Product Description
This daughter of a rock star has it all---until murder crashes her world. The exciting and suspenseful Rayne Tour series features sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor, on tour with her mother's popular band. Shaley lives in a whirlwind of backstage secrets, hotels, and limos. With beauty and fame of her own, Shaley wants for nothing ... except the one thing she can't have. During a concert, sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage. ... More >>
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Shaley O’Connor has the kind of life most girls would do anything for: A rock star mom, limitless wealth, and the celebrity status to boot. What teenager wouldn’t want to tour with one of the world’s most famous bands? Unfortunately, the fame soon loses its power and appeal when one of Shaley’s closest friends is murdered back stage at the latest concert. As new evidence comes to light she soon realizes her own life is in danger. Not knowing who to trust, Shaley turns to the God who has always seemed so far to help her in her greatest time of need.
Mother and daughter team Brandilyn and Amberly Collins have stormed onto the YA scene in exhilarating style with this great new series. Always Watching is a fast paced whodunit set against the intriguing backdrop of rock star celebrity. From the opening lines, we are immersed into Shaley’s exciting life as a celebrity’s daughter. It doesn’t take long for us to see that fame is not all its cut out to be. Indeed Shaley’s struggle to balance her public status with her true identity is one of the most interesting aspects of this story.
When you read Brandilyn Collins you expect mystery and thrills, and once again she doesn’t disappoint. Her adult fans will find much to rave about here, while new teen readers will love the youthful voice and perspective that Amberly Collins brings to the table. Underlying the tension and dread is a strong spiritual message about trusting in the God who is always watching over us. In the end we are left with the closure we long for and a promise of even more mystery to come. The Rayne Tour is in full swing and you can guarantee that I won’t miss a show.
Rating: 5 / 5
Could a novel targeted at middle school girls possibly be more cliched than this one? The characters in this book are not good role models for teenage girls. The multiple older men who are obsessed with the main character was a disturbing element that made me wonder what the authors could possibly have been thinking, especially given that one of them was depicted in a positive light.
This novel is a short, easy read. The mystery itself is actually quite good, with a red herring that can easily mislead, but with the actual killer well set up. But the mystery is the only thing about the book that’s any good.
Where to start? The main character, Shaley O’Connor and her best friend Brittany are both ‘popular and attractive’ — thin, beautiful, fashion and makeup conscious, with no subtlety or depth to their characters. Shaley is annoyingly immature; what depth she has involves whining and throwing temper tantrums about her missing father, and her famous mother who doesn’t pay enough attention to her. She insists that she would give up all the money and perks for time with her mother, but in the very next scene is off spending atrocious amounts of money shopping for clothes.
Brittany, her best friend, is little more than an accessory. She has no personality, aside from the bizarre quirk of ‘sometimes being able to see the future’ (a very crude plot device that is used once, unnecessarily, at the beginning and is never useful again). She disappears when it’s inconvenient to have her around, so that she’s left behind several times when Shaley goes to do important stuff elsewhere. And when the time comes for Shaley to finally really break down and need comfort, even with Brittany right there, she calls in a third party to console her.
The authors also resort to the tired and over-used device of short cut-aways to the twisted mind of the killer in a sad attempt to up the suspense. These were so poorly done — and utterly disturbing, given how pedophilic they became — that I eventually just started skipping them.
There were so many elements that had potential, especially Shaley’s relationship with her mother, but what could have been thoughtful and touching was handled clumsily and without any particular depth or insight. Top everything off with a few references to Jesus Christ clumsily jammed in, and the product wasn’t worth the time I took reading it.
Rating: 2 / 5
Teen Christian fiction occasionally tends to be either the uber-preachy or the type of book where the religious content feels tacked on. Unfortunately, this book is the latter- the religious bits just felt tacked on. Now since this book has a nice lengthy plot summary & several reviews who also list the plot, I’ll refrain from listing it again here so I can explain my review.
First off, I did like this book. The plot was decent & I’m curious enough to read the next book. The only problem? The book was ultimately a shallow read. None of the characters were really fleshed out- especially the people we are supposed to sympathize with. The authors did a decent job of writing Shaley as an average teenager, but other than that she lacks definition. The voice of religion in the book, the character of Carly stands out like a sore thumb because she wasn’t developed enough to really feel like a natural addition to the plot. She shows up, talks about religion & then disappears as soon as she’s done. What’s sad about this is that the character & the religious talk would have actually fit in with the particular scenes & situations in the book… if only there had been more development.
Now I know that I would have liked this as a teen & I do believe that most teens out there would really enjoy this book. It’s not the greatest teen CF book I’ve ever read (Dekker & Peretti are my favorites) but it’s not as over the top as some of the other series I’ve read. (The TrueColors series just seems to browbeat the reader with religious themes.) I just think that many teens will also be irked at the lack of development. As one other reviewer said, this book is pretty much a bare bones skeleton of a plot.
In the end, I would suggest that any potential buyers check this book out at the library first or borrow it from a friend. It’s worth reading at least once, but it may not be something people might re-visit over & over again. I do have to say though… if the authors work out the kinks, this should end up being a great series in the future.
Rating: 3 / 5
As her mother’s concert wraps up, Shaley O’Connor gathers her things backstage to head off to the airport to pick up her best friend. Shaley is so excited that Brittany’s mother granted her permission to come on the tour for a few days. As fun as the band and crew are to hang out with, Shaley misses her home and friends. Brittany’s visit will be just the thing she needs.
But before Shaely makes it to the limo, she stumbles upon the dead body of her friend Tom. Everything falls apart. Shaley struggles to understand secrets she never knew about Tom while the paparazzi watches her every move, hoping to snap a picture of the mourning teen. Brittany’s mom threatens to send her home, and Shaley gets a few mysterious, anonymous gifts.
If the killer is a member of the band or crew, he’s still out there, and, as the messages in Shaley’s gifts say, he’s always watching.
Brandilyn Collins is a master of the murder mystery. She crafts a story that makes it nearly impossible to guess who the murderer might be. How exciting to have her storytelling in the young adult genre. Brandilyn and her daughter cowrite this series and create a smart and realistic character in Shaley. I’m looking forward to Rayne Tour, book 2 to discover more about Shaley and her past. Recommended.
Rating: 4 / 5
Another Brandilyn Collins novel that does not disappoint. ALWAYS WATCHING is the first in The Rayne Tour series. Teaming up with her daughter, Amberly, Collins has penned an exciting, fast-paced mystery with a youthful audience in mind.
Shaley O’Connor is living the life most young girls would die for. Sixteen, and on tour with her rock star mom, Shaley makes the most of living on the road. In spite of the wealth she and her mother enjoy, Shaley feels her relationship with her mother is growing distant. Bonding with the crew and band, Shaley develops a close relationship with her mother’s hairstylist. When Shaley finds him murdered, she is shocked. When it is discovered that his death might’ve been caused by a stalker focused on her, the life she knows is completely turned upside down.
ALWAYS WATCHING is the first in what I am sure will be a wonderful new series. With the drama and suspense you’ve come to appreciate from Brandilyn Collins, coupled with the fresh voice of Amberly Collins, ALWAYS WATCHING will entertain both young and old alike.
Rating: 4 / 5