Small Feet by Aelth Faye

December 10, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Small Feet by Aelth Faye
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What if Cinderella’s slipper fit someone else? Jade’s life is boring, but certainly not as bad as Ella’s. Ella has an evil, abusive step-family, while Jade’s family is only determined to marry their daughters well. But when a ball is announced, who should Jade see there but poor Ella in a stunning ball-gown? And what will happen when Jade is mistaken for Ella, and is faced with the decision of a lifetime? Don’t miss the chance to check out the first book of this unique series of fairytale novellas!

Set in the regency era, the shy, bookish Jade is the youngest of four sisters and has no prospects in life except marriage to whoever will make her an offer. But her daydreams of someday being the heroine of her own story are at odds with her boring life. When the prince asks her to marry him, Jade is faced with the realization that she could do some real good as queen, but the cost to Ella might outweigh any good Jade could do.

Marrying well is required for any girl who wishes to properly secure her future in the 1800s.

Jade’s character development was excellent. Her personality was three dimensional and realistic. Honestly, I could spend this entire review simply discussing her intelligence, her sometimes slightly snobby reaction to people who didn’t share her love of reading, and her sensitivity to the suffering of others. I also appreciated the fact that some of her biggest flaws were things that had a direct effect on how the plot unfolded very soon after the audience first met her. This raised the stakes dramatically and made it impossible for me to stop reading.

I would have liked to see more time exploring the repercussions of a lie Jade told in this tale. While the truth was eventually revealed, her mistake was such a serious one that I was surprised by how quickly it was resolved. It certainly seemed like something that should have taken up much more of the storyline than it was given, especially since her position in polite society was already on shaky ground for other reasons.

This was the first Cinderella retelling I’ve ever read that didn’t include any magical or fantasy elements at all. Everything in it could have really happened in the Regency-like era she lived in, including portions of the storyline that were pretty fanciful in the original. It was fascinating for me as a reader to see how the author came up with logical explanations for everything. What a creative approach to this classic!

Small Feet was a promising introduction to the brand new Fairytale Hour series.

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Brilliant White Peaks by Teng Rong

November 22, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Brilliant White Peaks by Teng Rong
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A beautiful story of life, love, and loss in the animal kingdom.

Brilliant White Peaks follows a young wolf and his companions as they battle harsh weather conditions, scarcity of food, and other predators to survive in the wild.

Raised by a loving Ma and Pa, a wolf pup grows up with his shy sister White-Ears to be a ferocious hunter. However, while foraging for food in the winter, the family is attacked by a pack of hostile wolves, leading the young wolf and his sister astray from their parents.

Desperate to find his parents again, the young wolf slowly nurses White-Ears through her injuries and sets off for the ocean, where Ma and Pa promised they would be waiting.

Surviving in the wild is difficult even for predators!

The character development was well done, especially when it came to the protagonist. He was such a persistent and courageous wolf who often put himself into danger to save the ones he loved. I was also fascinated by his canine conceptions of what might happen to an animal after death. That was not a topic I’d ever expected him to think about, so reading his thoughts on it later on in the plot was a real treat.

My sole criticism of this book involves the ending. The main character spent almost the entire storyline searching for his missing parents. It was such a powerful source of motivation for him that I was a little disappointed to see how this conflict was resolved even though the author’s reasons for writing it that way did make sense to me. I’d love to see a sequel that addressed this topic in greater detail and explained it fully for the reader as I would have otherwise given this a full five-star rating.

I was impressed by the numerous plot twists. Like all wild animals, the main character was surrounded by danger every moment of his life. Food could be difficult to find, and even the simplest hunt or chance meeting with another predator could go wrong in an instant. There was no telling what might happen to him or his family next, and I was surprised more than once by how things turned out for them.

Brilliant White Peaks was an exciting adventure that I’d recommend to adults and young adults alike.

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Death at Little Mound by Eileen Charbonneau

November 11, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Death at Little Mound by Eileen Charbonneau
Linda Tassel Mysteries Book 1
Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Young archeology dig site supervisor Linda Tassel and assistant Tad Gist explore the artifacts of ancient people of Linda’s Eastern Cherokee homeland. But soon the body of a team member is found, ritually murdered.

A dam building mogul, Cherokee Nation activists, and the owner of a nearby gold panning attraction are suspects.

Linda and Tad uncover another layer — that of the Spanish conquistadors and the timeless greed for gold. Will they become two more victims?

Every speck of dirt must be accounted for in order to solve this mystery.

My favorite portions of this book were the ones that explored the history, traditions, and beliefs of the Cherokee tribe. The author went into detail on these topics as often as the plot allowed her to do so. I didn’t know much about Cherokee culture, so I was grateful for all of the knowledge she shared. It helped me to understand the main character’s perspective in life and gave logical reasons for why Linda made certain decisions.

The limited amount of character development was my only reason for giving this a three star rating. I liked the characters quite a bit, but I didn’t see much personal growth in them at all. My hope is that the later installments in this series will explore these issues in depth. There is certainly a lot of space to do so, and it would make me even more excited to read a sequel if I had reason to believe that the characters were evolving as a result of their earlier experiences.

Archaeology is a topic I’ve been interested in for years. I loved the scenes that described how meticulously Linda and all of the other workers were exploring the dig site and cataloguing everything they found. This is also something that happens to come in handy in a murder investigation, so combining these two things was an excellent idea.

I’d recommend Death at Little Mound to anyone who is interested in mysteries, archeology, or learning more about Cherokee culture.

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

Honour’s Rest by Judith Crow

November 2, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Honour’s Rest by Judith Crow
Publisher: Crowvus Choughs, Stempster House
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult (13 – 18 y.o.)
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

“So, it’s – what – like magic?”

No, according to Pen’s uncle, the Rite is not magic at all. But, if it’s not magic, then how could Pen push the school bully into a pond while he was really studying alone in the library?
When Pen’s family realise he has the Rite, he is sent to live with his Uncle Napier, who can help him control his ability.

But Napier has other duties. He is the Rendelf, in charge of the Rite in the UK, and he has gathered many enemies over the years…
…enemies who would be delighted to use Pen against him.

What fun to read the kind of book you just don’t want to end. This is a story of a boy born with abilities he doesn’t even realize he has. A boy who has an uncle that can help him tame and hone his skills. There are many stories with this theme. I am saying “theme” not plot. This one has its own unique plot, and it is as magical as can be. This is also a book that has wonderful names and words. A boy named Pendragon (Pen, for short) living with a family called the “Shipperbottoms”. I could see the author has a sense of humor as well.

Judith Crow has created a story of what I call real characters. The kind of characters I could see in my mind. The kind of characters I cared about. It’s as if I was watching a stage play. The kind I hope will be in a long series.

This is easy and quick to read and a real attention grabber. I think all young adults and tweens would enjoy this story. I barely put it down myself. Honour’s Rest is Book 1 of a series titled “The Rite Way”. I hope Judith Crow is working on Book 2.

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Battle for the Throne by E. J. Willis

November 1, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Battle for the Throne by E. J. Willis
Tales From Falyncia Book One
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Historical, sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile

The sword quivers in Alaina’s hand. With one final stroke she can slay the gladiator, win back her freedom … and lose the trust of her people forever.

The Kingdom of Falyncia is caught in a war between a guardian spirit and a powerful demon. Alaina barely escapes with her life, yet she vows to one day claim the throne. When she finally returns home, the enemy has her in his grasp. Now she must choose between freedom and staying true to her people. If she fails to kill the gladiator, torture awaits. Can she find the courage to face it? Or will the demon triumph again?

A lost princess must face powerful foes and lurking demons if she ever hopes to reclaim her throne and free her kingdom in this fun YA fantasy!

While this story was a bit slow to start, things quickly picked up and it turned out to be a delightful read! Well written, and I loved the world-building and fantasy elements in this one. Aliana is rescued by a winged-wolf who turns out to be her guardian spirit of sorts, and must learn to fight the darkness that haunts both her past and future.

I really enjoyed seeing her journey, and look forward to the sequel in this duology! I loved the lore around the Wildlands and enjoyed getting to meet the various characters along the way! While the MC is 17 through most of this story, I can see younger teens or even adult readers enjoying this one as well.

There is the typical violence with the medieval theme and a war to be fought to win back her kingdom, plus the mention of demon like creatures who serve the evil king, but reads much like any other fantasy and is a good fit for the more traditional YA fantasy like seen in Narnia, Eragon, or Percy Jackson.

Overall a quick and fun read, and one that I’m sure many readers would enjoy!

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Triple Threat by Lara Sleath

August 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Triple Threat by Lara Sleath
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Charli Reily needs to be a Broadway star. It’s the only way she can escape her sucky new life in the crappiest part of Vancouver. Here, her only friend is Logan, the boy with the biceps from across the road, who has the latest high-top runners and enough street smarts for them both.

To get to Broadway, Charli needs to be a triple threat. She has to be able to dance, as well as act and sing. When the owner of the local dance shop offers to teach her for free, she finally feels like she’s inching toward her dreams. Not that Logan’s happy. He doesn’t want her flitting off to Broadway. He wants her to stay in the hood with him.

Then Charli does something seriously bad. She confesses the shameful details to Logan without realizing that she’s given him the ammunition to start blackmailing her.

Soon she faces a choice–stand up to him and risk her future? Or get sucked into a downward spiral of doing increasingly messed-up things.

It’s not as hard as it may seem to live your dreams.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed how the adults in Charli’s life reacted to her mistakes. Not only were their reactions great indications of their upstanding characters, they were also filled with genuine kindness. This is something I’m always excited to come across, especially in the young adult genre where grown-ups are so often portrayed in less flattering ways.

I would have liked to see more development of Charli’s relationship with Logan. They both struggled to find emotionally healthy coping skills for their problems. Logan also had issues with poor communication and an urge to control the main character in ways that made me shudder. This storyline continued to intensify over time, so I was surprised to see how quickly it was resolved. There was so much more the author could have done with it.

The ending was otherwise realistic and well done. I appreciated the fact that it acknowledged the obstacles Charli was facing while also giving her some sensible ways to overcome them that also happened to fit Canadian culture well. It was lovely to catch those subtle cultural references, although the plot could be understood perfectly well without them, too. While I would read a sequel if one is ever written, I also felt pretty satisfied with everything I’d gotten to know about these characters.

Triple Threat was a wild ride. Anyone who enjoys stories set in Canada should take special note of it.

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Front Pivot by Chris Boucher

July 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Front Pivot by Chris Boucher
Publisher: Wings ePress
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Noel’s brash front masks a secret past. No one knows how hard he works on his game or how far he and his brother will go to find their answers.

A high school legend, Pax forgoes college ball after becoming obsessed with their father’s Afghanistan War experience. Officially, he died a hero. But the journal he left behind suggests it’s more complicated.

Pax blames their dad for not finishing the job and decides it’s his responsibility. Noel isn’t so sure about either. And, if everyone in his family has to be a hero, how will he measure up?

Who should decide whether or not someone is a hero?

One of my favorite subplots involved a journal Noel’s father wrote when he was a soldier in Afghanistan. The entries gave Noel and his brother a peek into parts of their father’s life that they would have otherwise known about. I enjoyed seeing how they reacted to the stories their dad told about what it was like to be a soldier overseas and how he felt about his mission. The more they learned about him, the more curious I became about what they’d discover next.

It would have been helpful to have more character development. While I liked Noel and the people closest to him quite a bit, I never felt like I got the opportunity to see them grow and change in the ways they could have despite all of the dramatic shifts happening in their lives in many cases. This was something I mentioned about the first book in this series as well. It’s my hope that any future sequels will dive into this part of the storytelling much more deeply as the storylines themselves were well done and memorable.

The plot twists were well written and exciting. This was especially true as the ending grew closer and the stakes were higher. I had a good time taking note of what had happened so far and trying to guess what might occur next. There were a few times when I was completely surprised by what the author had in store for his characters. It’s always neat to read something that keeps the audience on our toes like that!

This is the sequel to Pivot Move. I’d recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it.

Front Pivot was a thought-provoking read for anyone who likes tales about basketball or uncovering old family secrets.

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A Darkness of Wolves by Nicole Bea

July 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Darkness of Wolves by Nicole Bea
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: YA (14+), Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

One weekend changed everything for eighteen-year-old Wynrie Lowe, and she’s been on a downward spiral ever since. Her moods change from one extreme to the other, happiness to sadness, with nothing in between. Something is very wrong, and she doesn’t know how to fix it.

As Wynrie’s emotions grow dangerously unstable, her boyfriend, Ezra, struggles to weather the storm. But will he even still want her once he learns the truth about that weekend? And as her world is torn apart and rearranged, can Wynrie find the strength to reach out for the help she needs before it’s too late?

What would you do if one moment you were on top of the world and the next, crashing down hard? Wynrie (Wyn) goes through this regularly and without provocation. What could be the problem? True, she kissed her best friend even when she had a boyfriend, and true, she felt guilty about it, but there is more to the matter.

Things get worse. Something is definitely not normal. Wyn is trying to deal with the mood swings while also trying to figure out her feelings for both her best friend, Dawson, and her boyfriend, Ezra. These two story-lines support each other and tell a story of a young woman trying to find herself and lead a normal life.

Wyn’s ups and downs are described very well, so well that readers can gain an understanding of just how difficult of a struggle this is. Dawson and Ezra are quite likable characters. There is suspense about who Wyn will choose, and how she will live through her mood disorder.

The author has written a realistic story with characters readers will engage with. If you’re a fan of YA fiction, why not give this one a try?

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A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt

July 15, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Dr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn’t serious. But I am. I’m going to sue my parents.

Juniper Jade’s parents are hippies. They didn’t attend the first Woodstock, but they were there for the second one. The Jade family lives an all-organic homeschool lifestyle that means no plastics, no cell phones, and no vaccines. It isn’t exactly normal, but it’s the only thing Juniper has ever known. She doesn’t agree with her parents on everything, but she knows that to be in this family, you’ve got to stick to the rules. That is, until the unthinkable happens.

Juniper contracts the measles and unknowingly passes the disease along, with tragic consequences. She is shell-shocked. Juniper knows she is responsible and feels simultaneously helpless and furious at her parents, and herself.

Now, with the help of Nico, the boy who works at the library and loves movies and may just be more than a friend, Juniper comes to a decision: she is going to get vaccinated. Her parents refuse so Juniper arms herself with a lawyer and prepares for battle. But is waging war for her autonomy worth losing her family? How much is Juniper willing to risk for a shot at normal?

Nobody wants to catch a vaccine-preventable illness, but not everyone agrees on the best way to avoid it.

This story took a balanced but painfully honest approach to the question of why vaccines are such a crucial part of modern healthcare. I appreciated the fact that the perspectives of Juniper’s vehemently anti-vaccine parents was represented so fairly. They were depicted as well-rounded humans beings who loved their children and honestly thought they were doing the best thing for Juniper and her siblings. With that being said, the narrator also went into explicit detail about how heartbreaking and dangerous it can be when vaccine-preventable illnesses are allowed to circulate freely in a community.

As much as I liked both of the characters who fell in love during the course of this novel, the romantic subplot felt out of place. There were so many other important conflicts and moments of character development happening in the storyline that I think it would have made more sense to save this for a possible sequel. It wasn’t needed here in my opinion. I would have chosen a much higher rating if these scenes had been replaced with ones that explored the main themes in greater depth.

Speaking of character development, it was well done. This was especially true for Juniper who matured beautifully after her terrible experience with contracting the measles and dealing with the physical and social repercussions of this disease afterwards. She definitely still felt like a teenager to me by the final scene, but I also saw so many indications of the brave adult she was going to become soon.

A Shot at Normal was a thoughtful book I’d recommend to any teens who would like to explore this issue in depth.

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Signs We Don’t See by Carrie Beamer

July 13, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Signs We Don’t See by Carrie Beamer
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Etta Litali has grown accustom to the superstitious behavior that comes along with being in an Italian family. But when her dad begins to spend his nights stealing signs from every city pole within three miles of their home, her house becomes overrun with dirty poster boards and the neighbors begin to notice. Stressed her dad will end up on Oprah as the man who hoards stolen signs, Etta distracts herself with a boy named Jordan. Despite the ban Jordan’s clique has on Etta, their connection grows into something special. Jordan starts to miss school and disappear leaving Etta confused and wondering if their relationship was ever real. Knowing Jordan is hiding something, Etta has to find a way to show Jordan he can trust her or she will lose him. The only way to do that is to reveal to him that she’s been keeping a secret too.

Everyone struggles with something.

This was such a compassionate take on how one working class family handled mental illness in the 1980s. Obviously, the medical treatments and community understanding of the disease Etta’s father was eventually diagnosed with was not as advanced as it would be today. It was fascinating to me to see how everyone tried to understand what was going on with him. Their reactions were as true to the era they lived in as they were true to the individual personalities of the family members, friends, and medical professionals who were trying to help in the best ways they knew how.

It would have been useful to have a little more time spent developing the romantic plot, especially during the last few scenes. While I appreciated the slow, natural pacing of it during the beginning and middle of the story, I did think there was space to explore it further once the main conflicts had been resolved and Etta had enough emotional energy to devote to lighthearted matters like these. This is a minor criticism of something I thought was otherwise well written. If the author ever writes a sequel, I hope the romantic subplot will be given more attention then as it really was a delightful part of this character’s personal growth.

I absolutely adored Etta’s relationship with her best friend, Nessa. Their personalities and interests complemented each other beautifully. The only thing better than seeing how they used their strengths to improve each other’s lives was how loyal they were. No matter what they were going through, they were always there for each other.

Signs We Don’t See was a thought-provoking read that I’d recommend to anyone who is interested in mental illness or 1980s culture.

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