Meg Cabot

Sanctuary (1-800-Where-R-You)

Jenny Carroll

Jessica Mastriani knew she wasn't going to be able to hide her psychic powers from the US government forever - but she never thought that she'd actually have something in common with one of their agents! Especially as that agent is Dr Cyrus Krantz , who had previously been brought in to 'convince' Jess to join his elite team of 'specially gifted' crime-solvers, when all they were after was using her special skills for their own ends. But when a local boy's disappearance and untimely death is attributed to a backwoods militia group, Jess' goal - to find another missing local child - and Dr Krantz's - to stop a group of madmen before they kill again - turn out to be one and the same....

Sanctuary

Ebony Cropper

TRIGGER WARNING: TEENAGE DEATH, RACISM, ANTI-SEMITISM, WHITE SUPREMACY 

Well I finished this book in about 9 hours. There is something about this series and I just do not want to but the book down. 

This latest set of incidents began with the death of a local teenager who had just moved onto Jess's street with his family. Unfortunately this was only the beginning. 

Thanksgiving changed the lives of so many people in this book. Jess and Rob (much to Robs dismay) after a series of events including a death, a kidnapping and the burning down of a Synagogue; Quickly realising this was not gang related decided to infiltrate the True Americans White Supremacy Camp to save a missing 13 year old. 

Again throughout this book Jess tries to navigate her relationship with Rob, her brothers romances, trying to hide from the FBI as well as crude Great Aunt Rose. 

Rallying together a group of individuals with more explosions, gunfire and a lot of admissions to hospital, Jess, Rob, an unlikely group of new friends as well as FBI Agent Dr Krantz all find themselves in a dangerous and compromising position. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the fast pace of this book I felt the adrenaline they must have felt battling through these events. My heart swells and Kess and Rob become closer but I feel like shouting into the book when dealing with the families. 

Again Cabot took this book up another level leaving us with a job offer to join an elite ESP FBI Unit and the most daunting of all... Jess introducing Rob to her mum as her boyfriend. How the next book will go I am truly eager to know. 

Overall I thoroughly felt engaged in each part of this book, Cabot tackling stereotypes and handling such important subjects and events with incredible ease and sensitivity.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

** spoiler alert **
           I was going to review books 2-5 individually. I promise I was.

But, I could not get through them. I started skimming. Skimming real bad.

Why?

Well, I didn’t just quit because the premise was interesting – struck by lightning and now she can find missing people. Plus, I have read almost everything else by Meg Cabot.

But, I just hate Jess, the main character. She is just TOO sassy. Sincerely. And how the FBI is obsessed by her. And it is very much something written for young adults, but with way too much sexualization.

But, the redeeming factor in this novel? Rob, the love interest. He is a real person. He is believable. He is loveable.

Okay, so, the first book was reviewed here.

The second book, Code Name Cassandra, was interesting and better than the first because Jess became a more realistic character as a camp counselor where a father who lost his daughter finds her. We get Rob again, and this short book is well paced and actually interesting. I enjoyed this book.

The third book, Safe House, is where is started to go down hill. People, well, one person, was killed. No, please, don’t go this route (15 years after it was released). This just goes off the deep end for a story. Again, Rob saves it. Honestly, I wish this story was actually told from his perspective.

The fourth book, Sanctuary, is again a murder mystery. This time with a deranged group killing teens. Just, why? Why?

And the final book, 1-800-WHERE-ARE-YOU, goes back to what I really didn’t like in the later Princess Diaries books, even when I was into them. We pick up 3 years later, Jess is now 19, and guess what, she had been working for the FBI in the war, now has PTSS, lost her powers, oh and broke up with Rob. I LITERALLY SKIPPED TO THE END THEN WORKED BACKWARDS TO JUST READ SCENES WITH ROB. That was it. And when I did that, I realized that I would like this novel if it wasn’t connected to the rest. Because it was ALL Rob and Jess. And Jess finally grew up.

So, yeah, maybe only read the last one. The first to explain the last. And just, ignore everything in between.

One of the biggest issues I have is that the 4th book ends with Jess telling her parents that she and Rob are dating, and then WE NEVER SEE THEM TOGETHER AFTER THAT. The next book picks up, and Jess broke them off. And inconsistencies throughout the series from one book to another. Little things that you only pick up by reading them one after the other.

Sanctuary (1-800-Where-R-You)

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