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Let me entertain you, no wait isn't that taken already. Reading and writing are my passion just ask the neglected family.
Idolum
Dr. Lauren Harris, a brilliant and nationally respected forensic psychologist, is called upon by the FBI to help track down and stop the Phantom, a hedonistic serial killer who is burying his victims alive. She is teamed up with Nicholas Bennette, an FBI agent who finds it difficult to appreciate what the doctor really does. There is so much more to Lauren who has a special secret, one that she has told to nobody until her relationship with Nicholas grows.The story concentrates on the growing relationship between the two main characters and of course on finding the serial killer. It reads really well, the pace is good with a growing tension as more bodies turn up and time begins to run out. The wording right off the screen of any good cop show, maybe one in particular, but I think I noticed the quirks from Bones because I am a little bit obsessed by the programme.
The scene written from the point of view of the person buried alive made me shiver and the extra incentive the killer gave Nicholas worked so well, you could almost see the clock ticking down.
There are no surprises here and I had worked out the killer well before the end but this book is well worth a read if you are a crime fan.
Snow Bound (More than Magic, #2)
We join Jen, Thomas and others on another vacation, this time they have met on a snow capped mountain and can’t wait to start skiing and relax in a magic filled environment. Jen has been unable to speak about her new found power to her friends and family as exposure to humans is a huge no, no. She is hoping to be her true self though nervous about what Thomas will do and say. Unsure of where they left their relationship after the summer semester, if one even existed. The holidays start off well, as Jen immerses herself in the magical world with her great friends. Of course it doesn’t stay that way for long and the peace is quickly shattered. There is a human stranger hanging around the cabin and Jen’s human friend, Shannon turns up in a surprise visit which throws everything into turmoil. How can they keep their secret now?Elizabeth Kirke has a really nice writing style, the dialogue she uses between the main characters flows so well that they seem like old friends to the reader. We are re-introduced to all the characters, such as the lovely TS, Dani and Charlie. It settles down to them enjoying their time together but the pace picks up as the danger increases. We are drawn further into the magical world and the rules that surround it, drawing you in completely. Everything is wrapped up nicely by the end of this ready for the next one, though maybe a little too nicely but that’s just picky old me who likes a cliff hanger or two. As always this is a great read and I really enjoyed.
Armored Hearts: Fantasy Steampunk
Tristan Gareth Smyth, known as Gareth is a young boy with a mighty big chip on his shoulder due to the fact that he has been without the use of his legs from birth. He therefore moves around in a wheelchair but has to put up a lot of help from others, which only makes him more annoyed at the world. His life changes when he rescues a girl falling from a tree. How you may ask, well he finds he can fly.As he grows up with his secret he now has to deal with his grandfather’s struggling finances. For him it will mean a possible marriage to an American woman he doesn’t even know. Then things start to change, we are introduced to his possible wife to be, Jessamine, who is an extraordinary women. This is where we are introduced to the Steampunk aspect of this book together with fae.
This is the first Steampunk novel I have read and I was a little surprised by its contents. I understood that it revolved around Victorian England but it took me a while to pin down the era, it sounded early 18 century to me and it was only when there was mention of Emily Pankhurst that I realised the timescale. The speech of the servants took a lot of getting use to, so many ‘yer’ and ‘ne’ and it slowed done the pace for me. It was an unusual mix of historical writing and fae, which did work well.
The characters were all well defined and it was great to see them develop through the book. Though I was surprised that Gareth never asked why he could fly, he just accepted it, as a child maybe, but surely curiosity would have won in the end.
Overall I enjoyed my first dip into Steampunk, it was an unusual read and it flowed well, moving the story along and leaving it open for another book.
A young American boy has recently moved to Iceland, to a new life, a new culture. While watching the moon from his window one night, he can’t believe how big it seems and thinks it would be a great idea to go out and touch it. And so the adventure begins, he leaves his home and decides that the best place to touch the moon would be at the top of the mountain. Along the way he disturbs the home of a little man from Icelandic folk lore. Together they travel up the mountain, with the help of a dragon and find that the moon is actually stuck on the mountain. They have to work together, with the use of a little magic to save it.I am not too sure the age group that the book is targeted for and of course being all grown up it is hard to place but the language is aimed at the over 5’s though the story itself is simplistic, as it should be for the younger audience. The illustrations also paint a wonderful picture; I especially like the colour of the dragon, to match its cold surroundings. I believe this is a great story to introduce the younger readers to the fantasy genre. Who can resist magic and dragons with the back drop of Iceland showing us its fjord and volcanic landscape?
Malevolent Gateway; A S.P.I.R.I.T. Series Novel
Burke Flats is situated in the picturesque state of Vermont, but the town itself is anything but pretty with terrible secrets lying just below the surface. Will Stiles and his men from S.P.I.R.I.T arrive in town to look into the marshlands where something supernatural has been plaguing the area for hundreds of years and they intend to get to the heart of it.There are a growing number of deaths around the marshes; the locals Anna and Blake are doing their own investigation and soon they join forces to finally lay the matter to rest.
This book jumps straight into the action and then never lets go. We are first shown what the marsh can do and gives us a hint of what is out there and then we are introduced to Anna, a local woman who can communicate with the dead. The military team S.P.I.R.I.T is a paranormal group of soldiers who turn up to help. It soon develops into more than that for Will and Anna and the scenes do get a little raunchy and did catch me be surprise, up until then I assumed it was young adult. I also really liked the inclusion of Zander from the previous book. Just one call home told us where he was in his life and what had happened to Sam, it was a nice touch.
Dawn Gray knows how to build up the tension, draws the reader in completely when it comes to wanting or rather needing to know what lurks under the marsh. She slowly paints a very disturbing picture of what the founding fathers did to increase the wealth of the town. It is written at a great pace and has a nice flow that is well worth the read.
Sora's Quest: The Cat's Eye Chronicles (Volume 1)
Sora is a young spoilt rich girl who is about to be married off to someone she has never met. Her only option, as she sees it, is to run away, only nothing goes to plan. At the point where she plans to run, her father is murdered and she is kidnapped at knife point, by the assassin and so starts her journey. Initially I found Sora an uncaring character but as her circumstances change, so does she. When she is taken they treat her like the prisoner she is, but once they realise that she wears a magical necklace, known as the Cat’s Eye, she becomes valuable to them. Her thoughts are one of escape but fear holds her in place and she starts to think of her captures as more than just her enemy. They open her eyes to other races that she thought had died out a long time ago, to new ideas that have been kept from her, but now they are all running for their lives as a Wolfy mage is close on their trail and he wants them all dead. We never find out who hired the assassin, known as Crash, or why her father had to die but I assume these details will be imparted in the continuation of the series.
The pace is great throughout, Theresa Shreffler adds the action at all the right points and I love the description during the fight scenes. Tenderness from Crash is very rare and we are given just enough information to know why, but when he does open up the scenes are very well done. Sora’s Quest totally grabbed me and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
Paranormal Days Gone Awry: an Anthology
We are treated to 13 stories by 13 different authors all based around the paranormal. There are creatures from ghosts, vampires, demons, flying –eagle type kiss ass girls and elemental mermaid types. So there is a complete cross-section which has something for everyone. I have already read most of these authors and really enjoyed taking another peek at the world of Keni, from Stacey Rourke who really has such a flow to a story that it is impossible not to like and Dani from Elizabeth Kirke, whose babysitting duties are wonderfully funny to read. Amy Richie’s touching story about a guardian elf learning what it really means to care for a young girl who needs his love and acceptance, was lovely.
I also discovered some new authors along the way. I will be checking out R.K Ryals for sure, the introduction of Monroe, a witch who taps into demonic power was written well and made me want more.
This has great mix of writing and well worth a read, especially if you are a fan of fantasy.
Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada, #1)
Selena is a teenager living in small town America and can’t wait to leave. She has never fitted in, never belonged and only hopes that once she finishes school she will find her place. When a stranger walks into her life she learns exactly how different she is. Thrown into another world to find she is a lost Princess who is now needed to thwart an evil queen, who banished her in the first place. She has been planning to take over the magical world and only Selena, along with six other banished Princesses can stop her. Selena has to deal with magical creatures, a family who she has never known and her soul mate, who happens to be a werewolf.Alicia’s writing style really lets the story flow to great effect, her description when Selena crosses into Fallada are wonderful, I really felt as though I could see it all. I also love the twist of the way Selena and Titus talk to one another it works well. It is an enchanting fairy tale that everyone will love.
Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices)
The last in the trilogy for TID and I have to say the books so far have been a bit of a battle to read. At first I couldn’t help but compare the characters to TMI and I felt no real connection to these people.The story in Clockwork Princess is simply about Mortmain needing Tessa and his ease at which he snatched her and the fight to get her back. It was very heavily character based and the more I read, the more I looked to the secondary characters which were much more interesting than the main three. As it went on, I really felt for Charlotte and Magnus, knowing why and how things unfolded as we headed for TMI timeline. I also wanted to know more about Bridget, there was something special, a spark about her and I would have liked to have found out what that was. The last quarter of the book started to reveal things that made me say ‘of course, that’s how Jace got his birthmark or Brother Zachariah is a little unusual for a silent brother’ and that’s what interested me.
If Cassandra Clare wanted to reveal how things evolved to get everyone at the point of TMI, then I would have been more than happy for the three TID’s to be turned into a novella. It never really grabbed me until near the end. The relationship between Jem and Will was great, to see how much they cared for each other and what they sacrificed was wonderful to read, when they said goodbye I have to admit a tear or two escaped as well as in the epilogue, as the violin was played. I never felt that raw emotion from Tessa at any point, but winding everything up was a nice touch. Again not sure how Tessa will cope with outliving another love of her life, existence, but that’s just me. I loved the first three TMI but not such a fan of TID, but as always the style of writing is great, I can’t argue with that. Maybe I expect too much of her.
Savannah's Story
Savannah is a young girl who wants to play, only her sisters are a little busy and that’s when she turns to her favourite dolls house and magical things happen.This is a lovely story set in rhyme which flows wonderfully throughout the book. Jodi Stone not only writes but illustrates the book with simple art work that complements the story and will draw the readers in completely. It’s light, magical and will capture the imagination of the young and remind everyone that magic lives in all of us, if not a little lost sometimes.
Waffles and Pancakes: A Lesson in Bullying
Waffles and Pancakes follows two hamsters, namely Waffles and Pancakes. Through their eyee, the young reader will be able to read and talk about difficult lessons, in this case bullying. It approaches the subject with great tact and the illustrations are clean and crisp making it very inviting and and easy to look at. For the very young it will allow them to realise that simply words can hurt.This is a great way to introduce such subjects and is a lovely book.
The Bones of Others (Skye Cree #1)
Story: At the age of twelve Skye Cree was kidnapped by a paedophile. But Skye managed to get away. Now as an adult, a survivor, she’s on the prowl for monsters like the one who took her that day from the park, putting an end to her childhood.
Josh Ander is the geeky, wealthy owner of a gaming company. The night he crosses paths with Skye Cree, changes his life forever, putting him on a different path entirely than the one he’d planned.
Once Josh and Skye join forces, they’ll venture into the dark side of Seattle where human trafficking thrives and kids are bought and sold every day. With girls disappearing off the streets in alarming numbers, with young lives hanging in the balance, they’ll do whatever it takes to hunt down the ones preying on kids. But not all can be saved. It will take a wolf’s instincts to find the monsters burying—the bones of others.
As soon as you start reading this book you are drawn into a deadly game and at first, through the eyes of the predator. The idea of a young girl going through a horrendous ordeal and then making it her lives mission to track down these monsters is a great one. You see her how she lives, how she keeps everyone at a distance, afraid to let anyone close. Once Josh becomes part of life she finally opens up and in doing so they both grow and help one another. Within the thriller Vickie McKeehan also brings in the Native American mythology which works well initially, as her wolf instincts help her track down the girls but I found it grew out of control, I understand why Josh had to change and help Skye in more than just searching the internet but for me it went a little too far.
The characters are written with great care and are very believable and the whole book moves at a really nice pace that keeps you captivated but not too fast that you lose track of the individuals and their needs. This is a great book and well worth the read.
I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.
Destine (Watcher's Trilogy, #1)
Type: FantasyRelease date: 5th August 2012
Story: Michelle Cross is a seventeen year old living in small town America. Life has been uneventful until now. She has little in the way of friends so when her best friend Cassi falls hard for a boy in school. Her home life consists of a mentally withdrawn mother and a mainly absent father so when a new boy turns up in her class she can’t help letting her curiosity get the better of her. The problem is he is no ordinary boy, he claims to be the angel Gabriel and he is there to help Michelle save humanity. In order to do so she needs to fight the antichrist and the four horses of the apocalypse.
Katherine writes this story at a nice pace that flows well throughout the book. She captures the voice of the teenagers and the dialogue is great. We are quickly drawn into the growing relationship between Michelle and Gabriel and the trails they have to undertake to fight against the coming apocalypse. Katherine did a fantastic job at capturing my imagination, her varied vocabulary and adjectives painted the scene beautifully.
This is an entertaining read with plenty of action and left them ready to begin the fight in earnest.
Story: In a war torn earth, humans no longer fight each other. A greater threat has woken and humans are fighting for their lives but when dragons turn into their human form, the war is lost. Three decades later, humans live in enclaves and everything is governed by the dragons. Cecily lives with her father and brother in one such enclave. Without really knowing anything about life before dragons, she is happy to live within their limitations.
Stifled by life in court, Derek, heir to the dragon’s throne decides to join the high school within one of the enclaves. Here he meets Cecily and they are quickly drawn together, filling both their minds with unanswered questions. What is the queen hiding from Derek and what is special about Cecily?
The book starts with Cecily; we see her friends and her everyday life. She is purposely isolated from most people by her overprotective father and we find out as the story develops why he protects his children so. What he cannot protect her from, are two dragons that out of boredom join her school. Derek is immediately drawn to Cecily, there is something about her that he cannot ignore, something that pulls them both into trouble. Throughout the story we have snippets or recollections of Todd Burns which nicely fills in the information that you need in order to fully appreciate the story. The tone is light and McCabe really hits the voice of the teenagers. She writes a nice story in which she describes the human way of life and how the world around them is beginning to crumble. The interwoven relationships between the dragons and humans keeps you interested and the growing relationship between Cecil and Derek is written really well.
Stifled by life in court, Derek, heir to the dragon’s throne decides to join the high school within one of the enclaves. Here he meets Cecily and they are quickly drawn together, filling both their minds with unanswered questions. What is the queen hiding from Derek and what is special about Cecily?
The book starts with Cecily; we see her friends and her everyday life. She is purposely isolated from most people by her overprotective father and we find out as the story develops why he protects his children so. What he cannot protect her from, are two dragons that out of boredom join her school. Derek is immediately drawn to Cecily, there is something about her that he cannot ignore, something that pulls them both into trouble. Throughout the story we have snippets or recollections of Todd Burns which nicely fills in the information that you need in order to fully appreciate the story. The tone is light and McCabe really hits the voice of the teenagers. She writes a nice story in which she describes the human way of life and how the world around them is beginning to crumble. The interwoven relationships between the dragons and humans keeps you interested and the growing relationship between Cecil and Derek is written really well.
Tideline [Hardcover]
Story: One winter's afternoon, voice coach Sonia opens the door of her beautiful riverside home to fifteen-year-old Jez, the nephew of a family friend. He's come to borrow some music. Sonia invites him in and soon decides that she isn't going to let him leave. As Sonia's desire to keep Jez hidden and protected from the outside world becomes all the more overpowering, she is haunted by memories of an intense teenage relationship, which gradually reveal a terrifying truth. The River House, Sonia's home since childhood, holds secrets within its walls. And outside, on the shores of the Thames, new ones are coming in on the tide...In order to get a whole picture, the story moves between Sonia and Jez’s aunt Helen. Sonia is a complex character and you are drawn into the darkness residing in her mind. The initial meeting between her and Jez quickly deteriorates and it took me by surprise at the speed from chatting to kidnapping and all the time only being able to see how she wants to keep him safe. The lengths she goes to is unsettling to read but it’s hard to hate Sonia when we start to learn about her past and her early relationship.
We get to see what consequences the kidnapping means when we see Helen’s point of view. Jez is staying with her and her family and here we see the police involvement and even Jez’s girlfriend as they try and piece together what happened. When Helen and Sonia meet as friends it brings another layer to this complicated story and the conclusion as the world falls apart is gripping.
Tideline is a strange read, seeing it from Sonia’s point of view and then watching it all disintegrate around her. Though you can’t condone anything she does, you still feel for her and it’s well worth a read.
The Brown House: The Visitors Series (Volume 1)
Brylee Branson is up rooted from California to New Jersey with her family. This is not where she wants to be and as soon as she moves around the old house, a chill seeps from the pages. The only saving grace is her new friends Lynley and Ephraim. All too quickly she is told about the history of the house and what lies in wait for her.The difference for Brylee is not only can she hear and feel strange things in the house but because she’s special she can see and talk to the dead. Those voices are telling her of deep, dark secrets and she turns to her new friends to try and unravel the mystery.
Christy sets a nice scene and slowly builds up the suspense as she divulges the secrets of the house. The characters are well defined, especially Kayla, who is a great individual, though I did guess quite early about her secret. Some of the ghostly scenes are written with a wonderful flare that pulls you in and a nice ending when all is revealed, leaving you needing to know how they are all going to survive. At times I wanted a few more scares but that’s just me and my messed up mind. This is well worth a read.