving that shit). It also flipped a few things I'm used to with YA; there was a mere crush instead of any romance and Maddie did NOT play the Nancy Drew role like a lot of characters in YA mystery/thriller novels do.

That she managed to make a pancake without burning all of it doesn't mean it's good, though. The FBI wouldn't be investigating a simple kidnapping/murder case like this; that would be the local police's job unless something came up and required the FBI. Nothing about the murders in this book were anything to warrant FBI attention if the West Memphis Three were only investigated by local police. This book was about as subtle as being hit by a semi-truck running full speed ahead as well. The bits that were wrong were so wrong that every time something I was unsure about came up, I had to stop and check the Internet to make sure it was right. That made reading this book one long, often-interrupted journey. I called the ending about halfway through. ...more

4

Jan 03, 2018

You know how you watch those movies where the girl goes all by herself to explore something she saw or heard in a dark and empty house and you scream at the tv, "Don't do it! Go back! Wait for help!" But, of course, she stupidly goes in anyway?! In some respects, that is this book.



The premise is really interesting—Maddie was born with the ability to see numbers on people's foreheads. Turns out these numbers are "death dates". Kinda cool, right? Sure. Only Maddie's alcoholic mother spends their You know how you watch those movies where the girl goes all by herself to explore something she saw or heard in a dark and empty house and you scream at the tv, "Don't do it! Go back! Wait for help!" But, of course, she stupidly goes in anyway?! In some respects, that is this book.



The premise is really interesting—Maddie was born with the ability to see numbers on people's foreheads. Turns out these numbers are "death dates". Kinda cool, right? Sure. Only Maddie's alcoholic mother spends their bill money on vodka, so she forces Maddie to do readings for people where she tells them their death date for cash. With the help of her best friend, Stubby, her uncle, and her sweet next door neighbor, though, her life isn't too terrible.

Until she does a reading for a woman who has a little girl who is dying from leukemia. Because Maddie can read people's death dates from pictures as well as in person, her customer shows her a picture, and Maddie assures her that her little girl will live a long life. This information allows the customer to make the decision to go ahead with an experimental treatment. Anyway... as she is putting the picture back in her wallet, Maddie notices a photo of two boys, and asks if the younger one is sick also. He isn't, and the mother wants to know why Maddie asked such a thing. You guessed it! His death date is next week. The mother, who, two seconds prior, was so willing to believe Maddie that she'd allow her daughter to undergo an experimental treatment, now calls her a fraud and leaves very upset. And so the drama begins...

She tells Stubby what happened and he and his big, tender heart force Maddie to call the mother to warn her that something bad is going to happen to her son. The mother gets very upset and threatens to call the police if Maddie bothers her again.

(view spoiler)[On the date that Maddie predicted, the boy goes missing, the mother calls the FBI, and they begin to compile circumstantial evidence against Maddie and Stubby. The next day, his body was found, horribly tortured. The two FBI agents that were assigned to the case immediately accuse Maddie and Stubby of kidnapping, torturing and killing the boy. Right then and there, I was like, wtf??? There is no way that anyone would think that these two smart, shy, geeky kids (to the exclusion of all other possible suspects) would hurt a fly. And they had an alibi. And all they had to do was to test Maddie's ability to determine whether or not she was lying. But all kinds of circumstantial evidence got twisted around and Stubby ended up being arrested and jailed pending trial after a local girl was also murdered. This, despite the fact that Maddie was warned by Uncle Donny, an attorney, not to tell anyone else their death date. But, because Stubby was crushing on this girl, he tried to warn her, even though he said he wouldn't, and even though they were already being investigated for the first murder. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Meanwhile, Maddie is getting harrassed daily at school, her mother drives drunk, crashes the car, and ends up in jail, and the FBI agents are following her everywhere. Now, she knows it wasn't her or Stubby who has murdered these two teens, but she thinks it's a good idea to ride her bike around after dark, in a deserted park, even after having noticed a loud pickup truck possibly following her. And then she doesn't tell anyone about it. (hide spoiler)]

So many things like that happen and you just want to scream, "Are you the stupidest person alive???" And the FBI agents were written as though the only reference the author had was a cheesy gangster movie from the 40s.



HOWEVER... it was still a fun read and, although you'll probably figure out who the bad guy is early on, I found it to be entertaining. ...more

2

Oct 28, 2014

The idea of a main character able to see the death dates of people becoming embroiled in a murder investigation was utterly thrilling. I was excited to dive into When because of that. However, When wound up disappointing me because of how unrealistic it was. I think I had built my expectations for this book a little too high.

Ever since her dad died, Maddie has had a bit of a rough life. She didn't until her dad passed away that the numbers she saw on people's foreheads were their death dates, so
The idea of a main character able to see the death dates of people becoming embroiled in a murder investigation was utterly thrilling. I was excited to dive into When because of that. However, When wound up disappointing me because of how unrealistic it was. I think I had built my expectations for this book a little too high.

Ever since her dad died, Maddie has had a bit of a rough life. She didn't until her dad passed away that the numbers she saw on people's foreheads were their death dates, so she was battling with the guilt of not being able to do anything for him and her mother's downward spiral into alcoholism. It also didn't help that she had come across people who had come to her for a reading who had still passed away despite the warning. Warming up to Maddie in the beginning was easy. Her relationship with her best friend, Stubby, was one of the highlights of the book. However, as the story progressed and Maddie was suddenly thrust into the midst of this murder investigation as a prime suspect, she repeatedly made idiotic decisions that had me face-palming multiple times. Making a mistake once is understandable, but over and over again is just pushing the limits of patience. I got the impression that both Maddie and Stubby did not understand how deep in they were. I hard a really hard time wrapping my head around some of the things they did in this book like warning people who are about to die about their impending deaths via letters (because it will be difficult to track) while FBI agents are following their every movement. Maddie also acted like a petulant child as the story progressed, going against everything her uncle (and lawyer) told her. Even when Stubby got arrested, she continued to make these dumb decisions that had me wanting to pull my hair off.

The murder investigation in this book actually kept me on my toes and was the only reason I continued to read the book. However, I was a little annoyed by how unrealistic the book was on many levels. I get that this is a fiction, but there needs to be at least a semblance of realism. The FBI agents in this book were hilarious and that's not a good sign. It was just astounding to me that they would use so much of their time and resources tagging these two teenagers in this murder case which was clearly an act of a serial killer. One of the guys even admits it towards the end of the book that Maddie and Stubby did not fit the profile of the killer. And not only that, but the methods they used to interrogate Maddie were clearly unethical and if this were real-life, these FBI agents would be dismissed asap. Also, that summary is very misleading, especially this part : "attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all". This doesn't happen at all until the last chapter or so of the book. I honestly don't understand the point of even having Aiden's character int his book because it was so pointless and there was no relationship between he and Maddie at all. All that being said, I'll give it to Victoria Laurie for writing a murder mystery that I only managed to crack towards the end of the book.

While When had the potential to be a solid mystery book, the unrealistic elements and the annoying characters made this an overall, off-putting book. I had higher hopes for this book. ...more

4

Oct 29, 2014

Caffeinated Aspects:

The premise for When is interesting and a little creepy. Imagine knowing the date everyone will die. How Maddie came to do readings was believable and immediately allowed the reader to connect. It makes you ponder the questions, "Would you want to know your end date?"
It is a standalone! In a sea of trilogies, series and serials it was fantastic to slip into a world and get a complete story.
Maddie Fynn is an interesting character who struggles with her gift and dealing Caffeinated Aspects:

The premise for When is interesting and a little creepy. Imagine knowing the date everyone will die. How Maddie came to do readings was believable and immediately allowed the reader to connect. It makes you ponder the questions, "Would you want to know your end date?"
It is a standalone! In a sea of trilogies, series and serials it was fantastic to slip into a world and get a complete story.
Maddie Fynn is an interesting character who struggles with her gift and dealing with her broken home life. Despite that, she is a good kid and tries to deal with her lot in life. She longs to be wrong, which is understandable. I immediately felt a connection to Maddie, and appreciated how realistic she was portrayed.
Secondary characters are strong and added to the story. Stubby her best friend is both supportive and the catalyst that complicates things. The portrayal of Maddie’s mom and her disease was well done. I appreciate the way the author addressed it. From FBI agents, to the next-door neighbor Laurie gave them all unique voices and depth.
The pacing of the tale keeps the reader engaged as Maddie struggles to clear names and keep her home life from falling completely apart.
The author slowly increased the tension, with twists and turns. How people reacted as the case unfolded was realistic and a painful reminder of guilty to proven innocent. The final chapters will have the reader unable to set the book down. The conclusion was strong and left the reader satisfied.

Decaffeinated Aspects:

Police and FBI procedures are not exactly by the book here and while I suppose arguments could be made; I just rolled with it as the story was engaging.
There is a love interest, and while it displays Maddie as young, and normal it did little for the storyline. It was just sprinkled in here or there. Romance is not a necessary ingredient for me, but the hint of one and minimal page time may disappoint some. Go into the story thinking no romance and all will be fine. While it served to lighten the intensity, it could have been cut during editing.

Copy provided by publisher.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer ...more

5

Jul 25, 2016

I wanted to read something different, so once I checked the description of this book, I immediately started reading it and OH MY GOD! I'm so glad I did!
I actually read it in one sitting! I couldn't stop until I knew what would happen.
I've loved every single thing about this book, from the characters to the plot. Everything.
And I was always on edge and didn't even get bored.
This was a refreshing read and probably one of my favourite books this year!

4

Jan 08, 2015

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Imagine being able to look at a person and see, always, the day of their death looming above them. It may be an extraordinary gift, sure, but it's also a curse. One that Maddie Fynn knows all too well. Ever since she was young, Maddie has been able to see the deathdays of those around her. It first happened when she drew a family portrait and wrote the etched the date of her father's death on paper and, ever since, her talent has singled Maddie out as a loner. With only one Rating: 4.5 Stars

Imagine being able to look at a person and see, always, the day of their death looming above them. It may be an extraordinary gift, sure, but it's also a curse. One that Maddie Fynn knows all too well. Ever since she was young, Maddie has been able to see the deathdays of those around her. It first happened when she drew a family portrait and wrote the etched the date of her father's death on paper and, ever since, her talent has singled Maddie out as a loner. With only one friend, Stubs, whose friendliness is matched only by his kindness, Maddie's life is a small, but fulfilling one. Her alcoholic mother, unable to drive after two DUIs, exploits Maddie's skill and forces her to read deathdates for money--money which Maddie uses to pay off bills; money her mother uses to purchase more alcohol. It isn't the healthiest situation and it's far more than any typical high school junior should manage, but Maddie takes care of herself, her mother, and her grades in a juggling act that has become routine.

She doesn't think there's much room in her life for things to get any worse until the FBI name her a suspect to the murder of a young thirteen-year-old boy. Earlier that week, Maddie had looked at an imagine of a young girl with cancer and told her mother that she would live. Inside that wallet, however, were pictures of two other children--one who was fated to die a week from that day. When Maddie tries to warn the mother, however, she is labeled a fraud and the angry customer leaves Maddie's house. A week later, when the boy is found missing, Maddie is questioned by the FBI. With the help of her Uncle Donny, a lawyer in Brooklyn, and her best friend, Maddie must try to clear her name and prove to the FBI that she's innocent. Because, after all, the real killer is still on the loose...

When is a brilliantly written YA debut from Victoria Laurie. Maddie's narration is raw, honest, and down-to-earth. She's a heroine who makes the best of her circumstances and even as life constantly tries to put her down, she gets back up every time, stronger than ever. I admire her will and determination and throughout the novel, all I wanted to do was shield Maddie from the false accusations and difficult situations she was forced to face as a result of the FBI's interference in her life. The FBI are ruthless and they are desperate enough to put an end to these string of murders--each gruesome, targeting minors, and filled with torture--that they're willing to put the blame on an innocent girl like Maddie.

Despite the fact that Maddie's mother is an alcoholic, I was glad to see that Maddie had other adults in her life whom she could turn to for support. The relationship between Maddie and her Uncle Donny, a bachelor who keeps insisting that Maddie can leave her mother and move in with him, is akin to that of a father and daughter. Maddie's father was Uncle Donny's brother and though it has been years since his death, neither of them can forget him. Moreover, Donny makes Maddie proud to be her father's daughter and though the two face their own set of relationship woes--namely the fact that Maddie is loyal to her mother when Donny can see that it isn't a healthy, or normal, relationship--they work well together as a team and Donny goes above and beyond to make sure that Maddie is safe and protected, despite the mayhem around her.

Maddie's friendship with Stubs is also at the forefront of this novel and their relationship goes through some truly difficult circumstances. Laurie isn't afraid to go to extreme measures when it comes to reinforcing the seriousness of this situation and though, at its core, When is an impeccably written and neatly planned murder mystery, that doesn't decrease the strength of the character relationships throughout the novel. Speaking of the mystery, however, I have to admit that I did not, at all, under any circumstances, predict the final reveal. Laurie threw in plenty of red herrings and clues but the true identity of the murderer is one that I am confident no reader will be able to guess beforehand. It's sneaky, it's shocking, and it all makes too much sense in retrospect--just as an excellent mystery should do.

Maddie deals with so much in this novel--FBI questioning, an alcoholic mother, a murderer on the loose, bullying as a result of the FBI's suspicions--that she has little time to be a normal teenager. Yet, despite the fact that there is little to no romance in this novel, we do receive a final, all-too-perfect glimpse of it at the end. And, let me tell you, it is cute beyond measure. I really enjoyed the fact that When remained focused on Maddie, the mystery at hand, and her consequent growth and change as a result of the investigation. Maddie learns a lot about her abilities over the course of this novel and, what's more, she learns a lot about herself. While she begins this story as a teen trying to fit in and hide her abilities, she grows to embrace them by the end and the confidence she accumulates over the course of this difficult murder is heart-warming to see. Thus, I appreciate that Laurie didn't make, say, Stubs, the romantic interest nor were the trickles of the love story involved, in any way, with the murder at hand. Both are separate storylines, one obviously the main plot, but they converge beautifully in an ending that is completely satisfying.

I'm not sure if I'll go back to read through Laurie's backlog--there's only so much thriller/mystery I can take at a time--but I will, without a doubt, be on the lookout for her next YA novel. If there's one author you should be looking out for in the YA genre, it's Victoria Laurie. ...more

3

Jan 14, 2015

Maddie Fynn is your average teenager with a special gift. She can see numbers associated with each and every person. It was her father’s death that alerted her of the fact that the numbers that she sees are the death dates of that individual. Following her father’s death, her mother goes on a downward spiral and becomes an alcoholic. She uses Maddie’s gift to have sessions with people and warn them off for some extra cash. However, Maddie only knows the dates and not the how and why of it… So
Maddie Fynn is your average teenager with a special gift. She can see numbers associated with each and every person. It was her father’s death that alerted her of the fact that the numbers that she sees are the death dates of that individual. Following her father’s death, her mother goes on a downward spiral and becomes an alcoholic. She uses Maddie’s gift to have sessions with people and warn them off for some extra cash. However, Maddie only knows the dates and not the how and why of it… So when a recent client goes missing on the predicted date, Maddie becomes a suspect in the case. How will she clear her name and will she be able to find out what really happened?

It was easy to like Maddie as the shy teenager from a broken home. I liked her and her best friend Stubby quite a bit in the beginning. Their interactions are always interesting. However as the novel progressed, I was a bit irritated by their stupidity over and over again. I mean, I do expect teenagers to make mistakes, but not like they do. It is like they never really learn. Then there are the law enforcement officials who are just so informal and hilarious that it was difficult to take them seriously. Law enforcement officers should be figures that one can respect and look up to… while these people were certainly likeable, they didn’t inspire much trust in me that they would be able to solve the case. Maddie was surely a better bet. The certain depth that the characters of a mystery novel should posses was clearly missing and it took away some of the good feeling about the book.

The plot is something new for me. I do not know if there are similar books out there or not, but I actually loved the plot. The concept that Maddie can see the date of the death of a person, but not how is very interesting. Plus there is enough action and drama to keep a reader glued to the pages. Also, the author has narrated Maddie’s story in simple language with a smooth flow. The narrative style is easy going and as such it is easy to get into this book.

This book had great potential that was not fully utilized. But still an entertaining read.



http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2015/02/Whe... ...more

4

Sep 19, 2017

This book was almost a DNF for me because the beginning was so boring. Literally nothing happened in the first half of the book.

LIKE DO SOMETHING. PLEASE.

It is honestly a really interesting concept that Maddie can see death dates and even gets pulled into a murder investigation
but the plot is JUST. SO. REPETITIVE.

This is a 4 because it speed up towards the middle and things ACTUALLY STARTED HAPPENING. The ending was reallyy goooddd though which is why this rating is high and not a 2. If you This book was almost a DNF for me because the beginning was so boring. Literally nothing happened in the first half of the book.

LIKE DO SOMETHING. PLEASE.

It is honestly a really interesting concept that Maddie can see death dates and even gets pulled into a murder investigation
but the plot is JUST. SO. REPETITIVE.

This is a 4 because it speed up towards the middle and things ACTUALLY STARTED HAPPENING. The ending was reallyy goooddd though which is why this rating is high and not a 2. If you get bored easily I DO NOT recommend this book. Im a person who rarely doesn't finish a book but I was getting the vibes. But if you're just looking for a nice read about the struggles of life with some action THEN GO FOR IT. YES. GO NOW. ...more

3

Apr 06, 2018

Actual rating 2.5

There is something incredibly readable about this. I breezed through it in no time at all and was never bored. Extremely annoyed at times, but not bored.

Plot: Maddie can see the date that people are going to die and when kids from the town start dying on the days she has foretold the police assume she and her best friend are serial killers.

Her powers are never explained they simply are. However what annoys me until the last 20 pages of the book the date she sees is the date. Actual rating 2.5

There is something incredibly readable about this. I breezed through it in no time at all and was never bored. Extremely annoyed at times, but not bored.

Plot: Maddie can see the date that people are going to die and when kids from the town start dying on the days she has foretold the police assume she and her best friend are serial killers.

Her powers are never explained they simply are. However what annoys me until the last 20 pages of the book the date she sees is the date. There is no altering it, however all of a sudden numbers flicker and changed based on decisions that those characters make. It is so inconsistent and stupid. Example: she sees her mom’s date when she is 4 and writes it mom has a great healthy life, Bad things happen her mom becomes a train wreck, date stays the same. End of the book - mom finally makes a good choice and her date changes. Really? All of a sudden it changes when it hasn’t ever changed before? It is just dumb. Which also brings me to why is the FBI investigating these murders (which in the beginning were not deemed serial killer) and seems to have an office in this tiny podunk town? Where are the local cops that would help out.

Maddie is a bit of a jerk at times especially to her uncle. She makes terrible terrible decisions. Oh we see this girl’s death date and there is a potential serial killer on the lose. I know instead of telling the cops, let’s write a super creepy stalker letter telling her she is gonna die. Uncle Donny (who is a lawyer): Don’t go talk to the cops with out me. Maddie: walks into the FBI - I wanna talk to the detectives, that’s fine we don’t need my uncle.

The romance - what a joke! Why? Why even bother to have it? Here let me go ahead and give you the entire romance. - there is a cute boy named Aiden I like, - I see Aiden at a football game he spots me and mouths hi - I see him with his friends at a coffee shop and he throws away a hot girls phone number - I see him at a skate park he comes over and says hi (his mom yells at him he last to leave and he runs off) - Aiden moves in next door and I know we will spend the rest of our lives together. Seriously book? Seriously? What was the point Aiden is such a throw away character - he added nothing at all to the book - why include him? And then why make your creepy dedication reference him like he is an important role.

Stubbs has a hard time in the book and rather than dealing with his issues. He just suddenly becomes better (like someone switched a magic button). He was depressed and miserable and 3 days later he is fixed 100% himself again with no lingering side effects. Again come on.

Anyway super easy read. It is a stand alone. The writing is enjoyable and easy to read but the characters and story details just made me shake my head. ...more

5

Sep 13, 2016

I read the book When by Victoria Laurie. When is a book about a high school girl named Maddie Finn. At a young age she finds out that she has a special ability. She sees numbers that that float on peoples for heads. Her life has been hard losing her dad then her mom turning in to an alcoholic. Her life is like a rolcoster with all the up and down she has had in it. Her ability of seeing numbers has not made it any easier. In the beginning there was one spot that lost my attention but, I kept I read the book When by Victoria Laurie. When is a book about a high school girl named Maddie Finn. At a young age she finds out that she has a special ability. She sees numbers that that float on peoples for heads. Her life has been hard losing her dad then her mom turning in to an alcoholic. Her life is like a rolcoster with all the up and down she has had in it. Her ability of seeing numbers has not made it any easier. In the beginning there was one spot that lost my attention but, I kept reading and it very intriguing . I recommend this book to anyone that likes murder mystery and loves the suspense in books. The book has you wanting to read one page after another after another. ...more

2

Jan 07, 2015

First, this isn't a romance. There is a hint in the blurb that it is but Maddie's attraction to Aiden is such a miniscule part of the story that it didn't even come into play.

Second, for me, this story was too forced. There are several things I'm just not buying at all. The paranormal aspect of it is fine. I'm not bothered by that at all. It's the FBI and school issues that just had me fuming mad. As a teacher, I saw so many things that just wouldn't happen in a school or with teenagers that I First, this isn't a romance. There is a hint in the blurb that it is but Maddie's attraction to Aiden is such a miniscule part of the story that it didn't even come into play.

Second, for me, this story was too forced. There are several things I'm just not buying at all. The paranormal aspect of it is fine. I'm not bothered by that at all. It's the FBI and school issues that just had me fuming mad. As a teacher, I saw so many things that just wouldn't happen in a school or with teenagers that I know.



Examples? The FBI isn't going to be involved after only 24 hours of a person going missing. Nor would they spend the amount of resources stalking a sixteen year old on such circumstantial evidence. AND they would NEVER be allowed to interview a student without their parent in the principals office. The local police would have to contact the guardian for anything like what was done in the book. I'm also doubtful that a minor would be thrown into prison with felons on such circumstantial evidence. Someone as young as sixteen with no previous issues would be protected more even if they were being charged as an adult. It felt like this was forced to make the story work with little regard for reality.

Then there is the way the teachers were portrayed as Maddie was investigated. She's a model student. Behavior and grades are almost perfect. When she's under suspicion, all the teachers (except one) and the principal treat her terribly. I can see the students doing it but a teacher wouldn't even if they felt it. She was treated differently and punished for ridiculous things. They made comments that were uncalled for and unprofessional. They graded her work differently then they had before. They looked the other way when students bullied her. They even encouraged the bullying. One teacher MIGHT let their feeling get to them but not ALL of them. Teachers wouldn't risk their license for something like this. Again, it felt like this was forced to make the story work. I was insulted and disgusted by it.



Finally, I got very tired of Maddie's uncle calling her kiddo. She is shy and sweet. Not a typical sixteen year old at all but I just didn't see her as a kiddo. I wanted to yell at her uncle on her behave to let her been a teenager and not a kiddo.

It was hard to finish this one but I did it because I wanted to know who the killer was. The story is like a 1000 piece puzzle where the pieces were thrown in the air and fell everywhere. There are so many options that I wanted to know how it fit. I really wasn't surprised at all with who it was but I wasn't satisfied either.

I am happy with the ending. I like that Maddie finally had some good things happen in her life. She had endured so much and she really is a sweet girl. ...more

4

Nov 10, 2014

**Check out the original review over at 21st Century Once Upon A Times**'Why am I seemingly the only person on earth who can see these numbers? Why did fate choose me for such a cruel gift?

It's a question I've asked myself a million times, and I'm still looking for the answer. I think there may not be one, because knowing when someone will die has never changed anything. I've never saved anybody or given them more time.

I'm just the messenger.'Small black gravestones against a pale white **Check out the original review over at 21st Century Once Upon A Times**'Why am I seemingly the only person on earth who can see these numbers? Why did fate choose me for such a cruel gift?

It's a question I've asked myself a million times, and I'm still looking for the answer. I think there may not be one, because knowing when someone will die has never changed anything. I've never saved anybody or given them more time.

I'm just the messenger.'Small black gravestones against a pale white landscape...

Etched onto people's foreheads are little black numbers only Maddie Fynn can see.

Far from being lucky in nature, these numbers are people's death-dates. Just by looking at someone - either in person, or through a photo - Maddie can tell how long they have left to live. Years, months, weeks...days.

But not everyone wants to know what the future holds.

Knowing when people are going to die is horrible enough. But having to tell them is even worse.

In order to make money to support her and her mother, Maddie takes on clients - selling her 'death readings' to the curious, the desperate, the hopeful. And it all goes relatively well...until the day her abilities get her into a whole world of trouble.

Because a client's son has gone missing.

And the date he was last seen? The exact date Maddie gave.

She knows the when...but not the how or why.

The law enforcement are on the case, and there's no room for supernatural abilities in their law books. As more and more young people keep disappearing and turning up murdered, all roads seem to lead to Maddie.

Each of the victims is connected to her in some way. But who's pulling the strings?

And what - or who - do they want?

A tangle of mystery and layered emotions, When is a book to look out for.

If you love a good mystery - with a touch of the paranormal, and a romance that doesn't overpower the plot - then When is definitely for you. Be sure to grab your copy of When when it's released on January 13th 2015...and join Maddie on her race against the clock!

**A big thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book** ...more

4

Apr 10, 2015

I'm pretty impressed with this book as a whole. Maddie is a girl with an ability to see death dates, but the paranormal aspect of the book ends there. Victoria Laurie made the perfect recipe with this book. She used a pinch of supernatural ability, threw it into a realistic world and then stirred in a mystery. Her book came out as a captivating page turner with an unexpected ending.

Let me talk about that for a second. I read in a couple reviews that the ending wasn't expected. So I spent the I'm pretty impressed with this book as a whole. Maddie is a girl with an ability to see death dates, but the paranormal aspect of the book ends there. Victoria Laurie made the perfect recipe with this book. She used a pinch of supernatural ability, threw it into a realistic world and then stirred in a mystery. Her book came out as a captivating page turner with an unexpected ending.

Let me talk about that for a second. I read in a couple reviews that the ending wasn't expected. So I spent the entire book trying to guess the murderer. I accused everyone in my head! But I humbly say that I could not solve the mystery until maybe 10 pages before it was revealed. I'm pretty disappointed in my skills as a super-sleuth, but very impressed with Victoria Laurie.

The only reason that this is getting four stars instead of five is because there were a few points in the story where it lagged a little. For most of the story I didn't want to put the book down, but there were times where I wanted it to move a little faster.

Some thoughts on the ending.
(view spoiler)[Also, I don't believe that Alcoholism can be magically cured and I feel like that was a little too "happily-ever-after" for me. It takes a lot of work, not just one little stint in a rehab. (hide spoiler)]

Oh and (view spoiler)[the last page when she told Aiden that his death date was the day after hers, that brought tears to my eyes! It was such a great ending! (hide spoiler)] ...more

4

Jan 08, 2015

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Wow, this was really good! I was expecting to not like this very much, because the beginning was a bit slow, and some things made no sense, and a certain character was an idiot, but I ended up really enjoying this.

I really liked Maddie, she was just really nice and I sympathized with her quite easily. The friendship between Maddie and Stubby was really cute, although Stubby kind of acted like an idiot sometimes. And Mrs. Duncan was so sweet! I hated the FBI guys at Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Wow, this was really good! I was expecting to not like this very much, because the beginning was a bit slow, and some things made no sense, and a certain character was an idiot, but I ended up really enjoying this.

I really liked Maddie, she was just really nice and I sympathized with her quite easily. The friendship between Maddie and Stubby was really cute, although Stubby kind of acted like an idiot sometimes. And Mrs. Duncan was so sweet! I hated the FBI guys at first, but they grew on me. The mystery was so interesting and it had me on my toes the whole time. The ending was super surprising, I totally did not expect it!

But, I did take away a half star, because some things did not make sense. Why would the FBI go after two teenagers, when they only had circumstantial evidence? And how Maddie got her ability to see deathdates is never explained. Plus, there were soooooo many red herrings. And I didn't like Maddie's mom.

But other than those minor things, I thought When was an interesting and enjoyable YA mystery. ...more

4

Sep 22, 2016

I loved this book because it was about a girl named Maddie Fynn a shy high school girl, who could see people's death dates! It's a little scary being her because not everyone believes her. So when a mother comes over to their house to see if her sick child will live, she hands Maddie a picture of her two sons. Maddie says " Your child that is sick will live but, your other child's death date is soon." The mother starts yelling at Maddie because she doesn't believe is her younger child is going I loved this book because it was about a girl named Maddie Fynn a shy high school girl, who could see people's death dates! It's a little scary being her because not everyone believes her. So when a mother comes over to their house to see if her sick child will live, she hands Maddie a picture of her two sons. Maddie says " Your child that is sick will live but, your other child's death date is soon." The mother starts yelling at Maddie because she doesn't believe is her younger child is going to die soon. Then the child who's death date was a day away the child went missing the mother blamed it on Maddie, because she thought Maddie did it. Who killed the mothers son and will they go after Maddie, who knows read to find out more. This book made me so sad I had to take a break for one whole day just to feel better. I wold recommend this to anyone who is willing to cry at hand or likes mystery books. If you like Where The Red Fern Grows you will like this book. ...more

4

Feb 22, 2016

So frustrating and yet so good!
I loved it from the very beginning to the end. It kept me so intrigued that I couldn’t stop reading. It’s one of those books that are really frustrating because everything seems to be against the main character, Maddie, who happens to see deathdates on people’s foreheads. You can imagine how many problems that can bring you.

When I was through the middle of the book I kind of hated every character except Maddie, but at the end I loved them all because that

So frustrating and yet so good!
I loved it from the very beginning to the end. It kept me so intrigued that I couldn’t stop reading. It’s one of those books that are really frustrating because everything seems to be against the main character, Maddie, who happens to see deathdates on people’s foreheads. You can imagine how many problems that can bring you.

When I was through the middle of the book I kind of hated every character except Maddie, but at the end I loved them all because that ending was awesome.

THOSE TWISTS! I didn’t see them coming and they really caught me off guard. Amazing! ...more

5

Sep 10, 2014

4.5 stars

This book was FAAABULOUS! It was super intense and un-put-downable. I read through the night! I love how I couldn't guess the ending at all.

I even liked how the book had no romance! There was a tiny bit of a crush but it only tied in at the beginning, middle, and end. It wasn't an actual romance. That allowed for the mystery/thrill to dominate the book, and that was epic!!