Love Edy by Shewanda Pugh

June 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment

OVE
Love Edy by Shewanda Pugh
Publisher: Razor’s Edge
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (311 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When Edy Phelps falls hard for her best friend, she knows nothing can come from it. Forget actual chemistry, or the fact that she cherishes his mother more than her own; centuries of tradition say that Hassan will grow up, marry the girl his parents pick, and forget his best friend: the dancer with the bursting smile. Except he can’t. In a world erupting with possibilities for the boy with a body of steel and dreams of the NFL, everything seems promised while nothing at all is; when he’s denied the girl he wants most.

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Few things sting more than loving someone who can’t or won’t love you back.

The character development is superb. Edy’s strengths and weaknesses are revealed gradually, and each one of them is reinforced and allowed to rub up against the other facets of her personality as the plot progresses. She definitely isn’t a perfect person, but I got to know Edy so well that she does feel like a real one due to how much time was spent on exploring everything that makes her unique.

Hassan is almost as well developed, and that isn’t an easy feat to pull off with a secondary character. Their friendship is warm, nuanced, and occasionally conflicted, but what really caught my attention is how incredibly well Edy and Hassan know one another. All it takes is a misplaced glance or a subtle shift in body language for them to communicate. These signals kept me guessing about what might happen next when tension rises between these two!

While I understand that this is the first book in a series, I would have liked to see more of the subplots find closure in the last few scenes. So many of them were left hanging for the sequel that I never felt the sense of resolution that I would expect from a full length novel. The plot asks excellent questions about race, gender, social class, and what it means to love someone selflessly. Had at least a few of these themes been allowed to to reach their natural conclusions, Love Edy would have easily earned a much higher rating.

It’s really hard to admit when you’re wrong. One of the things I enjoyed the most about this tale is how certain characters react when they realize they’ve said or done something hurtful. It’s difficult to discuss this in detail without giving away spoilers, but keep an eye out for the flashes of self-awareness in this tale. Small details like this are what make this reader anticipate the sequel!

Love Edy is a compelling young adult romance that I’d recommend to anyone who is a fan of either genre. It was a fun ride, and I look forward to catching up again with these characters soon.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Blue by Lisa Glass

June 24, 2014 By 2 Comments

BLUE
Blue by Lisa Glass
Publisher: Quercus
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Length: Full Length (373 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Hawthorn

Surfing is sixteen-year-old Iris’s world, and when the ultra-talented Zeke walks into her life, it soon becomes her passion.

Over one amazing summer, as she is drawn into his sphere, she experiences love, new friendships, but also loss, with an intensity she never dreamed of.

But is Zeke all he seems? What hides beneath his glamorous and mysterious past? When Iris decides to try for her own surfing success, just as her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, she will test her talent, and her feelings for Zeke, to the limit…

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Iris is at first a very ‘girl next door’ character, which makes it easy to identify with her. She’s heartbroken over breaking up with her boyfriend; she just wants to wallow in her misery and stay holed up in her house. Then she meets a boy who seems too good to be true, and her entire world changes. We get to see Iris reveal new layers of her character and new depths of her surfing talent. She makes great progress through the novel, and blossoms into a poised and committed surfer and a beautiful personality.

The gorgeous boy she meets, Zeke, has done most of his growing up before we get to meet him, but that’s okay, because he is now mature enough to inspire and guide Iris. And he does that wonderfully. The amount of surfing knowledge that Ms. Glass wrote into his character makes him a believable champion, a great sportsman, and a very inspiring individual. He’s just what Iris needs, and that’s why their relationship works so well. It’s worth noting that apart from the external conflicts that hinder their relationship, at least at the beginning, there are also strong inner conflicts that help the reader become even more invested in the story.

I loved how the secondary characters were all well-written, with distinct personalities, and how Ms. Glass created relationships between them that felt very real and genuine. Kelly was the kind of a positive, spunky person I’d love to have for a friend. The interaction between the Francis brothers (and pretty much the entire family) is a joy to watch; and Nanna is a very special individual.

The only thing I’d have liked to see in the story but didn’t is more of the relationship between Saskia and Iris. I liked Saskia from the get-go and I was hoping for the girls to become fast friends. I think if they had, the final conflict would have been even more intense and consequently the resolution even more emotional. However, that’s more of a personal wish than an actual weakness of the story.

The pacing of the novel is flawless, with the last forty pages turning into an utter emotional rollercoaster. The descriptions of surfing, the waves and nature are so breathtaking you can smell the brine and feel the sun on your skin. The language and writing style are equally authentic. Surfing slang and Cornish expressions abound, so I learned quite a few new words.

Regardless of whether you like surfing, or even if you don’t know the first thing about it, you’ll grow to love it after reading Blue.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hector Trogg’s Perfect World by P.A. Booth

June 23, 2014 By Leave a Comment

TROGG
Hector Trogg’s Perfect World by P.A. Booth
Publisher: Abas UK Ltd.
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (465 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A brother and sister – An inheritance – An assassin

Through every boring day of school Hector Trogg dreamt of adventure. He wanted to fly a fighter plane, drive a tank, and leap from burning buildings. An unusual inheritance and the world’s most feared killer turn Hector’s daydreams into reality.

While Hector’s family struggle to stay alive with the help of French special forces, Hector and his sister Kate carve a trail of destruction, aided by a dog called Bandit. The French fight for justice. The dog fights for the turkey.

Can Hector save the day?

Can Kate rescue Hector?
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Can Dad save lunch?

Suddenly coming into a large amount of money cures some problems, but it can also create entirely new ones. Unfortunately the Trogg siblings haven’t figured that out quite yet.

The bond between siblings is bound to change as they grow up, and the author did a good job at providing realistic glimpses of how such intelligent and resourceful characters work together. Some of my favourite scenes in this story involve Hector and Kate’s shifting relationship. They can be very competitive at times but are never cruel.

There was a fair amount of telling instead of showing in this book. Given that many scenes are also written in the past tense, I had trouble becoming immersed in what was happening because I didn’t feel as much urgency to know what would happen next as I usually experience from such action-heavy plots. Even the most heart-pounding moments sometimes felt as though they were being recounted many years after they happened due to these factors.

P.A. Booth has a wonderful sense of humour that works quite well for this age group. I particularly liked how the author repeats certain jokes and includes references to previous shenanigans as the plot progresses. Given the serious subject matter in certain chapters, these running gags also provided a much-needed break from the building tension.

Pacing issues begin to show up after the first burst of excitement. Some action scenes are breezed through rapidly while other sections that describe the setting or introduce new characters seemed to slow down the plot. These details are important, but it would have been helpful to have some of them reserved for a little later on so that more time could be spent focusing on all of the trouble Hector and Kate find themselves in.

The science fiction and young adult genres often work really well together, and this tale is no exception to that rule. The latter has a much stronger influence on the plot, but the story becomes stronger and more interesting due to this mixing of genres. This is the kind of novel I’d give to a preteen who is curious about science fiction but prefers his or her stories to occur in a modern-day, realistic setting.

I’d recommend Hector Trogg’s Perfect World to anyone in the mood for adventure. There is plenty of it to be found between these pages!

 

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Messenger by Scott Rhine

June 23, 2014 By Leave a Comment

MESSENGER
Messenger by Scott Rhine
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (169 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When we close our eyes at night, we all see the same ancient place. Exploring Astra is like living a video game. Tomorrow, I’m going goblin-tipping with some of the other wizards. The first rule of being a dream wizard is “no photos.” You don’t want the bad guys finding you where you have no powers. The waking world sucks.

Since Mom went to prison, the Nevada foster system sent me to Minnesota to meet an Uncle Joe I never knew I had. Snow loses its charm after five days. Only music and the dreams make my life bearable.

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Imagine having a lucid dream every time you go to sleep!

Daniel has been through more challenges in his first fourteen years than some people experience in an entire lifetime. Seeing how his personality developed over the course of the story made this character one of the most interesting ones I’ve come across so far this year. The author did a particularly good job at showing the long-lasting effects of certain events in Daniel’s past.

I had trouble keeping track of all of the creatures and other players Daniel meets in Astra. Part of the reason why I struggled is that the cast of characters in this dreamscape was fairly large. While most of the secondary characters were introduced with brief descriptions of their appearances or special powers, some of them only shared their names. It would have been helpful to have a glossary of basic information about these beings so I could spend more time paying attention to what was happening next instead of trying to remember who was who.

Some stories ignite my imagination as soon as I start reading them. This was one of them. At first I was eager for Daniel’s sometimes painful experiences in his waking life to wrap up so he could jump back into everything that was happening when he entered his next REM stage of sleep and was able to once again steal treasures and fight goblins. What impressed me, though, was what happens once he begins to feel secure with his place in both worlds. Within a few chapters I was enjoying both worlds equally.

It took me a while to figure out the most appropriate age recommendation for this book. Daniel is in high school when the action begins, but the plot seems to be written for kids who are a few years younger than him. The subplots that explain how Daniel ended up with his disabilities and why he became a foster child may be too intense for younger or sensitive readers, though, so be cautious about sharing this tale with anyone under the age of 12.

Messenger was quite the adventure. I’d especially recommend it to anyone who is a fan of role playing games or video games.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains by Rodney Jones

June 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment

TRAINS
The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains by Rodney Jones
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (251 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What would it take to convince you that the woods you just left is a hundred and forty-four years distant from the one you entered?

Ten years have passed since the Civil War broke up John Bartley’s family. Living with his aunt and uncle in the tiny village of Greendale, Vermont, isn’t filled with excitement for a seventeen-year-old.

Until John walks into the woods one day and stumbles into 2009…
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Fortunately, he chances upon the outspoken Tess McKinnon. To earn her trust, he must first convince her that he is neither a lunatic nor a liar. The proof he needs is buried at the end of a mountain road, where the ruins of Greendale lie just beneath a layer of dead leaves and moss.

What became of his home? Why is there no record of its existence?

Sometimes you choose an adventure, and sometimes the adventure chooses you.

As soon as I read the premise of this novel, I knew I had to find out what happens next. Time travel is such a fascinating concept, and it’s even more intriguing when the protagonist does it accidentally. I liked seeing John go through his daily routines for a little while before he was suddenly jerked out of them. It developed his personality as well as helped me feel empathy for how disoriented he felt by the world he stumbled into.

John’s wide-eyed response to everything that has changed between his time and our own was quite funny. I was confused by his use of the English language, though, as there weren’t that many differences between the way he speaks and how Tess would phrase the same question or statement. Other than not understanding common words like car or cell phone, his speech patterns were almost indistinguishable from modern English. I briefly wondered if this was a side effect of the time travel, but my theory was never confirmed or denied.

There is still so much about these characters and the worlds they live in that has yet to be explored. From what I understand, there is a sequel to this book in the works. While I was satisfied with how this particular tale ended, I’d love to find out what happens to John and Tess next.

I’d recommend The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains to adult and young adult readers alike. This book has a little something for everyone!

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

By Force by Sara Hubbard

June 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FORCE
By Force by Sara Hubbard
Forever Fae #1
Publisher: Etopia Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult
Length: Full Length (218 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

Kidnapping Isame would set them free…

Isame wanted freedom: the freedom to travel, the freedom to explore, but most of all, the freedom to choose the life she wanted over the life—and the husband—her parents had chosen for her. But when Isame leaves home to accept another man’s proposal, she happens across five fierce, handsome warriors. She wonders why they’ve travelled so far from home, but she never imagines their purpose might have something to do with her. Not even after they kidnap her.

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Isame doesn’t want to stay in the village and marry the man her parents have chosen for her. She wants her freedom to travel, see other lands, and find her own love. But she has no choice…

Stories about the fae always draw me in but the arranged marriage theme also does. It’s hard enough to stay married to someone when you love them, who wants to be given in marriage to someone you don’t even know? Ms. Hubbard has a smooth writing style that draws you into the story and she gives you tidbits of information as you go along.

You know Isame is different because she heals quickly, too quickly to be human. However, she certainly didn’t expect to get kidnapped by the King’s Warriors. She’s going to get to see different lands and travel great distances but it won’t be as a free woman.

She tries to gain sympathy from her captors by telling them about her life. She gets mostly silence but she keeps trying. Eventually, one of them talks to her and tells her a little about their lives. As they keep travelling the relationship between them begins to change and they start to become friends instead of fiends. There is a bad apple in the bunch, though.

You can tell from what’s said and what’s not that the King wants her for nefarious purposes. The Warriors are not really comfortable with that. If that’s not enough danger in her life, the bad Warrior has been killed for attacking her, but he returns. The reason he returns has to do with her and he’s coming after her.

There’s plenty of excitement while the Warriors and Isame try to find the gypsy woman who wouldn’t share her fortune with her, the bad Warrior is after her, and the King is beginning to wonder why it’s taking them so long to get home.

The ending is magnificent and totally unexpected. This is the first in a new series so you know there will be more to come and I, for one, am glad to see that. There’s a romance blooming and I’m hoping it will be a happy ever after for both of them. Ms. Hubbard has me hooked.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Magic World of Bracken Lea by Esma Race

June 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment

LEA
The Magic World of Bracken Lea by Esma Race
Publisher: Solstice
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (94 pages)
Age Recommendation: 6+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A series of ten short stories featuring the Fairy Folk of Bracken Lea Wood: a tale of Nature Spirits for humans of all ages.

Welcome to the magic world of GLODWYN the Gnome. His friends include other gnomes, flower fairies, a Twisted Tree, Astrid the Fairy Queen, and the birds and animals who also live in the wood.

Glodwyn the gnome is a bit of a rebel. He lives and works in the ancient woodland. He is unusual amongst the Fairy Folk in enjoying the company of humans. His good-natured interest in their world seen through the eyes of his unknowing “friend”, Walter the Stacker Truck Driver at the local factory, leads him to interfere in their affairs, with interesting results both for the Fairy Folk and humans. With his help, the Fairy Folk rescue a little boy from drowning, save the life of an injured cat and later that of a confused old lady who collapses in the Wood.

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Most people don’t notice magic even if it’s happening right under their noses. Are you one of them?

It’s difficult to discuss just one story because they’re all so closely connected to each other, but one of the most interesting ones in The Magic World of Bracken Lea is “The Unicorn and the Wand.” In it Glodwyn the Gnome and Celandine (a Flower Fairy) search for a unicorn so they can replace something that their queen has lost. The witty dialogue and clever ending made me want to read it again.

Speaking of Celandine, she was my favorite character in this collection. Her sweet, kind personality meshed nicely with Glodwyn’s tendency to act before he thinks. It was especially interesting to see the difference between how each of them reacts to trouble in their woodland home.

It took me a while to figure out the most appropriate age recommendation for this book, and it is a flexible one. I was a little surprised by how often the human characters find themselves in danger in these woods. While the fairies and other creatures are helpful, some of the scenarios might be a little scary for the preschoolers that would otherwise be the perfect age for this collection.

The page count includes illustrations as well as the text. The drawings themselves are simple, rustic, and beautiful. I often found myself paying just as much attention to them as I did to the tales themselves because they so accurately captured what was going on in the plot.

Read these tales in order until you’re familiar with its cast of characters. The first one introduces the reader to Bracken Lea, and the rest regularly revisit faeries and other creatures that originally popped up earlier on in this collection.

Discovering The Magic World of Bracken Lea was a treat. This is a fun choice for anyone looking for something magical to add to story time.

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Ever Near by Melissa MacVicar

June 11, 2014 By 2 Comments

NEAR
Ever Near by Melissa MacVicar
Secret Affinity Book 1
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (199 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Love is ever near. But trouble is never far.

Nantucket Island is haunted, but only sixteen-year-old Jade Irving knows it. Ignoring the disturbing spirits isn’t an option, because one dwells in the enormous historic home she shares with her newly blended family. Jade is finding it more and more difficult to explain away Lacey’s ghostly, anguished tantrums, especially with Charlie, her gorgeous, almost step-brother, living right across the hall.

When a power-hungry ghost hunter tracks down Jade and blackmails her, Jade’s secret teeters on the edge of exposure, and her entire future hangs in the balance. If anyone finds out Jade can talk to ghosts, her life will be forever changed.
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Can she save herself, free Lacey, and hang on to her tenuous connection with Charlie? Or will everything she ever wanted slip through her fingers?

Some gifts come with strings attached to them. What’s worse is that Jade couldn’t reject her gift or know ahead of time just how disruptive it would be in her otherwise ordinary life.

Jade is an intelligent protagonist who has never quite managed to get used to seeing the dead. While she can be snarky and a bit too serious at times, I liked her sharp-tongued approach to the things that she knows she can’t change. Her nonchalant approach to her own sexuality was also refreshing. She’s not embarrassed by the idea of preparing for safer sex ahead of time, but neither does this part of her life take up a great deal of her time.

It would have been helpful to know more about the past and personality of a secondary character who becomes interested in Jade’s life. Some of his actions come across as inappropriate given that he’s an adult stranger who follows a teenage girl around. From what I understand, this book is the beginning of a new series. I hope that more answers are given about his behaviour in the sequel.

Not every ghost is cute and cuddly. Encountering violent, unpredictable spirits without ever being able to opt out of the experience isn’t exactly what I’d consider to be a good time. Lacey’s backstory was particularly frightening. What I liked most about it was how slowly it was revealed. Some of the other paranormal scenes are pretty intense, though, so for this reason I strongly recommend sticking with the age recommendation.

The romantic elements were out of place in an otherwise dark plot. The characters involved in it meet under an odd set of circumstances to say the least. While they aren’t doing anything illegal, their actions do cross certain social boundaries in ways that I found disturbing. I never quite understood why this particular subplot was included, but this tale would have earned a much higher rating without it.

I didn’t know much about Nantucket before reading this book, but it’s an intriguing setting for a ghost story. There’s a big difference between how certain residents have projected themselves in public and what’s really going on behind closed doors. Everyone carries a few secrets around with them. It’s how they react when they thinks those secrets are about to be revealed that makes Jade’s journey such an interesting one.

Ever Near Book 1: Secret Affinity has piqued my curiosity. This is a good choice for anyone who thinks that paranormal activity isn’t necessarily something anyone in their right mind would seek out.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Essence by A. L. Waddington

June 4, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Essence by A. L. Waddington
The Eve Series Book 1
Publisher: Booktrope
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (308 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Jocelyn Timmons does not believe she is anything special — just an ordinary high school senior, living an ordinary life full of school-work, volleyball and friends. She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

Jackson Chandler moved in to the house across the street. His dark wavy hair, green eyes and charismatic personality draws everyone to him. Everyone, but Jocelyn.
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Whenever Jackson gets near Jocelyn she feels ill and dizzy. When he touches her, she blacks out and has visions of another life, in another time. As the odd hallucinations evolve and become clearer, she feels a strong pull towards the people she sees there. Frightened, she watches her once stable life begin to crumble around her and she begins to question her own sanity.

Could it be possible that these episodes are actually her own memories of a life she is living somehow, somewhere, some-when? Maybe this is time-travel or some other paranormal mysticism? Our minds often wander, but can our souls?

Essence is a novel with a very interesting concept that tells of a genetic gift passed on through family members. Jocelyn Timmons is a normal high school student in the year 2009. When a new neighbor moves in by the name of Jackson Chandler, her life changes to something more than normal. Just the simple touch of Jackson causes Jocelyn to faint. During the fainting spells Jocelyn’s find herself living in the year 1878.

This is a deeply enjoyable novel that shows the author’s superb talent at story telling. I found the story fascinating and a joy to read. Such a warm romance with a speck of time travel and a mystic plot. Jocelyn’s family and friends are very concerned because the fainting seems to be happening more often. Jocelyn has narrowed down the cause of her fainting spells but never reveals her assumption to anyone. For Jocelyn to have such close family and dependable friends it really bothered me that she felt she could not confide in anyone about what was happening to her and what she was experiencing. During this time of the novel it seem to be long and slow. At some point after so many fainting spells I was wishing she would please tell someone so we can get this story moving along.

The 1878 story did not really seem to revolve around Jocelyn, instead it was more her brother William and her best friend and neighbor Olivia. I found this part less interesting as it was long and drawn out. Still, I continued to read to see how it all tied in. The author went into quite a bit of detail in the sub-story of William and Olivia and after reading it I was left wondering why was so much time spent on telling their story? After reading through Jocelyn’s brother story the novel continues and the 1878 Jocelyn finds out that she too can travel to a future time. By this time it is pretty much explained to the 2009 Jocelyn what is happen to her and why she is able to cross between different time eras.  I must mention that the servant’s dialogue was hard to understand in the year 1878.

As I stated this is an enjoyable novel, that I found very entertaining. Yes it had a few slow spots but they were never completely boring. The story still flowed and had my attention to continue reading. Without giving away the mystery of EVE, although this is a book of fiction, the explanation and idea really got me to thinking and wondering how neat it would be to live life in two different time eras. I am curious to see how the author carries the story on in the next installment. It is a series that I would likely follow.

If you enjoy a novel of young love, charged with an intriguing fantasy this is a novel you would not want to miss.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The JAX Chronicles: Initiation by Jen Lemons

June 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment

JAX
The JAX Chronicles: Initiation by Jen Lemons
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (276 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Samantha Withers is a troubled 18-year-old, who is desperate to break ties with her overbearing father and escape undeserved blame for her mother’s rape and murder. She struggles with her caged inner demons, afraid of the havoc she’ll wreak if she gives in to her anger. It begins the night Sam is recruited by a mysterious man named X for a job that may be a little too perfect for her situation: hit man. X can give Sam everything: money, freedom and his sexy employer, Ace.

All Sam has to do is become an adversary to society. Sam agrees, justifying it as vigilante work. Through her unorthodox training at Ace’s secret base of operations, Sam’s strength and skills intensify, as does her “friendship” with X and obsession with Ace, and she learns she’s not the only one struggling with personal demons and a haunting past.

Synopsis: Take the sexual pleasure you levitra fast delivery give to your lady love unsatisfied, it is a concern for both of you. Once, you are sensually provoked then released nitric oxide in your body assists cGMP for sufficient blood circulation towards erectile organ followed with the widening of order sildenafil the tensed penile routes for allowing more amount of blood to flow into the penile region. These medicinal drugs must be consumed 30 minutes before the commencement of the foreplay on line cialis wherein, the effect could last for up to two hours. brand cialis no prescription Dose:You may bring it by mouth with a glass of water. After her first hit Sam unleashes her demons, transforming into her alter ego, Jinx. Armed with twin pistols and daggers, Jinx has a dark, calloused view on humanity, like her beloved Ace. But Jinx’s new world is threatened when her father comes searching for her, demanding she return home. And with each new hit Ace assigns, Jinx unearths new and shocking information pertaining to her mother’s death, with evidence pointing to daddy. The revelation leads to a father and daughter reunion neither will soon forget.

Every choice has a consequence, but not every consequence can be anticipated ahead of time.

Trauma might as well be Samantha’s middle name. Her tumultuous childhood has left behind deep psychological scars that make themselves known from the beginning of this tale. Certain words and gestures that the average person would interpret as friendly or harmless carry much darker connotations to this character. What I found most interesting about her, though, were the brief glimpses of the young woman behind her emotional anguish. Samantha is a well-rounded protagonist whose raw reactions to everything she has endured so far are painfully realistic.

Uneven pacing shows up fairly early on. So much time was spent explaining Samantha’s backstory and showing how she adjusts to her new life that there wasn’t as much time left to explain all of the clues about her mother’s death that she discovers at each hit as I would have preferred to see. Even though it was full length, certain aspects of the plot felt like they weren’t given enough time to fully develop. This could have easily been a much longer story.

Far too often justice only applies to people who aren’t wealthy or powerful enough to outrun it. What I found most fascinating about this tale was how the assassins attempt to level the playing field by ending the lives of people who should have been stopped much sooner. The most memorable scenes discuss the morality of what Samantha and X are doing. From what I understand, there is a sequel in the works to The JAX Chronicles: Initiation, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the moral codes of these characters develop as they complete even more hits.

I was confused by some of the rules of this universe. Characters say one thing but then do another without a compelling explanation for their apparent change of heart. It was never quite clear to me if these reversals were intended to erase what had been previously revealed about those characters or if there was something untrustworthy about their personalities that I never picked up on.

As soon as I read the premise, I knew I had to give this novel a try. The idea of a teenager becoming an assassin is as riveting as it is disconcerting. Ms. Lemons embraces the dark side of Samantha’s new identity, and the results are inappropriate for anyone under the age recommendation. In some ways this didn’t sound much like a young adult novel at all given the violent setting and graphic flashbacks to Samantha’s childhood.

The JAX Chronicles: Initiation straddles the line between young adult and adult fiction. I’d particularly recommend it to anyone who is interested in dipping their toes into a young adult novel or who is ready to start reading something gritty.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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