Barry Lyga

Blood of My Blood picks up right where Game left off, which means it starts on a nerve-wracking note and just ramps up the tension from there. Howie is bleeding out on the floor of Jazz's home, after potentially accidentally killing Jazz's grandmother. Connie is in Billy's clutches. And Jazz is in a storage unit with a bunch of dead bodies, doomed to die of blood loss, dehydration, or infection if no one finds him.

I read most of this book over the course of two days, because I needed to find show more out what would happen to the characters and whether they'd be okay. In the previous books, the odds always seemed pretty good that Jazz, Connie, and Howie would survive. But this was the final book in the trilogy. Would Lyga let them live? Was a "good" ending even possible for Jazz? I hoped so, but I definitely didn't know for sure. In fact, I worried about these characters so much that I broke down at one point and read the last page of the book. I don't recommend that, by the way - it spoils a pretty major revelation.

Thinking about it now, the whole "Crow King" aspect was difficult to believe. These were largely not the sort of people who'd let one individual have any sort of power over them or knowledge about them. It was even more difficult to believe that they'd accept that particular Crow King.

However, this book and its characters had such a tight hold on me that it didn't matter whether that stuff was believable or not. I just needed to see how things were going to turn out, even if it was awful and bloody.

Weirdly, I thought this book was actually far less gory than the previous one. Less gory, but still absolutely horrific. I felt so bad for Jazz - major content warnings for child abuse.

The "5 years later" epilogue almost felt like a fairy tale after everything that came before it, or maybe a dream one of the characters was having. That said, I'm glad Lyga included it. It gave some closure and reassurance, of a sort. I'll miss these characters.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Fourteen-year-old Sebastian has never forgotten that, when he was four years old, he accidentally shot and killed his four-month-old baby sister. Everyone knows he’s a murderer, and have judged him for it. His best friend’s parents look at him funny, people whisper behind his back, and his father walked out because of what he did. He and his mother can’t seem to talk about it, and part of him is glad they don’t.

Despite what his therapist has said, Sebastian knows it was entirely his show more fault, but has plans to make it right. When he’s gone his mother can be normal again, and everyone will be happy. He’s been planning this for awhile so, with his best friend away for the summer, the time is ripe – until he meets Aneesa.

Aneesa is a distraction, helping him become a YouTube cook, and allowing him to think of something other than his guilt. However, despite everything, Sebastian knows it’s only a matter of time before he answers the voice that’s always there to remind him he doesn’t deserve to be happy. He knows the voice speaks the truth.

Sebastian’s struggles, along with those of Aneesa, are heart rending and real. Both experience things no one should have to struggle through but which, unfortunately, occur and need to be discussed. This is Lyga at his most brilliant.

At the recent American Library Association (ALA) conference, I refused to pick up any ARC’s (Advance Reading Copies) because I had too many to plow through from past conferences. However the cover and summary caught my eye, and “Bang” became my only ARC from that conference. I’m so glad I picked it up because I could not put this book down. Neither will you.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

Book review link: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/bang-larry-lyga/ show less

I don't know what in the world made me pick this one up at age 12 or 13 but it was NOT good for me! I guess it's kind of pointless reviewing this book now after years have passed but let's just say that this book is not okay at all. Unless you love graphic content and extremely morbid things. Then sure, you'll probably like this book...

I guess kudos to the author for making such a huge impression on me that I still remember nasty scenes from here because he described it so 'well'? I don't show more know if I was stupid or brave (probably stupid), I think I just wanted to read this book to show that I was up for it and could handle a scary book, and this book being scary isn't even my problem with it. My problem is how dirty is was, how utterly, inexcusably FILTHY it was. Sure, I bet some people in real life are indeed very messed up like Jasper's father was, but do we REALLY have to know exactly how messed up the most messed up people in the world can be? The only good thing this book taught me was to not to be naive and watch out for bad people, but I think it was at the expense of a lot of other things and not worth it at all in the end. You can figure out war sucks without someone pounding all the blood and guts of it into your head over and over again. And you can certainly figure out there are bad people in the world without disgusting descriptions of mutilated bodies. Yes, I know I was really young when I read this one (what the heck was I thinking then, anyway?!?!) but what I also know is that my opinion of it would definitely not be any better if I read it again now. In fact, it would be much worse. I probably would've rated it a 2 or even a 3 back then but me being older has only made me hate this book more. Like actually HATE it. Yeah, yeah, it was a good mystery and good at creeping readers out, but again, AT WHAT EXPENSE? Barry Lyga is sure good at making people remember his name, but not certainly not in a good way.

If you want a good mystery or a pounding heart or something with a serial killer in it, I'm not stopping you from reading a book with any of that. I'm just saying there are PLENTY of other books out there that can give you those things too without ruining your entire conscience.

Also, Jasper was a brat show less

What if the world's worst serial killer was your father?

That's the question asked by Barry Lyga's new book I Hunt Serial Killers - the question Jasper Dent has to deal with every day of his life. Billy Dent, his father, has been in jail for the past four years, but that doesn't stop the people of Lobo's Nod, the town where they lived (and Jasper still lives) from looking at Jasper "Jazz," strangely.

He might be charming and attractive and he was popular before his father's arrest but now show more people wonder how long it'll be before he becomes just like his infamous father.

And now bodies are stacking up in Lobo's Nod again. To keep his name clean - and maybe his conscious, too - Jazz is helping the police find the killer. Only, he may be even more like his father than anyone suspects.


I Hunt Killers has a main character in 17-year-old Jazz that will set you on edge. Certain events/recollections are definitely of the skin crawling variety, as well. Without either of those things, though, the novel would not have been nearly as good. The squicky - and frankly, rather gross and disturbing - bits needed to be there.

As much as I Hunt Killers is about finding a killer, it's also about Jazz trying to figure out who he is. Yes, he's the son of a serial killer who killed more than one hundred people and who raised him with knowledge of and talk about those kills . . . but what does that mean for him as he grows older? Is he, like everyone (or who he sees as everyone) seems to think, doomed to follow in his father's footsteps? Or can he turn away from the negativity and be a good person?

Jazz's inner struggle, the mystery, and the crime were all done incredibly well. One element wasn't lacking because of another's presence, they were all strong. The characters were also great. Through Jazz's grandmother we get to see a lot of how family dynamics and upbringing affected both Billy and Jazz - with it being shown and not told, something that makes the effect much stronger. The characters who are closest to Jazz are a lot of fun for their parts in the story. They're unique and original and I loved seeing the parts they played not only in his life but also in the unveiling of the story line as it progressed.

I Hunt Killers also seemed to handle the technical aspects of both the investigation of the murders, the handling of the evidence, etc very well (or if it was wrong it was written in a way that seemed very right).

Rating: 9/10 show less