Review: Mirror World

 Mirror World by John Calicchia
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: August 27th, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon 

Book Description:

What would you do if you saw the future apocalypse of the world in a mirror? Would you try to save the world and those you love, or die trying?

Welcome to my life, this is the vision of the future I've been cursed to see.    – Cailyssa Larkin

When Cailyssa Larkin looks in a mirror she has an ominous feeling that someone is watching her. Stranger still, she has visions that foretell the future. While visiting her Uncle Spencer, Cailyssa gazes into a mirror and sees a dark future that only she can change. With the future of her own world hanging in the balance, Cailyssa bravely enters the portal to the Mirror World. Here, the Dark Lord controls all the mirrors and bends reflections so all creatures see evil within themselves. With her sister Terry, her mysterious best friend Daemon, and a host of weird and wonderful creatures, Cailyssa embarks on an epic quest to overcome the evil forces trying to destroy her world. She can only defeat the Dark Lord by finding her true self and discovering the family secret that has led her to Mirror World.

This book, written by a psychology professor, integrates famous psychological studies in the story. Readers will enjoy learning important life lessons through the psychological concepts illustrated in the book.
♥ ♥ ♥

Mirror World by John Calicchia is the story of a girl who is thrust into a magical world she never knew existed and is in charge of saving it from an evil Dark Lord who has come into power. His plan is not only to take over the Mirror World that Cailyssa just learned about, but he wants to branch out into our world as well.

This book had a lot of promise to it, but there were a few things that were holding it back. I wanted to really like this book- other worlds, angels, dragons, magic, a fight to save the world – but it still ended up falling a bit flat for me.

Review: The Last of the Firedrakes (Avalonia Chronicles #1)

The Last of the Firedrakes (Avaolia Chronicles #1) by Farah Oomerbhoy
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: August 15, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥

Book Description:

16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad.

Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.

With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.

♥ ♥ ♥

"The Last of the Firedrakes" by Farah Oomerbhoy was the start of a great premise for a story. It's a high fantasy young adult journey with easy to understand language, making it nice to read.

Although I did enjoy the start to Oomerbhoy's "Avalonia Chronicles" series, it took me awhile to read. There is over 400 pages, and it's written mostly in exposition where the protagonist is telling the reader what is going on in her head as well as around her. The story centers around 16-year-old Aurora, and is mostly told through her. I wish there was more dialogue and character interaction to help the story move along.

Review: Serial Vengeance

Serial Vengeance by Melissa Wren
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
Release Date: June 6, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Olivia Penn already lost her baby and her best friend. She's not about to lose the biggest story of her career. With the help of her police contact, she's on the case of what appears to be a random string of high-profile suicides sparked by guilty consciences.

But there's something strange about the suicide notes: They all say, "I deserve to die." Olivia is determined to break the story that the deaths are the work of a serial killer. She gets her big break when the killer commits a sensational double murder. "The Punisher" is on the hunt, and adulterers among the elite of Washington, D.C. are his prey. The further Olivia pursues her story, the further her life unravels.

And the more she uncovers, the more she begins to think that solving this case will also lead to discovering the truth behind her best friend's mysterious disappearance two years earlier. Willing to do anything to unveil the identity of the psychopath who is behind the successive murders, she finds herself embroiled in a psychological game, and it's become chillingly personal.

A stalker has been breaking into her home and sending threatening messages. Someone is trying to scare her away from her attempts to bait The Punisher with her news stories-someone close to her. It's a dangerous game she's playing, and it all leads up to a magnificent twist ending. Will Olivia's search for truth turn up anything? Or will her tenacious investigation cause her to lose her job, or her marriage-or her life?

♥ ♥ ♥

I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t happen.

I didn’t seem to care about the characters. Olivia often came across as a selfish and pouty child, especially when she was around her husband, Cameron. Nor, did I care for the interaction and conflict between Olivia and Cameron. Their relationship felt flat.

Review: Murder on Vacation (Mollyn Tinker Mystery)

Murder on Vacation (Mollyn Tinker Mystery) by Misty Reddington
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: July 15, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Molly Tinker and husband, Police Chief Eric Wade, go to a Florida paradise to visit an old college friend.

They soon encounter evil in paradise when Molly's friend goes missing. Molly and Eric spend their vacation tracking down a killer, or maybe two killers.

This is a light and entertaining mystery with the endearing Molly Tinker back as super sleuth.






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Murder on Vacation is a light read that I finished in one sitting. The characters are likable enough and the story is enjoyable if you are willing to not let its flaws distract you.

I felt that the story was rushed and needed to slow down just a bit and let the readers savor the heat of the Florida sun and the salty ocean waves, which could have been described in more detail, and let them get to know the characters better.

Review: Anna (The Starseed Series #1)

Anna (The Starseed Series #1) by Meghan Riley Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: August 29, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Barnes and Noble

Book Description:

To the outside world, Anna appears to be an ordinary high school senior...

Anna has a lot of questions. Should she pursue her desire to leave home for college and live out her dream of becoming a physicist? Or should she stay home and help care for her family, which has struggled ever since her father died in Afghanistan? Is her crush, Steve, really interested in her, or is he only using the highly intelligent Anna to try and boost his grades in school?

These questions, plus the ordinary trials and tribulations of high school, distract Anna from noticing some very... strange things that are beginning to happen to her.

For as long as Anna can remember, she has had a haphazard smattering of freckles on her arm. But these freckles are starting to change, and cause a series of unnerving hallucinations and odd side effects that only Anna seems to notice. When a strange shadow man starts to haunt her nights, she decides to go on a hunt for the truth to discover, once and for all, what is happening to her. The hallucinations continue growing stronger, however, and each new visit by the shadow man appears to become more and more threatening. Eventually, Anna realizes that she can no longer hide from her friends and family what is happening to her.

But as she shares her secret with those closest to her, Anna never imagines that her very life, and the lives of those she loves, will be put in jeopardy.

Who, or what, is Anna?

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"Anna" by Meghan Riley is the first book of her series "The Starseed Series". The story revolves around high school student Anna, who is just starting to realize that her life might not be as ordinary and boring as she's always thought.

The book's description has a lot to do with Anna's strange freckles and the changes that are happening to them and her as a result. On her arm, there are freckles that are in the shape of the constellation, Pleiades, and they're slowly starting to change. However, this is not the only weird thing that is happening, since Anna starts to be visited by a creepy Shadow Man, and she also starts hallucinating.

While the description was mainly based in the paranormal happenings of the book, that story doesn't really kick off until well into the book. The majority of the beginning of "Anna", actually just revolves around her daily high school life and the boy trouble you would expect any young adult book to have. She's always had a huge crush on the cute quarterback, Steve, who is finally starting to notice her, but now there's also a new boy named Jared that she meets in her astronomy club. This love triangle and the question of whether Steve likes her for her, or just because she's offering him help in school is what the beginning of the story is about.

Review: Blood and Snow

Blood and Snow by RaShelle Workman
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Lips red as rubies, hair dark as night. Drink your true love's blood, become the Vampire, Snow White."

EVERY THOUSAND YEARS THE VAMPIRE QUEEN SELECTS A NEW BODY, ALWAYS THE FAIREST IN THE LAND, AND THIS TIME SHE'S CHOSEN SNOW WHITE. 

Snow White lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her dad, stepmother, and her cat, Gatsby. Her entire life she's been teased for her fairy tale name, and the fact that her seven best friends happen to be guys whose names begin with the same letters as the seven dwarves. 

Everything changes two months before her sixteenth birthday. She's bitten by The Hunter, and transformed into a revenant—not quite human, not quite vampire.

♥ ♥ ♥

"Blood and Snow" by RaShelle Workman can be described as a "fractured fairy tale". A lot of the characters the story deals with have names that we might all be familiar with such as Snow White, Charming, and Ariel, but the characters aren't the Disney-fied versions that we've come to know and love. Instead, this is a story that deals with the modern day, and our main character is Snow White and she's turning into a vampire. That's right, pure-as-the-driven-snow Snow White is becoming one of those evil monster things that we're taught to fear.

Snow's dilemma is because the Vampire Queen of a magical realm has chosen her to be the next body she takes over (that's how she stays young and powerful forever), and Snow and her friends must find a way to defeat the Queen and learn to deal with the new changes happening to Snow.

It took me awhile to get into the story. It began with mostly describing who Snow White is, what her life is like, her relationship with her seven best friends (who all happen to be the boys who live next door to her), and there's not much that hooks the reader in right away. However, once the action got started, I was able to find myself more invested in Snow's story, and wanted to keep reading.

Review: The Luthier's Apprentice

The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: May 10, 2014
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), one of the greatest violinists who ever lived and rumored to have made a pact with the devil, has somehow transferred unique powers to another.

When violinists around the world mysteriously vanish, 16-year-old Emma Braun takes notice. But when her beloved violin teacher disappears… Emma takes charge. With Sherlock Holmes fanatic, not to mention gorgeous Corey Fletcher, Emma discovers a parallel world ruled by an ex-violinist turned evil sorceress who wants to rule the music world on her own terms.

But why are only men violinists captured and not women? What is the connection between Emma's family, the sorceress, and the infamous Niccolò Paganini Emma must unravel the mystery in order to save her teacher from the fatal destiny that awaits him. And undo the curse that torments her family—before evil wins and she becomes the next luthier's apprentice


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"The Luthier's Apprentice" by Mayra Calvani was a fast and easy read for me. At less than 200 pages, it's a book that can be read in just a day or two, and the story was interesting enough to keep me interested all the way through.

For those of you who don't know (because I surely didn't before I read this book), a Luthier is someone who makes violins. The main character in this book is Emma, and she's a teenaged violinist who gets caught up in a mystery when her music teacher vanishes along with other violinists around the world. She's set to solve the puzzle along with her best friend and a new friend named Corey, who is also one of her teacher's students.

If you didn't know anything about violins before reading this book, you will know at least a bit by the time you've finished. Emma isn't only a violinist, but her grandfather is a Luthier and she is studying under him in order to learn to make violins herself. There's a lot of musical and technical jargon thrown in throughout the story, and it works to give the story a bit of extra depth. These are people who live and breathe violins and the music that the instrument creates, and Calvani did a great job of incorporating that into her story to give it a more authentic feel.

Review: Prom Impossible

Prom Impossible by Laura Pauling
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: May 2014

Book Description:

Cassidy decides her senior year, including prom, will be about Michael Greenwood, the boy destined to be her soul mate. 

One problem. 

He hasn’t figured that out yet. At the end of the year, she’s dateless the day before the big night but risks a lot more than her pride if she can’t find a way to fix her mistakes. 


PROM IMPOSSIBLE is a modern-day Shakespearean romantic comedy in the world of teens, true love, and life




♥ ♥ ♥
"Prom Impossible" by Laura Pauling is a romantic comedy about a high school senior, Cassidy, and her dream of having a perfect senior year that's complete with the perfect prom night with her soul mate.
Cassidy wasn't the normal leading lady we're used to in young adult fiction. She was extremely awkward and prone to ramble to fill silences or have panic attacks.

She is also a dreamer and paints fantastical scenarios in her head of how she wanted her life to go, and was willing to hatch any scheme to make those dreams a reality. Cassidy has a huge crush on the "hot geek", Michael, and even though he's never expressed feelings for her, she's decided that they are "soul mates" and it's her mission to make him realize that in time to be her date to their senior prom.

Even though she was awkward, I still wanted good things for Cassidy. She's the type of character that had nothing but bad things happen to her and all her plans go wrong, and you just want to root for her so something in her life can finally go right. This book covers a long span, going from the summer before Cassidy's senior year and all the way to her prom, and the entire year seems like one big failure for her.

Review: Chaysing Dreams (Chaysing #1)

Chaysing Dreams (Chaysing #1) by Jalpa Williby
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: August 9, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Barnes and Noble

Book Description:

Life…secrecy, deceit, danger…No, no! Run, escape! 

“Run!” Her inner voice is shouting. She has to run faster! She’s about to get caught! No, no! She has to get away. Please, she must escape! “Run faster!”

As long as Tess Sanoby can remember, she has always had the same nightmares, where the girl in her dreams is running for her life with an unknown force chasing her. Each time, right before the girl is caught, Tess awakens, shaken with fear and confusion. Who is the girl? What do these dreams mean?

Getting through the growing pains of high school with her best friends Jack and Kylie, and then being accepted into her dream college, Tess is excited to start her life of independence. There, she meets the mysterious trainer and mentor, Chris, and she instantly feels a strong connection with him. Unfortunately, Chris wants nothing to do with her. Although Chris continues to give her the cold shoulder, his overprotectiveness and the occasional slips of sensitivity confuse Tess. Not understanding Chris or their relationship, she is on a constant emotional roller coaster with him. Could her best friends be the stable force that she desperately needs? 

Unfortunately for Tess, the more she tries to connect the missing pieces of her life, the more obscure her past and future appear to her. To make matters worse, she realizes she has fallen hard for a man who may be her worst enemy. As passion ignites between the two, she can’t help but surrender her heart and soul to him. 

Tess is unexpectedly exposed to a world of secrecy, deceit, and danger, causing her to be running for her life, chased by the unknown. Can Tess escape and save not only herself, but also her loved ones? Or, will she be caught, leaving her no choice but to face her worst nightmare?

Chaysing Dreams is the ultimate love story, full of suspense, friendship, betrayal, tragedy, and sacrifice. In this epic tale, you will laugh and cry with Tess--a story full of twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the end.


♥ ♥ ♥

"Chaysing Dreams" by Jalpa Williby was a story with a good premise that I really wish I liked more. The writing and idea had a lot of potential, but it took a long time for the story to get moving.

The book is almost 400 pages, but Williby could have told the same story with a lot less. "Chaysing Dreams" could have been a lot shorter since most of it seemed to be filler for me instead of plot points that would actually move the story along.

We first meet our main character, Tess, when she is 15 and by the end of the book, she's graduated college and is in her 20s. That's a lot of time to cover and it could have been condensed. A lot of the scenes seemed like they were just the same thing repeated with slight variations, and could have been cut. There are moments of greatness here, and if the filler was all gone, things would have flowed a lot better.

Review: Alive (Crave #1)

Alive (Crave #1) by Megan D. Martin
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Dystopia, Romance
Release Date: November 14, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Flesh-eating zombies, dirty sex, and a shattered past…
What’s more dangerous—the man who broke her heart or those trying to eat it? 

Fighting to survive, Eve finds herself alone in the world after the Crave—the only parallel of her former life. On the hunt for her sister, she runs into Gage—the first and only boy to have her heart and break it.

It’s been four years and he isn’t a boy anymore, nor is he the same person he used to be. Against her better judgment, Eve agrees to stay with him when he divulges information on a safe haven near the small town they grew up in—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it…

Returning home elicits a myriad of emotions that both Eve and Gage thought they had buried. The past and present collide and they are forced to the face bitter deceits that ruined them in the before and threaten to destroy them now…

♥ ♥ ♥

Zombies!

*points* 

This book was extremely intense and it totally kind of scared me. It’s lucky I can’t shove my kindle in the freezer, or I just might have. Alive by Megan D. Martin is a fast paced and dark read. Alive follows Eve as she attempts to stay alive in a world where many are dead and the few that have survived are hunted down and killed by ‘jenks’ better known as zombies.

Eve has spent most of her time since the crave searching for her sister. Her parents are dead and she lost her sister when they were attacked by ‘jenks’ a while back. The book jumps right into things with Eve facing off with some ‘jenks’, but after all the time she has spent fighting as she stands there she thinks that maybe she’d be better off just giving up.

Review: Soul Control

Soul Control by C. Elizabeth
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: December 1, 2012
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Words of truth for seventeen-year-old Saydi Gardiner upon discovering her ancestry. 

But if she has doubts, further confirmation is forthcoming and it comes in the form of a wickedly gorgeous Nathanael Braxton, when he steals her heart and cuddles into her soul – the last place the boy should be.

Nineteen-year-old Nathanael’s unrelenting good looks aren’t the only thing that make him dangerous – and he knows it! However, his caring human self struggles with a loyalty – a loyalty that binds him to the hunt for the soul that will give his family the power they seek. There’s only one problem: When he finds her, Nathanael falls in love with his prey – Saydi

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After I finished reading "Soul Control" by C. Elizabeth, I had to sit down for a bit and think about how I felt about it. Yes, I enjoyed the story while I was reading it, but was that enough? After some contemplating, I decided that I did like the book, even if there were some things I would have liked to seen altered for a better telling of the story.

This is very much a story of Good vs. Evil of biblical proportions. Elizabeth created a world where Tovs (gods) and Pyres (demons) exist and they're fighting a battle over human souls. I liked that the author tied in some biblical back story and kind of did her own thing with it. It gave the characters the ultimate motivation and fueled all of the action that was about to happen.

A downside to the biblical back story was that sometimes while it was being explained to our main character, Saydi, things seemed a bit muddled. I don't know if it was the writing style that was being used or if I was just personally having a hard time understanding it, but all of the stuff that Saydi learns from an ancient book and a scroll went over my head at points. They talked about the device (or whatever it is) that is supposed to destroy Saydi's "Light" and in turn make the Pyres victorious. However, I still don't really know what the point of this contraption is and exactly how Saydi fit in to its discovery. I just wished things were a bit clearer in the explanation.

Review: Of Stardust

Of Stardust by February Grace
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: October 28, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

“Dreams are sacred…”

At the age of twenty-six single, geeky bookseller Till Nesbitt inherits the shock of a lifetime: a huge Victorian farmhouse filled with unique tenants, and the knowledge that there is a reason she’s always been different. She’s destined to become a Fairy Godmother, because the skills are written into her DNA.

Till embarks on her fairy education at Dreams Come True University with much trepidation, guided on her journey by a unique mentor: a Celtic hybrid with a secret by the name of Gus.

When Till falls head over heels for Gus, will she break the most serious law in the Fairy Code, or will the truth of what really happened to Gus’s parents keep them from repeating history?

♥ ♥ ♥

“Remember your One Wish. Use it wisely, to have something, some small part of him to hold on to as your own – a moment sealed in time, one perfect memory that you will have to live on for the rest of your life. For the love of all that’s good, young woman, make your One Wish count.” –Aunt Tilda, Of Stardust

Of Stardust follows geeky bookstore clerk Till Nesbitt as she tries to find her place in the world, thinking there’s nowhere she belongs, when in reality she belongs to a world where fairy godmothers exist. Oh yeah, and she is one!

February Grace did a really nice job of creating a unique plot and with a multitude of different levels. I really enjoyed how the fairy godding world was in our world, but not. How you simply had to shift your way of thinking to get to the special fairy university to train and get your certificate. I thought that was a really nice touch.

Review: Awakened

Awakened (The Legends of Elyndia) by Kriston Johnson
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: April 2013
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Can fighting for the right side be the wrong thing to do? Draven, the tyrant ruler of Elyndia for the last one thousand years, searches for the one who can fulfill his prophecy. The Paladins, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect their way of life at all cost, search for the one with the ability to bring their world crumbling down. 

 An innocent girl, tormented by demons only she can see, lives on the brink of insanity and longs for a life of peace. When seventeen-year-old Jade Rosenberg reads from an antique book, she has no idea she just read an incantation awaking her inherited power. But when opposing—and equally terrifying—groups invade her home, she learns she is descended from an enchanted realm and a member of a powerful race thought to have been hunted to extinction. 

 Ripped from her world, Jade is forced to seek refuge from those who want her dead. She is given one of two options and the time has come for her to make a choice: assassinate their sworn enemy… Or sacrifice her soul.

♥ ♥ ♥

I'll be honest. It took me awhile to get into reading "Awakened" by Kriston Johnson. It is the first book in her new series, "The Legends of Elyndia", and although it might have started slow (at least in my opinion), it did pick up toward the second half and left me in a place where I would be interested in reading the next book when it is released.

One big reason why it took me so long to get invested in "Awakened" was things just sort of started happening without much explanation. It was almost like I was dropped into a story where the build up has already been explained, and now the action is starting. While there's usually nothing wrong with an action-filled story, there should also be some explanation so the reader doesn't feel lost right from the start.

This book almost seemed like we were on the journey with our main character, Jade. She is newly learning that there is a whole other world out there (other realms, even), and is confused at first. Everything seems to be a jumble of "stuff happening" at the beginning, and it's not until Jade starts to get answers, that we as the readers get some more insight as well.

Review: No Alligators in Sight

No Alligators in Sight by Kirsten B. Feldman
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Date: November 25, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

In this coming of age novel, Lettie and Bert squeak by in a tiny town on Cape Cod, one parent an alcoholic and the other absent.

After a string of bad decisions on Lettie’s part, their father ships them to their barely remembered mother for the summer, where they will learn hard lessons about themselves, their family, and their future by way of the Florida swamp.

Throughout Lettie keeps her biting humor flowing, her razor-sharp pen at the ready, and her eye on her quest for a “normal” life.



♥ ♥ ♥

I was excited to read No Alligators in Sight by Kirsten B. Feldman. It seemed like the kind of book that I would like. That being said I’m almost reluctant to write this review, but I’ve put it off long enough as I’ve tried to gather my thoughts. No Alligators in Sight follows Lettie as she tries to navigate the waters of a not so great life, taking care of her younger brother and alcoholic father.

Lettie is thirteen and has extreme anger issues, though who could blame her with the life she’s leading. I really liked how Feldman started the story out. I liked seeing the Mother and daughter talking and then deciding to read the Mom’s journal, which lead us to the past where we see Lettie’s life through the eyes of her younger self.

Review: Waterfell (The Aquarathi #1)

Waterfell (The Aquarathi #1) by Amalie Howard
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: October 29th 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon *I received a copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

Book Description:

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. 

Blending in is her best weapon—until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa's upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age.

Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa's mortal enemy. 

Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?

♥ ♥ ♥

So, when I first decided to read Waterfell by Amalie Howard I was expecting something totally different than what I actually got. Waterfall follows Nerissa Marin, heir to an underwater kingdom as she hides among humans determined to live as a human after her Father’s death.

She doesn’t want to be a queen, she doesn’t want to fight the war brewing, a war she doesn’t even understand. With her guardians help Nerissa has to decide whether or not she’s ready to avenge her Father and rule a kingdom while staying true to who she is.

I was incredibly excited about this book when I first saw it on Netgalley. Not only is the cover gorgeous, but it’s about mermaids! Well, sort of. I’ve got to give Howard props on her plot. It was well thought out and masterfully executed. While the main character is what we’d think of as a mermaid, really she is part of an aquatic species from another planet called Aquarathi.

Review: Witch Born (Witch Song #2)

Witch Born (Witch Song #2) by Amber Argyle
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: September 5, 2012
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Brusenna thought it was finished. She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong. 

She was wrong. Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands. Some things can't be saved.

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches' dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything. Including her life. Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

♥ ♥ ♥

First things first, the cover of Witch Born by Amber Argyle, the second book in the Witch Song series is gorgeous!

And full throttle onto my thoughts. Witch Born took the history of the witch’s to a whole other level and definitely raised the stakes in the book. Argyle did an amazing job of building that history and having Brusenna slowly discover what the witches were keeping from her and how it all fit together.

The plot is solid, fast paced, and interesting. The problem is some things get kind of repetitive. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but I am seriously getting tired of everyone ragging on Brusenna. Throughout the entire first book we had to see people putting Brusenna’s down, trying to kidnap her, succeeding in kidnapping her…at some point there’s got to be an end to it.

Review: Magic Academy

Magic Academy by Jillian Keep
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: December 9, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ Barnes and Noble

Book Description:

Out of a young woman’s ambition comes a love triangle that could destroy more than her heart. Firia has always wanted to be a witch, but even though she’s a natural in magic, there’s a problem: She’s human. 

Considered by the elven elite to be inferior, Firia needs an edge to be accepted into the Magic Academy. Out of sheer desperation, she summons the demon Varuj, a terrifyingly gorgeous spirit who helps her win the entrance competition. But at what price?

As the commanding demon does everything he can to penetrate every aspect of her innocent life, Firia still finds herself drawn to her study partner, Mae’lin. Not only is the sweet elf completely different from the powerful Varuj, but their relationship is forbidden.How is she supposed to choose between the demon she owes her life to and the innocent elf who makes her a better person?

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"Magic Academy" by Jillian Keep is the story of a human girl, Firia, who longs to succeed at magic in a world where the most powerful sorcerers are elves, and humans are second class citizens. She even goes as far as to summon a demon (named Varuj) in order for her to achieve her goal of getting admitted into one of the prestigious magic academies.

I would have loved to see more of the human/elf relationship in this book. Keep made it clear that the elves are the ones in charge here, but why is that? More back story about the society they live in would have done wonders for the world building, and would have made more sense about how everyone treated one another.

It seemed that even though the elves are described as being better at magic than humans, that's not necessarily the case. Instead of it being because they're elves, it seemed to have to do more with their financial status. Those wealthy enough to be able to afford private tutors were the ones who excelled at the magic, while those poorer ones (whether they were humans or elves) were the ones who struggled. In any fantasy novel, world building is key, and I would have liked to see a bit more with "Magic Academy".

Review: Imperfection

Imperfection by Phaedra Seabolt
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Meara Falk always followed her parents' rules, until one night in March when the temptation to let loose changed her life forever. Nine months later, disowned and with a baby on her hip, she discovers werewolves are real after being on the wrong end of one’s teeth and claws. 

When her first change is upon her, werewolves attack her home, stealing her son and driving her out of her home. Now she’s looking for the man who kidnapped her baby and turned her life upside down. 

A war is brewing between the two packs with Meara’s son being in the center. Will she be able to get her son back before losing everyone she cares about?

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To be honest, it actually took me awhile to get into "Imperfection.” It wasn't until after I was about a third of the way through the book that things started to get interesting for me. Staying with this whole honesty thing, the start of the book actually kind of pissed me off a bit. When we first meet our main female characters, Meara, Amanda, and Raechel, they're all getting ready to go out drinking for the night.

Normally, three college girls going out drinking wouldn't be a big deal or set off any red flags. However, these three were doing their best to show as much skin as possible in order to score free drinks from the male bar patrons. This being the first introduction to the girls we are about to follow through a story that involves a pregnancy, didn't sit well with me. While reading, I got the impression that the girls were merely props for all the men (not just in the bar scene, but in others as well early on in the story), and it all rubbed the wrong way with me.

Review: Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains)

Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains) by Laurie Boyle Crompton
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 1, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Blaze is tired of spending her life on the sidelines, drawing comics and feeling invisible. She's desperate for soccer star Mark to notice her. And when her BFF texts Mark a photo of Blaze in sexy lingerie, it definitely gets his attention.

After a hot date in the back of her minivan, Blaze is flying high, but suddenly Mark's feelings seem to have been blasted by a freeze-ray gun, and he dumps her. Blaze gets her revenge by posting a comic strip featuring uber-villain Mark the Shark.

Mark then retaliates by posting her "sext" photo, and, overnight, Blaze goes from Super Virgin Girl to Super Slut. That life on the sidelines is looking pretty good right about now...

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I feel like a seesaw when I think about Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains). There are parts about this book that I adore and other parts that I disliked with a fiery passion. Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains) by Laurie Boyle Crompton follows 17-year-old Blaze as she fumbles through awkward encounters with her peers, deals with a minivan full of adolescent soccer players, and navigates through the waters of teenagedom one comic book at a time.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like Blaze, honest I did. But I hate how she barely ever spoke up for herself and how a lot of her inner monologues were all about Mark. Her naiveté really bugged me on a personal level mostly because I don’t think I was that clueless as a teenager. I get it’s a book and all characters are different, but come on, grow a brain Blaze! I just wanted to shake her and be like you’re a smart girl, don’t fall for Mark’s crap!

Review: Enhanced

Enhanced by Courtney Farrell
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy
Release Date: August 15th, 2013
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Sixteen-year-old Michelle is a product of the Institute's eugenics program, where people are bred like livestock. One doctor decides which kids get to grow up, and which disappear. 

Only Culls walk into the slum outside Institute walls, and they never come back. Michelle has survived every purge, and she's about to win a luxurious life as a breeder.

Then the doctor banishes her brother Seth and her boyfriend Brian, and she risks everything to find them in the cutthroat slum. She's in trouble until handsome Dillon stakes a claim to her.

Michelle is mortified, because Norms are practically animals. But the doctor is using the missing boys in a twisted plan and she needs Dillon's help to stop him. Michelle and her friends must find Seth and Brian, but a plague is spreading, the doctor is after her and Dillon isn't thrilled to help her find her lost boyfriend.


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"Enhanced" by Courtney Farrell is a young adult dystopian novel set in a future where babies are pretty much made in test tubes to have specific skills and brain power, and those that don't live up to the Institute's expectations are thrown out like garbage. The "Enhanced" live within the Institute's walls whereas all of the "Unenhanced," or "Norms," as they're more regularly called, live in slums on the outside.

When the book starts, we are immediately thrown into the action as we follow Michelle, Brian, and their friends and family through their lives as Enhanced teenagers. I kept waiting for the inevitable explanations about what happened to the society that we all know and how it evolved into this genetics fueled experiment that our characters are a part of. However, except for a few vague references about a war, we never really get the explanation on how or why society crumbled.

This was my biggest problem with the book. I wanted more world building and background on what was happening, but I never got it. Yes, I understand that some sort of war happened and all of this genetics tampering was a result of trying to build super soldiers, but I was still left in the dark about a good portion of what was going on. Who was fighting in the war? Are other countries like this? How many walled off institutes are there and do they all have slums full of Norms around them?