Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review Caraval by Stephanie Garber!  Scarlett and Donatella are treated harshly by their father. They have both always wanted to see Caraval since their grandmother told them stories about it years ago. They plan on running away to see Caraval and never coming back to their father. He has threatened them with harm if they ever leave and he has even gone to the extreme lengths of committing murder to keep Scarlett and Donatella on the island with him. Tella left their rooms a mess to make their father believe they were kidnapped while they sailed with Julian to Caraval, Legend’s private island. The game on Caraval that Legend controls is adventurous, daring, mysterious and frightening. Scarlett never knows, from beginning to end, what is real and what is just the game. I grew to care about Scarlett and I wanted her to finally find happiness. I also admire her for the bravery and love she demonstrates to help her sister, Tella. Their father is selfish and violent and I wanted the sisters to be free of him. I also like the setting and time the story takes place in. It was familiar but also new at the same time because of Stephanie Garber’s clever writing. 5 stars for the magical mystery of the game and all of its characters!

Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger is a unique story involving mythology characters that control the weather. Vane lost his parents in a tornado when he was younger, while he was saved by a mysterious girl that haunts his dreams. Now she’s interfering in his social life, but he isn’t sure what’s going on. She, Audra, shows herself to Vane and he’s relieved that she is real. At the same time, he’s confused about what she’s telling him he is and what they have to do. Audra blames herself for the death of Vane’s parents and her own father. Audra and Vane have to conquer the Stormwalkers and they have a limited amount of time to prepare. Their relationship goes for a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, but they learn to trust each other and build strength together. I give Let the Sky Fall 4 stars, for the first in a series that brings romance, action and fantasy together for a clean read!

Streaks of Blue by Jack Chaucer

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to Jack Chaucer for the opportunity to read and review his book, Streaks of Blue, book one of the Nikki White series! Nikki is befriending two students that she suspects need friends to prevent them from committing a horrendous act of violence after she has a dream that she feels is a premonition. Adam appreciates Nikki but Thomas doesn’t. Nikki discovers, along with Adam, how much Adam is truly dealing with. Through the ups and downs of friendship, Nikki and Adam grow and realize that people’s decisions are what make them, develop who they become and create the life they are living. The story pulls at the heart with emotions, startles the heart with suspense and washes away burden and brings out hope for our future. 5 stars for an honest and open story of realistic fiction and circumstances of real life. I appreciate the author’s nod to a fellow author, Cheryl Strayed and her memoir of her struggles and overcoming them. I look forward to reading the rest of the Nikki White series!

Island of Exiles by Erica Cameron

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Island of Exiles by Erica Cameron! The story begins with a group of desert dwellers racing home to beat the storm that is heading their way. Once home, the main character, Khya, is worrying about her sixteen year old brother, Yorri, who will be facing the Herynshi ritual that will decide whether he has magic or not. So far, Yorri hasn’t shown any signs of magic. The dusty, wind blown world that the author creates with her picturesque words feels real while reading the story. I could almost hear the wind and see the long tunics blowing around the characters’ forms. Tessen keeps trying to get Khya to dance with him and she keeps ignoring him because she’s annoyed at how nonchalant he acts about his skills and strength, but I see Tessen as being humble about them. Yorri finally shows magical skills and is honored, but soon afterward he dies. There is a mystery surrounding his death and it takes a group of trustworthy friends to help solve it. My favorite line in the book, which Khya says to Tessen, “Your determination to get into trouble with me is odd.” Made me chuckle! The group finds so much more waiting for them outside of their community than they could have ever dreamed. My rating – 4 stars for this fantasy fiction set in a dangerous desert and full of charismatic characters!

Shades of Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Blink for the ARC of Shades of Doon by Carey Corp! I didn’t enjoy the beginning of this book as much as I did Doon and Destined for Doon. It took me 100 pages to become interested in the story and for it to really get going. The first part of the book was too cutesy for me and contained too many plugs for Disney movies. I love Disney, but that did get annoying. Once the action started, I enjoyed it immensely. The story came alive and the main characters (Verranica, Makenna, Jamie and Duncan) made the book enjoyable. Each book has a mission for one of the main characters and in this third book, Kenna and Duncan are separated from Vee and Jamie. I am looking forward to the fourth book of the series, and I give 4 stars to the Shades of Doon for the comfort of familiar characters!

Any Boy But You by Julie Hammerle

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Any Boy But You by Julie Hammerle, which is the first book in the North Pole series! In the Minnesota town of North Pole, the town that celebrates Christmas year round, two sporting goods stores are competing for business. The two stores have been owned by the same families for fifty years and have been archenemies for decades. The families are both dealing with their own problems and difficulties among the business competition and within their families. We get to know the main characters, Elena and Oliver, well because of the alternating points of view. I enjoyed reading about the creative ideas that both businesses came up with to help gain customers, such as a North Pole version of Pokemon Go and the seasonal themes of both stores. This cute romantic story earns a 4 star rating from me for a diverse set of supporting characters and a unique setting!

The Hunt by Megan Shepherd

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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The Hunt by Megan Shepherd is the sequel to The Cage where humans are treated like displays for the entertainment of an otherworldly race. The characters become more dynamic and, after their escape attempt, have been placed in different settings. Cora is now a singer, others are dancers, a dollhouse family and some are placed as prey in a hunt. All of the captured are trying to work together to escape the planet and get to Earth. Cora has developed telekinesis and Cassian believes that Cora can beat the Gauntlet and prove that humans are intelligent. Cora is thrown into the hunt and she discovers a surprise about her predator. Using her telekinetic abilities, she kills him and Cassian takes the blame. The group escapes for Earth only to decide they need to save Cassian because he’s the only one who has a strong hope for humanity. The loyalty and action kept me reading this sci-fi dystopian and I am looking forward to The Gauntlet, the third book of the series, because of the four sets of puzzles that will be presented to the captured to prove that humans are sentient beings worthy of freedom; 4 stars!

Configured by Jenetta Penner

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Configured by Jenetta Penner is about Avlyn who lives in an all out dystopian society that does not allow anyone to choose their careers or future spouses, stilts all emotions and will not allow relationships with anyone that you cared about or knew before you became an adult. Avlyn’s twin brother, Ben, died when he was four years old and she doesn’t understand why. She misses him daily and wants to know what happened to cause his death. Anytime she asks questions about Ben, her foster parents become angry and tell her to not cause problems for the two of them. They do not seem to care about Avlyn at all, once they have completed their duty of raising her. Avlyn is asked to join a rebellion and actually feels like she has been pushed into it at the beginning. She eventually sees more of what is happening in her society and begins to understand that a rebellion is necessary. Configured is a science fiction, action-adventure in a dystopian society with an intense rebellion in the making – 4 stars for originality!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is set in the American South where Confederacy is still very important to its residents. Ethan lives in Gatlin, a small southern town where nothing changes. He hates it. He has been having dreams of saving a girl. Ethan cannot see her face and he doesn’t know who she is. He wakes up with dirt under his fingernails and on his sheets. He has also started hearing a voice and the song, “Sixteen Moons”, plays randomly on his MP3 player and the radio, even though he’s never heard of the song before. A new girl, Lena, moves into Gatlin and lives with her uncle who is known as the local recluse. Lena and Ethan get much more than they bargained for when they become friends. Both of their families are keeping secrets from Ethan and Lena and when they find a locket that gives them shared visions of the past, they start keeping secrets of their own. Their ancestors are entwined somehow and that might be the key to saving Lena from her possibly dark future. I enjoyed the southern setting and the intense differences of the characters – 5 stars for this fun and suspenseful supernatural read!

Guardian of Secrets by Brenda Drake

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Guardian of Secrets by Brenda Drake! This second book in the Library Jumpers series is as awesome as the first book, Thief of Lies. The beginning of the book reacquaints us with the characters and adventures that took place in the first book. Gia and her comrades are trying to blend into a regular human lifestyle while continuing the search for the keys. Gia isn’t sure who she can trust and, at times in the story, who is deserving of her trust is unpredictable. Gia also meets someone who she thought was no longer alive. Her heart also goes on a roller coaster ride and back and forth between two guys that she deeply cares for. This story stretches Gia and her capabilities, but she hangs in there and becomes stronger because of it! I rate Guardian of Secrets 5 stars for action, intrigue and a fun fantasy adventure!