Tag: young adult

The Argent Star (The Monarchy: Book 1) by Emerson Fray

The Argent Star (The Monarchy Book 1) by [Fray, Emerson]

2 Stars

Publisher: D L Miles

Date of Publication: June 7th, 2015

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult

The Argent Star – Book 1

The Howling Jade – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon |Barnes & Noble

Book synopsis:

What happens when your decisions affect an entire universe?

Ren Argent wanted to be an archeologist and spend her life exploring the lost cities of Earth. But when a new planet is discovered and her father is appointed King, she has to leave behind everything she knows to rule over a place she’s only heard of in legends.

Not long after her arrival, she discovers there are insurgents hiding in the darkened forests and the planet is on the brink of civil war. It won’t be long until the Monarchy steps in to “neutralize” the threat.

Will she be able to stop the hostile takeover? Or will her actions ignite a rebellion across the universe?

My review:

I wanted to like this book. I mean, the storyline is great:

Girl goes to another plant and saves its inhabitants from an evil reign set on wiping them out.

Unfortunately, even a great storyline can’t help awful characters.

I could not stand Ren. She came across as whiny in some parts of the story and childish in other parts. Her relationship with her father was nonexistent because she was still carrying a grudge over something that happened over seven years earlier. The only person that actually likes her is her brother Elian, and she treated him like a child half the time. Two people call her out on her BS: Sheridan, her Sotarian bodyguard, and Abetha, her Guide (a servant). Those scenes I liked.

She did because almost bearable during the last half of the book but, she acted like a child and it drove me nuts. Definitely not my favorite character of all times.

The substory of the rebels was good and I enjoyed the twist that happened midway through the book. It changed my view of one character.

The ending was really good (and this is where Ren almost redeemed herself) and the substory lines were tied up in a very satisfactory way. But it ended in a cliffhanger, which again, drove me nuts. I can’t stand them.

There is a 2nd book in the series but I am not sure if I want to read it or not. Like I said above, Ren grated on my nerves and I couldn’t read another book with her in it.

I would give The Argent Star an Older Teen rating. There are no sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 10 read this book.

I would not reread The Argent Star. I would not recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Billionaire Stepbrother: Our Bad Romance (Young Adult Romance Book Series: Book 1) by K. Robinson

Billionaire Stepbrother: Our Bad Romance (Young Adult Romance Book Series 1) by [Robinson, K.]

2 Stars

Publisher: Love & Romance

Date of publication: October 25th, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Series: Young Adult Romance Book Series

Billionaire Stepbrother: Our Bad Romance – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Seth McGregory is not your average badass biker guy. Yeah, he may love beer and cigarettes, bars, motorcycles, and heavy rock but there’s something more than what meets the eye. He found himself madly in love with his step-sister, Caroline. This is obviously not right but he thinks there’s nothing wrong with falling in love with someone that doesn’t share your bloodline.

At first, Caroline was skeptical when she found out about his love but soon enough, she finds herself falling for him too. This creates huge dilemmas and sacrifices between them, along with the disapproval from their parents when they find out.

Seth will do about anything to make sure he can have Caroline to himself without a worry. The question is, how will he be able to convince their parents and make them approve of their twisted, sick relationship?

My review:

Seth McGregory is a billionaire that comes from a family of billionaires (if that makes sense). In the first scene, he is buying his stepsister, Caroline, a ruby-encrusted infinity symbol for her birthday that costs over $9,000…..which he has the cash for.

Seth is in a bit of a dilemma. He has strong feelings for Caroline but hasn’t acted on them because A) he isn’t sure she has the same feelings and B) his parents would freak out. But he has decided that he can’t keep his feelings to himself any longer. So he shows up at her house (because every 19-year-old has their own home) to give her his gift, and he confesses his attraction to her. At first, she is pretty grossed out and throws him out. But after a couple of days of thinking about it, she calls him and asks him to come back to her house and confesses her attraction to him. Use your imagination as to what happened next.

After two months of basically sneaking around, they decide to come clean to their parents. Their reactions were what I expected.

This is the first stepbrother romance that I have reviewed (I have read longer books), and I have to say that I am on the fence about it. Seth and Caroline lacked “ummph,” and there was no explosive sexual attraction between them. There was no heat in the sex scenes either.

The only real thing in the book was their parent’s reaction, at first. Dad was the most ticked off. But then they did a turnaround and said that they knew that they were dating and keeping it under wraps because people will judge.

I would give Billionaire Stepbrother: Our Bad Romance an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is explicit language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would not reread  Billionaire Stepbrother: Our Bad Romance. I would not recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

A Coronation of Kings (A Kingdom Divided: Book 1) by Samuel Stokes

A Coronation of Kings (A Kingdom Divided Book 1) by [Stokes, S.C.]

4 Stars

Publisher: Samuel Stokes

Date of publication: September 25th, 2015

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: A Kingdom Divided

A Coronation of Kings—Book 1

When The Gods War—Book 2

A Kingdom in Chaos—Book 3

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Tyranny. Desperation. Rebellion.

While Tristan may be the heir to the House of Listar, at heart he’s more a lad than a lord.

Mad with power, the ruthless and scheming Baron of Belnair will stop at nothing to gain the crown. In the dead of night, the Baron massacres Tristan’s family and burns their home to the ground. Desperate and alone, Tristan must fight for his life and his people.

With everything at stake, Tristan must unite the unlikeliest of allies to block the Baron’s ascent. For the first time in his life, he must become the leader he was born to be.

The Baron’s armies grow as an ancient magic stirs in the mountains. If Tristan fails, the throne, his freedom, and the love of his life will be lost forever.

A Coronation of Kings is the first book in this exciting new fantasy series. If you like fast-paced adventures, spellbinding sorcery, and wondrous new worlds, you will love Samuel Stokes’ A Coronation of Kings.

My review:

I love to read a fantasy novel and get lost in the worlds that the authors create. Having 3 kids, with one being a toddler, I need that escape sometimes. So, needless to say, I am always on the lookout for a book that can do that for me.

A Coronation of Kings is a book that you can get lost in. From the prologue, where Lord Marcus was burying his wife who died in childbirth to the middle of the book where Tristan joins The Guild of Thieves to the end of the book…I got lost in it. Which is a good thing. The world building and the character building that the author put into this book are astounding. You can’t help but imagine the mountains, the plains, the seas, the coastal cities that are featured in this book.

The storyline involving Tristan was pretty intense the whole way through. I kinda felt bad for him because he didn’t really get a break from all of the fighting throughout the book. It was one battle after another for him. But he never complained and I think he actually thrived on it. You could see the progression of his character from a carefree teen to a warrior. I loved it!!!

The storyline involving Syrion was just as intense but in a different way. Syrion takes after his mother, Elaina who is an Astarii (the best way to describe her is a sorceress). The scenes where he is training and learning to control his powers were awesome. He is beyond gifted with the power of sorcery and there is also the deal with the tattoo of the golden dragon on his back (want to know what the story about that….read the book).

I should also mention that Tristan and Syrion are twins. Elaina faked her death to leave with Syrion for sanctuary in Tolanis….a city that is fiercely guarded by its inhabitants. The reason she left is that Marcus’s people, the Listarii, were deeply superstitious and Marcus feared that Syrion wouldn’t be safe there if they found out about his tattoo.

There are some lesser storylines that are also in the book but they really didn’t add too much to the story and most of them were wrapped up at various points in the book.

The ending was pretty spectacular but the author did leave some storylines wide open. Which makes me think he is considering a sequel. Actually, I hope he is considering a sequel.

I would give A Coronation of Kings an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread A Coronation of Kings. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Esper Files (Esper Files: Book 1) by Egan Brass

Esper Files

4 Stars

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of Publication: October 26th, 2016

Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

Series: Esper Files

Esper Files – Book 1

Esper Files: The Sky Cult – Book 2 (expected publication date: January 25th, 2017)

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book Synopsis:

When an experiment goes wrong in Victorian London, Espers, people with supernatural abilities are created. In order to counter this new potential threat, the Institute is set up to teach Espers how to use their abilities for good and how to hunt down those who want to use their powers for evil.

Gifted with a formidable but self-destructive ability, Nathan is one of the Institute’s top agents. When the evil Baron executes his plan to control the minds of London’s political leaders, peace is dependent on Nathan and his team.

Will he learn to control his powers in time to save the world? Or will he succumb to their self-destructive nature?

My review:

I was so excited when I realized that this was another steampunk novel. I must have missed it in the blurb.

This book is fascinating. It starts with the Professor giving a demonstration on Electro-Magnetic energy at The Oxford Academy of Science to a crowd of people, including some influential Lords. Unfortunately, there was an accident involving a storm that blew up the lab, which was called the Great Storm. But not only the lab was destroyed in the Great Storm. Something was released, and it began to affect 20% of the Earth’s population with paranormal powers and natures. That was the day that the Espers were created.

Fast forward 30 years into the future, and Nathan and James, who are Espers, are introduced. They are about to jump off an airship and use James’s power of teleportation (he can teleport anywhere he has seen once) to the Bank of England, where there is a robbery occurring. After a bloody and fire-filled fight (one of the rogue Espers could control fire), they end up back at the Institute with the rogue Esper, who was robbing the bank.

While Nathan is being healed that it is disclosed that he has a rare paranormal ability. Just by touching another Esper, he gets their abilities and the emotions associated with them. It is while interrogating Firebrand (the rogue Esper), they find out that there is a diabolical plan being set into action by a mysterious Esper named The Baron. The first plan was to rob the Bank of England for a mind-control device. The second plan is to kidnap a 9-year-old Esper called The Siren. The reason the boy is called The Siren is that he has a voice that can hypnotize people, and The Baron needs him for his diabolical plan.

That’s when Freya is introduced. She is The Siren’s (aka Cyrus) older sister and his protector. Freya is also an Esper, but she has repressed her powers until the night that a trio of blood-drinking Espers brutally murders her adoptive mother and father. After that, her brother is kidnapped by The Baron’s assassin.

Freya is rescued from the ice block she made of her house and neighborhood by Nathan and brought back to the Institute. There she is told about the plan to use Cyrus for a nefarious reason. That is when she decides to take action.

I felt terrible for Freya at first, but then she got on my nerves. She didn’t listen and found herself in some pretty dangerous situations while not knowing how to use her powers. I said to my Kindle, “Just listen to Nathan, you silly girl” during the last battle.

I liked Nathan, but I couldn’t imagine the toll his power had on him. What I liked, even more, was that he used Tai Chi to ground himself and to keep his emotions in check after gaining a new power. Plus, he was able to use it in battle at the end of the book when his powers wouldn’t have been able to help him, and I liked that. He was also a sarcastic, cheeky son of a gun, and his mouth did get him in trouble (and made me laugh).

Not going to go into the story from there but man, it was full of action and evil people doing evil things. There is one scene of an Esper taking over another Esper’s mind that freaked me out. Also, The Baron at the end of the book was downright spooky.

Not going to go into the story from there but man, it was full of action and evil people doing evil things. There is one scene of an Esper taking over another Esper’s mind that freaked me out. Also, The Baron at the end of the book was downright spooky.

There wasn’t a happy ending with this book. Some storylines were wrapped up, others were left open, and new ones were started. It paved the way for a second book, which I can’t wait to read

.

I would give Esper Files an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Esper Files. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

SkyWhisperers by Natasja Hellenthal

SkyWhisperers: A Lesbian Dystopian Fantasy novel by [Hellenthal, Natasja]

4 Stars

Publisher: Beyond Books Press

Date of publication: January 29th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTIA, Romance, Young Adult

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

With the disappearing of the winds, the magic held by the once-mighty, immortal Sky Whisperers was shattered. Their influence over the natural world lost. Now only the small powers are left to Xenthia and her people, helping to sustain life–what little remains. For the world of Lorian is hot, dry and dying.                

Unaware of her involvement in this, crippled and one-eyed Nemsa, leads a small, miserable life in a mountain village, close to where she was found as a baby, twenty-five years before. When one day she meets the alluring Xenthia it becomes clear that her path lies far above and beyond all she is familiar with.      

But what is expected of her? How can she trust what she has been told? And how can Nemsa even hope to stand up against the supremacy of a powerful, vengeful, and ambitious Sun Whisperer? Will the love and courage in her heart be enough?

Magic is at work, a fatal sickness is spreading among mortals and immortals alike, the sun is brutally beating down, and the fate of all hangs in the balance. And if Nemsa is to fulfill her destiny and save the world, she must find her way through it all . . .

Follow Nemsa and Xenthia in this Epic, Dystopian, YA Interracial Lesbian Fantasy tale of courage, true love, redemption, and hope.

My review:

SkyWhisperers starts 25 years past a catastrophic event that shakes the land of Lorian. The wind is gone, and when the wind disappeared, the land just stopped producing. There were barely any crops because of the relentless sun beating down. Animals started dying off, and the ones that did survive came out at night. Same with the birds. The rain was uncommon, and fires were rampant. In more recent years, a terrible sickness started cutting through the remaining human population. It was hell on earth.

Nemsa is a crippled outcast in her village. She is shunned because the villagers hold her accountable for the winds stopping. The day after they stopped, she was found lying on a path by her adoptive mother. She was treated horribly by those villagers when she was younger, but she got over it, and it made her into the woman I met in this book.

Nemsa is wandering some old ruins by her town when she meets Xenthia, a Sky Whisperer. There was almost an instant attraction between Nemsa and Xenthia (who Nemsa calls Blue), but neither is willing to act on it. If a Sky Whisperer becomes emotionally attached to a mortal, they lose their immortality and powers, and that is something that Xenthia does NOT want to do. So their attraction is held too long, stares at each other and longing.

Nemsa goes with Xenthia to the Upper Sky Dome (where the Sky Whisperers live) after finding out who her parents are. Her father was a Sky Whisperer and her mother a mortal. He lost his powers because he fell in love with her mother. Unfortunately, she didn’t return his love, and that enraged him. So he visited her and raped her….which caused her to get pregnant with Nemsa. Then, which was the kicker here, he found out when she was in labor, got very angry when she refused to be with him, lashed out with the powers he had left, killed her and severely injured Nemsa in the process (hence her blind eye and bad leg). Xenthia wanted her to go to Upper Sky to see if A) she could be a Sky Whisperer and B) to go and vanquish her father….who had imprisoned the 4 Guardians of the World and in turn, stopped the winds.

I loved the transformation that Nesma went through in this book. She went from a scared, disabled girl to a woman who had to be strong enough to defeat a madman and save the world. It was terrific, and I loved it!!

I didn’t care for Xenthia for the first half of the book. She was leading Nesma, but at the same time, she wasn’t. It is hard to explain, and you need to read the book to understand what I am trying to explain. The sex scenes, when it finally did happen, were tastefully written. Nothing explicit. More of just the feelings between these two women as they finally realize they are in love with each other.

On that note, I also liked that the author made same-sex relationships the norm in Upper Sky Dome. Nesma was amazed when she found that out. The reason why the Guardians are the only ones who can procreate, and they fostered same-sex in their children. Not saying that there were heterosexual relationships, there were, but same-sex relationships were preferred.

This story is in 1st person perspective from both Xenthia and Nesma’s perspective. This is the one time that I will say that I liked it. Usually, jumping from character to character in a book drives me nuts, but it worked here.

The rest of the story was fantastic, but I am not going to go into it. There is a twist almost at the end of the book that I did see coming, but when it was revealed, it still took my breath away.

I would give SkyWhisperers an Older Teen rating. There is sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread SkyWhisperers. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

I Was a Bitch by Emily Ruben

I Was a Bitch: A Romance Mystery Book by [Ruben, Emily]

4 Stars

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of publication: October 10th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Young Adult

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

After waking up from a coma, Lacey Jones discovers that she is the ruling queen bitch of high-school and in the middle of a love triangle with two guys. If only she hadn’t lost all memory of it!

When Lacey Jones wakes up after a horrific accident, she realizes that she’s lost all memory of the last two years. In this time, she has turned from a wallflower into the gorgeous and popular Queen Bee of her high school. Adding to the confusion, she is confronted with two guys who claim to love her; her football star boyfriend and the mysterious and attractive Finn.

Now Lacey has to figure out who she can trust as she starts to put her life back together and slowly discovers what really happened on the night of the accident.

Will she be able to resist her developing feelings for Finn and stay loyal to her boyfriend?

My review:

I Was a Bitch is a book that you definitely shouldn’t judge by its cover or title. When I first started reading it, I thought it was going to be a Mean Girls knock-off. What I got, instead, was this excellent book where the main character has to discover not only herself but what happened to her the night got into the accident that led to her 2-month coma.

Imagine thinking that you are 16 again and being told, nope, you are 18 and almost graduating high school. It was a shock to Lacey. The passage where she sees her face was hilarious and a little sad

I had boobs. And my teeth were white and aligned like a model’s. My hair was a chestnut-brown with beautiful waves, framing my-dare I say-perfect face. But it wasn’t the most shocking thing. No, no. The thing was: I looked…way older. Like, eighteen-years-old girl older

When she meets Mel, Claire, and Derek, she can’t believe that these people who look like models are her best friends and boyfriend.

Then she meets Finn and omg, did the sparks fly between them. There was instant chemistry. Finn leaves her his laptop, and she finds out that there is something between them. What, she isn’t sure (remember that the last two years of her memory is gone).

She also realizes that she wasn’t a very nice person before her accident. She figures that out by reading texts and looking at pictures of her drunk at parties. She starts to feel very ashamed about some of the things that she did before the accident.

It isn’t very long for her to realize that there is something up about the night of her accident (Derek wasn’t exactly smooth about his questions). She is determined to get her memory back. When she starts to have memory flashes, she gets closer to what happened and the events leading up to it. Finn was a godsend to her during this time. He tried to jog her memory and was so sweet to her. I did “awwwww” during about 90% of his scenes with her.

Her romance with Finn was sweet, but it did seem to be a little one-sided at first. She kept stringing him along while still going out with Derek, and it bothered me. She was stringing him along before the accident, and she was stringing him along after the accident. In Lacey’s defense, though, she had no memory and people were telling her that she and Derek were still together. They also had no clue about Finn (maybe because he was her side guy).

Derek started nice and then morphed into something else. The comment about Finn’s mother started me down the path of not liking him, and by the end of the book, I couldn’t stand him. I cheered when Lacey did what she did to him. He deserved it.

The ending was perfect, and the epilogue, there are no words to describe it. I cried during it, that is how emotionally vested I got in Lacey’s (and eventually Finn’s) story.

I would give I Was a Bitch an Older Teen rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread I Was a Bitch. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Necrobloods by Lauren Stock and Robert Stock

Necrobloods by [Stock, Lauren, Stock, Robert]

5 Stars

Publisher: Dragon Girl Press

Date of publication: November 10th, 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

16 year old Celeste Boyd casts Elemental magic. With the great battle coming, she and her best friend Gena are learning more about their abilities. Even more pressing, though, are the basketball finals and the mysterious new boy in school, Carter Wells. Celeste now has to choose between her crush and Carter, who is showing quite the interest. And then there are the crazy dreams with the huge dragon eye…

My review:

Another great book from the authors Lauren and Robert Stock. Also, another book that is going on my “must get B when she turns older” shelf. I seriously have a list of books that I am getting her which includes Lauren and Robert’s Tamzin Clarke series.

I liked Celeste. She was your typical teenager with a twist. See, she lives in Salem MA and she can cast Elemental magic. She also plays basketball and is crushing on her friend Gena’s older brother and the popular boy in school. Life is good for her.

Then the principal of her high school is murdered, and she meets Carter, the gorgeous new kid in school. Sparks fly between them, which I thought was cute. Later on, that night, while she was lying in bed, her nightmares begin. The next day, at Gena’s pool party, Luke and Sean get into a fight over her, and Celeste faints. While she faints, she has a bizarre and gross vision involving blood and Luke.

Fast forward a few days, and Gena fills Celeste in on something that her parents had been keeping from her. Every thousand years, there is a war for dominance between Elementals and Spirituals. 10 people from each faction are called to an arena, and they fight each other to the death — the last faction standing rules for the next thousand years. Anyone from the ages of 16 on can be chosen. And guess what, the thousand years are about to be done with. Of course, Celeste is pretty upset that her parents never told her.

From this point on, the book gets pretty impressive. Another character is introduced, Camille, who is a Spiritual and who seems to hate Celeste on sight. Carter and Celeste’s relationship heats up, as does her relationship with Sean. I was wondering who she was going to choose and wasn’t surprised by her choice.

There are a couple of twists in the book that took me by surprise and a couple I did see coming but weren’t prepared for.

The ending of the book was great, and everything was wrapped up perfectly. I was left wondering if there will be a book 2.

I would give Necrobloods an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread Necrobloods. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Tamzin Clarke v The Mummy (Tamzin Clarke: Book 2) by Lauren Stock and Robert Stock

Tamzin Clarke v the Mummy by [Stock, Lauren, Stock, Robert]

Publisher: Dragon Girl Press

Date of publication: July 23rd, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Fantasy

Series: Tamzin Clarke

Tamzin Clarke V Jack the Ripper – Book 1 (review here)

Tamzin Clarke V The Mummy – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

Life was finally getting back to normal after Jack the Ripper turned Tamzin’s town upside down. 

New excitement surrounds the Mummy Extravaganza exhibit at the science museum. Tamzin’s dad has received some of the artifacts, and he seems to have a past with the curator of the exhibit, Miral Nefertari.

Amidst all the excitement, people have started disappearing. Tamzin has been having dreams about pharaohs and priestesses from ancient Egypt. Could this have something to do with the scarab brooch she found in her father’s antique store?

Tamzin is on the case.

My review:

I am in love with this series!!

I reviewed Tamzin Clarke V Jack the Ripper back in September. I was impressed that a high schooler could write such an engaging book. Well, I am going to repeat that for this book. I am also going to say that the author is a very talented young lady (man, I sound so old saying that).

The book starts with Tamzin and Daniel talking. Daniel has told her how he feels about her, but Tamzin isn’t sure how to take it. She was flattered, and she likes him, but she has a boyfriend (Jimmy). Plus, there is the fact that he is a ghost, and he is the brother of her mother’s partner.

The next day, Tamzin is working in her dad’s antique shop when she receives a shipment of Egyptian items. They are going to be featured at the local museum in a pyramid exhibit called the Mummy Extravaganza. While she is unpacking (and checking) the items, she comes across an ankh that almost calls to her. A little weirded out (as I would be), she grabs a scarab beetle that had been shipped to her dad a few weeks ago. She puts it on (it’s like a brooch), it starts crawling on her, BITES her and she passes out. While she is passed out, she has a vision of a pharaoh and a high priestess. These, from the view of the servant girl and the pharaoh, continue throughout the book.

Not everything is OK in Tamzin’s world. Her mom is still in the hospital, recovering from her attack from Jack the Ripper. Her dad is enchanted with a new friend, the new museum curator and is at the museum helping her with the exhibit. Jimmy, her boyfriend, is growing distant with her. The only good thing is Daniel, the ghost. Tamzin is helping him try to figure out why he was murdered over 30 years ago. Also, she is forced into campaigning for Mayor Turner…who has decided to run for governor. So, yeah, she has a lot on her plate.

From there on, the book gets excellent. People are reunited, people break up, a toy monkey is trying to protect Tamzin, and The Mummy makes his appearance.

The ending was not something that I expected. I loved how the author introduced the next book (which I can’t wait to read).

How many stars will I give Tamzin Clarke V The Mummy: 5

Why: A great and inventive take on The Mummy. I would definitely let my early teen on up reading this book.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range: Teen

Why: No sex (some very innocent kisses), very mild violence

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

Moon Chosen (Tales of a New World: Book 1) by P.C. Cast

Moon Chosen: Tales of a New World by [Cast, P. C.]

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin Griffin

Date of publication: October 18th, 2016

Series: Tales of a New World

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Moon Chosen – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon|Barnes and Nobles

Goodreads synopsis:

Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…

Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik. Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all.

My review:

I am going start by warning you that this book is long, 608 pages. One of the longest I have read to date. But the character and world building in it is beyond anything that I have read before.

Mari is introduced as she is sketching the myth, Narcissus and Echo. It is a game that her mother and herself play to amuse themselves. Mari and Leda are Earth Walkers, and Leda is a Moon Woman. A Moon Woman brings down the moon to Wash her Clan, males of anger and Night Fever and females of sorrow. This has to be done every three days, or the males go, for lack of a better word, batshit crazy.

We also find out that Mari is a half-breed. She is half Earth Walker and half Companion. Companions are a race of people who live in the trees. They have Shepherds or Terriers that are connected to them, and they can read each other’s thoughts. The Earth Walkers live in fear of the Companions. Whenever they appear, people disappear. So it was surprising that a Companion and an Earth Walker fell in love and had a child. Mari was an infant when her father was killed. He was killed for committing what amounts to treason in the Companion society. He took fronds from a Mother Plant and refused to tell where he was bringing them.

The book then shifts to Dead Eye, a young man chosen to be a Harvester of his People, the Skin Stealers. They are a cannibalistic tribe that lives in what used to be cities. Dead Eye has had an epiphany of sorts. He has realized that The Reaper, a Goddess that his people worship, has gone mute. She hasn’t spoken in years, perhaps decades. He realizes that eating the flesh of The Others is killing his people. While on a hunt outside his cities limits, he kills a stag and strips the body of its flesh, which he packs around his cracked skin. It heals him, and he takes it as a sign that he is the Champion. After pronouncing The Reaper dead (well that’s what I got from it), he kills the Watchers, older women, who can speak to her. That’s when he meets Dove, an eyeless brunette beauty who calls herself an Oracle of the God. She becomes Dead Eye’s mate.

We also meet Nik, a Companion who lives in the trees. Nik is upset because he hasn’t been chosen by a Guardian (the Shepherds and Terriers) yet. He is hoping that the newest litter will have a pup choose him. What ends up happening, instead, is that the last puppy of that litter disappears while Nik has taken him down to the ground to use the bathroom. This leads to some pretty significant events in the book that include Mari.

The author does explain what happens to divide a civilization. There were several solar flares that decimated Earth’s population. The flares drove people to the forests, to the trees, or they stayed in the cities. Beyond killing all technology, the solar flare mutated both animals and insects. Spiders and roaches are mentioned, a lot, and I got so skeeved out reading about them. The animals can communicate with their chosen Companions. The remaining people formed into the Earth Walkers, Skin Stealers and Companions.

I am not going to go into the book much more after this because this post would take forever. Friendships are formed, people are saved, people die, and new alliances are formed. I can’t wait for book 2 to come out because I want to see what happens.

How many stars will I give Moon Chosen? 5

Why? A well written dystopian/fantasy. The world building and character building in this book, like I said above, is beyond anything that I have ever seen and I think has spoiled me for other books in the future.

Will I reread? Yes!!!

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range? Adult

Why? Violence, a scene of the after-effects of rape and a scene of attempted rape.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Escape Aether (The Trinity Key Trilogy: Book 2) by L.M. Fry

Escape Aether: A Teen Steampunk Novel (The Trinity Key Trilogy of the Aehter Series Book 2) by [Fry, L.M.]

Publisher: Eleah Enterprises

Date of publication: March 30th, 2016

Series: The Trinity Key Trilogy

Into Aether – Book 1 (review here)

Escape Aether – Book 2

Save Aether – Book 3

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

Valera longs to escape her sheltered life and overbearing mother. She just never imagines that her opportunity would arrive after being kidnapped.
Now she has a decision to make: face a world filled with danger and discover her own power, or return home where it’s safe and live in a gilded cage.

My review:

What an amazing 2nd book of the Trinity Key Trilogy!!

Escape Aether starts right where Into Aether leaves off, Valera being shoved off the airship platform. Julia kidnapped Valera because she believes that Valera can help her merge the rest of the Trinity Key. After saving Valera, they head straight away to Subterria. That’s where Julia thinks that her father had kept her part of the Trinity Key. Unfortunately, Subterria is in the middle of a civil war, caused when Julia’s father attacked Harmony’s Circus and Harem of the Horrific. While they are there, they meet up with Marcus Corvus, Valera’s step-uncle. Who was even eviler than I remembered in the first book. It is in Subterria that Valera starts harnessing aether and discovers that she can use/control heat.

Then the book shifts to Theo, who is still in Aetherland with her mother, father, Victor, Vivi, Nessie, and Victoria. Theo had discovered that she could cause storms and control lighting. She can also speak to Valera in her mind, but that link has been muted for some reason. The only reason that she knows Valera is alive is that she can still draw on aether. If Valera were dead, then she wouldn’t be able to draw on it. She makes the decision, with Victor and Nessie, that she is going back to Subterria to get Valera back. They get to Subterria shortly after Julia and Valera but get held up after Theo is attacked by Rufus Corvus. She is saved from him (and well, he was pushed to his death) by Victor and Benji, the strong man of Harmony’s circus. His death was awful. I had dreams of being crushed beneath gears for a few nights after I finished the book.

While they are there, they find out that Valera is willingly with Julia and that upsets both Theo and Victor. Valera does apologize to Theo and she wants Theo to tell her family that she loves them.

I’m sorry Theo. This is something I have to do. Tell my family that I love them.

They also find Titus, Victor and Valera’s stepfather, in the dungeon and decide to take him home to Victoria. When they arrive home, they are met by members of the Elder’s guard, which Theo takes out with aether. After she is taken into custody, she is charged, by the Elders of Aether, with heresy and treason. All because she and Valera combined their two keys.

On the Julia and Valera front, things aren’t going as well. After finding out that her father didn’t have the key, Julia decides to head to Boulder, Colorado. She is looking for a town called Goldsville. That is where her father’s vault is. While they were out on their adventure, Marcus finds Goldsville and where he thinks the vault might be, Azure Springs. So they head off to there.

Not going to go much into the book after this point. But I will say there is so much packed into the last half of the book, that it was hard for me to put down. Also, to see Julia and Valera’s transformations during the book was excellent.

I had started off the book not liking Julia. But as the book went on, and I read more and more about her life, I began to feel bad for her. Let’s say that she had it rough.

Valera had been hidden from the world by an overprotective mother and it showed. By the time Marcus came into the story, she was starting to develop a backbone. Her interactions with Marcus made her stronger.

The ending was not what I expected, but it was perfect. Not everything gets resolved and there are even more problems. I can’t wait to read the next book and see how the trilogy ends!!

How many stars will I give Escape Aether? 4

Why? A well-written steampunk/dystopia/fantasy. Very vividly written with great world-building, this is a series that stays with you even after you are done reading it.

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range: Teen

Why: Very clean. No sex (just a few kissing scenes with Theo and Victor). Mild violence and no language.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book