Death by the River by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor


Death by the River by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full Length (367 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Ginger

SOME TRUTHS ARE BETTER KEPT SECRET.
SOME SECRETS ARE BETTER OFF DEAD.

Along the banks of the Bogue Falaya River, sits the abandoned St. Francis Seminary. Beneath a canopy of oaks, blocked from prying eyes, the teens of St. Benedict High gather here on Fridays. The rest of the week belongs to school and family—but weekends belong to the river.

And the river belongs to Beau Devereaux.

The only child of a powerful family, Beau can do no wrong. Handsome. Charming. Intelligent. The star quarterback of the football team. The “prince” of St. Benedict is the ultimate catch.

He is also a psychopath.

A dirty family secret buried for years, Beau’s evil grows unchecked. In the shadows of the ruined St. Francis Abbey, he commits unspeakable acts on his victims and ensures their silence with threats and intimidation. Senior year, Beau sets his sights on his girlfriend’s headstrong twin sister, Leslie, who hates him. Everything he wants but cannot have, she will be his ultimate prize.

As the victim toll mounts, it becomes crystal clear that someone has to stop Beau Devereaux.

And that someone will pay with their life.

Beau Devereaux, a senior at St. Benedict High, has it all. The only child in a lineage of a wealthy and powerful pedigree. Beau is handsome, charming and also the star quarterback of the football team. But will his dark and disturbing past of abuse ruin the star perfect personality that everyone knows him for?

This story is dark and disturbing but also intriguing. The writers developed an attention grabbing plot accompanied with very well developed characters. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started reading the book. The location started out at a high school campus so my first thought was not another lack luster teen romance. I was definitely wrong! The writing was very much on point and I can’t think of anything that I would have done differently. The way the authors gave such in-depth reality to Beau’s character, his thoughts, and his actions took great skill and research. Beau is a character to be feared and the way he controlled his actions to reach is ultimate goal was sick and manipulative. Beau is a ticking time bomb. His parents know and have seen the monstrous side and yet they let him go on as if he didn’t have a problem. His father is a workaholic, his mother is a drunk and while they think Beau has himself under control, Beau’s evil is slowly being revealed.

Beau has his sights on his girlfriend’s headstrong twin sister, Leslie. Beau commits unspeakable acts to several women victims and he ensures their silence with threats and intimidation. There is sexual violence and torture that may not be suitable for some readers. I don’t take violence against anyone lightly but I understand that some details had to be mentioned to give the full depth of Beau’s madness. Without the scene it would have been left to the readers imagination of what level of madness Beau could go to. Beau’s sick obsession is written and plotted out so well. Dawn, Beau’s girlfriend, is in love with the idea of being with someone of Beau’s caliber and unfortunately for her she does not see him for who he truly is. Leslie sees the type of guy Beau is and tries to warn her sister. This difference causes a divide between the sisters.

Will the Moore daughters ever get past their differences? Will the perfect image Beau has been portraying ever crumble?

I enjoyed the writer’s writing style so well that I will look to see what other books they’ve written. I highly recommend this read for readers that are able to tolerate violence in their young adult mysteries.

Yearning Young by Deidre Huesman


Yearning Young by Deidre Huesman
Burning Britely #2
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (160 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

Braeden’s never had to question anything before. He’s always been popular, always had everything handed to him, and always been straight.

Then he met Jeffrey Young. Quiet, studious, analytical … a guy.

Falling for Jeff ultimately resulted in Braeden’s expulsion. Now he’s questioning everything. Like if he can handle his pill-abusing mother and ruthlessly enabling father much longer. If he’s protecting his siblings out of selfless motivations. If he belongs with Jeff, now his boyfriend. Jeff’s less-than-straight friends are skeptical of his sexuality as well, which isn’t assuaging any of Braeden’s fears.

As his connection to Jeff deepens quicker than expected, Braeden has to face the question he’s been avoiding for weeks: what is he supposed to do with a guy?

Sometimes love is complicated.

Seeing how Braeden’s understanding of his sexual orientation evolved over time was one of my favorite parts of this tale. Bisexuality was something new to him, and he had many questions about what being bisexual meant to him and how he should respond to people who were prejudiced against him because of it. I appreciated the fact that the author tackled this subject so openly and honestly. She did an excellent job of showing what it feels like to come out of the closet in this way, and I’m saying that as someone who has personal experience with the subject. Ms. Huesman’s empathy for all of her characters, and especially this one, made it impossible for me to stop reading.

This is a minor criticism of something I really enjoyed overall, but I would have liked to see a bit more time spent on the dysfunctional family dynamics. There was a lot going on with the homophobic dad in particular that I wish would have been explored more. The conflicts those relationships brought to the plot were quite interesting.

One of the sections of my review of the first book of this series talked about how I wished there had been more time taken to develop Braeden and Jeff’s relationship. I was quite happy to see that this was exactly what happened in the second instalment! Both characters had plenty of time to figure out what they wanted from their relationship and how closely the things they wanted actually matched up with each other. This was exactly what they and the plot needed in order to move forward, so it was nice to see it occur.

As I just mentioned, this is a sequel. I would recommend reading Burning Britely first in order to best understand what’s going on with these characters’ lives now.

I’d recommend Yearning Young to anyone who has ever felt out of place.

Dark Lands: The Not-Where by Lyn I. Kelly


Dark Lands: The Not-Where by Lyn I. Kelly
Part Two of the Dark Lands Series
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: YA Fantasy
Length: Full Length (200 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

The betrayal at the Requiem has passed, but the foreboding presence of the Dark Man still exists. While whispers of a new threat roll across the Dark Lands, Webb Thompson is plagued by a recurring nightmare that warns of a looming evil powerful enough to transform not just his life, but also that of his sister, Sundown, and her counselor, Raven. After the Dark Man initiates a move that destabilizes the shaky balance of good and evil in the Dark Lands, Webb realizes the only resolution may lie within a shadowy region known to few and traversed by even less. But does the cryptic Not-Where hide the source of tribulation or is it a place to release more insidious forces? As the paths of Webb, Sundown, and Raven surreptitiously intertwine, they realize too late that despite their caution and steadfastness, destiny cannot be tempered as new evils are unleashed, secrets are revealed, and a vast army rises. Now only time will tell if they can stop the Dark Man from escaping his otherworldly prison.

This is a worthy second book in the series, one that continues the adventure of a young pair of siblings who died and crossed over. The land the 17-year-old Webb and his 14-year-old sister Sundown have found themselves in is filled with wonder and untold dangers.

Webb and Sundown have a bit of mystery about them, but in this second book, readers finally get to see what took them from the life of the living. They are likeable characters with strengths and weakness. The characters surrounding them are fun to read about and are essential in drawing out sides of Webb and Sundown that help readers to understand them better. Webb even gets a girlfriend in this mystical world, and she helps him to discover more about himself.

Even the animal characters and the villainous creatures add dimension and depth to the main characters, by the reactions they draw from them.

The nature of relationships is an important factor in this story. Around this are other themes, such as strength against adversity, good versus evil, and descent into madness. Webb is young but fights against his unseen enemies—who are trying to destroy him from afar. Will they weaken him enough to use him against those he loves? While reading about his struggles, readers will be worried for him. The psychological fight is intriguing, the suspense created well done. The unfolding of the plot is just right in drawing out other dimensions of the main characters.

Complications lead to a cliff-hanger, which is to be continued in the next book.

The book is written with clarity and is descriptive, creating a world that one could envision. Readers will feel something emotionally for the young hero and those he cares about. It’s a serious story but yet fun to read. Creatures and places are imaginative and also symbolize negative forces.

This is an enjoyable story, like the first in the series, and gives fans more information while leaving them wanting for more. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy YA or otherwise, who just enjoy good stories with unconventional settings and the paranormal. The magic not only rests in the wonderful gifts the characters have, but also in their potential. I look forward to the next in the series.

Spooky Twisties III, 13 Tales of Terror by Terri Bertha


Spooky Twisties III, 13 Tales of Terror by Terri Bertha
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Genre: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (130 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

House of Puzzles:Will Chris and Nick be able to solve the puzzles to save their lives?

The Best Book Ever: Can a school book report prove to uncover a little too much for one student?

Pretty Voodoo Doll: What will one of the girls resort to in order to make the cheerleading squad?

A Needed Friend: Why does the mysterious boy seem to be drawn to the girl who visits the graveyard?

Ghost Catcher: Lindsay meets a woman with some amazing abilities at the old-age home. Can you catch a ghost?

Saving Cardinals: Does Amy’s love of birds and animals prove to be a life-saver?

Two Bloke Boys:Will Nick and Chris find gold at the end of the rainbow?

Candle Sense: A thoughtful gift provides a haunting experience.

Would You Believe?: The science fair and a revolution. Seriously, that’s why I didn’t turn in my homework.

Dronepocalypse: Buuuzzzz…did you hear that?

The Promenade: A trip to the historical museum and an old photo help solve the question of how to ask a girl to the spring dance.

Dire-Rama: WOW! That model looks so real!

Hello Me, It’s Me Again: Will an unexpected family reunion finally put things to rest?

The hidden references in these short ‘horror’ stories foreshadow future encounters and/or connect back to events of previous stories,and the twists in the story endings make reading the tales even more fun for ages 9 and above.

There’s not just one haunted house in this community. Many spots in this area have odd things happening in them.

This is the first time I can remember reviewing a collection of short stories that were about the same group of characters. It was quite interesting to me to read about the different adventures these kids went on with their various combinations of friends. Some of their experiences involved needing to do things like solve riddles or mysteries, so I liked seeing how well they were able to do this stuff depending on who they were spending time with at that particular moment.

It would have been helpful to have more details about the characters since the narrator didn’t describe what any of them looked like. While I did get a good sense of some of their personalities, it sure would have been helpful to be able to close my eyes and come up with full mental image of what each of the main characters looked, sounded, and acted like. They all sort of blended together in my imagination because of how few details there were about them in general.

The town where this book was set was quite the unusual place. Sometimes there were buildings that appeared and then disappeared again. Humorously enough, this was one of the least bizarre occurrences there . My favorite scenes were the ones that showed how the characters reacted to their familiar world being turned upside down at a moment’s notice. Without giving away spoilers, they reacted exactly how I’d expect them to. That alone made me want to keep reading.

This collection is the third in a series, but it can be read as a standalone work.

Spooky Twisties III should be read by anyone who is in the mood for something scary.

The Rubies by Rêve Fox


The Rubies by Rêve Fox
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Childrens, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (86 pages)
Age Recommendation: 8+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Have you ever wondered if all fairies live in peace? ‘The Rubies’ beautifully leads the reader down an enchanted pathway of war, betrayal, friendship, love, and loyalty. Follow Princess Amira’s journey as she tries to bind together a nation divided by hate and fear, and build a new, stronger society from the scattered ashes of her family’s Kingdom. Friendships will be put to the test, and our heroes and heroines will have to learn to deal with grief, loss and sorrow, while putting the needs of others first.

Everybody we meet in this book has a strength of personality that shines out above all else, but when war rips apart their nation and friends are pitted against each other, which side will win? Will Princess Amira have the courage necessary to stand up to evil?

Not every conflict is going to be one that’s easy to solve.

Just like any other creature, magical or otherwise, there are certain things that fairies find harmful to their health or well being. While I can’t go into detail about what those things might be, I did enjoy getting to know the weaknesses of fairies in this universe. Knowing that they weren’t all-powerful being made them feel more relatable and likable to me. It also helped to make certain scenes feel more meaningful once I realized the very real danger they were in.

I had trouble keeping track of the many characters in this story. There wasn’t enough time to get to know all of them well, so it was tricky to remember how they all knew each other and which one of the four fairy tribes everyone was from. It would have been nice to have a smaller cast of characters to focus on so that I could get to know all of them in greater depth.

The world building was nicely written. Princess Amira and her friends lived in a complex society where everyone knew their place. The descriptions of the many different types of fairies in this world made me smile. I liked the fact that the author spent so much time not only describing them but explaining why certain factions did or did not get along well with others. It made for quite the interesting read.

The Rubies should be read by anyone who loves fairies or the fantasy genre.

Fight Like a Woman by J.S. Frankel


Fight Like a Woman by J.S. Frankel
Publisher: Regal Crest
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (167 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Meet Kyle Sorton, teen, orphan, living a life of no purpose on a space station. Occupation: janitor. Future prospects: none. His only dream is to be someone.

Anyone will do.

Wish granted–sort of. An accident aboard his space station forces his flight, and his ship crash lands on an unknown world. Mortally wounded, he uses an experimental healing device called a Clavator to transfer his consciousness to the body of an alien woman. When he awakens, he discovers that this woman not only has special abilities, but that parts of her consciousness still exist. Even more surprising to him is the fact that his new host, named Rinarra, is married to Merat, another woman. She is understandably upset over losing her wife, and initially rejects the new Rinnara.

Confusion reigns, and compounding his problem of understanding his new form is the existence of a hostile alien force known as the Droogs. Large, purple, and utterly evil, Droogs care not about any lives other than their own. Kyle, who slowly begins to not only identify as Rinnara but also to fall in love with Merat, decides to fight the invaders. Windeeri has become a home, and she’ll defend it, even at the cost of her own life.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Kyle’s character development was quite well done. He’d already been through far more than his fair share of tragedy by the time the first scene of this story began, and he clearly hadn’t been able to process all of it either. It doesn’t quite feel right to say that I liked this about him because of how sad this part of his history was, but I sure did appreciate the fact that he was still a work in progress. His unresolved grief over the deaths of his parents made him feel like a real person to me. More than anything, I wanted him to find closure there and at least have the possibility of living happily ever after by the final scene.

The world building was phenomenal. There are many parts of it I can’t go into detail about without giving away spoilers, but I loved the way Mr. Frankel showed the audience what life was like for Kyle and other average humans in the distant future. Their utilitarian lives were a nice contrast to the less technologically advanced but friendlier society that Rinnara was from.

Gender identity is a complicated topic. One of the things I found most intriguing about this book was how it explored what it means to identify as a specific gender, especially since Kyle grew up in a society that had the same exact expectations for men as it did for women. This lack of gender stereotypes had a very interesting effect on how Kyle adjusted to living in a female body after his accident, and I appreciated all of the thought the author put into how this character would react to this sort of change.

I’ve read just about every book Mr. Frankel has written, and Fight Like a Woman is by far my favorite one so far. It’s something I’d heartily recommend to fans of the science fiction and young adult genres alike.

The Auctioneer by J.S. Frankel


The Auctioneer by J.S. Frankel
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (247 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Matthew Carter, eighteen and orphaned recently due to the death of his father, continues on the family tradition of auctioneering. It is not his chosen profession, but one that is thrust upon him by circumstance.

Offered a chance to make some money by a man named Baltarus, Matthew reluctantly agrees, and to his surprise, ends up on an alien star-port where he auctions off rare items from all over the galaxy.

Matthew learns his trade and grows into it, but complications arise when he is forced to sell an alien woman named Anarra. He buys her in order to give her the freedom she desires. They become friends, and soon become lovers.

Life is good, but all that changes when he becomes a target of unknown assassins. Additionally, he is forced to sell a planet named Volarus, something that goes against his conscience.

Matthew finds out there’s more to life than making money, and races against time to find a loophole in order to stop Volarus from being next on the bidding block, as well as finding out the faceless killers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

How would you react to a job that forced you to do unethical things?

The romance subplot was handled beautifully. I was pleased with how naturally the relationship between Matthew and Anarra unfolded. They spent time genuinely getting to know each other as individuals first, and that’s always something I appreciate in this sort of storyline. It makes the thought of two characters possibly ending up together for good even sweeter in my opinion than it might otherwise be.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the character development in this tale. Matthew was a fascinating guy who’d been through a lot in his short life. As interesting as it was to get to know him, I didn’t see the kinds of personal development in him I was expecting to find. He had plenty of opportunities to grow as a person. I simply needed to see more examples of him doing that during the course of his adventures.

Speaking of characters having adventures, though, this book was full of twists and turns. Once I started reading it, I had a hard time putting it down again until I knew how everything would turn out for the protagonist and all of the folks he met along the way. One of the things I enjoy the most about Mr. Frankel’s stories is how much action he packs into his plots, and this one was just as exciting as everything else he’s written so far.

The Auctioneer should be read by anyone who likes adventurous science fiction.

The Request for Lambency by Ileso DMC


The Request for Lambency by Ileso DMC
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full length (330 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

The entire world, set in the near future, has changed since the discovery of these ‘requests.’ New businesses and services are created to capture this significant moment after death. All religions are forced to translate what this peaceful, yet unusual occurrence means with the consensus being that their supreme being is allowing one sentimental object to be taken into their afterlife. Social media erupts with new apps to track these request videos as the global public has an addiction to them. Powa is a teenager who partially uploads a request video that creates a social media frenzy. She successfully leaves summer school to escape her pursuers who happen to be an aggressive corporation that is grossly invested in the well-being of the human body. To make matters worse, a government agency whose assignment is to authenticate all request videos, services, and businesses is demanding to view that video in its entirety. Unable to determine friend from foe, she confides in an unacquainted classmate who convinces her to take a journey from her hometown to San Diego’s Comic-Con as they pick up his slightly unusual friends along the way. Along the way, they learn of other cruel measures companies are willing to invest in having their device be the object of ‘the request.’ They soon discovered that to be more difficult than they had anticipated. Only one corporation was the exception to this rule. They believe the final piece to the puzzle lies with Powa even though she is convinced other celestial forces are at play.

The Request for Lambency is an inventive and unpredictable story focused on a young lady and her “nerdy” acquaintances and their adventures. As they find themselves in a great deal of trouble, it is sometimes difficult to know who to trust.

Each of these characters is well-written and unique. Readers can clearly hear their individual and quirky voices. There is levity throughout the story—not an easy task, given the seriousness of the situation.

At times the story is silly and youthful, with young humor—as it could have in a YA story—and at other times, the ticking clock makes for a suspenseful mood. Things escalate, and readers will worry about the protagonists, for they are going up against a profound threat.

The setting is detailed, and readers are brought into this fictional world, but they also get a taste of the real Comic-Con world and its not so awesome darker side.

The Sci-Fi aspect was written with a talented hand, and it overlapped with the mystical seamlessly.

This is a good story for those who like YA and the unusual.

April Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ Edger Lives by David Beem


Edger Lives by David Beem
Publisher: Escapist Press
Genre: Contemporary, Comedy, Action/Adventure, Paranormal
Length: full Length (305 pgs)
Rated: 5 stars
Review by Rose

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Our dork of destiny rides again!

Edger is falling for Mary, his bodyguard, kick-ass spy, and cover wife. But she’s so hopelessly out of his league, it’s clear someone’s going to get hurt. Less clear? That someone may be the Prime Minister of Australia.

When Mary confesses her desire to kill the world leader whose assassination Edger’s supposed to prevent, Edger’s superpowers pick the worst time to stop working. Without a fully functional psychic superhero, their team of spies can no longer order him to probe Mary’s mind for ill intent. The stage is set for a confrontation that threatens to strip a defenseless Edger of his loyal protector just when he needs her most.

Return to the Collective Unconscious, this time with Listerine-chugging stoners, Hollyweirdos, commie-alien-kung fu robots, one space gorilla-unicorn, and an exceedingly lovesick Vladimir Putin.

Mind your fingers and toes on page 270. Those skydiving mind-control monkeys have been known to bite!

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Dark Lands: Requiem by Lyn Kelly


Dark Lands: Requiem by Lyn Kelly
Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (216 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Webb Thompson awakes, disoriented and fearful. He sees green grass and a black, boiling sky spread out before him. He finds his little sister nearby, unconscious. When he reaches her side, Sundown is alive. But now they have other problems: where are they, how did they get there, and what is that growling noise? Webb and Sundown have awakened in the Dark Lands-a world between life and death where sacred souls battle malevolent evil for control of the living realm, a battle of which mere mortals know nothing. How did Webb and Sundown come to this place? Are they living? Are they dead? Or are they something else?

This is a YA Fantasy story with a setting that has appealed to people for untold ages: the afterlife. It is told through the eyes of a sensitive and brave young man—Webb—and his younger sister—Sundown. These two are engaging characters who steal the heart. Their support team contains a variety of interesting characters, ranging from cranky teachers to loving family members who have passed away, those who would be their friends, and even a giant, purring house cat and mystical horses. The villains are equally interesting and quite a threat. Could some of the nice people actually be up to something though?

The world is well written, with its beauties and terrifying dangers. Even in this world, filled with those who have crossed over, worse things than death could happen and threaten to on a daily basis. The good parts of this realm are magical, and the author has done well completing a multi-faceted place.

Continual suspense and questions yet to be answered wrap themselves around the adventure. Readers get some of those answers in this first part—more is to come! When this part of the story is over, readers are likely to want to pick up the second. What is to become of Webb and Sundown? Where did their Uncle go, and how did the siblings die?

This is an enjoyable, coming of age…of sorts…story. The likable Webb and Sundown discover more about themselves, their weaknesses and their latent talents, giving a dreamlike touch to the whole tale.