Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne

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Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne! Zivah has been an apprentice for years and now she’s a healer because she has passed the required test. Rose plague has broken out and Zivah is helping the other healers take care of the ailing patients. Dineas has suffered through the rose plague, healed, recovered and developed brown splotches and has been labeled as umbertouched. They meet under wary circumstances but become allies. The storyline becomes complicated but the author describes everything perfectly, which erases all confusion. I enjoy Dineas’ humor and personality and Zivah’s perseverance and outlook on life. Wonderful characters and an ending that leaves me anticipating the sequel make a 5-star fantasy adventure!

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

Remember Me Always by Renee Collins

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Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book! Remember Me Always by Renee Collins is a bit of a dystopian because of the mind memory erasing. Shelby is the victim of an accident she can’t remember because of a memory-erasing treatment. In her latest treatment session, Shelby sees a young man that she doesn’t remember. Later, as she sits waiting for a capture-the-flag game to end, that young man approaches her and cautiously says hello to her. His name is Auden. Little by little, Shelby gets to know Auden and he helps her fill in parts of her memory that she’s lost. Complex, dynamic characters help build this into a strong story that’s hard to put down. The story is mysterious because everyone seems to be hiding something from Shelby and suspenseful as she begins to unravel the mystery surrounding her missing memories. Justice and the importance of faith in one’s self come through in this realistic fiction for young adults. 5 stars!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook! On the front cover of the book is a nailed sign stating “TRUST NO ONE. DECEIVE EVERYONE.” I was immediately interested in the book’s contents! The synopsis is even more intriguing. Skye, a tarot card reader, has absolutely no money and doesn’t want to let her best friend Drew down. The two of them plan on living together in New York after high school but Skye doesn’t know how to make that happen. Because of money problems, Skye becomes part of an elaborate kidnapping scheme and, even though she wants out, Skye keeps getting pulled in even deeper. The mystery has many twists and keeps changing until the end of the book. An impressive mystery worth 5 stars!
I received a complimentary copy of this book for voluntary consideration.

Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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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!

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell

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Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell is a perfect October read. The prologue creates a creepy feeling and, when the story opens with two friends and a ouija board, it seems a little more lighthearted until the foreshadowing leads to dread and tragedy. At that point, I was pulled into the book and couldn’t put it down. Sophie travels to Scotland to visit relatives and to learn about how her cousin Rebecca died. Strange things are happening at Sophie’s cousins’ home and she wants to figure it all out. Sophie gets closer to the spooky happenings while her cousins act more and more strangely. The twists and revelations are fascinatingly spooky! 5 stars for this young adult horror story!

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.

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!

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read and review Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. Jane is stuck in a rut, unhappy with her present life situation because she’s lost her loved ones and feels alone and desolate. Kiran, Jane’s ex-tutor, invites her to visit her rich family on their private island. She takes Kiran up on her offer and meets many new people. Jane accidentally eavesdrops and overhears a strange conversation. She discovers the jobs that Kiran’s family members and visitors pursue. Two art pieces are missing, presumably stolen, and Jane wants to solve the mystery. When the art mystery is solved, Jane learns about her aunt’s true past. Then the plot changes somewhat and the story becomes more science fiction than mystery. The story just got weirder and weirder after that with strayhounds and a place called Zorsted. Though, I do appreciate the author’s notes that help explain the path of writing that this book took during its creation and the research and sources that she used. 3.5 stars.

Warcross by Marie Lu

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read and review Warcross by Marie Lu! Emi is a young bounty hunter that lives on her own. She desperately needs a bounty or she’s going to be evicted from her apartment in less than three days. She’s smart enough and quick enough to capture a criminal for the police but they give the money to someone else! She goes back to her apartment, despondent, and resigns herself to enjoying the last hours she has with a roof over her head. She hacks into Warcross and her image shows up in the internationally played and viewed game. This catches the eye of the Warcross creator, Hideo, who gives Emi a very well-paid job offer. I appreciate that Marie Lu lets readers know, through dialogue, the correct pronunciation of Hideo’s name. I have heard many students/library patrons discuss name pronunciations in the past, unsure of how to say the name. The game background descriptions are detailed and aesthetic while the game is action-packed and the stakes raise higher and higher for the characters. 5 stars for a new sci-fi read from Marie Lu!

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