Glome’s Valley by Peggy Chambers

November 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Glome’s Valley by Peggy Chambers
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult
Length: Full length (167 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid
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When Ethan and his dad to go Heavener, Oklahoma to read an ancient runestone, he is sure he’s going to be bored all summer. But Ethan quickly makes new friends, at least one of them a ghost. What began as a trip to Dullville suddenly becomes a fantastic adventure. There are other creatures living in the valleys near the runestone – energetic fairies, beautiful wood nymphs, and smelly old trolls. Ethan stumbles into the midst of an ancient war, and the only person who can save him is his archaeologist dad and the phone app that summons Thor.

Ethan is spending his summer with his father father who is studying ancient stones, Ethan wanders off to amuse himself. His daytime world then becomes entwined with a ghost, fairies, a huge dog and stinky trolls. Unknown to Ethan, Loki the mischief maker is watching his every move.

This book sounded interesting which is why I wanted to read it. The characters, the settings and even the grown ups promised a good story, but when I started reading I found it a little flat. There didn’t seem to be much excitement or suspense, and even the evil trolls didn’t appear to be three dimensional.

Maybe a rewrite would bring it to life as I really think the idea has great potential. Everything needed is in the story – a boy, a dog, a ghost, fairies, trolls and an evil god. The author even took care to make sure the boy didn’t just wander off without an adult keeping an eye on what he was doing. Good start and good idea.

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A Bit of Kissing by Jon Ripslinger

October 1, 2018 By 2 Comments


A Bit of Kissing by Jon Ripslinger
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (94 pages)
Age Recommendation:14+
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

I’m a male virgin. Eighteen. I’m going to stay a virgin until I fall for a girl I really love. My buddies think I’m weird, odd, stupid, crazy. But I’ve got my reasons. My womanizing dad has inflicted so much pain on my mom, my sister, and me it’s unbelievable. Get this, a seventeen-year-old jerk knocked up my fifteen-year-old sister. Now she’s struggling to meet the needs of her three-month-old son and stay in school. My friends’ lives are in chaos because of sex. Man, celibacy makes sense—no one’s life is disrupted. No one gets hurt. No one’s future is in jeopardy. Celibacy is the only way to go.
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Then I meet blonde, beautiful Penny Nichols. She’s rebounding from an abusive relationship. We both feel abstinence and a bit of kissing are cool. What can go wrong? Well … in one word—plenty!

There’s nothing simple about sex or love.

Charles was a complicated, realistic, and downright fascinating character. There were times when he was so judgemental about the choices other people made that I didn’t like him much at all even though I understood why he personally felt the need to be cautious about expressing his sexual desires in even small ways. I appreciated the fact that one of his biggest flaws was something that had a meaningful affect on the plot and that his reasons for behaving that way were explained clearly, though.

This story spent a great deal of time telling the reader what was going on in the lives of the characters instead of showing how their earlier life experiences were still negatively impacting them. I noticed this most clearly when it came to the unhealthy attitudes that Charles and his sister Andrea had developed about love and sex as a result of their emotionally unhealthy relationship with their dad. They were both very hurt by certain parts of their childhoods, but there weren’t a lot of concrete examples of what had happened or explorations of why that pain was still so fresh for them many years later. If not for this problem, I would have chosen a much higher rating as I loved everything else about this tale.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about the storyline was how timeless it felt. While it was set in the present day, it discussed issues that were just as relevant fifty years ago and will almost certainly continue to be things teens worry about fifty years in the future. This isn’t something I’ve been seeing done as often in the young adult genre lately, so I was quite happy to run across an author who is keeping this tradition going. There is definitely something to be said for writing a book that should remain meaningful to new readers for a very long time.

A Bit of Kissing should be read by anyone who has ever felt confused about sex or remembers what that stage in life was like.

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Upon Broken Wings by E.L. Reedy & A.M. Wade

September 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Upon Broken Wings by E.L. Reedy & A.M. Wade
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (187 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Bound by a dark act of hate and despair, high school freshmen, Andrew and Kiernan, learn that their untimely deaths did not bring an end to their pain, but only began the suffering of those left behind. While his lost memories return, Andrew must master seemingly impossible feats, both spiritual and physical. As a dark spirit stalks Kiernan through the borderlands of life and death, he must also face the pain his actions have caused his loved ones. To save both their souls, Andrew must convince Kiernan to return to life and open his eyes to the love and beauty which had always been there.

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Anyone’s future can change in an instant. The beginning of this tale was so sad that I seriously wondered what could possibly go wrong in the characters’ lives next. As odd as it may sound, there was something beautiful about seeing them try to push past the truly terrible things that happened to them. I appreciate it when protagonists are forced to deal with realistic problems that can’t be easily solved. This plot development gave their conflicts a nice sense of urgency, and it made me want to stick around to see how or if anything would improve for them.

The first few scenes of this book were confusing to read because I wasn’t sure who the main characters were supposed to be. Several different people showed up at the same time with few hints about who was going to turn out to be the focus of the storyline. What made it even trickier is that not everyone was properly introduced to the audience or even given a name at first in a few cases. As interested as I was in the premise itself, not knowing simple stuff like this did make it harder for me to feel connected to any of the characters I met.

With that being said, I was intrigued by the friendship between Kieran and Andrew. These kids didn’t seem to have a great deal in common at first, but they kept being drawn to each other each time their paths crossed. I couldn’t help but to wonder why that was and if they’d ever figure out why they kept ending up in the same places at the same times.

I’d recommend Upon Broken Wings to anyone who is in the mood for something uplifting.

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Crossed Fire by Kim Baccellia

August 22, 2018 By 12 Comments


Crossed Fire by Kim Baccellia
Publisher: Lachesis Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (290 pgs)
Age Recommendation:
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Rose

Stephanie Stewart is a typical sixteen-year-old girl—she loves hanging out with her friends, going to concerts, and sipping mocha lattes. Yup. Just your average teenager . . . Except for one difference—she can see and talk to the dead. In fact, Stephanie helps dead girls who who’ve been murdered or killed, cross over. Just as Stephanie is getting used to her unique “gift”, her mom stumbles into some dangerous witchcraft that backfires and triggers similar abilities in Stephanie’s best friend Cura, and nemesis Hillary. Stephanie already has enough trouble trying to maintain a “normal” life between school and her cute boyfriend Dylan, who happens to have a supernatural talent all his own. But now she has to help her friend Cura and her “frenemy” Hillary cope with their new-found powers as well as cross over two murdered cheerleaders and battle an evil demon who wants to use Stephanie’s supernatural strengths as a free pass to The Other Side. And she needs to do it all while still getting her term papers in on time. She’s definitely going to need an extra-large mocha latte for this.

The National Ambulatory Medical Care survey levitra cost of researched that for every inch that the head moves forward of the shoulders, weight is increased by 10 pounds. There cialis 40 mg are lots of reasons this will happen. Both had been buy cialis orchestrated to happen this way. In the same vein, if a buying viagra canada man loses the power of having sex in a relationship is so important. This is the second book in the Crossed series, and while it can be read on its own, I think it would be better read in order. I haven’t yet read the first one, and I think I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if I had already been familiar with the characters.

It reminds me a bit of Buffy, only instead of being a vampire slayer, Stephanie helps the dead cross over. The book reveals a lot of past history that Stephanie didn’t know about her family – and leads to interesting character development on the part of all the characters.

You have all the characters you’d expect in a teen paranormal – the boyfriend, the best friend, and the mean girl. One thing that’s surprising is the parents play a pretty big role (especially Stephanie’s mom). They aren’t caricatures either… they are well developed and add a great deal to the plot of this book.

It’s from Stephanie’s first person point of view which really helps you get into the action and see her thought patterns, which also made me want to slap her sometimes..but teens are famous for not always making good choices.

I really enjoyed the back and forth in this book and the plotline… I can’t wait to go back and read the first book to get a better idea of what went on and how Stephanie started on this path. I could so see it as a TV show and hope Ms. Baccellia has more plans for this group. I’ll be looking for future books!

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

Fire Born by Rayanne Haines

November 24, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Fire Born by Rayanne Haines
Book 1 The Guardian Series
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (256 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Independent, tough as nails, and fierce to her core, Alex Taleisin can’t quite believe it when she has to fight for her life against something not-quite-human in the YMCA parking lot.

That’s when her aunt lets her in on the family secret. They’re immortal—Elementals to be precise, and Alex is the long-lost daughter of the strongest female warrior of their time.
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Her guardian (a freaking Dragon!) and the sexiest man Alex has ever seen gives her a choice. Go with him, learn how to control her fire, and find her father’s people, or try to survive on her own. It’s an easy choice considering she’s only twenty-six. And the Elders may already be on her trail thanks to the fight with the nut job in the parking lot kick-starting her dormant DNA.

Enter an insane grandfather, a shifter with a hidden agenda, and a witch with a shoe addiction, and suddenly loner Alex is wishing for a quiet house in the hills with the dragon she’s falling for.

But a fight is coming and Alex knows the only way to find her answers is to trust her powers and become the warrior she was destined to be.

Despite being set in the present, this story also refers to the history of the guardians. Alex comes into her powers which include fire. Collum, her dragon guardian, must keep her safe until she is a full elemental, able to control her magical urges and make them obey her wishes.

This is a wonderful story of dragons, magic, and the solving of an ancient mystery which has bearing of Alex’s past, in particular who her parents were. Life for Alex is mixed up and becomes more so when the weird Elders of the Elementals interfere.

I loved the way this travelled all over the world, but would point out that the author should research her venues. The island off the south coast of England is called Isle of Wight (pronounced white, but not spelled that way). This error took me out of the flow of the story and it took a while to get back into it again as I kept looking for other mistakes.

I really enjoyed reading this book as it had a bit of everything fantasy and in the main was well written. Definitely worth 4.5 stars.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Citadel of Fire by Matthew Wolf

December 11, 2014 By 2 Comments

MEDIA KIT CoverArt_Citadel_ebook2

Citadel of Fire by Matthew Wolf
Publisher: Self
Genre: Fantasy (YA)
Length: Full (562 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rated 4.5 stars
Review by Poppy

Seventeen-year old Gray is descended from a legendary hero known as a Ronin and haunted by his forgotten past. He returns home to a wizards’ keep, unaware he is now labeled a murderous traitor for killing his best friend.

Now he must cross a dangerous desert full of thieves, mythical beasts, and other magical unknowns, all to return to a home that may be his demise. At the same time, a poisonous evil seeks to convert the world to their dark mantra, “strength is life, weakness death.”

Gray may have hero’s blood in his veins, but how can one kill a belief?

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I didn’t know this was the second book in a series when I picked it up, and I admit to being confused for a bit because the action here starts right off the bat. We meet several groups of people in the first few chapters and learn about things that were clearly important to the story (like the “spark” and the ronin and more) that were a little too ambiguous for me to get immediately. However, I hung in there and got a big payoff.

The characters were so amazing and well drawn, the writing crisp and descriptive but never dull and the plot solid. The author skillfully wove in information tidbit by tidbit and kept me reading and longing for more. I didn’t realize, at first, that Gray is the lead here, because there are other characters given just as much space. I like Gray though, and he’s the reason I have every intention of going back and reading book one to catch up. He’s an interesting anomaly, as is the woman he meets near the beginning, Faye, who I really, really liked. I don’t think I was supposed to like her quite so much, but her self-confidence, smart mouth and swagger really spoke to me.

There’s a touch of LOTR here. At first, when he mentions the nine kings, I felt that was a deliberate nod to Tolkien and his nine kings (who ultimately became the ring wraiths). I wasn’t sure if I should be irritated or not, but honestly aside from their number, they are nothing like those LOTR kings.

It was interesting to watch the author merge all the various groups of people together and see how they were able to overcome much to work against defeating a common foe. The author truly created amazing characters who were real, flawed and unique, and although the plot was certainly gripping, it was those characters who kept me completely invested in the story and turning pages.

I have little negative to say here, other than the fact this didn’t stand alone as strongly as one might hope. But that doesn’t matter … book one is out there and just asking to be added to my library. Then I’ll be all caught up and waiting for the next in the series very eagerly.

I highly recommend this book (and the first) to any reader who loves epic fantasy. There is so much depth here and truly great writing. I’m never certain what to expect from self-published works but this one was clean, well written and worth every penny. It’s a book I’ll want to read more than once, as I’m certain I missed things here that will only add to the richness of the story.

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Up The Tower by JP Lantern

September 18, 2014 By 8 Comments

UptheTower

Up the Tower by JP Lantern
Publisher: Brainstorm Publishing
Genre: Futuristic/Sci-Fi, Dystopian, YA
Length: Full (247 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Snapdragon

In the dystopian slum of Junktown, death is commonplace, trust is a liability, and friendship is a curse. But disaster brings everybody together. A cloned corporate assassin; a boy genius and his new robot; a tech-modified gangster with nothing to lose; a beautiful, damaged woman and her unbalanced stalker—these individuals couldn’t be more different, but somehow they must work together to save their own skin. Stranded in the epicenter of a monumental earthquake, there is only one way to survive. These unlikely teammates must go…UP THE TOWER.

Up the Tower offers us the events following a disaster in the future City of St. Louis. There is that which is familiar in any American city – the ordinary lives, the everyday events. Then there are the futuristic elements, like the mega-corp of the police department, and cultural ones, as well. Then, there is the sudden life-altering change, showing us the impact of the disaster on individuals.

The opening sets the stage, from a distant, perhaps arms-length perspective. I felt interested, yet uninvolved. Abruptly–and this author can handle “abruptly”–we plunge into the ‘ordinary’ lives of these future people.
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The quick, frank yet conversational style can occasionally become quite confrontational and tense. Yet, some things are reported matter-of-factly; we accept the strict classes of people almost without second thought. You’re a shareholder–in luck! Or no–a gangster, too bad. It’s the luck of draw, or what you can afford to pay for in this not-quite-familiar future world.

We meet ‘Ore’ first – horrible and horrifying as she is, you do kind of feel for her. She’s tough, but maybe she is what her world made her? Even Victor (I mean, he’s an assassin!) manages not to be a simple, black-and-white character. You can understand his effort to avoid thinking of the dead people; we want to believe some part of him cares. All Mr. Lantern’s characters are distinct beings; more than distinct, they are unique and …well… incredibly individual.

There is even a romance mixed in, along with a sense of character’s insecurity- perhaps a sample of the style is the best way to share:

“Today was Gary’s day. He could feel it in his bones. Somehow, someway, he’d run into Ana. He dressed with vigor. Form-fitting khakis. A button-down shirt. His hair slicked back into a neato pompadour. Leather jacket hanging loosely around it all, hiding the outline of pudge that had been steadily building ever since he finished high school. He looked killer. He looked hip. He was neato, daddy-o. That was how they said it, right?”

Strange world though it seems, anyone can identify with Gary’s hope, as well as his efforts to fit in.

Events in Up the Tower are important, yet are given less attention. It is the results that are important. Even the disaster at the start is merely reported, not so much lived and felt.  Junktown, within St. Louis, is central, but never well described.

The style is far from my favorite, but Author JP Lantern manipulates readers emotions like a magician. In fact, but for a few moments of confusion here and there, I might well have assigned it five stars. Although listed for young adult readers,  anyone of any age who likes the genre should enjoy Up the Tower.

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Heart on a String by Susan Soares

September 18, 2014 By 4 Comments

Cover_Heart on a String

Heart on a String by Susan Soares
Publisher: Astrea Press
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Length: Full (186 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rated: 4.5 stars
Review by Poppy

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Marissa tells lies.

To herself, about the fact that her brother abandoned her.

To her grandmother, when she says “everything’s fine.”
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To the world when she pretends her mother is at home or working late. When she doesn’t tell them her mother is dead.

She doesn’t even question the wisdom of living in a world built on lies anymore—until she meets Brandon. Unlike Marissa, Brandon faces his grief head-on. As their relationship sweetens, Marissa realizes the value of letting someone in and not letting her grief destroy her. But when her past filled with denial catches up with her, Marissa is forced to tell Brandon her darkest secrets, or risk losing him.

The only thing harder than lying about her life? Facing it.

Aptly named, Heart on a String is one of the most touching books I’ve read in some time. From the start, when Marissa literally finds a heart on a string–a heart shaped balloon stuck in a tree–and “saves” it, I was hooked.

I lost a parent to cancer many years ago. True, I was an adult (a very young one, but still an adult), but it was no less heartrending. Marissa not only loses her mother, though, but also her brother who abandons her. And though her grandmother does her best, nothing can fill that gap in her life.

The strength of this novel was the author’s ability to create real, unique characters that I cared about from the moment I met them. From Marissa, to her grandmother, to her friend, Zoe and, of course Brandon, each person was well crafted, real and exceptional.  Even the secondary characters were solidly three-dimensional. They behaved as I would expect them to, though sometimes I wanted to slap Marissa silly for her behavior and I didn’t always like her. Even then, though, it was well within the realm of possibility. I have a teenaged daughter, and know how incredibly emotional and dramatic they can be.

Brandon was a dream come true. A truly good guy who’s learning to deal with his grief–the loss of a brother–in a much healthier manner than Marissa does the loss of her mom. I don’t want to share spoilers, but I really loved what he did at the very end. I nearly cried happy tears.

Deciding on an age recommendation wasn’t easy, but if your younger teens can handle deeply emotional stories involving the loss of a parent, then there really isn’t any else in this story to worry about.

All-in-all an impressive book. Not without a few things that annoyed (mainly some of Marissa’s behavior), but any irritation was well overshadowed by the emotions the author elicited from me. I cried, I laughed, I empathized and I hoped … the book impacted me and touched my heart. I recommend it.

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Escaping the Mirror by Emily P. DeLoach

June 24, 2014 By 2 Comments

Cover_Escaping the Mirror

Escaping the Mirror by Emily P. DeLoach
Publisher: Self
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Length: Full Length (181 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rated: 4 stars
Review by Rose

When her mom abandoned the family, Evelyn Crayley was left with an alcoholic father, a drug-dealing older brother and the nickname “Evil.” Starting fights at school and getting high do little to ebb the rage welling inside. Her brother, Jim, does his best to protect her from their violent father, but Evil still feels helpless, doomed to live the same kind of white trash life she and her family have always known.

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Don’t pick up this book expecting a light, fluffy paranormal sparkly vampires kind of book. It’s about real kids with real serious problems. It made my heart break (and be very thankful for my own family) to see the things these kids go through.

From the drug use (they smoke pot the way my friends and I drank Coke) to the abuse they suffer, these teens are from a lifestyle I personally was blessed to avoid. But, this author does an amazing job of making it real to the reader. I was right there with them as they try to escape their problems.

Evelyn, “Evil”, had strikes against her from the time she was born. Her mother, in a psychotic episode, tries to kill her–an event witnessed by her brother Jim. From that day on, Jim is Evil’s protector–from everything, but he tries especially to protect her from their father. Unfortunately, his “protection” leads her to a state of dependency as she turns to him for everything.

This is a very character-driven book and I really came to care for Evil, Jim, and Dopey (Jim’s best friend). The young people have to come to grips with who they are, what their relationships are, and how to adjust to the changes that are going on around them and within them.

Kudos, Ms. DeLoach, for a book reminiscent of my generation’s Judy Blume books… books that did not shy away from real life and real life problems.

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

The Last Three Words by Ashley Heckman

November 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

TheLastThreeWords

The Last Three Words by Ashley Heckman
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (65 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

Seventeen-year-old Christian Marx never belonged anywhere but with his best friend Maye. Life with her beats the hell out of the dingy apartment he shares with his neglectful mother. Mom may be blood, but Maye and her little sister Rowe are family. Life would be perfect if only Maye loved him the way he loved her.

Last night, she did. Today, she’s dead—a tragic accident no one could have predicted.

With Maye gone, it’s up to those she left behind to figure out how to move on. Only one person can drag Christian away from the ledge. Only one person can save Maye’s little sister from making a huge mistake.
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Sometimes the only way to un-break yourself is to fix someone else.

Love is eternal. Sometimes so is grief.

What surprised me the most about this book was how Christian’s emotional attachment to Maye pops up in the most unexpected places. This is not a particularly sentimental novel, yet from the very first scene there are understated cues pointing to a bond that even death can’t sever. Sometimes grief amplifies deeply seated personality traits, and the author does a great job quietly showing how everyone who loved Maye reacts to her death in emotionally healthy and unhealthy manners.

The narrative switches among three different first-person perspectives and occasionally jumps from the present to the past. While these techniques provide important background information, there were times when I found all of the shifts jarring. They happened so often that they sometimes slowed down the progression of the plot. In addition, the voices of the three characters who describe what has or is happening to them sound so similar that had they not been labelled I would have had a difficult time telling them apart.

For a story of this length restricting the point of view to one – or, at most, two – narrators would have freed up more space to explore what happens to Maye and how her family and friends honor her memory and learn to express their grief. The concept is intriguing, but as it was written I spent too much time adjusting to new speakers for a piece of this length.

The paranormal elements in this tale are subtle and well-suited to the storyline. They play their role in what happens without ever overpowering the often fragile connections between the characters. By far the most compelling scenes occur when the ordinary world brushes against forces it doesn’t necessarily understand.

The Last Three Words is a stunningly accurate portrayal of grief. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one or who would like to step inside the head of someone who is grieving in order to better understand why they sometimes act in seemingly illogical ways.

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