Review: The False Princess

Author: Eilis O'Neal
Pages: 319
Publisher: Egmont
Source: Library

Synopsis: Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court.  But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection.  Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks.  But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

Buy the book (Amazon/)

I was a big fan of The False Princess ever since I heard of the concept. Living your life as a princess and then one day, being told you're not? Then promptly being replaced? That sounds awful. And it sounds like a great idea for a story.

Meet Sinda; false princess, magician, and lost girl. Sinda at the beginning was a weak character, IMO. If anything like that had ever happened to me I would have been far more enraged and less empathetic and acceptant. Her character does grow though, which is something I do love.

The other characters were all charming in their own ways too. Kiernan was gorgeous and I'd have a crush on him if I ever met him; Sinda's aunt was a unique, in depth character. The only character I didn't think was really well done was the villain who was very typical.

The plot was a great adventure. This is the kind of fantasy I like; with strong characters carving the way of the story instead or complex settings. The fantasy aspect really worked for the story and wasn't overwhelming. Everything made sense and I could clearly imagine the settings.

I liked the storyline too. It was placed really well- not on-the-edge-of-your-seat action but enough action that the story felt balanced and moved on in a good pace. The ending was very complete too. I'm not sure if The False Princess is a series but it could be read as a standalone. The ending was refreshing and satisfying.

One thing I felt I was missing was the X/it factor. I really liked this book but I never really loved it. I can't name why though.

Overall, The False Princess is a solid read with an intriguing premise, delicious romance, and an exciting quest. This book is a really solid read. 4 stars,

****

Review: Wolf Pact (Part 1)

Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Pages: 57
Publisher: Hachette Digital
Source: Review copy- thank you!
Synopsis: Part one of the hot new four-part eBook companion to Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series! The ancient wolves were once proud guardians of time. Now they are enslaved in the underworld, mere extensions of Lucifer’s will. Lawson's pack managed to escape this fate by fleeing aboveground. But when the hounds capture the girl Lawson loves, he will risk everything — including his own brothers’ freedom — to win her back. Meanwhile, Bliss Llewellyn is adjusting to humanity after giving up her immortal vampire life. When her Aunt Jane is kidnapped by the Hounds of Hell, Bliss vows to do whatever it takes to save her — even if it means joining forces with the dangerously good-looking boy with a wolf's soul and a too-intimate knowledge of Jane's captors.

Buy the book (Amazon)

Wolf Pact Part One is very hard to describe because it was a short read with a bit of an abrupt ending. That was to be expected but I was so caught up in the story I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did.

It's a nice beginning and gives the reader some good setup and background information on all the characters. The premise is fantastic and the book does a great job at keeping a good pace and also getting the reader into the story. There's not much development of anything besides background and the story being set so there's not much I can say except that I'm a little bit worried that the characters won't be properly developed. I barely got to know the pack in this installment and now they're gone.

Even though it's less than 60 pages of writing, a lot is in those pages and I found it very entertaining. My only complaint is that I wish I could read more.

I'd say that if you're a fan of Blue Bloods you should keep an eye on Wolf Pact. So far, I'd recommend waiting until all four parts are out and then by the book because Part 1 felt a bit like a teaser. Once I was truly getting acclimated to the story it ended. Also, remember that Wolf Pact is only available online. This book is very different compared to what I usually read, especially considering length, so I don't think it warrants a rating just yet.

Cover Wars: The Elite vs Shadow of the Mark

Cover Wars is when I post two covers, and you basically get a week to vote for your favourite. The winner continues on to next week, and it's kind of cool seeing which covers work and which don't. In the comments section we can discuss what we like about what cover, and it's basically some fun and friendly competition.

Last week's battle resulted in a comfortable win for The Elite, a cover that's turning out to be a force. This week The Elite face offs against Shadow of the Mark by Leigh Fallon. Both girls are in dresses, both covers are moody, and both covers have this simplicity to them that I love.



I love pretty dresses and these dresses are both gorgeous. I like that both covers feature dresses that flow down and that those dresses are the focal point of the cover. Beyond that, I think any of these covers could win. It's up to you though.

Here's what you do: vote. I'll have the poll up all week, so you can support the cover you love.

Which is your favourite cover?

Review: Uncontrollable

Author: S.R. Johannes
Pages: 300
Publisher: Coleman & Stott
Source: Review copy (Thank you!)
Sequel to: Untraceable (The Nature of Grace #1)
Synopsis: As Grace recovers from tragedy, her science class is chosen by Agent Sweeney at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to help with research on the new "Red Wolf Reintroduction Program". 

While she’s excited about helping with the conservation of the endangered wolves, Grace knows this means being outdoors in the worst winter recorded, in a place she no longer feels comfortable. It also means working closely with Wyn (her ex) and his annoying girlfriend (Skyler), a girl whose idea of getting close to nature is picking silk plants and growing fake plants. 

After a couple of wolves show up dead, Grace almost quits. However, when a fellow project team member goes missing, Grace continues the assignment under a renewed suspicion that someone might be sabotaging the conservation program. She quietly begins to hunt for clues. 

Little does she know, she is being hunted too. 

Buy the book (Amazon)

Untraceable took me two weeks to read. Uncontrollable was finished in less than a day. Since I knew what to expect in this series everything in the sequel flowed very well and I liked the story even more.

The thing I was so impressed with was how everything was not tidy. Asheville was shaken by the events at the end of Untraceable and there was grief and anger. Grace did what she thought was right and there were severe consequences for her decisions. Seeing the hurt she caused others, the pain she kept within herself, and everyone's struggles to let go and move on gave this book some real depth. There were two scenes in particular that stood out for me; one with Skyler, one with Tommy.

Grace herself grew into a character that I liked a lot. She's been through a lot by now and it's obviously she's crumbling at times. She isn't broken. Grace has this incredible fighting spirit. She's someone that just plain cares about the world and although she still does have a tendency to make completely irrational, impulsive decisions it's more endearing now that she sometimes thinks her plans through.

I enjoyed the side characters a lot. I said this story has great depth- the side characters helped with that. Although Uncontrollable is another mystery, it's also the story of people trying to heal. I loved some of the quirky characters like Birdee. One thing I didn't like was the love triangle. I feel like someone might get hurt and the would make me sad because I liked both love interests.

I also developed a real appreciation for nature. I'm a city girl but I've always been fascinated by forests and conservation. There's a pretty big national park near where I live and I even saw a black bear there once so I could easily picture what Grace was seeing. I love that Johannes is using her books to inform people about animals like red wolves. I know a lot of people would care about these types of issues but there isn't enough coverage for the average person to hear about unless they specifically went looking for it.

Overall, I enjoyed Uncontrollable a lot. Although I ended up guessing who the villain was beforehand, I liked the direction of the story. This book felt much more compact and action packed than it's predecessor. It kept me into the story and I'm excited to read more! 4 stars,

****

Flutter by Melissa Andrea Blog Tour

You've probably seen Flutter around a lot on Tantalizing Illusions through Cover Wars. I'm also happy to be a part of the Flutter Blog Tour. I'll be doing character bios and I have an excerpt so I hope you enjoy them!

Character Bios

Sara Alejandra Marquez 

The Spanish beauty that attracts the attention of everyone with her dark, mesmerizing, shimmery, skin, cascading midnight black hair, and wild hazel eyes.

At 17, her problems should be minimal, but Sara finds nothing insignificant about being buried alive or the Fluttering sensation coursing just beneath her skin, coming to life every time she is around the mysterious boy. Sara can’t fight the attraction she has to Adan or the maddening effects he has on her. With the constant fighting out home with her uncle, Andres, she takes refuge in the arms of the wrong guy.

As Sara searches for answers, she finds the more time she spends with Adan, the more she realizes he might not be as mysterious as she thinks.


“The silkiness of his voice was a torturous caress that I was willing to endure for the rest of my life.” – Sara 

Adan Reyes Delacruz 

Is the new guy in town, with his striking dark hair, sun kissed skin, and intensely, electric blue eyes, that spark out of control every time he is around Sara.

Created for Sara and Sara alone, his need to live and die to keep her safe will go much further then just wanting to keep her protected. Having been close enough to touch her, smell her, he can longer blend into the background of her life.

Adan’s battle has been lost, but Sara’s war still remains and Adan must remember his mission and getting close to Sara can destroy everything.

“I tried to stay away from you Sara, I did, but that nearly killed me and I won't do it again. I can't." - Adan.

Andres Delgado

6 feet tall, dark and very dedicated to his responsibility and those responsibility just got a lot hard now that Sara knows something just isn't right with her life. Suspicious and angry over everything Andres says, he must learn to live with Sara’s cold shoulder.

 As Sara’s Watcher, Andres wants nothing more than to keep her safe and young at least until her birthday. He knows that is coming fast he will have to tell Sara the truth about everything: Who she is, what she will have to do and more importantly – what she is.

Excerpt from Flutter

“I’m a big girl Adan. I knew what I was doing.” I looked at him through my eyelashes. 

“And what were you doing?” he asked.

“Playing with fire.” 

“Me, being the fire?” 

“You, being my fire.” I looked up at him coyly, waiting for his reaction. I heard the low growl rumble through his chest, and his eyes blazed a stormy blue. 

“You have no idea, how much I like the sound of that.”

Flutter

Sara

Sara's life is forever changed -

 Waking up, buried & hidden deeply in the last place anyone would want to be, will do that. She is determined to find out how she ended up there & why, but when the only person who can help her, continuously lies to her, she finds herself forced to suffer alone. She can't ignore the strange things that begin to happen to her nor can she hide from the nightmares that haunt her sleep. And when her world collides with Adan - the mysterious boy whom she can't seem to stay away from, literally - she is consumed by the flutter that sparks whenever he is around and she is desperate to discover the reason why.

But the biggest discovery will come from the secret of what she is…

Adan

Adan’s mission to find Sara has finally begun -

 It seemed simple: bring her back to the enchanted world that lives, breathes and survives because of her, but he quickly finds himself faced with an entirely new challenge. Immediately, Adan realizes that staying unknown to Sara is a task he will fail before he even begins; the pull to her is far too strong to refuse, and being with her will defy the very reason he existed. He was the key to her survival and loving her was not part of the path that he had been born to follow. Can he find it in himself too resist the urge to be with her and follow through with their destiny or will he destroy everything that had been left to Sara to protect and defend -

And the kingdom she is unaware she rules…

Flutter

As Sara and Adan struggle to overcome their own separate battles - 

There is a far more determined evil that is stalking the shadows and waiting to annihilate them both. 

Sara will figure out that not everything is what it seems and knowing what she can and can not trust will be the key to finding out the truth of what happened to her, the reason why she was buried alive and who she really is…

Sara and Adan will discover  why she was the reason he existed and why he would be the reason she survived & together they will fight to change the rules and rewrite their fate.

Discover the Meaning, 

Discover the Secret,

Discover 

Buy Flutter on Amazon/ Barnes & Noble 

Melissa Andrea

I find it hard to sum up my life in a paragraph, but I’ll try.

Reading has always been a passion for me, and writing as instinctive as breathing. Every inhale is an idea; every exhale a creation. Flutter will be my debut release, and I couldn't be more excited about it! The only thing I do better than writing you ask? Making beautiful girls. My daughter’s will always be my greatest accomplishment. 

I was born in Denver, Colorado –but I will always think of sunny Arizona as my home. I don’t have a big family, but I’m close with my sister, brother & my mom. My mom is my hero, my inspiration, and I couldn't have asked for a more amazing person to be raised by.

4 things you should know about me: I’m very girly, but I can get down and dirty with the best of them. I adore the color pink, I love things that sparkle (including vampires) and I like even numbers (hence 4 things about me, not 5)

Facebook/Twitter/Blog/Goodreads

Cover Wars: The Elite vs Goddess

It's been a while, but there's finally a new Cover Wars! Thanks to everyone for voting and I appreciate your passion. It was a very hard fight last time with the results flip flopping around.

Cover Wars is when I post two covers, and you basically get a week to vote for your favourite. The winner continues on to next week, and it's kind of cool seeing which covers work and which don't. In the comments section we can discuss what we like about what cover, and it's basically some fun and friendly competition.

The Elite by Kiera Cass is now up against a new cover... Goddess by Josephine Angelini. Both covers feature very pretty models with dresses and both covers could easily win this. Take a look:

They both have very different tones to them. The Elite is a warm copper while Goddess is coolness personified. Both covers are eye catching and use lighting very well to achieve their desired effects. I can't wait to see who wins.

Now it's your part! All you need to do vote now in the poll below! You have all week.

Let the Cover Wars begin! Vote & leave a comment letting me know why you liked the cover or any other beautiful covers to be aware of! 

Which is your favourite cover?

Review: Untraceable by S.R. Johannes

Author: S.R. Johannes
Pages: 315
Publisher: Kindle
Source: Review Copy (thank you!)
Synopsis: 16-year-old Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. 

When her dad goes missing on a routine patrol, Grace refuses to believe he’s dead and fights the town authorities, tribal officials, and nature to find him.

One day, while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent and a secret. As her feelings between him and her ex-boyfriend get muddled, Grace travels deep into the wilderness to escape and find her father. 

Along the way, Grace learns terrible secrets that sever relationships and lives. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kick-butting heroine to save everything she loves.

Buy the Book (Amazon/

It took me forever to read Untraceable. That shouldn't say much about the quality of the book though since I was actually very interested in the plot. Untraceable is a very unique book and it's very well done. I enjoyed reading about all the Survival Skills and that part was fun.

I'll start this review with a confession. I somewhat stupidly thought this book would be a paranormal mystery. I didn't read any reviews beforehand and the synopsis gives none of the twists away. I kept expecting something to happen and it took over a hundred pages for me to realize that, no, this was no paranormal. The author wrote a contemporary mystery.

After I realized that, the story flowed much more smoothly. There is an incredible amount of suspense in Untraceable. There are clues and suggestions everywhere that lead to a surprising ending. I honestly had no idea what to expect. Johannes writes a very unique plot twist and revelation that was probably the last thing I was expecting. I love that this story was unexpected. There was so much tension but I felt at times the story was slow. I was so confused- I had no idea what was happening and how to solve the mystery. For someone like me, some more hints would have been welcome. That being said I was impressed with the mystery.

The characters were a diverse group. I liked that a lot. Grace herself was independent and had this very admirable strength. There were many moments that I found I could relate to Grace, especially when she was vulnerable. She wasn't a bland character; she had personality. The side characters were well done too. I ended up being very upset with the actions of one specific character which was surprising because I never knew I cared that much about them.

Overall, Untraceable wasn't my usual type of read. That had its benefits but I would have liked to find the story more gripping. I know that other readers didn't have the same issue so take this with a grain of salt. If you enjoy a suspenseful mystery consider Untraceable. 3 stars,

***

The Weekly Progress (Where have you been all my life Edition)

Aloha! The last few weeks were incredibly busy but it's winding down so this is the perfect time to do a Weekly Progress post. I have a lot planned for this week. I will post fairly often since I'm going to be scheduling posts a little more now and I feel way less stressed than the last few weeks.

Books Read

I was honestly not that impressed with this week's books. I'm not sure if I was just not in a reading mood or what, but I had high hopes for all of these books and I didn't get what I was looking for. I didn't connect very well with the characters in The Maze Runner although the plot was interesting. The Catastrophic History of You and Me was very slow at times, and Dreaming Awake (sequel to Falling Under which I adored) was underwhelming to me. Maybe I was really picky this week (I probably was) but I didn't love any of these books. 

Currently Reading

Maybe this is the book that'll get me out of my funk? 

Stuff I did while I was away

I went to some Teen Author Week events. I co-blog for the library, so I had some fun being a reporter and writing transcripts and taking pictures of the events. I met Leslie Livingston, Catherine Austen, Max Turner, Alex Sanchez, and Mariko Tamaki. 

I also got my G1 and went driving for the first time! I love it; I'll try to take official drivers ed classes in March. 

Recap of posts (ICYMI)

Believe it or not, I did post something while I was away. I posted my review of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft (4 stars, check it out!), My Personal Yearbook, and Witch Hunt. I also wrote a bit about spoilers in blogs and my theory when it comes to them. 

That's it for last week!

I had a decent week but I'm hoping for more next week. I'll leave you with Rihanna's Where Have You Been, a song that is way too darn catchy (if not a little annoying). 

Review: Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft

Author: Jody Gehrman
Pages: 293
Publisher: Magic Genie Books
Source: Review Copy (thank you!)
Synopsis: Falling in Love, baking a magical cake, fighting an evil necromancer—it’s all in a day’s work for Audrey Oliver, seventeen-year-old witch-in-training. 

When her mother goes missing and her twenty-one-year-old witchy cousin shows up out of the blue, Audrey knows something’s gone horribly, dangerously wrong. Now it’s up to her to get her own magical powers up to speed before everyone she loves is destroyed by the sorcerer intricately connected to her mother’s secret past.

Buy the book (Amazon)

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft was another really fun read. There was so much good about this book. There were actually no real flaws and I enjoyed reading this.

I liked that the characters made an impression on me. I could clearly picture them and their different personalities. Audrey feeling like a wallflower, Meg shining with infinite coolness, Bridget's sweetness... Each character had some defining traits that stood out very well and none of them were boring. I also thought Audrey was a nice character to connect to. She had insecurities but she's a cool person that would do anything for the people she loves. I adored her habit of writing things down in a notebook type thing. The voice in the writing, sarcastic and insightful, was also really well done.

I'm going to talk about the writing shortly because I really liked it. I don't know enough about writing to be too technical but there didn't seem to be any mistakes whatsoever. Everything flowed so very well and I got into the story and was swiping page quickly. Especially at the end- that was kind of crazy. There were a lot of great one timers and stuff. Only thing I'd maybe nitpick about is one of the references- I know it's impossible to keep to date on current pop culture references but if an author doesn't use the right reference it will date their book.

There really isn't much to complain about in this story. I got to read another story about witches, which is awesome. They're not done- there are still so many possibilities with all the cool stories they could have so I love reading about witchcraft. I liked Audrey's world- it fit the story and was original. There were some new concepts that I'd love to explore.

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is another novel meant to entertain and it does a pretty darn good job. It's funny, it made smile, and I was totally into it. Sometimes though, I would have liked if some characters were more defined and if the story went in more depth (i.e. Dallas, and the villain's motivation). I'm glad this is a series and the world will hopefully be explored more in the future.

If I can find the sequel, I definitely hope to read it. Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is one of those books that's a pretty good package and solid in every aspect. I did try to include negative things in my review for the sake of balance, but there is no major or real issues. Overall, Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft is pretty great so I'm giving it 4 stars.

****

Thoughts on Book Bloggers' Spoiler Theory Dilemma

This is something that has annoyed me a lot as a blog follower. See, I'll be browsing the Interwebz looking for new books when I stumble upon a review for this incredible book I've been dying to read for, like, ever. I'll open up the blog page, stare lovingly at the cover, read the synopsis, and then I'll finally take a peek at the good stuff- the review.

And I'm always left a bit upset when I see that there is a spoiler warning in the review. Like, for a review of an ARC or a book that has been released less than two weeks ago, the blogger is posting spoilers in their review. That somehow bugs me a lot. I notice it's a personal thing though- I haven't heard of anyone else finding this very annoying.

I'm not going to tell anyone to blog because who the hell am I to do that, so this spoiling thing left me with a question.

When is it appropriate to post spoilers on a blog? 

This answer depends a lot on the type of blogger you are and the type of blog you have. So there is no real answer. 

For me, I hate seeing spoilers in reviews. A review should inform me about the novel without mentioning the specific content. I know that it's hard though to write a good review without any detail. I've written a lot of awful ones because I didn't know what to say other than mentioning some crazy plot twist, especially if said crazy plot twist defined the book for me. 

I also assume most authors hate to see spoilers of their books if their books are new (I'm not sure about this- confirm in the comments?). I've been spoiled for one of my favourite series before and if you've met me in person you'll know how insane that drives me. I try my best to forget about the spoiler (it was tiny, I read it in a split second before realizing it was something I shouldn't know) but some stuff just sticks with you no matter how much you want to throw it away. 

The thing I'm iffy about is when it comes to discussion posts like this or feature posts. See, the point of a book blog is to talk  write about books. That's kind of hard though if you go by the rule of never spoiling anything ever. I want to talk about all the incredible series I read with the insane plot twists and go in depth and rant and gush and have fun. I'm not sure if I should do that. 

It would make me very sad to ruin someone else's reading experience. I try not to ever spoil, even if people ask me to. At the same time, I'm a little burnt out with talking constantly about new books and debuts in series. Most of what I read are books in the middle of series and it's hard to feature these books because to describe the later books there needs to be some sort background information, which would spoil the books. 

That's my dilemma. (I'm prone to extreme exaggerations, if you haven't noticed already.) 

To spoil or not to spoil- that is the question! When do you think it's okay, or if it is even ever okay to spoil on your blog?

Review: My Personal Yearbook

Pages: 63
Publisher: Prufrock Press
Source: Review Copy (Thank you!)
Description (from Prufrock Press): Kids will love looking back at their copies of My Personal Yearbook, complete with reflections about their lives, lists of favorites and hot trends, letters to their future selves, and more. Created by the editors of Creative Kids magazine, the fill-in pages of this book are full of color, cool graphics, and fun activities to help kids document their current passions and interests. Activities include creating a soundtrack for one’s life, making a mock social media page, writing an autobiography, preparing a Twitter-style feed documenting a day in their lives, creating a photo timeline, compiling friends’ advice and reflections, writing a bucket list, taking quizzes about their lives, and much more. Kids will not only enjoy filling in the many pages of this personalized yearbook, they’ll love looking back at it for years to come.

My Personal Yearbook is a fun activity book suitable for I'd say just about everyone. It's something that I've been doing every week or so, and I always end up writing on more pages than I thought I would.

I love the colours and illustrations. The layout is superb- everything just looks so good. It invites some weird doodles and haphazardly taped pictures. It's so authentic and I love that. It's something I have fun with now and in the future I'll appreciate doing. The only layout thing I don't like is that the book is not a hardcover. I think if it were it would be even cooler. It would have a scrapbook or photo album-like feel. It's something so important- you look back at this book and it will remind you of your life, so I'd like it if the binding was sturdier so I could write on it, and heavier so I could stick papers and drawings in that wouldn't fall when I move the book. If that's the only thing I have against the layout you know the book is awesome.

The pages are very complete and are so interesting! There are a lot of topics that I wouldn't even have considered writing down and I had a lot of fun thinking of my year so far. I always left some stuff black because I know times will change. This isn't just a book- at times it's an activity. It's a wonderful time to reflect the past and contemplate the future. The book tries very hard to capture your personality. There are features like "Dear Blabby" where you write a fake advice column which is really cool to look back on and see if you're opinions changed. There's page for texts, tweets, cool stuff, world issues, slang words and translations, and so many other things that are a part of daily life and that I'd want to remember.

I love this book. It's something I do every once in a while, and even after I've posted this review I will keep using My Personal Yearbook. Life is so fast sometimes; I always try to keep a diary or journal but it never works out. Sometimes I just want to slow everything down and appreciate my life, and My Personal Yearbook helps a lot with that. It's something that I want to complete and be proud of. It's decently long (a little over 60 pages), which means that there's enough to do to cover the entire year.

I recommend this book for everyone (especially students) who want to save a year in their life in a colorful, fun book. You won't regret it because it's a blast.

Review: Witch Hunt

Author: K.C. Blake
Source: Review copy (thank you!)
Synopsis: A magical game of Hide n Seek begins.
Find the missing player and win.
The game resets; everyone forgets and starts to play it again.

Starr Hughes hasn’t believed in magic since her mother died. As a reporter for the school paper, she believes in hard facts. Hiding under the headmaster’s desk, planting bugs, and breaking into a fellow student’s home are all on her to-do list. So when she hears the mysterious group known as the It-Squad are about to start playing a secretive game, she wants to know more. She’s especially interested in the group’s gorgeous leader, Dylan Winchester.

With her boy-crazy best friend at her side, Starr is going to discover that not only are witches real, they need her help. Someone is using the game to steal their memories, their powers, and perhaps their lives.

Buy the book (Amazon /)

Witch Hunt is an entertaining book. It has what I call "readability". It's something that makes the reader pick up the book and instantly get into the story. There were a few things that I didn't like at all, but for some reason I just very much enjoyed the writing style of Witch Hunt to the point where the faults didn't bug me that much.

I'll start with my biggest issue. I didn't feel like any of the characters were realistic or likable. A lot of the plot was also unrealistic although I could accept that since the story wasn't meant to be realistic; just fun. I didn't like Starr at all in the beginning but somehow she grew on me. Privacy is so important to me, and Starr completely disregarded it. She was a classic snoop and I don't like those type of characters (or people) at all. That's a me thing though. I was a bit surprised that I didn't like most of the characters. They were so flawed and I didn't feel like their redeeming qualities were enough to, well, redeem them. So let's just get it out of the way that this is not a character oriented book.

The plot on the other hand was entertaining. I loved the premise and I had fun with what was happening. I keep saying the word entertaining because that's what this book was. Fun, and light. I always knew what to expect from this book: that I'd get into an engrossing read. The only part of the plot I didn't enjoy was something character related. I guessed the villain from the beginning so there wasn't much unexpected stuff happening.

After finishing Witch Hunt, I kind of love the world. This is the second book in the series but each book is about new characters so it isn't necessary to read the first book (I didn't). It was obvious to me though that the setting is somewhere with a lot of room for great stories. There's so many possibilities in this world. I would have enjoyed a few more details about the magical details but that didn't take away from the fun. It's been a while since I read about witches and now I'm wondering why it's been so long.

If you're looking for a light and fun read with a bit of magic, danger, and love, you should try Witch Hunt. 3 stars,

***

The Weekly Progress (Sucky Last Week and ALL the Ebooks Edition)

I wasn't feeling very well last week. I signed up for too many things and it was too much. I also didn't feel very well, so it wasn't a very good week. However, you guys on the blog were incredible. Cover Wars was a true battle. Thank you all for voting! I'll be posting the new Cover Wars soon. I didn't read much last week either, but I did some on Saturday. Two witchy books perfect for October! 

Books Read

I enjoyed both of these books. There aren't enough (new) books about witches and I've always loved that kind of thing. I'll have a review for both of these posted in Halloween week so stay tuned! 

Currently Reading

I haven't started it so I can't tell you what it's like, but I'm hoping it's good. It sounds like fun. 

Next I'll Be Reading

r

Oh look, more for review ebooks. Uncontrollable is the sequel to Untraceable, so I truly hope I like the first book. Wolf Pact, I'm very excited to read. It's Bliss' story from the Blue Bloods series. 

Random Thoughts

This week I've read entirely on my Kobo. And I loved it. I know, ebooks! There's nothing like holding a book, but after carrying my Kobo everywhere with me all week I started to appreciate it. It's relaxing and light. I can change the font and write notes and find the definition of words I don't know. I don't want to really like it but I do. That doesn't mean I'm not reading print books anymore. I'll probably read them mostly, but ebooks are truly growing on me. I mean the Kobo is so light and pretty! 

Recap

Last week I talked about scary books and creepy stuff for a Book Blogger Confessions post. I also posted a review of, not a YA novel, but something with some good crossover appeal, The Talk-Funny Girl. 

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The other aspect of the title for this post is sucky last week. I didn't post near anything I wanted to post. I wish I could say I'm anticipating being a little less busy this week, but I'm not. I'm blogging for my city's library and it's Teen Author Week so I'll be covering those, and it's also my birthday on Tuesday. Overall, busy but I hope I can manage at least a couple posts. Anyway, thanks for visiting! Have a great week! 

Book Blogger Confessions (Scary books edition)

You guys know enough about it by now. Awesome meme hosted by For What It's Worth and Midnyte Reader. 

This week's question is, 

Do you like to read scary books?  Why or why not?  If so, what is the scariest book you've ever read and why does it deserve that honor? 

I don't get scared easily. I love watching horror and I haven't found too many novels that honestly creeped me out. There's something about the adrenaline rush, the mystery, when your heart is pounding fast and you're shivering that is just incredible. This is why I read- because I react to books, and no other genre can make the reader react like horror done well. 

That being said, I haven't read many books I truly consider scary. Only one book comes to mind, and that's because I just found it fun and creepy. There were some goosebumps. The book is Bad Girls Don't Die by Kate Alender. For some reason I found that book incredibly creepy. If there are two things I find creepy (besides bugs & fish) it's dolls and little kids. 

Those two things are supposed to be innocent (and I have some of both at my house) so the fact that they aren't, they way they're twisted always creeps me out. I never liked puppets or anything like ventriloquil figures either. Not even Sesame Street or the Muppets was okay for me when 

I was a kid. That's partly why I found Bad Girls Don't Die so creepy. 

I'll leave you with this stunning movie poster. That is one of the few things that honestly creep me out. 

Review: The Talk-Funny Girl

Author: Roland Merullo

Pages: 320

Publisher: Crown

Source: Review Copy- thank you!

Synopsis: In one of the poorest parts of rural New Hampshire, teenage girls have been disappearing, snatched from back country roads, never to be seen alive again.  For seventeen-year-old Marjorie Richards, the fear raised by these abductions is the backdrop to what she lives with her own home, every day.  Marjorie has been raised by parents so intentionally isolated from normal society that they have developed their own dialect, a kind of mountain hybrid of English that displays both their ignorance of and disdain for the wider world.  Marjorie is tormented by her classmates, who call her “The Talk-funny girl,” but as the nearby factory town sinks deeper into economic ruin and as her parents fall more completely under the influence of a sadistic cult leader, her options for escape dwindle.  But then, thanks to a loving aunt, Marjorie is hired by a man, himself a victim of abuse, who is building what he calls “a cathedral,” right in the center of town. 

Day by day, Marjorie’s skills as a stoneworker increase, and so too does her intolerance for the bitter rules of her family life.  Gradually, through exposure to the world beyond her parents’ wood cabin thanks to the kindness of her aunt and her boss, and an almost superhuman determination, she discovers what is loveable within herself.  This newfound confidence and self-esteem ultimately allows her to break free from the bleak life she has known, to find love, to start a family, and to try to heal her old, deep wounds without passing that pain on to her husband and children.

By turns darkly menacing and bright with love and resilience, The Talk-Funny Girl is the story of one young woman’s remarkable courage, a kind of road map for the healing of early abuse, and a testament to the power of kindness and love. 

Buy the Book (Amazon/ ) 

The Talk-Funny Girl is the gritty story of a girl trying to find her place in the world. Marjorie has had so many obstacles holding her back, from her parents to a lack of money. She's still able to rise above everything and be better than even she thought she could be.

The story is contemporary and it shows the life of a reclusive country family. I thought the small town life felt realistic, but I've never lived in the country so I'm not sure how true that statement is. Nonetheless, this book had a certain realness to it that most books don't. Life wasn't shiny and pretty in The Talk-Funny Girl. Life was messy. There are so many little things in life that sometimes people choose to overlook because they're not pleasant. These tiny details were included in Roland Merullo's book.

This isn't a story for everyone. It's not a story written just to be entertaining, there's more to it than that. I started out only mildly interested, and my interest grew as the story progressed. There are awful stuff in this book. There was one scene near the middle that enraged me. The things done to Marjorie were not fair and just seeing the way her parents reacted... The most incredible thing in this story is that the author gets the reader to understand the main character. She has love for her family but what they do is so wrong. That's such an important part to the novel and I think it's so skillful.

The most impressive part of the story to me, as a reader, was how the author brought all the characters to life, especially Marjorie's abusive parents. There are so many subtleties to their characters- you want to believe that deep down they're good, especially since there are glimpses of it, but then they act in another manner and it's heart breaking. Marjorie deserves better- all parents should be better. The reader hopes for redemption, or even retribution, but what happens fits. When it comes to the characters in the story, a lot of them have been through awful things but it's the way they respond that makes them who they are. Some hide from the world; some try to ease their pain by making the people around them suffer; some give back in an effort to make the world better for someone else than it was for them. That was powerful.

Overall, the little things in The Talk-Funny Girl are what make the novel special. There is suffering, there is hope, and there's life. 4 stars,

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The Weekly Progress (The Calm Before the Storm Edition)

Last week was a decent week. I read enough, I didn't review too much, and I think I had a good balance of posts. I also learned that weeks like last week won't last. See, this year I said I wanted to be independent. I want to be involved with stuff and make stuff happen. I did that. Now I realize I may have overbooked myself. The rest of October is going to be so busy, but I'll do my best to keep posting quality content.

Anyway, let's start the book recap.

Books Read

I'm not sure what to say- I liked both books but I had higher expectations for each. A Million Suns' ending is crazy- I want to see what happens next! It did feel a bit like a "middle book" so I would have hoped for some more action. T

Currently Reading

Part way through Crank and it's an experience. I'm enjoying the writing style. 

Recap

I posted my review of Waterfall, which was a surprisingly good read. 

I also attempted the impossible and tried to find a good definition for YA. It took just one well written comment to make me rethink my definition. 

There's also an intense Cover Wars going on between Flutter and The Elite. Flutter has dominated all the previous match ups but this time it's a bit closer than normal. Flutter is still leading, but there's still enough time to make the competition interesting. 

Random Thoughts

This week I realized all the ways in which I'm thankful for blogging. I'm going to be a blogger for my local library district and it's something I'm very excited for. I know it wouldn't have happened without this blog and the people that keep me going- you guys. So thanks for helping making me a better person and my life a little bit better. 

Well that's it for this week. I think I'll post a review today/tomorrow so keep an eye out for that! Thanks for visiting! 

Giveaway Winner

I have the results for Heather Beck's generous giveaway.

The winner is... Dan! 

Congratulations Dan, I sent you an email and you should get your prize soon!

Thank you to everyone for entering!

Cover Wars: Flutter vs The Elite

Cover Wars is when I post two covers, and you basically get a week to vote for your favourite. The winner continues on to next week, and it's kind of cool seeing which covers work and which don't. In the comments section we can discuss what we like about what cover, and it's basically some fun and friendly competition.

Wow, you Flutter fans are unstoppable! Flutter has dominated the voting for all the last few Cover Wars. Will this continue against this week's Challenger, The Elite by Kiera Cass? 

I don't even have to explain how gorgeous both these covers are because it's obvious. They're both stunning with warm colours, though Flutter is more greenish brownish while The Elite has an almost metallic look. Both feature pretty girls though Flutter is a close up while The Elite shows off the full body. Either one of these covers deserves to win, but ultimately it's up to you to decide which is your favourite cover. 

So let the Cover Wars begin! Remember, you have a week to vote and leave a comment letting me know your choice!

Edit: Please keep the comments courteous. The point of Cover Wars is to celebrate both covers- so when you vote for one cover there's no need to bash the other. Thanks! 

Which is your favourite cover?

YA- Not Children's, Not Adult

I don't want to add to the argument because I feel there have already been some very intelligent comments that convey what I want to say in a much more eloquent way. What I do want to do is look at this comment from author Isaac Marion.

"I just think it's a ridiculous, pointless category. "Children's" is a useful category because it tells people it's written at a young reading level and doesn't contain any objectionable content. "Adult" is a useful category because it tells you it's not "Children's". YA is a useless category because teenagers and twentysomethings can and SHOULD read whatever the hell they want."

Let's not argue even more about the other quotes- of course I'm offended because I'm a teen reading YA. If you focus only on this quote, it raises a pretty greet discussion topic. What is YA and how is it different from Children's, Adult, or even this new genre, NA? Why does the genre YA even exist?

I'm starting with the obvious. I disagree 100% with the idea that YA is a useless category. As a teen (so, someone this applies to) I read different genres and levels. I read some MG, mostly YA, and some adult if it piques my interest and it's the type of thing I'm comfortable reading. Because let's face it, maybe I'm slightly prudish, but there are some stuff that I'm uncomfortable reading about. It's not only the overly descriptive sex acts in some books, but also reading about aging (I'm 15 and wrinkles and stuff is not something I even want to consider at this point, marriage (doesn't interest me) or having children (nope) are all stuff that I wouldn't ever pick up this year, next year, or even the year after. I can't relate to that stuff.

I'm not being stupid here. I know that those are only a few example of topics and characters in adult reads. In all honesty, I want to read about people my age, or a little bit older/younger with the same mentality and POV as me.I want to real about real life the way I believe it's real. So yeah, I want to read about my age group. YA facilitates that. I can read about people I relate with. I don't relate with people starting careers at this point: I want to read about high school, or maybe even university. I want books that are mature, or silly, with substance, or fluff, I don't care. I want both. I don't want to have to search through an entire library for a book that appeals to me since I'm living in an in-between stage. I don't want to feel a little out of place searching through books with my six year old sister in the kids section, or beside my mom in the adult ocean. I love having a section just for me- a section I can feel comfortable in. A section that doesn't necessarily belong to my age group, but one I'm welcome in.

People don't one day change from children to adults. There is a transition and that in the book world is YA. People should read whatever the hell they want to read (I agree), but if a librarian or bookseller feels a book can be something a YA audience will enjoy because it's about topics they'd care about, no matter who it's written for -- adults or children -- it has a right to be shelved in YA.

YA is that transition stage between Children's and Adult, and the beauty of that is that so many books have crossover appeal. I do not believe a book is either only a Children's read or an Adult read: they can be both. A book can be read by multiple audiences. The very powerful books do just that.

So YA, as defined by me: book that could appeal to teens. Frequently features common themes in teenage life (e.g. dealing with relationship, school, social pressure, coming of age). May or may not be about youth.

Those are just a few terms that I thought of though there are probably more. To be a YA novel, in essence, all a book has to do is be enjoyed by teens. 

This definition is one I really like. YA isn't dumbed down stories vocabulary-wise with no substance and full of fluff. YA is also not only mature, classical reads. YA can be anything, just like teens. Some teens are more mature, some... less. Just because a book is shelved YA doesn't mean it can't appeal to other age groups. Just because a book is shelved YA doesn't mean it will appeal to all teens. Just because a book isn't shelved YA doesn't mean it won't appeal to YA readers.

I think that all readers are good enough at finding books that appeal to them, so in general maybe shelving books in multiple sections is a good idea. Labels are useful means of organizing stuff, but they're not absolute. Sometimes they're given way too much power when the only thing about a book that should matter is the actual content.

I feel like if we just shelved books where we thought people would enjoy them everyone would be happy. Some books not specifically YA should be shelved in the YA section (like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter) and some books that are YA should be shelved in other sections (Code Name Verity comes to mind).

What do you think?

Review: Waterfall

Author: Lisa T. Bergren

Pages: 369

Publisher: David C. Cook

Source: Library

Synopsis: Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds...until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.

Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting.

Buy the Book (Amazon/ )

Waterfall was one of those books that had it all and was executed perfectly. I've read so many reviews of people being surprised at how much they liked it. I'm one of them. Time travelling is generally something that doesn't always interest me as the storyline will be very similar in all stories but for Waterfall it worked.

I'd like to first say I love Gabi. Gabriella is strong, clever and loyal. I can sometimes get so annoyed with main characters throwing themselves at guys or general stupidity but Gabi was smart! She talked with the voice of a teen and I loved reading in her perspective. The way she adapted was impressive and I love reading about resourceful people.

I enjoyed most of the other characters. Fortino for example was a side character but well drawn out. I liked him a lot. The obvious mean girl would have been Lady Rossi so I was pleased when Lisa T. Bergen gave her more depth as a character.

Marcello the love interest was divine. You'll love Marcello. Sexy Italian, commanding, and a gentleman. His best friend, Luca, did garner my interests too. I was happy with that.

The setting... I thought it was great. I know about nothing about that era and I can't begin to remember the last book I read that took place in Italy. There were many differences from modern NA culture that were evident from speech to how women were treated. I do have to say that Gabi had a fair bit of fortune on her side. I'm not sure how historically accurate Waterfall is but I was having too much fun to care.

The plot was really good. There was always something happening and the story progressed at a good pace. I wasn't really ever bored. Waterfall had action, battles, blood, but there was romance and more day to dayish scenes. And of course there were many questions: Will Gabi ever find her way back at home? Will she ever see her family again? The ending was also well done. At one point there was an ending that I thought for a split, frenzied second that it was going to be a cliffhanger. But nope, I flipped the page and there was more.

Overall, I recommend this to many people. It's honestly just a solid story that will appeal to many for lots of different reasons. Romance, history, action, time travel, court life... All that and more can be found within these pages. 4 stars,

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