Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Untraceable

Wow! Just finished Shelli Johannes' Untraceable and had to write this post. Right now.


It's that good. As good as the cover - which I love! :)

Grace is a fabulous character. She's tough. She's smart. And she'll break your heart. She doesn't sit back and let life happen. She grabs it by the ears and tries to shake it into making sense.

All of the characters in the book are so real - even the secondary characters are flesh and blood. Shelli makes them really come to life.

Grace lives in the Smoky Mountains and she loves them. She and her dad spent many happy hours in them, but now he's gone missing and after several months, most people believe that he's gone. Grace wants to prove them wrong.

Grace is so real - touched by grief, pain, hope, love, loss, lust and terror. You'll love the rollercoaster ride of emotions she takes you on.

The action is awesome. At about the 70% mark, the world stopped mattering so much to me. Supper? Fend for yourselves. NaNo? Not tonight. Sleep? I don't think so!

So, do yourself a favour, go grab yourself a copy. And clear out a little time. You won't want to be disturbed!

Shelli will be back here in a couple of weeks for an interview - can't wait to learn more about her!

Here's where you can find the book...
Amazon
Smashwords
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble

In the story, Grace has to survive in the bush and hide from ... well, you'll have to read the book it to find out. :) How would you do on your own in the bush?

53 comments:

Kelly Polark said...

I loved the book too and couldn't stop reading!
So happy for Shelli's success!

Jemi Fraser said...

Kelly - me too! On both counts :)

Laura S. said...

Sounds like a good book, Jemi. Thanks for the recommendation! I love it when books make you forget the outside world for awhile. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Laura - it really is a great book! Losing myself in books is one of my favourite things! :)

Old Kitty said...

Thanks for the review - Grace sounds like she totally ROCKS! Yay! Good luck to Shelli - all the best with her book! Take care
x

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Great review, Jemi! Sounds like a wonderful book!

Jemi Fraser said...

Old Kitty - Grace is a fantastic character. So real! :)

Elizabeth - thanks! It really is a great story :)

DL Hammons said...

I agree whole-heartedly. I read the book in just a couple days. A very quick read that keeps you engrossed! Nice review, Jemi! :)

DEZMOND said...

I hope she's not too tough. I don't like the trend of overly tough teen characters in YA novels. Americans have always been obsessed with competition and rivalry, and making overly tough and aggressive heroes in YA books, seems as if you want to prepare all your kids for zombie apocalypse or something.

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks DL - it really was a read that captured me and kept me involved!

Dez - that made me laugh! Grace has a HUGE vulnerable side that she hides behind her shell for a lot of the novel - but that squishy part sneaks through too! :)

Lenny Lee said...

hi miss jemi! yikes! getting lost in the bush sounds way scary. im thinking that books too old for me but maybe its not. what do you think?
...hugs from lenny

Jemi Fraser said...

Lenny - I agree! I've camped a fair amount, but I'd still be pretty useless if I was lost.

I think you probably want to wait a couple of years for this one - but I know you'll really enjoy it then! :)

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

just stopped in to say hi :) and thanks for all the support.

Dez - grace is tough but she is real. this is contemporary so no prep for apocalypse. Grace may not be afraid of bears but she would run if it was a zombie and scream like a girl :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Shelli - you're very welcome! I'm thrilled to be able to help someone who not only is really nice person, but who writes great books too! :)

Unknown said...

I've heard so many AMAZING things about this novel!!! I'm so behind on reading these days but trying to catch up!!! This one is on my list!

Jemi Fraser said...

Jen - I know how you feel - the TBR pile is ginormous!!! Push Untraceable to the top of that list though - it's well worth it :)

Lisa Gail Green said...

Can't wait to see the interview! It sounds fabulous. I've been seeing the cover everywhere and I'm definitely intrigued.

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa - the cover is gorgeous! And the book is too :)

Shelley Sly said...

Wow, this sounds like my kind of book! I love the ones that make you feel like you're living inside the book's world. I'll put it on my list. :)

Margo Berendsen said...

This why I don't DARE pick up any books during NaNo!!!

Jemi Fraser said...

Shelley - it's a terrific book - I know you'll enjoy it! :)

Margo - I know! This one sucked me in completely - no writing happened until I finished!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Thanks for the review. Untraceable is going on my TBB list. :)

Anonymous said...

That's quite a review. I've read books like that. Stopped feeding the pets. Let supper burn on the stove. Mail box is jammed full because I haven;t checked it all week.

Jemi Fraser said...

Sharon - you'll enjoy it! And Shelli's got a sale going on right now too :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Stephen - exactly! I stayed up way too late finishing this one! :)

laughingwolf said...

goes on my tbr list, thx jemi :)

as a kid, spent hours in the woods/bush, so no prob with me surviving... even a canuck winter ;)

...would take my dog, though!

Anonymous said...

I've been reading good things about this book. I plan on reading it.

Have a great weekend.

Jemi Fraser said...

Laughing Wolf - the dog would definitely help. I'm afraid I wouldn't be great in the winter - but at least I've read Paulsen & Mowat so I'd have some ideas :)

Medeia - I think you'll really enjoy it - I did! Hope your weekend is great too :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Are there any Dark Chocolate trees in the bush? What about any soft mattresses? Hmm, I may not do so well in the wilderness ;)

Jemi Fraser said...

Lynda - I wish! That would definitely help me survive as well! :)

Tanya Reimer said...

Wow that is quite the review! Got me fired up!!! Not that it takes much, but ya know.

erica m. chapman said...

Great review!! I bought a copy on my kindle the day it came out! I haven't started it yet. I've been revising and knew if I started it, I wouldn't be able to put it down!! It's next on my list ;o)

Awesome post!!

Talli Roland said...

Shelli's book sounds fantastic! Congrats to her. I used to have fantasies about living in the woods on my own. I still dream of such solitude!

Anonymous said...

Great review... you've made me add it to my TBR pile
x

Theresa Milstein said...

I've been thinking about this one. After reading your post, I'm adding it to my list NOW!

Jemi Fraser said...

Tanya - thanks! And I do know - there are so many great books out there - I'd love to have time to read them all! :)

Erica - thanks! Good plan. It made NaNo a little tight this year, but it was totally worth it!

Talli - I'm thrilled for Shelli! And the solitude of the woods is wonderful - so peaceful!

Michelle - thanks! You won't regret it - it's a terrific story.

Theresa - yay! It's a great story. I really enjoyed Grace - she makes you root for her in no time! :)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

What genre is the book?

Jemi Fraser said...

Diane - Untraceable falls into the realistic adventure genre - YA category. It's a great read :)

Nas said...

Seems like a good read, Jemi! Thanks for the recommendation!

Jemi Fraser said...

Nas - you're very welcome! It really is a great read :)

Julie Musil said...

Ooooh! This sounds like something I'd love. I'm going to check it out right now. Thanks, Jemi!

Jemi Fraser said...

Julie - you're very welcome! It's a fantastic book - I really enjoyed it :)

Helen Ginger said...

Great recommendation. I'm going to look for it. Thanks.

Romance Reader said...

Hi Jemi,

Now I want to know why she's living in the jungle and who she's hiding from?

You hooked me in!

Golden Eagle said...

I've been seeing this book all over the blogosphere--it sounds like a great story!

Probably wouldn't do so well in the bush. :P

Jemi Fraser said...

Helen - great! Hope you enjoy :)

Romance - yay! It's a really great story - I loved Grace's character!

Golden Eagle - I know what you mean - I might know the basics of survival, but implementing them would be tricky!

Leslie S. Rose said...

Sounds like an awesome book to curl up in front of the fire with during winter break. Visiting the Smokey Mountains is one of my vacay goals.

Jemi Fraser said...

Leslie - you're right! I know you'll enjoy it! :)

catherinemjohnson.com said...

That sounds abosolutely gripping, what a shame I ordered some books online already this morning. Looks like I'll have to make a second list :)

Unknown said...

Ooh, I agree about the cover. I can't wait to read this one!

Jemi Fraser said...

Catherine - it's really great! And I hear you about making the list. There are soooooo many great books out there I'd like to pick up all at once :)

Nisa - it's so pretty, isn't it! And you'll enjoy the read! :)

Margo Berendsen said...

The Pink Panther! Oh my goodness, you just gave me the biggest craving to watch this forgotten hero of mine.

TerryLynnJohnson said...

wow! sounds awesome! thanks for another great review. You are so supportive of other writers!!!