Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the digital book Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes! Olivia is taken to another new foster home where she attends another new school and meets more new classmates. She wants to float through until she graduates, but then she becomes involved with computer hackers and discovers more than she wants to know, but she also finds family that she didn’t know existed. The characters are complex and the retelling of Oliver Twist is intriguing and well done!
Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the sneak peek of YA books heading our way!
Samples include: The Haters by Jesse Andrews (author of Me, Earl and the Dying Girl); Seven Ways We Lie (a snippet of teen angst); The Romantics (broken heart and broken family); The Movie Version (Amelia and her life); The Graces (a family of witches); Maresi (a story with nuns); Every Falling Star (Korean historical fiction).
The excerpts are very small, especially in comparison to Buzz Books for Young Adults Fall 2016, so the story is not completely represented. My favorite samples are The Graces and Every Falling Star. I will definitely check into these stories more!
| Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the arc of All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen! Olivia (Liv) wakes up in a hospital recovering from an accident with amnesia. She literally remembers nothing and she keeps having different opinions voiced inside her head. She moves to a new town with her mother and father and begins school. The mystery surrounding Liv unravels through resurfacing memories, some sleuthing and parental confrontation. I did not completely figure out what the mystery was and the unpredictability was a good thing because it kept me interested. I was going to rate this book 3.5 stars, but the epilogue raised my rating to 4 stars. |
Thank you to Emigh Cannaday for the opportunity to read and review her book, The Flame and the Arrow! This new adult book begins with Annika, a musician who has recently broken up with her fiance and she is talking to her best friend, James, about the events in her life. Annika travels to her Uncle Vince’s home in Bulgaria for a well-deserved respite and to recover from the breakup. She goes for a hike in the wilderness and loses her way back to Uncle Vince’s home. She eventually sees a person and that person is someone she met in town earlier. Annika follows her and they end up in a cave with two other women. Things become strange as they are transported to a different world through a portal, which then closes. The three women reveal that they are wood nymphs and inform Annika that she is one too. She resides with an elven family after the portal has closed and everyone suspects that she belongs in their world. Finn and his father, Ambrose, show Annika the family tree and she discovers that she is part of their world through her mother’s ancestors. Annika begins to have a tumultuous relationship with Talvi, Finn’s brother. The family puts together a group that will be battle ready to find and rescue a member of the family that has been kidnapped, another interesting part of this story. Annika falls in love, learns a lot about herself and becomes somewhat transformed. The writing flows, character development is strong and the story and worlds are elaborate and interesting. The Flame and the Arrow is the beginning of a new adult series about Annika and her life entangled in mystery, intrigue, complicated relationships and romance!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins with the nineteen years later epilogue from book 7, The Deathly Hallows, (don’t get discouraged because a new story awaits you in these pages). After the refresher, the story jumps to the ongoing events in the characters’ lives. It’s interesting to see how Harry Potter deals with being a parent. This book is lighter reading than the original Harry Potter series but background knowledge is a necessity to understand the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and, as always, when I enter Harry Potter’s world, I never want to leave it.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the arc of Orphan Trains: Taking the Rails to a New Life by Rebecca Langston-George! This book tells the true story of the origin of orphanages, the Children’s Aid Society and orphan trains. The opening of the New York Foundling Hospital, founded by Sister Irene and her order, the Sisters of Charity is described. Individual stories are shared, an orphan train timeline is included, as well as a glossary, additional resources and discussion questions. Bibliography and source notes will help anyone wanting to find more information on the topic of orphan trains and their origins. Definitely for younger readers with simple information and photographs.
Thanks to Skyscape and Goodreads for the free copy of Gateway to Fourline by Pam Brondos! Complex characters and a mysterious story line make Gateway to Fourline interesting to read. Natalie is my favorite character because she truly cares about her family and tries to be as independent as possible. She becomes part of a world she knows nothing about as she tries to help her new employers and newly found friends. I especially enjoyed the bastle herder facade when Nat pretended to have fleas! Very funny! Interesting world and characters make Gateway to Fourline the beginning of a promising fantasy trilogy!
Thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for the arc of On the Meldon Plain by Pam Brondos! The author sums up events from Gateway to Fourline nicely. Nat still wants to help Estos and she feels guilty that Soris was harmed by a Nala. Nat trains to be a Warrior Sister and she returns to Fourline, after completion of her training, to kill the Nala that harmed Soris. To truly kill a Nala, you must behead it, and Nat only harmed it previously. She is also still learning the depths of her powers. Nat goes on a mission with Annin, Andris, Soris and a few others to find Emilia (Estos’ sister). While on this mission, Nat is determined to find a cure for everyone and anyone who has been harmed by Nala venom. Once the venom enters your body, you began to change and become part Nala or duozi. In Fourline, there is tremendous prejudice towards duozi.
On the Meldon Plain is a bit more serious than Gateway to Fourline, but it still has the same great writing and complex characters as the first book. I thoroughly enjoy the relationships and world building that Pam Brondos has done with her Fourline series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Skyscape for the arc of The Last Remnant by Pam Brondos! This book finishes the Fourline trilogy perfectly! Nat discovers what causes the Nala venom to take over and change someone into a duozi, but she hasn’t found a cure yet. So, she sends Annin to Fourline to see if Sister Ethet can use Nat’s discovery to come up with a cure. Nat keeps experimenting and finds the cure. She’s anxious to get to Fourline so she can share her findings, but has been told not to go for her own safety. Nat sneaks through the tunnel anyway and inadvertently lets her sister, Cal, slip through the tunnel also. Nat is captured and is injured and given a remnant from the Nalaide (the Nala queen). Nat is rescued and she travels with her friends and sister to a wisdom house where Nat hears about the prediction of a sister who will kill the Nalaide, ending the Nala. The prediction describes the markings on Nat’s arm. Nat continues to fight the Nalaide in her dreams and tries to keep her and her sister safe. The struggle brings stress to everyone involved and closeness between Nat and Cal. This fantasy trilogy contains some romance, battles, suspense and mystery and I highly recommend it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc of The Telling by Alexandra Sirowy! The synopsis hooked me and I couldn’t stop reading! This book contains some casual conversational swearing with a group of teenagers (just a heads-up if that bothers you). Lana tells the story of before her stepbrother Ben was murdered and after he was murdered. Ben enjoyed telling scary stories to Lana and in these tales, Ben and Lana were always the heroes. After the teenage group has been at the local water spot, they find a body lodged under the water. They bring the body up, try to revive her to no avail and discover she’s the suspect in Ben’s murder, his ex-girlfriend Maggie. Of course, they are immediately thought of as suspects and so they decide to search for clues to clear their names. More violent acts occur and Lana wonders if Ben is the cause. She imagines Ben as an apparition that is seeking revenge. Murders and mystery twist the story around to bring past, present and family secrets into the light. The ending is a tear jerker. Very good writing, story building and the right amount of thrill make it a 5 star book!
The Thought Spot 