Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley, Disney Book Group and Marvel Press for the opportunity to read and review Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl. This first book in the Black Widow series by Margaret Stohl brings to light Natasha Romanoff’s background, which was a lot darker than I would have guessed. Many surprises await as the story unfolds with heroines and heroes. I enjoyed the Russian dialogue and translations, as well as the humor that goes along with Marvel Avengers. A fun read for anyone wanting adventure with a touch of super hero added – 4 stars!

Pushing the Boundaries by Stacey Trombley

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 Pushing the Boundaries by Stacey Trombley! Myra travels to a health clinic in Haiti with her mother and a group of Americans. Myra is of Pakistani heritage and her mother is a doctor. Her mother expects Myra to become a doctor also, but she wants to be a photographer instead. Myra’s looking for the perfect photo to submit to a scholarship contest. With the help of the Haitian translator, Elias, Myra discovers the beauty of Haiti and learns more about herself and her mother than she could have ever realized on her own. The author’s personal connections with the Haiti setting and the Haitian culture and language make the story an interesting and unique realistic fiction – 4 stars!

What Light by Jay Asher

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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What Light by Jay Asher is a clean, young adult romance that takes place during the Christmas season. This setting makes What Light perfect for a warm, cozy, winter read! Sierra and her family leave their Oregon tree farm and head to their California tree lot each year around Thanksgiving until Christmas. This might be their last year doing this, so Sierra wants to make it memorable. Her friends in Oregon miss her during this time, while her friend in California, Heather, loves Sierra being near. Heather wants to double date and is trying to find someone for Sierra, but Sierra takes care of that on her own when she meets and gets to know Caleb. There is a bad rumor going around about Caleb and something he did in the past. My curiosity kept me reading and I enjoyed the whole Christmas theme. The realistic kindness warmed my heart. Caleb introduces Sierra to his mom and sister in an awkward moment. The relationship between Caleb and Sierra struggles because of gossip, parents and the long distance between their homes and they have to learn how to handle all of these problems if they want to make their relationship work. A touching romance that’s perfect for the holiday season or anytime you want to feel warm and cozy – 4.5 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.

 

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!

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!

Through Fire & Sea 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 Through Fire & Sea by Nicole Luiken! Leah is renamed Jehannah by her father, the duke, so he can send her with Queen Qeterah and spy for him. Leah is an illegitimate daughter of the duke’s and he’s sending Leah with the queen in place of his daughter Jehannah. The queen needs an heir from each duchy or region to be able to send and receive messages with the other regions. The queen shows Leah the mirror hall and explains how there is one true world and four others – air, stone, fire and water. Leah lives in the Fire World and they use fire to send and receive messages and rely on volcanoes for stability of their kingdoms. Leah falls into a mirror while cleaning it and inadvertently sees her Water World doppelganger or otherself, Holly. Nicole Luiken builds an amazing and complex world and pulls the story together seamlessly. This first book in this series concentrates on the characters from the two worlds, fire and water. The two worlds collide when the queen meets her doppelganger in the Water World. Exciting and interesting, Through Fire & Sea is the beginning of a series full of adventure and fantasy, 4.5 stars!

Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty is told in Mori’s point of view. She’s the daughter of a police officer, Moriarty. Mori’s given name is James Moriarty and that is why she goes by the name Mori. Mori’s family is struggling after the death of their mother. Since then, her father drinks a lot and has become verbally and physically abusive to her and her younger brothers. Mori is a very logical person and she meets Sherlock and finds they have more in common than she cares to admit. A man is murdered and Sherlock wants to make a game of solving the mystery with Mori. Everything involving the mystery becomes too personal and it’s a race against time to stop the murderer. The story brings friendships, suspense, cleverness and romance together for a wonderful read – 5 stars!

Textrovert by Lindsey Summers

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review Textrovert by Lindsey Summers! Keeley is a procrastinator and an introvert, while her twin is the opposite; Zach get his homework done and he’s a natural leader. Keeley misplaces her phone and mistakenly switches with a stranger, Talon. The plot twists as secrets are revealed and relationships change. The Peeps are my favorite part of the story because of the strong connection Talon has with his grandfather. I would like to see a Peeps diorama for the book cover. I believe it would be eye-catching and charming and draw readers to the book [speaking as a young adult librarian;)]. I give this book 5 stars for complicated characters and writing that makes the characters realistic!

Waking in Time by Angie Stanton

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read and review Waking in Time by Angie Stanton! Abbi has recently lost her grandma to cancer and now Abbi is determined to attend her grandma’s Alma-mater in Madison, Wisconsin, even though her mother will be left alone in Ohio. Abbi receives a package from her mother that contains notes and photographs of her grandma’s. One of the photos shows someone who looks just like Abbi standing next to her young grandma. Abbi drinks at a party with her friends and the next morning, she wakes up in her dorm room but the year is 1983! Next, she wakes up in 1970! Each morning, she awakens in a different time. In 1970, she finally meets someone who knows what she’s going through, Professor Smith, her physics professor. She doesn’t get any helpful information and a few days later she wakes up in 1961! In 1961, Abbi meets Will, a fellow time traveler. But where Abbi is traveling to the past, Will travels to the future. Will knows Abbi well and apparently they have a close, romantic relationship. When she wakes up in 1951, her young grandma happens to be her roommate. Next, Abbi wakes up in 1930. Will and Abbi meet and fall in love. They try to conquer the time travel issue so they can stay together, but it seems that no matter what they do, time travel is inevitable for the both of them.
I especially like the author’s information about historical facts contained in the story and the personal connection that the author based the story on. Complex and suspenseful – 4 stars!