Follow Me by Sara Shepard

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Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Book Groups for the opportunity to read and review Follow Me by Sara Shepard! The story begins with Brett and his prospects and then alternates with each of the main characters from the first book, Amateurs. Seneca is an intern handing out parking tickets, Maddox is still working on his running and wants to go to the Olympics, Aerin took a vacation and Madison is enjoying life, as she always does. Madison brings a letter to Maddox at the gym and they’re floored when they find out who it’s from and what it’s about. The Case Not Closed group is back again! The mystery, suspense and thrills are back in this sequel and so are the twists! 5 stars for another great mystery by Sara Shepard!

House of Furies by Madeleine Roux

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House of furies by Madeleine Roux tells the story of Louisa, a fortune teller, who is given a gold coin by an older woman and offered a job at Coldthistle House. There’s more to the old woman than Louisa realizes and she’s not sure what to think of her. On their way to Coldthistle House, the wagon wheel breaks and a passing wagon stops to help them. These travelers are on their way to Coldthistle House too. Once Louisa finally reaches their destination, she finds out more than she bargained for and discovers that she will supposedly never leave. The art on the cover and introductions of the chapters are beautifully spooky and appropriate for the story. With interesting relationships and creepiness, I read this book nonstop. 4 Stars!

The Mortician’s Daughter: One Foot in the Grave by C.C. Hunter

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The Mortician’s Daughter: One Foot in the Grave by CC Hunter- Riley lost her mother when she was four years old. She lives with her father who is a mortician. She’s been attending her new school for less than two weeks and knows only a few people. They have moved twice lately due to her father losing his jobs. Riley is worrying about whether or not he’s an alcoholic or depressed. Riley gets visits from ghosts of the people her father has helped prepare for burial. The visitors need Riley’s help and until she helps them they keep visiting. I have a soft spot for Ford Mustangs and it’s cool that Riley has a Mustang and deals with the car’s maintenance and mechanical issues with her dad. The more I read, the more I realized how complicated Riley’s life is. I don’t want to give anything away, but the story just kept getting better and better. The dynamic characters are interesting and the suspense grows in intensity and I was on the edge of my seat as the story ended! I want the sequel now!!! 5 stars for pure supernatural entertainment!

Saving Brad by Siobhan Davis

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Saving Brad by Siobhan Davis is the fifth book in the Kennedy Boys series. The author brings the reader up to speed with perfection and the complex storyline continues with the characters returning to their sophomore year at Harvard. Rachel and Brad deal with their tumultuous relationship among both of their families’ problems. They realize that they’re becoming friends after they both finally let their guard down. Suspense filled storyline and dynamic characters are Siobhan Davis’ mark and make this book another highly recommended new adult read. 5 stars!

I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book.

Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather

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Haunting the deep by Adriana Mather is the sequel to How To Hang a Witch by the same author. It’s great to be back in Sam’s life. I find the historical connections that the author has to her books’ content amazing. The historical connection has Sam as a descendant of Cotton Mather in the first book, How To Hang a Witch and ancestors that survived the Titanic tragedy for this book! Sam has been ghost free for six months now and suddenly she’s seeing apparitions again. Abby, who asks Sam for her boot hook, and a dripping wet man that smells like sea water are appearing. The ghosts end up complicating Sam’s life again, but this time she has help from the Descendants. Sam has received mysterious objects and has been dreaming of being a passenger on the Titanic. While Sam is dreaming of being on the Titanic, she has no memories of her present self and she’s being manipulated by an unknown person or spirit. Elijah is helping to figure out what or who is causing the hauntings also. When Sam figures out who’s causing the problem behind the ghostly episodes, she needs all the help she can get! 5 stars for this fun, suspenseful sequel!

Berserker by Emmy Laybourne

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Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the opportunity to read Berserker by Emmy Laybourne! Hanne has inherited Norwegian Berserker powers and supposedly this is what drove her mother away. Hanne lives with her drinking father, two brothers and a younger sister. Her eldest brother Steig wants to move to America, get a teaching job and bring his siblings to America when he has enough money. Hanne’s story alternates with Owen Bennett’s, who’s treated badly by his family because he’s the product of Mr. Bennett’s past affair. Hanne is overtaken by the Berserker powers when she senses that her family is in danger and she kills the three men that mean to cause harm to her family and her father ends up dying also. The four siblings run away from their home. Meanwhile, two men, Rolf and Ketil, are sent by a Baron, their employer, to hunt down any Nytte, anyone with Norwegian descent that has inherited Viking strengths. They all travel to America. Owen meets the siblings when he saves Sissel from a moving train so she can be with her family. Owen becomes the family’s guide. Along the way to their uncle’s home in Montana, the group braves many setbacks and they also meet Ketil and Rolf. The story comes full circle with much action and adventure involved and the loyalty of friends and family is what I enjoyed the most in this book. 4 stars for a suspense filled mythological adventure!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

Fracture by Kaitlyn Davis

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Fracture by Kaitlyn Davis is the third book in the Midnight Ice series. Pandora discovers things about Jax and about Sam. Now she has to choose between them and stay strong to keep her choices with conviction. Pandora has deep loyalty to her werejaguar friend, Naya and she’ll do whatever it takes to save her. I love Pandora, her loyalty and integrity. The author’s descriptive language brings the characters to life and makes the setting beautiful at times and other times painful, but always real enough to put me inside the story and into Pandora’s world. The ending is a cliffhanger and has left me anxious for the next and final book of this series. 5 stars for this supernatural fantasy!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

Seize Today by Pintip Dunn

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Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Seize Today by Pintip Dunn. The third book in the Forget Tomorrow series is told in Olivia’s point of view. I enjoy the sense of humor that Olivia has gained to help her handle her strange situation. Olivia has lived her whole life being belittled and neglected by her mother, the chairwoman, who wants to commit genocide on her own society. Olivia is brave and tricks her mother to help Ryder escape so the two of them can help the outsiders. The complexities of the world continue to grow and solutions continue to be brought to light. Olivia’s relationships become strained and she proves herself trustworthy over and over again to build her friendships and to build the trust her friends have in her. This final book of the series brings the plot full circle. 4 stars for the conclusion of this dystopian trilogy!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

27 Hours by Tristina Wright

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Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review 27 Hours by Tristina Wright. Rumor loses his father when they’re attacked by Hellhounds and a dragon. A gargoyle, speaking their language, rode the dragon as its leader. When the gargoyle spoke he yelled to find Vala, so they seem to be searching for someone. Rumor’s dad ordered him to run and to warn others of an imminent attack. Rumor ends up in Epsilon. He meets with Dahlia, an old acquaintance. The hormones all over the place became confusing. Then we meet Jude who sees emotions and intentions of others in different colors. He knows deception and truth because of his sense; I did enjoy this power. Dahlia’s best friend Nyx wears hearing aids and they practice sign language together, which is awesome and interesting. Nyx has a crush on Dahlia and this became too sappy. The setting is eventually explained, a two hundred year-long journey from Earth to colonize in space. I kind of got tired of hearing about everyone being gay because if somewhere down the line there are no heterosexuals then we will become extinct and if colonization is a priority then reproducing should be a priority also. I guess maybe they can produce test tube babies or something similar. This book is more about categorizing sexual preferences and less about the plot, which was annoying to me. I enjoyed the descriptions of the chimera and found them interesting. I also enjoyed Braeden’s and Rumor’s sarcastic humor. The conflict and prejudice of the war on the Saharan moon took precedence for a while and that’s interesting enough to pull me into the story but then, for some reason, even though everyone is worried about death and impending battle in less than 16 hours, they act like they have time for sex. Attraction and love were being confused with each other. Just because you’re attracted to someone you just met, doesn’t mean you love them and I feel that too many people use the word “love” too lightly. 3.5 stars for the storyline and world building.
* I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

Avalonia Chronicles Books 1 and 2 by Faarah Oomerbhoy

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The Last of the Firedrakesby Faarah Oomerbhoy is a tale about a girl named Aurora. Aurora had been with her adoptive family since she was two years old until their fatal car accident and now she’s living with her adoptive father’s brother and his family. Her aunt is rude and lets Aurora know often that she’s not cared for and her cousin gives her the same treatment. The family visits an estate where Uncle christopher gives Aurora away to a dangerous looking man, named Lord Oblek. Lord Oblek takes her back into the tapestry that he came out of. Aurora is taken to a prison and placed in a pit with other prisoners who are scheduled to be executed the next morning, Kalen and Finn. The two of them are Fae and each has a distinct personality. The Black Wolf, Rafe who is a mage, saves all three from the prison confines. When they arrive at their safe meeting place, Rafe discovers who Aurora truly is as she tells him how she came to be a prisoner. Aurora is the rightful heir to the kingdom that Morgana stole from the king and queen when Aurora was two years old. Aurora needs to stay hidden or Morgana will have her killed just as she killed the king and queen all those years ago. The safest place for Aurora, according to Rafe, is with her granduncle Duke Gabriel Silverthorne. Once she has met the duke and his family, Aurora is sent to attend a magic school, Evolon, to receive magical training. On the way she meets with a thousand-year old Fae that changes Aurora’s appearance so Morgana will not find her. Aurora now goes by Rory and she’s enjoying and learning from her classes but she’s still trying to get used to her plain appearance a little at a time. This book has many similarities to Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings but stands well on its own merits of dynamic characters, increasing plot twists and conflict. The setting is described beautifully and The Last of the Firedrakes is a wonderfully told fantasy worth 5 stars!

The Rise of the Dawnstar by Farah Oomerbhoy was fantastic! Wow, this sequel to the Last of the Firedrakes really packs a punch! Full of action, adventure, intrigue and plot twists, this story continues to pull me further into its world. Love, loss and uncovered secrets built intense relationships and kept my interest. I can’t wait for the next book in the Avalonia Chronicles. 5 stars!