REVIEW: Shade Me (Nikki Kill #1) by Jennifer Brown

 

Title: Shade Me (Nikki Kill #1)

Author: Jennifer Brown

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books

Released: 2016

Source: Library

 

Synopsis: Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray.

Thanks to a phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.

Always an outsider, just one D shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies.

It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.

The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?

As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultrarich Hollis family and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, ne’er-do-well older brother, Dru.

While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: Not a fan of this one at all. I was drawn in by the pretty cover, it got me. So, the saying is true, don't judge a book by its cover. This book was just really disappointing and was a struggle to get through.

So I'll start with the pro: The Cover is beautiful. That's it, that's all I've got. Oh and her name is cool, Nikki Kill. That's it.

I didn't really like Nikki Kill first and foremost. She was supposed to be this cool, bad ass chick. Smoking cigarettes, kicking butt, being a loner, but I just found her so irritating. I didn't understand why she involved herself so heavily in this case. She was just kind of dumb.

As for the mystery, I didn't like that either. It felt kind of pointless to me overall. The clues were all convoluted and confusing. The twists and turns didn't feel shocking, just more out-of-left-field confusing. What was the point of it?

I also hated the romance. It was awful. She literally jumped into bed with the victim's brother, in the victim's bedroom, just days after meeting him. IN THE VICTIM'S BED! Who does that?? That is really stupid. So stupid.

I also had a problem with Nikki's investigation skills, mainly how she never turned in any of her evidence to the cops. She got in stupid situations from pure hardheadedness. I really didn't like her.

This was not fun for me. I didn't like it. The weird part is that I'll probably read the sequel because I've got this thing about finishing the series that I start. But this book was just disappointing for me. It let me down.

 

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 2.5/5

Yuck.