Journey to the Rift by Cathi Shaw

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to YA Bound Book Tours and Ink Smith Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Journey to the Rift by Cathi Shaw! Brijit attends an all girl school and her two best friends accidentally overhear a mysterious and dangerous conversation involving her. Brijit and Weylon, from an all boy school, will travel to the Rift and fulfill a prophecy. None of the three friends know anything about the Rift or the prophecy, but they do know that Brijit has something to do with both. Brijit and Weylon both learn that the adults they have most trusted are hiding things from them and some of the adults may not be trustworthy at all. The story is great and I love the whole plot! As the story progresses, the characters develop and the plot comes together more smoothly. This is the first book in the Coimirceoiri: Guardians of the Marked Ones series and it alludes to much more adventure and intrigue in the books to come. 4 stars!

Anathema by Megg Jensen

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and All Night Reads for the opportunity to read and review Anathema by Megg Jensen! Reychel is a slave turning fifteen, the birthday when slaves are branded. Her friend Ivy was gone before Reychel woke up and in Ivy’s place was an Anathema token. The Anathema supposedly kidnap slaves, but no one is sure why. Reychel is rescued and reunited with Ivy. She discovers that some people are gifted and learns much more about her world than she could have ever imagined. The characters are a bit choppy but the storyline is interesting and unique – 3.5 stars! I want to read the next two books in the Cloud Prophet trilogy to see if the writing becomes smoother.

Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review Fate of Flames by Sarah Raughley! The book opens with an excerpt from “The Fight with the Dragon” by Friedrich von Schiller, translated by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton 1852. I found the excerpt and its implications to the story interesting. The area has been attacked by hostiles, as the warning siren is telling the city. The students and teachers at the school are heading to the shelter. Maia sees a terrified young girl under a jeep. Maia feels the need to save her, since she is now an effigy and has been for forty-eight hours. That’s when an Effigy mentor died and Maia took her place. There can only be four effigies at a time. Earth, fire, ice and wind are the four effigies at a time. When Maia meets Saul, I was instantly intrigued by his silver hair and mysterious ring. There’s more to Saul and his ring than Maia realizes. The Effigies are a type of super hero with flaws and attributes just like regular people. The mystery goes beyond someone just being a villain. The plot is intense, interesting and full of twists. I give 4 stars for this science fiction adventure!

Journey Across the Hidden Islands by Sarah Beth Durst

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion Books for the opportunity to read and review Journey Across the Hidden Islands by Sarah Beth Durst! Ji-Lin and Seika are sisters and best friends. Their father is the Emperor and both daughters have been sent on their own Emperor’s Journey. Seika is all about tradition, whereas Ji-Lin struggles with focus. The two sisters are sent on their journeys together. Seika is following the traditional journey that takes place every generation, to speak with the dragon and renew their bargain of protection. Ji-Lin will be Seika’s protector and they will be riding on the winged lion, Alejan, Ji-Lin’s companion. They will travel for five days to converse with the dragon and then the following morning they will meet the Emperor and Guardians to celebrate the end of the ritual. The author describes the scenery and creatures beautifully by painting pictures with her descriptive words and the mythological tales are entertaining and interesting. The sisters work through their insecurities together and come to relate to each other better as they discover the truth behind the ritual. This adventure fantasy is wonderful for tweens – 4 stars!

 

Frostblood by Elly Blake

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review Frostblood by Elly Blake! Ruby is Fireblood, (can build heat and flame within her body and can expel both), and loses her mother in an attack on their home. Ruby is taken as a prisoner because Firebloods are persecuted. She spends some time in prison, then is released to go with Frostblood (can build cold and frost within their bodies and can expel both) people and taken to Forwind Abbey. The abbey catches on fire and one of the monks blames Ruby, so she runs away. Arcus, a mysterious resident of the abbey, finds her in the woods, alone, lost and with no horse. He takes her back to the abbey and she makes an agreement with Brother Thistle and Arcus that she will stay and help them if they explain their purpose to her. They finally have mutual trust and their backstories unfold gradually. This adventurous tale comes to life full of action and intrigue in a beautifully described fantasy world. I enjoyed the depth of the characters and how the explanation of the Frostblood world unfolded – 5 stars! I am anxiously looking forward to the sequel, Fireblood which is scheduled for publication September 2017.

 

Eternal Darkness by J. F. Johns

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to YA Bound Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review Eternal Darkness by J.F. Johns! In a world of humans, cyborgs and human-cyborg combinations, Scarlet finds herself in the Year 2060 with no memory of the past twenty years. Sam and Curtis find Scarlet while driving. Scarlet appears on the road in front of them; they don’t stop in time and they hit her. Scarlet is dead, but little by little she heals herself. They discover that she’s a weapon that can be activated at any time. I enjoyed the diverse characters: Sam is selfless, Perisia seems a bit loony and Eric is comical. The characters are complex and dynamic and each of them has a story of their own. Scarlet is in the middle of a brewing prejudicial war and she has no idea why. Her newfound friends protect and care for her as well as help her recover her memories. The sides confront each other and Scarlet protects who she cares about. This is only the beginning of the war! I rate Eternal Darkness 4 stars for an interesting science fiction plot and the great character pool!

The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review The Book Jumper by Mechthild Glaser! This translated book begins with Amy and her mom, Alexis, packing for a trip to a Scottish Island for a well deserved break. Alexis is from this island and her mother lives there and that’s where they will be staying. Amy’s family has a special gift that her mother has kept a secret until now. The Lennox family, along with the neighboring family that also inhabits the island, are book jumpers. Book jumping is both of their family’s legacy and responsibility. They book jump to keep the stories and characters in line and to keep the plots from going astray. Amy, Betsy and Will book jump to solve the mystery of why stories have all of a sudden become unpredictable. They discover that the ideas are being stolen from several different stories, but they don’t know why or by whom. I enjoyed how the author brought literary classics into the story with the details readers know and love and also used these stories as the main point of the mystery. The Book Jumper is a refreshing read with characters to love and characters to hate, as well as an imaginative plot, some romance and suspense – 4.5 stars!

Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano

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 Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano! Wow! The story jumps right into the action and mystery by opening with a girl waking up in a gully, with no memories of the past year or where she is or how she got there. Little by little, she learns what has taken place as her memories trickle back. The human trafficking in this book reminds me a bit of the Liam Neeson movie, Taken, with plenty of mystery and action all on its own. Rachel has a strength unmatched by others and she has to rely on that strength to get her through her current struggles. As her memories resurface, Rachel realizes that many teenagers- male and female – are in danger and she will do whatever it takes to help them. Banter between Rachel and her brother Kyle, alleviate some of the teen angst and dark struggles in this story. A bit of hopeful romance adds charm that lightens the mood also. This is unpredictable and a unique take on young adult mystery and I rate it 4 stars! I appreciate the author adding runaway, suicide, teen safety and teen health and wellness hotline information at the end of the book. As is often the case, when someone suffers it is difficult to ask people we know for help, so this hotline information is a wonderful resource.

In Truth & Ashes

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 In Truth and Ashes by Nicole Luiken, the third and last book in the Otherselves trilogy. This last book of the series focuses mainly on the true world and the characters that live there. Since Qetarah was taken care of, her mentor Malachi is the villain trying to get rid of the four worlds. Belinda fell into my heart because of her tyrant of a grandmother and her friend Demian is interestingly mysterious! Nicole Luiken brings all of the information from the last two books and its four worlds seamlessly into In Truth and Ashes to make a complicated world with dynamic and complex characters into a wonderful fantasy adventure series – 4 stars!

Amid Wind & Stone by Nicole Luiken

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received a reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Amid Wind & Stone by Nicole Luiken. This is book two of the Otherselves series, which brings two more worlds into the story along with all of the characters, relationships and politics of each world- air and stone, on top of the same information from the fire and water worlds. The author’s creative imagination is astounding because of the complexity of each world and how she brings everything together and makes it all work to become a full-on adventure, fantasy story. I give this book 4 stars for the devious antagonist, the complete world building and the interesting characters!