Mirage

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the arc of Mirage by Tracy Clark! Ryan loves skydiving and she does it often because her parents own a skydive business. Ryan starts seeing another reflection in the mirror along with her own and she sees eyes looking at her in random places. She feels as though someone is watching her. Ryan loves adrenaline so much, it’s almost like a death wish. Something changes and Ryan is not the same, she has to struggle for her identity amid confusion, heartbreak and tragedy. Mirage is a powerful story that I read in one evening because I became so immersed that it was impossible for me to stop. Some adult content described vaguely (for those readers who prefer to know ahead of time). Mirage contains dynamic characters, suspense and thrills and it is a deep and thought provoking story! I would read it again!

Wake the Hollow

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the arc of Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana! I absolutely love this book from beginning to end. Micaela goes back to Sleepy Hollow after her mother has passed away. She left her mother to live with her more stable father several years earlier. Her friend Bram picks her up from the train station and she stays with him in his apartment. She has night terrors often and hears voices and she is unsure who she can trust. The tone of the story is a bit ominous, which makes it difficult to put down. I enjoy the lines from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving at the beginning of the chapters. The mystery of Washington Irving’s descendants grows and so does the danger to Micaela. The suspense lasts throughout the book and the supernatural touch brings the right amount of thrill to the story. Wonderful spookiness!

After Obsession

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel tells the story of a teenage girl and teenage boy that share a psychic connection. Aimee is psychic and has dreams. Alan has dreams also, his contain Aimee, even though he doesn’t know her yet. Aimee’s mother is gone and her friend Courtney’s dad is missing. People began to act more aggressively than they ever have before and no one can understand why. Courtney’s cousin, Alan, and his mother move in with Courtney and her mother to help support them, financially and emotionally. Alan is part Native American and has found his totem while on his vision quest. When Aimee and Alan meet, they immediately sense their connection and work together to solve the town’s mysterious change of behavior and missing people. The story grows more complicated as the supernatural comes to light and the townspeople have to work together to prevent more tragedy. This book is a clean read with a bit of romance and a taste of the supernatural! Enjoyable!

Dead of Winter

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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The Dead of Winter, by Kresley Cole, left me hanging and in anxious anticipation of the fourth book in The Arcana Chronicles! The book begins with Evie leaving Death (Aric) to save Jack from the torturous twins. She makes more allies and, eventually, Death visits their camp. Together they are able to rescue Jack after some intense action and cooperation. The twins have taken Selena, the Archer, and Evie, Jack and Death work together to try to save her from the sadistic and twisted twins. Evie finally makes a choice between Death and Jack before an attack occurs and the book ends with no publication date specified for the fourth book-AAAHHH!

I absolutely love the variety of languages, the humor, the dynamics of the characters and the amount of complexity of each character – a perfect amount – and the fact that no character in this series is static!

Endless Knight

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I am loving the Arcana Chronicles series! The second book, Endless Knight, begins right where Poison Princess left off – when Evie transformed into the Empress to save her life through self-defense and Jackson saw her with all of her powers. Jackson states that he doesn’t want to be with the Arcana; he says they aren’t right. Evie, Selena, Finn and Matthew continue to meet more Arcana and make truces with some. Jack and Evie work through their differences and overcome their problems. Death kidnaps Evie and stunts her powers. The more she gets to know death, the more she understands him and cares for him. Then Matthew tells Evie that Jack has been captured by twin Arcana who enjoy torturing their victims, so now Evie must choose between Jack or Death. Wow! I love this book and I am excited to continue reading with the third book, Dead of Winter. Great characters, interesting surroundings, lots of action and adventure, dynamic relationships and romance make this a fun series to read!

Poison Princess

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Poison Princess by Kresley Cole is the start of an amazing series. This book contains many genres, such as dystopian, supernatural, romance, adventure, mythology and fantasy. Poison Princess immediately intrigued me with the feeling of doom in the first chapter. I was pulled into the story because it is interesting in so many ways; the Louisiana culture and language and the fantastical and mythological pull around Evie. I love the Cajun vocabulary lessons and culture and I think I felt at home with it because I lived in Louisiana during an impressionable age while growing up. I lived in several areas of Louisiana between the ages of nine and twelve. The Cajun references made me smile and sometimes cringe because they were spot on.

The author changes the point of view from Evie to the kidnapper for the prologue and one other chapter. This strategic writing gives readers insight into the enemy’s world. Clever, Kresley Cole! There is a bit of swearing and sexual innuendo that I will warn students about, but I absolutely love this book with its dynamic characters and I plan on reading it again and finishing the Arcana Chronicles series as soon as possible.

Cuckoo Song

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge looks like and gives off a horror vibe from the cover, the synopsis and the first part of the book. I wanted it to be a horror story, but alas, no. Cuckoo Song is a supernatural story that reminded me of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. The writing is well done, but I felt a little disappointed because Cuckoo Song isn’t what I thought it promised to be.

Triss had an accident and is having difficulty remembering much of anything. Her sister Penny seems to dislike her and doesn’t trust Triss either. Triss is actually a changeling and Penny wants to get her real sister back. They discover the world of the Besiders and work together to fix their family. The loyalty of family is a great message and for fans of Ransom Riggs, this should be a pleasing read.