The Road to Nyn by Brian G. Michaud

June 3, 2014 By 1 Comment

NYN
The Road to Nyn by Brian G. Michaud
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (269 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

In a land where magic is outlawed, a young boy is living a double life. Although Kay is training to be a knight, he has been secretly studying the forbidden ways of magic with Alamin, a powerful but eccentric wizard.

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Kay is thrilled when he succeeds in the Squire Trials and advances from page to squire. But before he has a chance to find out what that means, goblins attack his village, enslaving his family and friends. Even though he wants more than anything to be a knight, he has been secretly studying magic with Alamin, a powerful and eccentric wizard, despite the fact that magic is forbidden. Without any hesitation at all, Kay sets out across the Kingdom of Gaspar, determined to rescue his family.

Kay is a very likeable young man, and he is accompanied by a mischievous sprite named Felix who is able to change his shape into a variety of creatures. The two of them set out with Alamin, but soon are on their own.

The story is filled with adventures, surprises on every page. Kay has never had a lot of success with his spells. They usually backfire on him, but now he needs to learn as quickly as he can. Along the way, Kay and Felix meet others, some of whom are helpful as others try to stop them. My favorite supporting character was Bibo, a Telok or tree person. He is very small and very scared, but he is determined to help, leading Kay and Felix to Nyn.

Tension mounts as Kay and Felix get closer and closer to the Lord of Nyn. I found that by the middle of the book I was totally unable to put it down. The author has done a fantastic job of picking up the pace as the book moves forward so that the conclusion is spine tingling and very suspenseful.

Readers of fantasy are sure to be thrilled by The Road to Nyn. The Kingdom of Gaspar is a wonderful place and I really hope that the author gives us even more adventures with Kay, Felix, and their friends.

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

The Recruit by Fiona Palmer

May 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment

RECRUIT
The Recruit by Fiona Palmer
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full Length (199 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Quince

Jasmine Thomas may not be completely normal, but she’s a pretty typical seventeen-year-old girl. She hates the rich mean kids, loves her best friends, and can’t wait to get out of school each day. Her spare time is spent at The Ring — a boxing gym where she practically grew up — learning karate, boxing and street fighting. So, yeah, Jaz can kick some major butt.
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Life seems pretty normal until the day Ryan Fletcher enters her gym…mysterious and hot with heaps of bad boy charm. Sure, she checks him out. Who wouldn’t? But what doesn’t show on his gorgeous abs are secrets and lies that dominate his very grown-up world. Now Jaz has to figure out just how far she is willing to go to know more. Could Ryan really be offering the life-fulfilling life path she’s always dreamed of?

If I have to make a subtitle for this book it will be: How Jasmine Thomas became a MTG agent and fell in love in the process. Because, this is what The Recruit is about.

Jasmine (Jaz) Thomas is a seventeen-year-old tomboy. She likes to spend her time in the gym or at the shooting range, and she also has some other skills that make her a perfect candidate for an agent. Because of that, Ryan Fletcher approached her and asked her to become a recruit for the MTG agency.

The Recruit is a great story. It has the right amount of action, romance, friendship and teenage drama. It is supposed to be a fast paced story, but unfortunately there are a few chapters that slowed it down a bit. Also, it would be a more perfect story if it was deprived of predictability and clichés. But on the other hand, the romance part of the story is crafted magnificently. The chemistry between Jasmin (Jaz) and Ryan is palpable and it made my heart beat faster. I am sure that the fact that their love is forbidden, due to many reasons, made their romance even more interesting and exciting, for me. The story does not have cliffhanger, but it is obvious that there will be at least one more sequel. Some secrets have to be revealed and Jaz and Ryan’s relationship is far from reaching HEA. I also hope that Ms. Palmer will dedicate at least one story in the series (even the short one) to Taylor and Anna.

I enjoyed reading The Recruit tremendously. Regardless of above mentioned flaws it is a good, interesting and entertaining story. Therefore if you love good romance with a pinch of thriller this is a story for you. I am looking forward to the second installment in the series. But, also I am adding other Ms. Palmer’s novels to my TBR pile.

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

Letting Go by Bridie Hall

May 26, 2014 By 4 Comments

GO
Letting Go by Bridie Hall
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (118 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Isabelle is left stranded at the airport, and her only chance of getting home is with her boyfriend’s older brother, Harper. When this good girl and bad boy set off towards home, it turns out that maybe she’s not such a good girl after all. And even bad boys have reasons for their bad behavior.
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The road trip is full of shocking revelations and unexpected emotions, bringing the two of them closer than Isabelle ever thought possible. Maybe too close.

Few things are more awkward than going on a road trip with someone you have mixed feelings about, especially when it’s a trip for two.

Strong character development made me wish this story had a sequel. Isabelle and Harper reveal their rough edges almost immediately, but I didn’t realize how fascinated I was by both of them until I got to know the real people behind the masks they carry around. To be honest, I was a little annoyed by certain quirks until I learned how and why Harper and Isabelle developed them. It isn’t easy to develop such well-rounded characters in a short story!

The chemistry in this book never quite felt right to me. Isabelle doesn’t seem to have a great deal in common with her boyfriend or his brother. All three characters are intriguing as individuals, but I never really understand why she was attracted to either one of the brothers. While the rest of the plot was well-suited for something this length, I did wonder if the romantic elements would have worked better if they’d been given the chance to unfold more slowly in a full-length novel.

One of the most interesting things about this novella was how accurately it captures what it feels like to be a teenager. The dialogue flowed so smoothly that I often felt as though I were eavesdropping on Isabelle and Harper’s conversations instead of reading a book. It was also interesting to see how quickly these characters’ experience shifts in their emotions. One minute they’re happy, and the next one they’re frustrated or sad. Not everyone is moody as a teenager, of course, but including those scenes made these particular characters feel even more authentic to me.

Letting Go is a story I’d recommend to adult and young adult readers alike. I’ve always thought that road trips are nearly universal appealing, and this particular one is no exception to that hunch.

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

Werewolf Defender by Marisa Chenery

May 22, 2014 By 2 Comments

DEFENDER
Werewolf Defender by Marisa Chenery
Publisher: Forever More Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (104 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jerrica Barnes has longed to experience life outside her settlement’s walls, but living in a post-apocalyptic world where zombies outnumber the living, she knows she’ll never get to fulfill her dream. But the day Calan, the werewolf defender, comes and saves her from a zombie attack, she finds her life turned upside down.

Calan has never allowed anyone close since he was turned a hundred years before at age eighteen, but Jerrica makes him long for things he hadn’t known were missing in his immortal life.

Jerrica and Calan have to overcome those who would keep them apart while Jerrica has to make a decision that could keep them together for all time or have Calan walking out of her life forever.

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One of the things I enjoy the most about zombie stories is seeing how the characters adjust to living with such a dangerous threat. Ms. Chenery’s approach to this topic was unique given that no one in Jerrica’s village can remember what life was like before the zombie invasion. It’s such a normal part of their existence that these characters are accustomed to things that I would find pretty scary in real life. Comparing their reactions to how I imagine I’d would approach certain situations was quite fascinating.

I would have liked to get to know Jerrica better. So much time was spent focusing on the romantic elements of the plot that I had trouble getting to know her as an individual. After finishing the last chapter, I’d still be hard-pressed to describe her personality or list her interests outside of her relationship with Calan. The passages that are dedicated to her interest in archery are intriguing, and I would have really enjoyed it if they could have been expanded.

The descriptions of the village where everyone lives made me want to learn more about it. Growing up in such a rigid society can feel stifling under the best circumstances, but what makes Jerrica’s situation unique is that she knows she’ll never be able to move away due to how dangerous it is in the outside world. I was even more intrigued by the rationale her parents and the other adults use for all of the rules they’ve created. I sympathized with their points of view almost as much as I did with the main character.

This book would have benefitted from another round of editing. There were multiple instances of run-on sentences and punctuation errors. While I generally understood what the sentences were trying to say, it was distracting to pause and figure so many of them out.

It took some time to figure out the most appropriate age recommendation. Jerrica is 18 when the plot begins, but she comes across as someone several years younger than her chronological age. Her innocent reactions to the opposite sex in particular felt like they belonged to someone in her early teens. There are some violent scenes, though, and the inclusion of them makes this book a better choice for high school aged readers.

I’d recommend Werewolf Defender to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance novels. This is a good introduction to that genre for young adult readers.

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

The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer

May 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment

HUM
The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer
Publisher: Putnam
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, Young Adult
Length: Full Length (312 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Thistledown

Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. Just when she thinks she’s found it her mother says it’s time to move again. Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels and will always regret that her last words to her were angry ones.

After her mother’s sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she’s never met. She can’t imagine her mother would want her to stay with this stranger. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home.

Lyrical, poignant and fresh, The Secret Hum of a Daisy is a beautifully told middle grade tale with a great deal of heart.

What if you lost the only home you ever had? How far would you go to find it again?
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Grace and her mother are each other’s family. Going place to place, they never call one place home for long. A terrible accident happens and Grace loses her mother to a fall in the river. For the first time, Grace has to navigate a life that is very different from the one her mother had carved out for them. Her writing, once so precious to her is bottled up inside, just like her feelings. Grace’s grandmother claims her and she struggles to adjust to “The After.”

How can she live without her mother? How can she find her place in a world where she doesn’t belong? She wants to return to her friend and live with her-a place her mother would have approved of. Only the plans we make are not always the ones laid out for us. Grace begins to find this out as she follows clues that lead her to find her new life. There is new friendship, family issues, loss, exploration and just a little bit of romance to be found.

This book was a journey into the mind of a child who has lost everything. Grace’s mother was her world. The small origami paper cranes she folded and the little birds her mother made out of spoons become stars to travel by in this uncharted voyage to find the center of grief and move beyond it. Grace wants no part of her grandmother-the woman who turned her back on her very pregnant mother. She can’t stand the sounds of the river so she stays in the shed, keeping her distance from everyone and everything.

The thaw is slow. Once it comes it unfolds like the petals of a flower in the garden Grace’s grandmother so lovingly tends. We are all a part of each other’s lives. The decisions we make do affect other people and sometimes you make mistakes that you want more than anything to take back. And sometimes you just have to accept the strange things about people are the parts that make them who they are and love them just the same.

This book had me in tears more times than I could count. It is a middle grade read that really reaches into the feelings of devastation you can have when your whole world gets turned upside down. Where is home? Is it a person or a place? The Secret Hum of a Daisy also made me think about imagery of origami birds and the wonderful story of Sadaku and the paper cranes. It also hit on poetry, specifically Robert Frost. Lyrical in the structure of the story and the inclusion of art and poetry, I really felt the exploration and tender unfurling of Grace’s spirit as her new world is revealed to her step by tentative step.

I cannot recommend this tale highly enough. It is a book that could help so many kids deal with grief-and adults too. It made me think of my father and his passing and just how hard it was. I looked for signs from him forever just so I knew he was still up there watching. And you know what? They are everywhere. The ebb and flow of our life is poetry in motion. It is art and substance made real by every breath we take. And sometimes, if you listen there really is a secret hum in the background telling you the way…

You have to read this book.

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

Fallen Grace by Katie Roman

May 19, 2014 By Leave a Comment

GREACE
Fallen Grace by Katie Roman
Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, YA
Length: Full Length (243 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Branded a witch and exiled after a dishonorable display at the king’s annual tournament, quiet Grace Hilren is forced to uproot her life of luxury as a lord’s daughter and move to the slums of the port city, Glenbard. But Grace carries a secret. Though trained to be a fine lady, she also learned to handle a sword and has made it her mission to eradicate evil and injustice where she finds it. Even in exile, Grace continues her work under the given name of Death Dealer. Her nightly deeds bring her to the notice of the self-proclaimed King of Thieves, Marcus. When the king’s power is threatened by a rival named Mac, the Death Dealer unwittingly becomes a pawn in the struggle between thieves for control of the lower city. The game becomes dangerous as Grace realizes she may not be able to best this usurper.

A foolish mistake costs Grace everything.
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Grace is a beautiful young woman, but she chafes at the role women are expected to play in her world. Even though Grace conforms outwardly to most of society’s expectations, she relishes slipping into the role of the Death Dealer at night. Grace balances the demands of her daily and nightly activities very well. Unfortunately, a lapse in judgment has consequences that will change her life forever. Can Grace adapt to her new lot in life, or will she meet an ugly fate on the streets of Glenbard?

Grace is certainly an interesting heroine. She is smart, courageous, and fiercely determined to accomplish any task she sets her mind to. Despite her outward bravado, Grace is also a little naïve concerning love, life, and death. I don’t view her naivety as a flaw, rather it softens her personality a little and makes her a much more believable character given her age and upbringing.

I also really like Grace’s sense of ethics. Her nightly escapades as the Death Dealer often put her in the position of having to make some difficult choices. She is even forced to take a life. Even though she kills a man while saving the lives of others, the death weighs heavily on Grace. I think this is very realistic. Too often I’ve read books that treat death in a cavalier manner. I’m pleased that Ms. Roman treats death with the seriousness it deserves.

The ending of Fallen Grace is certainly satisfying, but leaves plenty of wiggle room for future stories. I’m very curious about what happens to Grace next. Does she continue to live in Glenbard? Is she ever accepted back into the ranks of the nobles? Will her budding relationship with Jack blossom into true love? I certainly hope Ms. Roman has a sequel planned to satisfy my curiosity.

Reading Fallen Grace was a pleasure. Grace is a wonderful, realistic character, and I thoroughly enjoyed tagging along on her adventures. Anyone looking for a fantasy laced with action and a touch of romance would do well to pick up a copy of Fallen Grace today.

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

Ticket to Faerie by F.I. Goldhaber

May 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FAERIE
Ticket to Faerie by F.I. Goldhaber
Publisher: Uncial Press
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (27 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

For ten years, Alyssa’s grandmother sent her magic gifts that didn’t work. But, when Alyssa correctly, for once, follows the instructions that came with her 16th birthday present, she finds herself in Faerie, desperately trying to bring home a way to save her grandmother’s life.

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Faerie is full of surprises. The best scenes in this book involve Alyssa’s reactions to the unexpected things that happen to her while she is on her trip. It wasn’t always easy to understand why she reacts the way she does in certain scenes, but her behaviour makes more sense when she is confronted with the lighthearted side of the magical world she is visiting. If a sequel is ever written about more of her adventures I would be interested in seeing her visit the areas of Faerie that piqued my curiosity when they were briefly mentioned in this piece.

Alyssa is described as a sixteen year old, but she acts like someone much younger than her chronological age. At times her immature reactions to certain experiences made it difficult for me to relate to her because they were so at odds with how most older teenagers behave. Had her behaviour either been better explained or her character been written as someone several years younger this piece would have earned a higher rating.

With that being said, Alyssa’s responses make more sense if I assume that this book is intended for a preteen audience. I chose the 10+ age recommendation due to the inclusion of some dark themes in one particular scene. The rest of the tale is appropriate for slightly younger readers if they are not easily frightened.

I’d recommend Ticket to Faerie to middle school readers who love the fantasy genre. This is a good choice in particular for students who are beginning to transition to more mature young adult fiction.

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

Still Photo by Kim Harnes

May 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment

PHOTO
Still Photo by Kim Harnes
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (188 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jess Waterford’s mother is evil. Since she took off seven years ago—just days after Jess’s ninth birthday—without so much as a wave goodbye, Jess has always wondered what happened to her. And despite the end of her mother’s mental and physical abuse, the memories and the scars still remain. Jess conceals the hurt within by practicing her photography, and by spending as much time as her dad will allow with her baseball star boyfriend, Brody Campbell.

Determined to make use of her new camera, Jess dives into photographing everything in sight. But periodically the resulting prints are flawed, ever so slightly: a smudge on a tree trunk; a blemish in the bus window. These imperfections are not as random as they may seem, however, and Brody and Jess soon discover together that each of these pictures combine to form another image—the grisly image of a murder scene, with Jess’s mother as the victim.
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As the new photograph takes shape, Jess’s desire to complete it consumes her, and Brody’s health begins to deteriorate. Torn between her quest to reveal her mother’s killer and her continued worry over Brody’s failing health, Jess finally finds the last piece to the puzzle, and the answer sends her world spiraling into depths from which she may never recover.

Some people walk around with a word on the tip of their tongue. Jess is plagued by a photograph of a murder. Worse yet, she doesn’t have enough information to figure out what happened and has no idea where to find the rest of pieces to the puzzle.

The character development in this book is quite interesting. My first impression of Jess was that her life was almost too perfect. While her childhood was difficult to say the least, she’s sailed into her high school years with a loving boyfriend and a part-time job that also happens to be her passion in life. I had similar thoughts about her boyfriend and father, but what surprised me the most about all three characters was how Ms. Harnes gradually reveals more about their personalities without ever making this reader feel like she’d been holding something back from me.

There were several clues that never quite made sense to me. Some of them felt a little out of place due to certain cultural shifts that have taken place in the last generation or so. It’s difficult to discuss the specific phenomenon that I found confusing without giving away spoilers, but certain attitudes and societal mores were odd. The pacing in this book was so strong that a little time could have been spared to explain why the expectations of these characters are out of sync with what I’d generally expect from individuals living in a contemporary setting.

With that being said, figuring out what was going on with the smudged photographs was a thrill. The mystery elements of this tale are exceptionally strong. The number of hints were appropriate for a novel of this length. While I would have preferred to see the biggest ones appear a little more quickly, I was impressed by how many plot twists I never saw coming. This was my first introduction to Ms. Harnes work, and I’m looking forward to seeing if I can figure out her next mystery a bit faster.

Still Photo blends the young adult and mystery genres together seamlessly. This is a good choice for anyone who enjoys dipping their toes into more than one category of story when they read.

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

Snip, Snip Revenge by Medeia Sharif

May 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment

SNIP
Snip, Snip Revenge by Medeia Sharif
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (170 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Beautiful, confident Tabby Karim has plans for the winter: nab a role in her school’s dramatic production, make the new boy Michael hers, and keep bigoted Heather—with her relentless Ay-rab comments—at bay. When a teacher’s lie and her father’s hastiness rob her of her beautiful hair, her dreams are dashed. The fastest barber in Miami Beach has made her look practically bald.

With all her pretty hair gone, Tabby doesn’t believe she fits the feminine role she’s auditioning for. Michael is still interested in her, but he’s playing it cool. Heather has taken to bullying her online, which is easier to do with Tabby’s ugly haircut. Tabby spearheads Operation Revenge, which proves satisfying until all of her problems deepen. After messing up, she sets to make things right.

Tabby has always been proud of her long, gorgeous, curly hair, but looks aren’t everything, right?
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Experiencing growing pains is difficult enough in a warm, nurturing home, but not everyone is lucky enough to be raised in that kind of setting. Dysfunction plagues Tabby’s family, and the results of living in such an unpredictable environment are written with unflinching accuracy. I especially liked seeing how Tabby reacts to memories of things her parents did years ago.

It would have been helpful if more time was spent describing Tabby’s strengths. She has quite a few flaws that are realistically developed, but it took me much longer to discover exactly who is hiding behind her sharp edges. The scenes involving her relationship with her half sister were touching and could have easily been expanded to show off more of Tabby’s positive traits.

The Miami Beach Magnet School of the Arts sounds like an amazing place to learn. Some of my favorite scenes took place there due to how much effort was put into exploring what the various cliques think of one another. The tensions between various groups felt genuine, especially given how quickly everything changes from one day to the next.

I enjoyed watching the tension steadily build in each subplot, but some of their solutions never quite made sense to me. So many chapters was spent building up the importance of each conflict that I expected their resolutions to require a little more time to come together. The pacing was otherwise exactly what I would have expected from a novel of this length. Only the conclusions felt slightly rushed.

The age recommendation for this book should be taken seriously. While they were handled quite well, some subplots discuss incredibly sensitive topics in great detail. I can’t say what they are without giving away spoilers, but how they are introduced to the plot may be upsetting for younger readers. They are good conversation starters for high schoolers though.

Snip, Snip Revenge is a solid tale that I’d recommend to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. It’s easy to assume that everyone else’s life is easier than your own, but the image people project isn’t necessarily how they actually feel about themselves.

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

Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

May 7, 2014 By 1 Comment

BOYS
Boys Like You by Juliana Stone
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Length: Full Length (288 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Lupine

One mistake.

And everything changes.

For Monroe Blackwell, one small mistake has torn her family apart –leaving her empty and broken. There’s a hole in her heart that nothing can fill. That no one can fill. And a summer in Louisiana with her Grandma isn’t going to change that…
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Nathan Everets knows heartache first-hand when a car accident leaves his best friend in a coma. And it’s his fault. He should be the one lying in the hospital. The one who will never play guitar again. He doesn’t deserve forgiveness, and a court-appointed job at the Blackwell B&B isn’t going to change that…

Captivating and hopeful, this achingly poignant novel brings together two lost souls struggling with grief and guilt – looking for acceptance, so they can find forgiveness.

Though both of the main characters have suffered through great losses in their life, both are struggling to tough through it…together.

Meet Monroe Blackwell, city girl, who, in the midst of a breakdown of sorts, goes to Louisiana to spend time with her grandmother. She might appear angry and distant at first, but her heart bears a heavy weight that she believes no one will be able to lift. Guilt crushes her everyday, and she never lets it show. At least, not until she’s alone…but when her walls come down, she is a shell of her former self. I admired the fact that she wasn’t being a trouble to her family, no matter what she had done.

Nathan Everets might have caused his best friend to be hospitalized, and yes, he may never wake up, but Nathan doesn’t deal with the pain as well as Monroe does. His scorn and the obvious amount of guilt he carries is much more noticeable. He’s blind to what people see in him, and won’t accept their offers of forgiveness. I thought his growth of character was the most interesting, because he seemed to have the farthest to go, and was able to pick up on old habits again without feeling badly about it.

I liked the plot itself; I found it to be touching and sweet. However…the use of profanity and crude words did not go unnoticed; plus, I found the pastimes of Nathan’s friends to be disturbing and the sexual content is most definitely not for younger readers, despite the publisher’s age recommendation (with which I disagree — and I think it’s important to note that I am in the targeted age range).

Overall, though, I liked what Monroe and Nathan went through together. The growth of character was interesting to read about and certainly kept me turning pages. And one more note? The cover is awesome. 🙂

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