tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9349549264199168432024-03-12T22:04:09.795-04:00In Julie's OpinionI've never met a book I didn't like at least a little bit! :DIn Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-54437447981192650522022-05-19T19:46:00.000-04:002022-05-19T19:46:54.329-04:00Review: Foul is Fair, by Hannah Capin.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lYne8duVjT0HDZcy5N5GfRI1koFkPFjOgHRyuw63CR4ARlgZ4xgVpO-x4ql7Hej_DXNGA3-zickg9mTG53kURxonJ2FbkQV2o9DRFUwhi16chUIeOYBOWOojFsYAL4TV23LPq0U0q7Q7ZMCc-75HgvhI-PcjvgT3f314KfwX200T_4SKbhp2UDPM/s475/foul%20is%20fair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lYne8duVjT0HDZcy5N5GfRI1koFkPFjOgHRyuw63CR4ARlgZ4xgVpO-x4ql7Hej_DXNGA3-zickg9mTG53kURxonJ2FbkQV2o9DRFUwhi16chUIeOYBOWOojFsYAL4TV23LPq0U0q7Q7ZMCc-75HgvhI-PcjvgT3f314KfwX200T_4SKbhp2UDPM/s320/foul%20is%20fair.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Title:</b> Foul is Fair</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:</b> Hannah Capin</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Format:</b> e-galley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target.</span></i></div><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">They picked the wrong girl.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Foul is Fair</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes."</span></i><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">"They picked the wrong girl." Did they ever! Elizabeth Jade Khanjara, or Elle as she prefers to be called, and her best friends Jenny, Summer, and Mads, are untouchable - until Elle's sweet sixteen when she is gang raped at a party. Instead of going into hiding, she vows revenge. She cuts her hair, dyes it black (the exact shade is called "revenge"), changes the name she goes by to her middle name, Jade, and enrolls at the high school the boys attend. She and her friends then put their plan into action, and the school is never going to be the same.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This was a hard book to read at times, I'm not gonna lie. It was harsh and raw and dealt with some very real issues. Yes, the revenge went way too far, but you kind of get why they go the route they do. It's a revenge fantasy, pure and simple.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">4/5 stars.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-729969156432826402022-04-22T17:11:00.000-04:002022-04-22T17:11:28.486-04:00Review: Sound of Darkness (Krewe of Hunters #36), by Heather Graham<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUxiYq5MKOhksIscDzlrLm8RyCnol9luJv2b4mzvM9UYcaiGmgNRUgjOcdFAlrK_6gR0odupewIWV7RkCAql3uUm_Sp59L1bUqGEupa3isOxLC5S7rZnv1NcjUVhd8Bk6iuZmOBUybDOy7sO5VEMBhFmQ1RANqH0N5Kh1UFxw3MlDVvGE5OeOu9ny/s400/sound%20of%20darkness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUxiYq5MKOhksIscDzlrLm8RyCnol9luJv2b4mzvM9UYcaiGmgNRUgjOcdFAlrK_6gR0odupewIWV7RkCAql3uUm_Sp59L1bUqGEupa3isOxLC5S7rZnv1NcjUVhd8Bk6iuZmOBUybDOy7sO5VEMBhFmQ1RANqH0N5Kh1UFxw3MlDVvGE5OeOu9ny/s320/sound%20of%20darkness.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Title:</b> Sound of Darkness (Krewe of Hunters #36)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:</b> Heather Graham</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Format:</b> e-galley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">The cries of the dead are deafening</strong></i></div><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Women are being taken in Virginia, and FBI agent Mark Gallagher is determined to put a stop to it. Certain he’s closing in on the killer known as The Embracer, Mark is less than thrilled when he’s partnered with rookie agent Colleen Law, worried she’s a liability when there’s so much at stake.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But like everyone in the Krewe of Hunters, Colleen has talents that extend beyond the usual investigative toolbox. She can hear the voices of the victims in her head, and they’re telling her she and Mark are near to uncovering the truth.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">When Mark’s prime suspect takes a liking to Colleen, he’s surprisingly protective of his new partner, even as he admits her connection to the victims is key. But tense interrogations turn dangerously personal when someone close to Colleen goes missing, luring the agents deep into the shadows of wooded rural Virginia, where nobody can hear them scream."</span></i><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Women are being taken in Virginia and the FBI puts agents Mark Gallagher and Ragnar Johansen, and their FBI dog Red, on the case. The guys, and the dog, are members of a special unit of the FBI, the Krewe of Hunters, who all have special talents that they bring to bear on their cases. Colleen Law is a rookie agent who also has a special talent in that she can "hear" the voices of victims.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Quote: "Do you read minds?" She laughed. "I should say yes to that. But no - I just hear people when they're crying out." "The living and the dead." "The living and the dead."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Because Colleen is dropped right into an already established partnership, Mark definitely lets her know that he's not happy about getting saddled with a rookie, but she soon proves her worth. And they both realize that to catch the serial killer, or killers, that they are chasing, they are going to need all the special gifts they can get.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I love the Krewe series, but I had a few minor problems with this one. I felt like the romance between Colleen and Mark was a little bit forced. It just seemed like there was no connection, no connection, and then bam! Connection. I would have liked a bit more build up to it. They were a good fit once I got over the abruptness of the relationship, so it wasn't a huge problem.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I thought the mystery and crime solving part was interesting. I loved the dog, Red, and how in tune he was to the world of the supernatural, and how much he helped the team. I loved Ragnar, the big blonde modern day Viking, and really hope that he gets his own story. I thought the ending was satisfying, as well.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In summary, I loved a lot more about this book than I didn't, and can definitely recommend it to fans of the Krewe of Hunters, and paranormal mystery/romance book lovers, as well.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>4.5/5 stars.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I would like to thank the author, publisher, and folks at NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was given a copy of it free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-68137851436264093962022-04-07T19:08:00.000-04:002022-04-07T19:08:07.560-04:00Review: School Spirits (Hex Hall, #4), by Rachel Hawkins<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTziYuTWXrr5qhk32zQ6du-tkzZxzj9Q_vBcEOsnU2jSC7zN6_kBTjjt_BdHtRmz1l_ub8J6H9dk_cT9AYs3RKRc36s5qxS6Ue_n9BgD5H8bGt4gntJmDVj9sQX4OpBOOvy8sgr6Sp-O38TMRx0RtWILKwwFIbiGxnPOm28cDdejiVcoYr1Ju6EwV/s475/School%20spirits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTziYuTWXrr5qhk32zQ6du-tkzZxzj9Q_vBcEOsnU2jSC7zN6_kBTjjt_BdHtRmz1l_ub8J6H9dk_cT9AYs3RKRc36s5qxS6Ue_n9BgD5H8bGt4gntJmDVj9sQX4OpBOOvy8sgr6Sp-O38TMRx0RtWILKwwFIbiGxnPOm28cDdejiVcoYr1Ju6EwV/s320/School%20spirits.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Title:</b> School Spirits (Hex Hall, #4)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:</b> Rachel Hawkins</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Format:</b> e-galley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures.</span></i></div><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But when Izzy's older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break. Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it's not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it's strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush. Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!"</span></i><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Izzy is only 15 and has never attended a normal school because she and her family (her mother and sister) are Brannicks, the last of the monster hunters. They go where the hunt is, and they only stay as long as they need to. But Izzy's older sister, Finley, disappeared on a job 6 months ago, and they haven't had a lead at all, so Izzy's mom decides they need to take a breather and they stop in a small town with what might be a haunting, and enroll Izzy in the local high school. Izzy doesn't know what to expect, but she meets some friends right away, one of whom may be what is called a "Prodigium."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Quote: "But things were different now. For starters, there were no more Brannicks besides me and my mom. Rather than hunt the Creatures of the Night, we worked for the Council that governed them. And they didn't call themselves monsters; they went by the much more civilized term "Prodigium." So the Brannicks were now more or less Prodigium cops. If one of their kind got out of hand, we tracked them, captured them, and did a ritual that sent them directly to the Council, who would them decide their punishment."<br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I confess that I didn't read the first three books in the Hex Hall series, but this book was advertised as a spin off of that series, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was very easy to follow and can definitely be read as a standalone. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I liked the characters of Izzy, Dex, Romy, and Anderson, but my secret favorite was Torin, the man (warlock) in the mirror.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Quote: "It was the mirror I walked to now, yanking off the heavy canvas cover. Inside the glass, a warlock stared back at me. His name was Torin, and he looked a couple years older than me, maybe eighteen or so. But since he'd gotten trapped in the mirror back in 1583, he was technically over four hundred years old."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Torin is sassy and insufferable, and I really hope we get to see more of him in the next books of this spin off series.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I found that this book was well written and the pacing was quick and easy, making this a fun, quick read. The characters were likeable and the plot was easy to follow.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>4/5 stars</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read it.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-10603483655759346812022-04-07T18:35:00.000-04:002022-04-07T18:35:32.962-04:00Review: Lord of the Abyss (Royal House of Shadows, book 4), by Nalini Singh<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOnAq8e6ScYrIivzayr2ZA6ZC-Ic2WHNGA3WHbyUi6m3i5cDlKLO63WbKI1ImRUkfRjLclNyLBQE8XJp_jNfK2hq9ZKmgAOf3iWtMDjIucUB97Kr9S2xBY5N0S3i0PfahDw2a9FCiRYtC0NubKmg_20hBQgHEDiTJD65bsKClfPQLCBWdCZ-GLJNo/s285/lord%20of%20the%20abyss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="181" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOnAq8e6ScYrIivzayr2ZA6ZC-Ic2WHNGA3WHbyUi6m3i5cDlKLO63WbKI1ImRUkfRjLclNyLBQE8XJp_jNfK2hq9ZKmgAOf3iWtMDjIucUB97Kr9S2xBY5N0S3i0PfahDw2a9FCiRYtC0NubKmg_20hBQgHEDiTJD65bsKClfPQLCBWdCZ-GLJNo/s1600/lord%20of%20the%20abyss.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Title:</b> Lord of the Abyss (Royal House of Shadows, book 4)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:</b> Nalini Singh</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Format:</b> e-galley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…</span></i></div><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who’d cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember. Because they only have till midnight to save Elden."</span></i><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…"</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">We've heard the stories of the three older siblings, and now we finally learn about Micah, and what happened to him after that fateful night,.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">We start off with the story of someone else, though - Liliana, daughter of the evil Blood Sorcerer. Somehow, Liliana has managed to not turn into her father, to retain the goodness and yes, even light, that is her essence. But she had to endure so much torture, fear and hate at the hands of her father. She learns the truth about the heirs to the kingdom of Elden, and knows what she has to do - search out Micah and tell him who he truly is so the kingdom can be saved. Unfortunately, Micah is now the Lord of the Abyss, and has no idea who he is. Liliana makes it her mission to get through the armor he has built around himself to save the kingdom her father is trying to ruin, forever.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Wow! That's how I felt reading this story! I was sad that this was going to be the last book, the one that brings it all home, but I was excited to find out how it would end. And I have to say, this was definitely my favorite book of the series. I've never read anything by Nalini Singh before, but I will definitely be searching her out from now on. She wrote characters that you just can't help but care about, who you are pulling for throughout the book. Liliana and Micah are both so damaged and broken, but together they are magic. The world building was phenomenal, and the pacing was spot on. This was such a quick read for me because it was so well written - the pages just seemed to fly by. The ending came too quick but was a good end to a great series.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In summary, I adored this book, the conclusion to a four book series. I would recommend that you read the books in order, but imagine that this book would work as a standalone as well.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Highly recommend - <b>5/5 stars. </b>This is my idea of what a paranormal romance should be.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I would like to thank the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for this opportunity.</span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-7149403179300859372022-04-03T16:55:00.000-04:002022-04-03T16:55:12.924-04:00Review: Stranded on Thin Ice, by Sharon CassanoLochman<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwKQvSrVwVjcft_nk_XGZDeFrqfvfZ4VBrYWEzboap5t9EGp6FUUGkVFTSNSZC-OWYwV4OzyHXE7aQtg-8pXGRI-vGq1y7RHCz19uNnxcrshBDCbxjyzs2QjWmx5OlDDvV2lO4uL6BRJa3_tn5YTC8KRGi6SmGfGdoGrlGRiBMUdYzmfkr39ijylN/s475/stranded%20on%20thin%20ice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwKQvSrVwVjcft_nk_XGZDeFrqfvfZ4VBrYWEzboap5t9EGp6FUUGkVFTSNSZC-OWYwV4OzyHXE7aQtg-8pXGRI-vGq1y7RHCz19uNnxcrshBDCbxjyzs2QjWmx5OlDDvV2lO4uL6BRJa3_tn5YTC8KRGi6SmGfGdoGrlGRiBMUdYzmfkr39ijylN/s320/stranded%20on%20thin%20ice.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title: </b>Stranded on Thin Ice</p><p><b>Author:</b> Sharon CassanoLochman</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-galley</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b><i> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Twelve-year-old Tanner Phillips fishes the Oneida Lake Ice Fishing Derby every year with his dad. Last year, he ruined everything — losing the competition and losing some of his grandfather’s gear. This year, Tanner is determined to not only prove his skills on the ice, but also show his dad, once and for all, that he’s no longer a little kid.</span></i></p><span id="freeText12228822581333215661" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>But as soon as they get out on the ice, the competition turns disastrous.<br /><br />When one of the competitors goes missing and another gets injured, Tanner’s father must leave Tanner and his new friend, Richie, alone on the ice. After their ice hut comes unhitched, Tanner and Richie find themselves blown across the frozen lake in a blinding snowstorm.<br />Alone. Without their cell phones. Trapped, on thin ice. Suddenly, it isn’t just about the winning the derby — it’s about life and death. In one perilous night, Tanner will have to prove not to his father, but to himself, that he has the courage and determination to survive.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i> </i>"</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Tanner is so excited to be at the Oneida Lake Ice Fishing Derby again this year with his dad, but he's determined not to make the same big mistake he made last year, losing his pole through the hole in the ice. He really wants to prove to his father that he's not a kid anymore, but things start to go wrong even before they get to the ice.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">This was a well written, very interesting book, with a lot of suspense, as well as a lot of interesting characters. Tanner and his new friend, Richie, are very likeable and act age appropriate, which is a nice change from kids their age acting mature beyond their years. The setting is described so well I felt like I should put a sweater on while I was reading it because I should really be shivering from the cold! The plot was paced out nicely and this ended up being a really quick read because it was so interesting. It kept my attention from start to finish, and it ended all too quickly.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In summary, this was a very well written book full of suspense and great characters, that I think will appeal to the middle grade age group.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Highly recommend.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>5/5 stars.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-38127948520607312252022-04-02T19:39:00.001-04:002022-04-02T19:39:21.462-04:00Review: Lord of the Wolfyn (Royal House of Shadows #3), by Jessica Andersen<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDXy8-9itvJNXfRPdnYfu5UWoLUPn1FzJj2b1cT6wuQn5eZUga5KaglheEyRNqH8WhNCjDq5q7OeiD5p5axJZGXqaxhEz5co9FeATKEKo7Qo16tkRrf842nTuxlfw511DsAiez6EG21avZVYG0T5Aq8GcWSwgTLDJFq9gsgOYHYl-KGtfLu0Ba3pI/s475/lord%20of%20the%20wolfyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="299" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDXy8-9itvJNXfRPdnYfu5UWoLUPn1FzJj2b1cT6wuQn5eZUga5KaglheEyRNqH8WhNCjDq5q7OeiD5p5axJZGXqaxhEz5co9FeATKEKo7Qo16tkRrf842nTuxlfw511DsAiez6EG21avZVYG0T5Aq8GcWSwgTLDJFq9gsgOYHYl-KGtfLu0Ba3pI/s320/lord%20of%20the%20wolfyn.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Title:<span> </span></b>Lord of the Wolfyn (Royal House of Shadows #3)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:<span> </span></b>Jessica Andersen</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Format:<span> </span></b>e-galley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Source:<span> </span></b>NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> "<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Once upon a time...the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs...and time is running out....</i></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">For practical Reda Weston, nothing could explain how reading a sexy version of <i>Little Red Riding Hood</i> catapulted her into another realm - face-to-fang with the legendary wolf-creature who seduced women. A wolf who transformed into a dark, virile man....</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">Dayn cursed the Sorcerer that turned him wolfyn and damned him to a lonely fate. As a beast, he mated with women to gain strength. Strength he needed to rescue his royal parents. But as a man, he craved Reda's heated, sizzling touch. With little time left, Dayn had to either embrace his wolf to save his kingdom...or fight it to save his woman."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> This is the third book in this series, and since each book is written by a different author, that adds another layer to this series that just works out great. I haven't read anything by Jessica Andersen before but I was impressed by her writing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">This book is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but definitely a grown up version. Reda's mother raised her on a special book, a one of a kind book, about Little Red Riding Hood, but she died while Reda was still young so she never had a chance to finish it. Reda is on leave from the police department for personal reasons when she finds that very same book in a book store. She takes it home and opens it and is transported to a magical realm, where she meets a man who is the spitting image of the sexy woodcutter from her book. She also lands square in the middle of a wolfyn village, which is the exact opposite of a safe place.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">Dayn has his own problems. While he is away from the castle where he lives with his parents and his 3 siblings, an evil Blood Sorcerer attacks and casts a spell to vanquish the kingdom. The King and Queen are attacked and are dying, but they try to cast a spell of their own to protect their children before they succumb. Dayn's father sends him this message before he and his mother pass on to try to explain what's happening:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">"Because of our wounds and the sorcerer's power, the spell turned warped as your mother and I cast it. The magic has sent you and your brothers and sister far away, as we intended, but it has also tied the four of you to the castle and begun a countdown. When this count enters its final four nights - and not before then - you must all return to the island, retake the castle and kill the Blood Sorcerer. If you do not, you will die and Elden will be lost. But you must wait until the time is right."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">He tells Dayn that a woman will come to guide him home, and then he is flung to another realm. He makes a home there and waits for this guide to appear. Enter Reda. They will have to work together to save Dayn's kingdom, and each other, from unforeseen complications.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">I enjoyed this installment of the series very much. Reda was a bit annoying in that she was constantly questioning herself and freezing when she and Dayn encountered any danger, but given her history and back story, it was pretty understandable and easy to get past. Dayn was just what you want in a hero - sexy and dangerous, but caring and tender as well, depending on what situation they found themselves in.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">The world building was done very well, and given the different realms Reda finds herself in, this is saying something. The plot moved along at a good pace and it was easy to get invested in the characters and the story. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out what happens with all of the siblings.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">I can definitely recommend this book for fans of paranormal fairy tale retellings with a twist, and am giving it <b>4/5 stars.</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 18px 0px; padding: 0px;">I received a copy of this book freer of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. </p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-81021560443461780762022-03-29T20:19:00.000-04:002022-03-29T20:19:39.513-04:00Review: The Daemon Parallel (Daemon Parallel #1), by Roy Gill<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIeXyHVt8tQpqIjAO-F1jVQw2vcJ8AseqcDY0j4y9wqsAyXGtRBQHIn6VUUUohAsqJPnMV2cf5yMw_CB6PhjdBGimN9L6ZIQm4kXvSx4g8sXyQsGXi0-U2jTfquvK7GzNo0T_NA_u4gVY-MBcuM1fBlQPj_n-tdy-x8jFXZJAPhZYLqBFlBS3c9ug/s475/the%20daemon%20parallel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIeXyHVt8tQpqIjAO-F1jVQw2vcJ8AseqcDY0j4y9wqsAyXGtRBQHIn6VUUUohAsqJPnMV2cf5yMw_CB6PhjdBGimN9L6ZIQm4kXvSx4g8sXyQsGXi0-U2jTfquvK7GzNo0T_NA_u4gVY-MBcuM1fBlQPj_n-tdy-x8jFXZJAPhZYLqBFlBS3c9ug/s320/the%20daemon%20parallel.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Title:</b> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span>The Daemon Parallel (Daemon Parallel #1)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:<span> <span> </span></span></b>Roy Gill</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Format:</b> <span> </span>E-Galley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Source:</b> <span> <span> </span></span>NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Our world is only the beginning… Cameron's father is dead and his inheritance is … rather unusual. He has power to world shift: travel between the Human and Daemonic realms and the Parallel – a void where the worlds meet. Between befriending werewolves and battling daemons, Cameron's new life is already pretty complicated but things are about to get even more dangerous…"</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Cameron is a young teen who has just lost his father, and his mother left when he was even younger, so he's very thankful when his grandmother takes him in, even though he doesn't know her at all because for some reason, his father wouldn't let him have anything to do with her when he was growing up. When she tells him she can bring his father back from the dead with his help, he's over the moon. She explains to him that there is a world parallel to ours, called the Daemon parallel, and that he has magic and can help her obtain all of the things needed to perform the ritual to bring his father back. This sets Cameron off on a quest that involves werewolves, daemons, and even humans, and puts him in danger from an unexpected source.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I enjoyed this book very much. Cameron was a very likeable young man, and the friends he makes along the way are just as likeable. The interesting thing is that the ones you think will be evil sometimes aren't, and the ones you're supposed to trust are sometimes the ones you should be running away from the fastest. It keeps you on your toes!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">The plot was well written, and moved along at an easy pace. The world building was phenomenal due to a very interesting setting. The human world and the Daemon parallel were described very well, which made them easy to imagine. The ending was a great twist, as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the next book in the series.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Highly recommend to MG readers who like a little paranormal in their stories.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>5/5 stars.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-14755062005129705682022-03-29T19:32:00.001-04:002022-03-29T19:32:17.283-04:00Review: The Faceless One (The Faceless One #1), by Mark Onspaugh<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PU5v8_xtJXKu4wxr6bh7c50v2ZJnrR9x8WZqB6wMl8PsG0-XJ9vvYbG3U9EdK6brrS8C0SsFTF1PN8xzq3p4ic1SK22o5__i3CT3yqMmUOC41m3Pmu3P7eaGcBKHTCTv4sd_uXEKYIsIvoJbANjMczGXZnB7U6sPYGvAjFmRTp_c-7nzSusE3iB_/s423/the%20faceless%20one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PU5v8_xtJXKu4wxr6bh7c50v2ZJnrR9x8WZqB6wMl8PsG0-XJ9vvYbG3U9EdK6brrS8C0SsFTF1PN8xzq3p4ic1SK22o5__i3CT3yqMmUOC41m3Pmu3P7eaGcBKHTCTv4sd_uXEKYIsIvoJbANjMczGXZnB7U6sPYGvAjFmRTp_c-7nzSusE3iB_/s320/the%20faceless%20one.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Title:</b> The Faceless One (The Faceless One #1)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Author:</b> Mark Onspaugh</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Format:</b> E-galley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</div><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In 1948, when he was just a boy, Jimmy Kalmaku trained with his uncle to be the shaman of his Tlingit village in Alaska. There he learned the old legends, the old myths, the old secrets. Chief among them was that of a mask locked in a prison of ice, and of the faceless god imprisoned within: a cruel and vengeful god called T'Nathluk, dedicated to the infliction of pain and suffering.</span></i></p><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Now all but forgotten in a Seattle retirement home, Jimmy finds his life turned upside down. For when an unwitting archaeologist pries the mask free of its icy tomb, he frees T’Nathluk as well. Stuck in spirit form, the Faceless One seeks a human to serve as a portal through which he can enter our reality. The Faceless One can control—and mercilessly torture—anyone who touches the mask, which means there is no shortage of slaves to ferry it across the country to its chosen host.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /></i><p><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Yet the Faceless One has foes as well: Stan Roberts, a tough New York cop whose pursuit of justice will lead him into a dark abyss of the soul; Steven, Liz, and Bobby, the family of the doomed archaeologist; and Jimmy Kalmaku, who must at last become the shaman of his boyhood dreams."</span> </i></p><p><b>My Opinion:</b> The Faceless One is an ancient evil, a "cruel and vengeful god called T-Nathluk." The shamans of the Tlingit tribe in Alaska have always watched over this evil and made sure it stayed buried and encased in ice. Unfortunately, there are no more shamans in the village and a couple of anthropologists have unearthed the mask that imprisoned this evil god, and all hell is about to be unleashed on the world, unless a group of strangers can work together to reimprison it.</p><p>I thought this book was a great horror story, written by a new name in the world of horror, Mark Onspaugh. This was a great debut novel that introduced a unique evil and a group of very likeable characters, with a delicious amount of sit on the edge of your seat possession and torture thrown in for good measure. Because this book was well written, it was a really quick read, with good even pacing that moved along quite nicely. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, it would take a turn and go off in a whole new direction, and the ending was a nice twist.</p><p>In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the second book in the series.</p><p><b>5/5 stars.</b></p><p>I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-2690457084439322642022-03-16T20:25:00.000-04:002022-03-16T20:25:45.486-04:00Review: Resistance (Of Ember and Flame, #1), by C.E. Ord<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS73ix-duIt9hACTONX__9VtupFe3Q6rVSM-L3LmM-GOtcNI0hUcnl9ZNtdGnXZG3rK_7J9Oul8yX0v0i07l5MfYAvfAZASSTyQ4IGhpYWPaemKzKUKvHgmfd7GC6aY3SrJUE7xxInJ-cqsVTkgbR9GZ5hlHQVMvAlYeCyUGirC8YsJoCXlxUIJbUO=s475" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS73ix-duIt9hACTONX__9VtupFe3Q6rVSM-L3LmM-GOtcNI0hUcnl9ZNtdGnXZG3rK_7J9Oul8yX0v0i07l5MfYAvfAZASSTyQ4IGhpYWPaemKzKUKvHgmfd7GC6aY3SrJUE7xxInJ-cqsVTkgbR9GZ5hlHQVMvAlYeCyUGirC8YsJoCXlxUIJbUO=s320" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> Resistance (Of Ember and Flame, #1)</p><p><b>Author:</b> C.E. Ord</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-galley</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">With their sixteenth birthday fast approaching, orphaned twins Lia and Tyler Ford are still settling into their new normal in Sydney, Australia. Life with their paternal grandmother—their sole remaining, living family member—is a million miles removed from their former life with their parents in Ardsley, New York. Their grandmother is wonderful, their new school friends are nice, and Sydney is a perfectly fine place to live, but life these days for the Ford twins is not what anyone expected it to be.</span></i></p><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Lia wouldn't have thought life could surprise her any more than it already has, but the arrival of a strange young man with an even stranger message turns what's left of her fractured world upside down in an instant. She and Tyler suddenly have more questions than ever before about their family's mysterious past, but also—finally—the chance to maybe fill in some of the many gaps in their knowledge of their family's history. That possibility has them readily following their unexpected visitor, Coen, to Gaea: a parallel universe which perfectly mirrored Earth millennia ago, though the two worlds have evolved to be markedly different realms today.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Gaea is in crisis. The North has already fallen, and the people of the South live in fear of a force so evil and powerful it may be impossible to defeat. With an empire hanging in the balance, the stakes are impossibly high, as are the expectations being placed on Lia. She must rise to the challenge and play her part in the resistance, or die trying—as the people of Gaea surely will if she fails. And, if Lia and Tyler can stay alive long enough on their treacherous journey, they might find out not only who they really are, but who they're destined to be."</i><br /></span><div><br /></div><div><b>My Opinion:</b> It's been almost a year since twins Lia and Tyler Ford lost both of their parents in a car crash and had to leave everything they knew in New York and move to Australia to live with their paternal grandmother. Tyler is adjusting better than Lia, but on the last day of school she agrees to go with him to meet up with some of his friends from school. There she is approached by a strange boy by the name of Coen, with an even stranger tale. </div><div><br /></div><div>Quote: "I'm from a world called Gaea," he said evenly, his eyes never wavering from mine.</div><div><br /></div><div>"A---a world . . . a <i>world</i>? <i>WORLD</i>?" I looked from Coen over to Tyler and then back again. Maybe this guy was a crackpot after all.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Yes," Coen said evenly, his gaze still fixed firmly on mine. "A world. A world your mother and grandmother came from. A world that needs your help."</div><div><br /></div><div>Needless to say, Lia and Tyler's world is turned upside down. They agree to go to Gaea with Coen, and that's when their adventure starts.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm just going to say it, I loved this book! I loved the twins and their relationship, and the fact that Tyler left everything up to Lia, but said that no matter what she decided, he was with her 100%, and Coen was adorable, too. The world building was done well, although I would have liked a little bit more of a lead up to this. The pacing was also great, and this was a very fast read because of that. The characters grew and matured from the start of the book to the end as more and more responsibility was thrust upon them, which was written in a very believable way. And there was a great twist at the end, another plus!</div><div><br /></div><div>In summary, I loved this book and can't wait to see where the next book takes us. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>5/5 stars.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-3682561544612181232022-03-08T17:45:00.000-05:002022-03-08T17:45:15.964-05:00Review: Point Last Seen (Last Seen in Gothic #1), by Christina Dodd <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlZ79QP-v384GyDPf8p0wRkxRCcs7xiMwiIbv2b1nOFMb2hyNi6-rn8-DxvD1aArHVWWET4UYMJuG3EzabnInmw9XIoWj4VL7i2tCxHVYrnYvP2tClFwDJ9l022EnVIzKQVZBINlSGoa03MmsQxUJCgj_ZkobqWy-yMsPqL6vUgtiCULtIwUqTGFL9=s475" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlZ79QP-v384GyDPf8p0wRkxRCcs7xiMwiIbv2b1nOFMb2hyNi6-rn8-DxvD1aArHVWWET4UYMJuG3EzabnInmw9XIoWj4VL7i2tCxHVYrnYvP2tClFwDJ9l022EnVIzKQVZBINlSGoa03MmsQxUJCgj_ZkobqWy-yMsPqL6vUgtiCULtIwUqTGFL9=s320" width="213" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> Point Last Seen (Last Seen in Gothic #1)</p><p><b>Author:</b> Christina Dodd</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-book</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">LIFE LAST SEEN</strong></i></p><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">When you’ve already died, there should be nothing left to fear… When Adam Ramsdell pulls Elle’s half-frozen body from the surf on a lonely California beach, she has no memory of what her full name is and how she got those bruises ringing her throat.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">GIRL LAST SEEN</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Elle finds refuge in Adam’s home on the edge of Gothic, a remote village located between the steep lonely mountains and the raging Pacific Ocean. As flashes of her memory return, Elle faces a terrible truth—buried in her mind lurks a secret so dark it could get her killed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">POINT LAST SEEN</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Everyone in Gothic seems to hide a dark past. Even Adam knows more than he will admit. Until Elle can unravel the truth, she doesn’t know who to trust, when to run and who else might be hurt when the killer who stalks her nightmares appears to finish what he started…"</span></i><p><b>My Opinion:</b> Ok, with that synopsis, who can really resist this book? Not me, and I'm so glad I didn't try! Disclaimer: I'm a huge Christina Dodd fan. I was before I read this, and I definitely still am. This book, filled with lost souls, was also a mystery, a thriller, and a suspense filled ride. I absolutely love the town of Gothic and look forward to reading more about it and its inhabitants in the books that follow this one.</p><p>Adam leads a self imposed solitary existence, and he has no plans to change that, until he finds a dead body on the beach near his home. Enter Elle. After bringing her back to life, and realizing that she has no memory of who she is or how she got in the water, and after noticing that she is covered in bruises, he takes her home with him and promises her a safe place to stay until she is well enough to leave. That proves easier said than done when he starts developing feelings for her. The search for Elle's identity and the mystery of her death leads to violence not just for Adam and Elle, but for other residents of Gothic. It turns out Adam isn't the only one with a checkered past in the town.</p><p>I loved this book so much in part because I loved Adam and Elle so much. They were great characters with great chemistry. The other residents of Gothic were pretty great, too, and everyone's back story was detailed, which made it easy to get invested in them. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this book series goes.</p><p>The plot was interesting and the writing was superb, which made this a quick read for me. The pacing was also on point.</p><p>In summary, I highly recommend this book to readers looking for a good mystery to sink their teeth into. </p><p><b>5/5 stars.</b></p><p>I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-56739510660470556392022-02-13T18:30:00.000-05:002022-02-13T18:30:30.145-05:00Review: A Coin for the Ferryman (audiobook), by Megan Edwards (Narrated by Mark Ashby)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjECQ1nsclwZCItqTGz6D8gL9SkjN7yL3jNSX6zlEXk7qMLAb-6B3qzd6oW2MPxk9OKTibx1pTLTOZZADTSv7W2DjlEUXYkecXXCz2fr9OnZQvjdC3AEmwL2javm2PKlsQvJBN1Al7MZTCjg0anlSfF2Q6er-vCBTm6OOQxEJDRHwN4XSMtDY3UG5xf=s318" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjECQ1nsclwZCItqTGz6D8gL9SkjN7yL3jNSX6zlEXk7qMLAb-6B3qzd6oW2MPxk9OKTibx1pTLTOZZADTSv7W2DjlEUXYkecXXCz2fr9OnZQvjdC3AEmwL2javm2PKlsQvJBN1Al7MZTCjg0anlSfF2Q6er-vCBTm6OOQxEJDRHwN4XSMtDY3UG5xf" width="318" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> A Coin for the Ferryman</p><p><b>Author:</b> Megan Edwards</p><p><b>Narrated by:</b> Mark Ashby</p><p><b>Format:</b> audiobook</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In 1999, an elite interdisciplinary team headed by Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek gathered in California to carry out a ground-breaking time-travel experiment. While the rest of the world remained unaware, Julius Caesar was successfully transported from the last day of his life to a specially-constructed covert facility. Four days of conversation with historians and Latin scholars were planned, followed by Caesar’s return to the moment from which he was extracted. But despite the team’s meticulous efforts to maintain secrecy and plan for all possible exigencies, a kidnap attempt plunges Caesar into peril. Fully aware that the future of civilization may hang in the balance, one team member must summon strength she didn’t know she possessed to return Caesar to the Ides of March.</span></i></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>The shocking details of Caesar's visit and its effect on subsequent events have been protected by draconian nondisclosure agreements....until now."</i></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> I love books about time travel and books about Julius Caesar and ancient Rome, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this book, and boy was I right! First off, the narrator did an excellent job with the voices and tone of the different characters. It was easy to switch back and forth between them without being yanked from the story, which is a pet peeve of mine. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">As for the story, and I never thought I'd say this, but there was just a bit too much back story for me. Not enough to dislike the book, but enough that I felt sort of bogged down by it. But the characters were written well, so this wasn't a huge problem. The setting was well described and the pacing was good. I absolutely loved Julius Caesar in all of his arrogance because you just have to figure that if you ever met him, that's exactly how he would be! Nice twist at the end, too, although I'll leave it at that.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and can definitely recommend it, especially the audiobook version.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>5/5 stars.</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-53817281198765448502022-02-11T19:08:00.001-05:002022-02-11T19:08:28.058-05:00Review: A Color Game for Chester Raccoon (The Kissing Hand Series), by Audrey Penn<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhU3Gwely-iJCrfrM_K4AgV_9t1rfg7rx6pj-8IUUEKmZcJSzH_3kPa4VZq5Ay6pTwF3HvmXA78q7s-NTQSoPDDW_G-nTewEMzSlZxZeK1QIylbAe1YKSrEwOGif6YPNV9GnWK7va4A3SDYIpRQ9iHVY0U-SLrZ88QFJ6jQ2XnDJd4fgJInfJXmxJzY=s250" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhU3Gwely-iJCrfrM_K4AgV_9t1rfg7rx6pj-8IUUEKmZcJSzH_3kPa4VZq5Ay6pTwF3HvmXA78q7s-NTQSoPDDW_G-nTewEMzSlZxZeK1QIylbAe1YKSrEwOGif6YPNV9GnWK7va4A3SDYIpRQ9iHVY0U-SLrZ88QFJ6jQ2XnDJd4fgJInfJXmxJzY" width="250" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> A Color Game for Chester Raccoon (The Kissing Hand Series)</p><p><b>Author:</b> Audrey Penn</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-book</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p>"Chester’s Favorite Game provides an activity that will entertain young children anywhere -- finding things in many colors: White, blue, yellow, red, orange, brown, and black."</p><p>As the mother of 5 myself, I can certainly attest to the fact that kids get bored very, very quickly, so rather than just playing I Spy, this book would have provided a very nice distraction with the colorful illustrations and the rhyming text. In fact, I haven't met a Chester Raccoon book yet that I wouldn't want to own!</p><p>Highly recommend for all parents and grandparents of little ones:</p><p><b>5/5 stars.</b></p><p>I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.</p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-14749783674585501872022-02-10T18:56:00.002-05:002022-02-10T18:56:36.736-05:00Review: Horrificata Book 1: School's Dead Boring, by D.I. Russell<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiamaSgci8IdM1MRDxz_YAl9eVzo-QYe6oIY-yxNJtFyOrhguNkQy_IcgxtjsyzR15QaTiUK78rmRdGj9wZrHnqlR0VRV2J2x8c1OQ_fBZoIzVXdTealYO_b9M-y4xWOez4_12i0IyxLfnG1jYwp3c-mWOUc8AC7Ee33UlGT7ARi5bOKxdhmj8iw-P=s475" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiamaSgci8IdM1MRDxz_YAl9eVzo-QYe6oIY-yxNJtFyOrhguNkQy_IcgxtjsyzR15QaTiUK78rmRdGj9wZrHnqlR0VRV2J2x8c1OQ_fBZoIzVXdTealYO_b9M-y4xWOez4_12i0IyxLfnG1jYwp3c-mWOUc8AC7Ee33UlGT7ARi5bOKxdhmj8iw-P=s320" width="199" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> Horrificata Book 1: School's Dead Boring</p><p><b>Author:</b> D.I. Russell</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-book</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>My Opinion:</b> "Desmond Kingsley loves football and HATES school – especially science.</p><p>So when he’s trapped in detention with outcasts Dee, Craven, Todd and complete lunatic Blob, while someone unleashes chemicals at the school, turning almost everyone into mindless shambling corpses…or worse, he’ll have more than his grades to worry about!"</p><p>I love horror stories so when I had the chance to read one with my teenager, I was excited to see if he would love it as much as I did - and I wasn't disappointed! He loved it! He's not a huge reader, so the fact that he read the entire book quickly told me everything I needed to know about it. Of course, I read it myself so we could discuss it (gotta throw some educational conversation in there!), and we actually liked all the same parts. I thought the characters were great and the story was a lot of fun. There was just enough "gross" in there to keep it interesting, and there were some great twists regarding how the zombies came to be and who was behind it. </p><p>This book is recommended for the 12 to 18 age group and I agree with that recommendation. It has enough humor thrown in with the gore to keep that age group interested. Anything that gets kids reading is a good thing, and I think this book fits that bill.</p><p>In summary, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.</p><p><b>5/5 stars.</b></p><p>I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.</p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-65156740698112150892022-01-21T19:18:00.000-05:002022-01-21T19:18:21.521-05:00Review: Spellcaster (Spellbound, #2), by Cara Lynn Shultz<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi19wO36Mp7GzWSItvPTco7147gjB0YINfGP24RTeOIaEMUWCR-ehE9TEqqpIKikKDwe0-4aZcCPVz7wwRQ_rFIWNZ80OuQpGcmd_M0dkFcOMhefitC7Abt9tqCLbf0uCAJvlLw0Ap52A1FMdjqT0AZ5pa9e5-hJhbXVu_9loNLrMx9zkZJf-VyQavL=s475" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi19wO36Mp7GzWSItvPTco7147gjB0YINfGP24RTeOIaEMUWCR-ehE9TEqqpIKikKDwe0-4aZcCPVz7wwRQ_rFIWNZ80OuQpGcmd_M0dkFcOMhefitC7Abt9tqCLbf0uCAJvlLw0Ap52A1FMdjqT0AZ5pa9e5-hJhbXVu_9loNLrMx9zkZJf-VyQavL=s320" width="199" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Review:</b> Spellcaster (Spellbound, #2)</p><p><b>Author:</b> Cara Lynn Shultz</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-book</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although…it's not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a seventeen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain—especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close….</span></i></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>But something dark and hungry is using Emma's and Brendan's deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emma's crash course in überspells may not be enough to keep them safe…or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own."</i></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> So, I know I'm way behind the crowd in just reading this book, but I absolutely loved it anyway! I didn't have a chance to read the first book in the series, but that wasn't a problem at all since they referred to the events from before often enough that I was able to follow along. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Soul mates Emma and Brendan have already fought a curse to be together, but they don't really get a chance to rest on their laurels before their next crisis happens. This time they are fighting an unknown but very powerful dark witch who is literally out for Emma's blood.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I was drawn into this story very quickly, and didn't want to stop reading it once I started. The love story was written perfectly and the action just didn't stop!</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm really glad I finally read this book and give it an enthusiastic <b>5/5 stars.</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. </span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-7103149150811323992022-01-21T18:49:00.000-05:002022-01-21T18:49:28.370-05:00Review: You Were Made For Me, by Jenna Guillaume<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjg64JsU7SEELLicTyqSO4SOJVihvKZTw4zAh2DY_WgAu7D-Re8X3dCHM4HfKeGsnwnGExzgaHub7uJanvjQwuIDOt1oQzz_ty7BKrohCH2L_9ZntmDXEWSliPzWJ3O1hlFSUfO-J63Upm86YIXS6k8h2ZquXtSDqYT4-VnP4-JDJkD2xzcAXyPSqBa=s2400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1571" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjg64JsU7SEELLicTyqSO4SOJVihvKZTw4zAh2DY_WgAu7D-Re8X3dCHM4HfKeGsnwnGExzgaHub7uJanvjQwuIDOt1oQzz_ty7BKrohCH2L_9ZntmDXEWSliPzWJ3O1hlFSUfO-J63Upm86YIXS6k8h2ZquXtSDqYT4-VnP4-JDJkD2xzcAXyPSqBa=s320" width="209" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Title:</b> You Were Made For Me</p><p><b>Author:</b> Jenna Guillaume</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-book, ARC</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">YA author Jenna Guillaume is back with a modern feminist twist on the 1985 pop cult film </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Weird Science</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">.</span></i></p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Sixteen-year-old Katie Camilleri can’t believe she’s accidentally created a teenage boy. A boy six-feet tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer’s day. A boy whose lips taste like cookie dough and whose skin smells like springtime. A boy completely devoted to Katie. But silly musings and kitchen antics with her best friend, Libby, have definitely taken a whimsical twist into something bigger than Katie could have ever daydreamed. Turns out the consequences of fumbling a human being into existence are rather complicated. More importantly, does Guy, the golden Adonis Katie’s created, like her because he wants to, or because he has to? And will he be Katie’s very first kiss?"</i></span><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Katie is 16 years old and never been kissed, so she and her friend do what any two girls in that circumstance will do - they created a boy! And not just any boy, but the perfect boy for Katie, literally. And Guy is the sweetest, sexiest, cutest boy around. But as we all know, things rarely turn out perfect.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>I loved the feminist take on Weird Science. Katie and Libby are best friends who actually act like best friends, including calling each other out when one or the other is making a mistake. I also liked the other kids who hung out with them. I had a problem with the amount of bullying that happened at school, though, which not a single teacher seemed to see, even though it was happening pretty much right out in the open. That was a bit of a sticking point for me, but that's probably the mama bear in me coming out. I was pleasantly surprised by how sweet and emotional the story was otherwise. This was a very quick read for me because it was well written and the pace moved along at a nice pace.</div><div><br /></div><div>In summary, I really liked this book and highly recommend it. I'm giving it <b>4/5 stars.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I received a copy of this book from NetGalley free of charge in exchange for my honest review.</div><div><p><br /></p></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-31250425772090002342022-01-19T19:33:00.001-05:002022-01-19T19:33:15.393-05:00Review: Bleed More, Bodymore (Bodymore #1), by Ian Kirkpatrick, audiobook, narrated by Kieran Regan<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBaK5w_APwuUXbLlZett2za8FLHGK3am16j3G1M2NNncsTwGiAxk2KaVLcAbK8dNwfUYSDEwiTFZTER-3MjRkhGrMKbni-Fnb_6H0JElAAKcQM4Z6HDqPWvsTEmlpV4M0QdPtZLzP97fzBRo6SQaxu2hqf67lZhGpYOuciRg1nJeFJfEaBgMVsYYqi=s255" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="255" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBaK5w_APwuUXbLlZett2za8FLHGK3am16j3G1M2NNncsTwGiAxk2KaVLcAbK8dNwfUYSDEwiTFZTER-3MjRkhGrMKbni-Fnb_6H0JElAAKcQM4Z6HDqPWvsTEmlpV4M0QdPtZLzP97fzBRo6SQaxu2hqf67lZhGpYOuciRg1nJeFJfEaBgMVsYYqi" width="255" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> Bleed More, Bodymore (Bodymore #1)</p><p><b>Author:</b> Ian Kirkpatrick</p><p><b>Narrated by:</b> Kieran Regan</p><p><b>Format:</b> audiobook</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">HORROR IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EVIL OVERTAKES THE HEART.</b></i></p><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Joey’s a Baltimore mechanic. One night, she receives a call from her best friend, asking for his car to be picked up from the infamous body dumping grounds of Baltimore: Leakin Park. When she arrives, there’s little more around than a stalled-out car and a couple of ravens, so she leaves only with the car. Back at the body shop, it doesn’t take long for the smell of rot to permeate the trunk. Inside? A corpse. The cops said her friend did it. His absence is his guilt, but Joey knows better. She will find her missing friend and she will prove his innocence.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But something isn’t right in Baltimore. It’s not just the feeling that someone is always watching from the city’s abandoned buildings... Her search for her friend reveals something much worse hiding under Baltimore. A ghost town, a reaper, regret. Suddenly, the city’s rage and the stink that rising out of the dirt make much more sense."</span></i><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Josephine (Joey) works as a mechanic in Baltimore. She jumps right into the story when she goes out on a call to pick up the car of her best friend, Wayland. Unfortunately, when she gets there, Way is nowhere to be found. Instead, she finds a dead body in the trunk. Also, she notices an inordinate amount of crows in the area, and are they actually looking at her, or is she going crazy? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Thus begin Joey's adventures into the underworld of Baltimore. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">First off, as this is an audiobook, I have to say that the narrator put me off a bit. First off, it was a male narrator, and the main character was female, so that just didn't work for me. Second, while Joey is a very sarcastic person (in a totally fun way), the narrator made absolutely everything she said come out sarcastic, even when that was clearly not how the line was written. It just wasn't believable.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">As for the story itself, I loved it. The world building was phenomenal and the descriptions of the settings, especially anything that happened at night or in the woods, was done exceptionally well. I loved the characters and thought they were fleshed out fully for the most part. I'm looking forward to learning even more about them in the next book, fingers crossed. The pacing was very quick so this was a rapid read.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">In summary, I recommend this book to fans of horror stories with just the right amount of snark thrown in for good measure. You might want to read the book itself instead of listening to the audiobook if narration is important to you.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>3/5</b> stars.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-72011515434078354722022-01-19T18:36:00.000-05:002022-01-19T18:36:20.121-05:00Review: Disney Manga: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas - Zero's Journey, by D.J. Milky<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigRkT1j7e5FmWHYMj0jgKuffxzjmooPbeOHm_nQkAEOhCjb12zFfzbfcj5mcPZL_LX5DAXAQf7NbT-yq9kpptEC23CIxbg6QrtsumovYA1UIucaX2TMsLVaLWUJ3-e6FUbJc3aSlaaIjNtFlqlGKmYiSVXICEWLNjBCizsWE87iqzVEoKRdmyHSRLp=s400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigRkT1j7e5FmWHYMj0jgKuffxzjmooPbeOHm_nQkAEOhCjb12zFfzbfcj5mcPZL_LX5DAXAQf7NbT-yq9kpptEC23CIxbg6QrtsumovYA1UIucaX2TMsLVaLWUJ3-e6FUbJc3aSlaaIjNtFlqlGKmYiSVXICEWLNjBCizsWE87iqzVEoKRdmyHSRLp=s320" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> Disney Manga: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas - Zero's Journey</p><p><b>Author:</b> D.J. Milky</p><p><b>Format:</b> e-book</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">When Jack Skellington's faithful pet Zero gets lost, the ghost pup must get the help of the residents of Christmas Town to find his way back. With Halloween plans on hold while Jack mounts a search, will they be reunited in time to save both holidays?"</span></i></p><p><b>My Opinion:</b> This being my first foray into manga, I think I did pretty well! This was such a cute little story! I love everything having to do with The Nightmare Before Christmas, so I enjoyed reading this very much. Zero is one of my favorite characters, too, so that made it all the more enjoyable.</p><p>Highly recommend - <b>5/5</b> stars.</p><p>I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.</p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-9580552885657681752022-01-04T19:45:00.001-05:002022-01-04T19:45:53.483-05:00Review: Aloha Alibi (Charlotte Gibson Mysteries #1), by Jasmine Webb<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7IXuHx_Og0hRQYeaoj2brHttRElVS71N69lQLZ5CUeNZb6R2AGQkQbUOq9hqenBNlA4thlnzIKdi_M35Jikd8gixxYiOWWs_bJdwS7mmjJSZz_A0qzntXFZfvIg6nzbFp8vLcztO6vCH3_abg0wlhzN_RUIUtYpSnY964VXNYUCbdYd3m2b3QSKND=s475" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7IXuHx_Og0hRQYeaoj2brHttRElVS71N69lQLZ5CUeNZb6R2AGQkQbUOq9hqenBNlA4thlnzIKdi_M35Jikd8gixxYiOWWs_bJdwS7mmjJSZz_A0qzntXFZfvIg6nzbFp8vLcztO6vCH3_abg0wlhzN_RUIUtYpSnY964VXNYUCbdYd3m2b3QSKND=s320" width="214" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> Aloha Alibi (Charlotte Gibson Mysteries #1)</p><p><b>Author:</b> Jasmine Webb</p><p><b>Format:</b> audiobook</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Most people flee to Hawaii for gorgeous weather, white-sand beaches, and cocktails at sunset. Charlotte Gibson, however, is fleeing for her life after a vengeful mobster leaves a severed finger on her doorstep as a warning. Message very much received.</span></i></p><span id="freeText9617639392437877941" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>That’s how Charlotte—Charlie to everyone except her mom— finds herself on Maui with six dollars to her name, living with a mother who can’t stop giving her advice on how to land herself a husband. But when a businessman is murdered and his company offers a reward to whoever finds the killer, Charlie sees an opportunity: with that kind of cash, she could afford her own place and start a new life here away from the people who want her dead. After all, how hard can hunting down a murderer be?<br /><br />Teaming up with a couple of old ladies with more spunk than Betty White, Charlie is sure she’s on the right track to snag the reward money. However, the infuriating-but-smoldering-hot cop trying to keep her away from his case has other ideas. Throw in a day job at an ice cream shop, corrupt local politicians, and a best friend trying to act as the voice of reason, and Charlie has her work cut out for her.<br /><br />Will she be able to find the killer, or is Charlie’s time in paradise going to go straight to hell in a handbasket?"</i></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Charlie Gibson kills a man in self defense who ends up being the brother of a very vengeful mobster, and when she finds a severed finger on her doorstep, she decides it's time to get out of Dodge, fast! The only place she can go, seeing as how she has no money, is Hawaii, where she spent her childhood and where her mother still lives. I mean, there are definitely worse places to go!</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I thought this was a very fun book. The premise is far fetched, to say the least, but if you could look past that, it was a good read. I loved that the main characters were all strong, independent women, other than Charlie's mother, who just couldn't seem to talk about anything other than her daughter's lack of a sex life and her single-minded need for her daughter to find a man and get married. That was really annoying. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">There was a semi-romance set up between Charlie and the "infuriating-but-smoldering-hot cop" but it felt forced. I would love to see that delved into further in a more organic way.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Since this was an audiobook, I have to say that I thought the narrator, Khristine Hyam, did a fine job with the different characters, and she injected a lot of feeling into her reading, which was great.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, I enjoyed this cozy mystery, and look forward to reading any further books in this series as I can see the promise in this book.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>4/5 stars.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Many thanks to NetGalley for an audiobook arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review</span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-65839591229803249762022-01-04T19:02:00.001-05:002022-01-04T19:02:53.084-05:00Review: Prelude (Songs of the Lost Islands #0), by C.A. Oliver<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDxGDrAbIEstK2csWw4Z5KQn9Nxr1Shu6rnzialqhUIOcSEtJrqQUO1TAlQu1872PvR_RlRvbDDRNWYlKuPKodkliyHL5spThEJFjuFgT-UW19QaT9OwpaILG8tn2SYDbxOswrzPs641qGTE5qyrBsr3mDtN45XmLQR55oDqr0ODuNDtSePHSDWHKq=s475" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDxGDrAbIEstK2csWw4Z5KQn9Nxr1Shu6rnzialqhUIOcSEtJrqQUO1TAlQu1872PvR_RlRvbDDRNWYlKuPKodkliyHL5spThEJFjuFgT-UW19QaT9OwpaILG8tn2SYDbxOswrzPs641qGTE5qyrBsr3mDtN45XmLQR55oDqr0ODuNDtSePHSDWHKq=s320" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title:</b> Prelude (Songs of the Islands #0) </p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Author:</b> C.A. Oliver</span></p><p><b style="font-family: times;">Format: </b><span style="font-family: times;">ebook</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><b>From Goodreads: <i>"</i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>PRELUDE acts as a prequel to the Songs of the Lost Islands series. This story precedes that of An Act of Faith by focusing on events which occurred in the Valley, 1,700 years before.</i></span></p><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">The Valley hosts the shrine of all the Lost Islands’ faiths and the cities of four Elvin peoples. It is the prize of kingdoms and the battlefield of many clashes of civilizations. From the war of Giants and Deities to the making of the fabled swords of the Bladesmiths; from the fall of a meteorite to the coming of Lon the Wise, the Valley is the epic history of millennia of creeds and coexistence, curses and slaughter, the cause of an all-pervading obsession which haunts the minds.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">How did this remote vale become the symbolic centre of the Lost Islands? How did the events of Year 1,000 LC irremediably influence the essence of Elvin mysticism?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">PRELUDE is the story of the three days when the Valley became the Nargrond Valley and the unique place that exists twice in the minds of all Elves, in the material and ethereal worlds."</span></i><div><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Full disclosure, I haven't read the Songs of the Islands series, but the description of the book sounded very interesting and I love high fantasy, so I figured I'd go with it. The story centers around Eneos, an elf who is a direct descendent of four bladesmiths. Being the only one in existence, he features prominently in a great war that is going down between the four cities of elves who live in the valley (different groups of elves who pull together to fight the good fight) and the dark elves, who want to take over the valley and enslave everybody.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I liked the premise, but the execution was a bit weighed down by information dumping. I felt like the first half of the book was just facts with no real story. There was just so much information to take in that it was hard not to get confused. Thankfully, the story picked up in the second half of the book, and I really started enjoying it. I think if the whole book had balanced facts and world building with action and plot, it would have been a much more interesting read. I think you might need to read the series before this prequel to understand it better.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I'm giving this book 3.5/5 stars because I think it has promise.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></span></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-52332859065739951352021-12-31T22:22:00.000-05:002021-12-31T22:22:01.218-05:00Review: The Quokkas' Christmas Quest, by J. Macpherson<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeLjcYgmVJas4qpKUQ0mJlLdPU1U-J2W6OIFVF4hWB7Al8Chz8ZN9V-cghyXD0yseuvRoFepp4-y4dzO8ni9d7MxzYeLQSWfOFKVEsasyfPGW30a-MfBjod3YQFlG-K0fOKyWZjUxbV_95UAFgEYFs9U1b-yQR7KV5EB1_Bu9PAd7EPM7hWEgnV_vX=s475" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="302" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeLjcYgmVJas4qpKUQ0mJlLdPU1U-J2W6OIFVF4hWB7Al8Chz8ZN9V-cghyXD0yseuvRoFepp4-y4dzO8ni9d7MxzYeLQSWfOFKVEsasyfPGW30a-MfBjod3YQFlG-K0fOKyWZjUxbV_95UAFgEYFs9U1b-yQR7KV5EB1_Bu9PAd7EPM7hWEgnV_vX=s320" width="203" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Title: </b>The Quokkas' Christmas Quest</p><p><b>Author: </b>J. Macpherson</p><p><b>Format:</b> Audiobook</p><p><b>Source:</b> NetGalley</p><p><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">When Santa and his reindeer bump into a whale, his presents are scattered on the beach at Rottnest Island. Clancy and Cobba, two local quokkas, help him collect all the presents. But when Santa continues on his way, the quokkas discover that several Christmas presents have been left behind. It's up to Clancy and Cobba to deliver the presents."</span></i></p><p><b>My Opinion:</b> Audiobook ARC from NetGalley</p><p>Clancy and Cobba, two little quokkas, and the best of friends, run into Santa one Christmas Eve, and when Santa flies away on his sleigh to deliver all of his gifts to little boys and girls everywhere, some of them fall off, and it's up to Clancy and Cobba to figure out how to help Santa complete his mission. They end up having one heck of a night! </p><p>This is such a cute little Christmas short story! The quokkas are adorable, and the story is a lot of fun. And kudos to the narrator! She did a wonderful job with the voices and injecting a lot of fun into her narration.</p><p>I'm giving this book 5/5 stars. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-40072328391620513792021-11-02T16:12:00.000-04:002021-11-02T16:12:05.899-04:00Review: Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches (Archibald Finch #1), by Michel Guyon<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDq7PPyplUFAChuU4SB8dg6wEYsXSZu_0-YafyrLATLI_TLlI17_BRzZP-G-apiuOv_3qh9YQlUTB4Ejxb8z1aBreKgu8zkZEPLuaTuMhRLvMO_jhWUjUWhiNsQuwHyMoI5H6qYEwt2-E/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDq7PPyplUFAChuU4SB8dg6wEYsXSZu_0-YafyrLATLI_TLlI17_BRzZP-G-apiuOv_3qh9YQlUTB4Ejxb8z1aBreKgu8zkZEPLuaTuMhRLvMO_jhWUjUWhiNsQuwHyMoI5H6qYEwt2-E/" width="160" /></a><br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Title: Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches (Archibald Finch #1)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Author: Michel Guyon</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: Audiobook</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i> "<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">What happened 500 years ago was never supposed to resurface.</span></i></div><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Exploring his Grandma’s scary manor, Archibald stumbles upon a dark family secret, linked to a time of great fears and superstitions. Key to that mystery: an ancient terrestrial globe, populated by the most fantastic creatures.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">When he unlocks the storm inside by accident, the risk-averse boy gets whisked into the underworld of Lemurea, where a battle started in the Middle Ages has yet to be settled. Down here, it’s light versus darkness, magic versus fire, witches versus dragons. But not any kind of witches —an army of young girls, with the most magical weapons. And not any kind of dragons —Marodors, enigmatic monsters, part beast, part human, which will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about dragons.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">While Archibald is thrust into an amazing adventure that will test his survival skills, on the flip side of the Earth, his sister Hailee faces her own challenges. Seeking to solve Archibald’s disappearance, she uncovers the grim plans of a dark priest.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Two breathtaking stories, running parallel with one another, but tightly intertwined. Two worlds, on a dangerous collision course..."</span></i><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> Archibald and his family (mom, dad, and sister Hailee) move into a big, spooky mansion just before Christmas that they inherited from Archibald's grandmother. Archibald is searching the house one day, looking for his Christmas gifts (which, of course, his mother forbade him to do), when he came across an old globe. It wasn't an ordinary globe, though, as there were countries on there that Archibald didn't recognize. It does have a keyhole, so Archibald goes on a search for the key, which he eventually finds. To his surprise, the globe starts spinning and emits a bright light, and sucks Archibald and his surrounding furniture into another world. Archibald has to learn the ways of this new world, and he has to search for a way home. </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Meanwhile, in present day England, Hailee is also working on finding a way to bring Archibald home.</span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I really enjoyed this story, as did my 15 year old son when he listened to it. I think the narrator did a good job with the pacing and the dialogue, which makes all the difference when listening to an audiobook. The characters were well defined and explained, and I liked the changes I saw in both Archibald and Hailee as the story progressed. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The pacing of the story itself was also done well, and the world building was extensive. Something else I appreciated was that the author didn't talk down to the reader like in some MG books I've read. That makes it much easier to enjoy.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">All in all, I give this book <b>5/5</b> stars. </span></span></div><div><p>I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. </p></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-77944898208672757722021-10-20T17:48:00.000-04:002021-10-20T17:48:08.074-04:00Review: Furia, by Yamile Saied Mendez<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTQtCiP1lZ-bbTTgh-ba0zs0FjLLylrXxRf5C-8-1hAMeqkTNi78ktnBJyhvb8BTkYrcpsgDXEKtD1ld5f0k7xbb12BNPmSy3B9z98gWibYLHrP7O_ccBC8o_CU76M0nd2MG4dm2MFbA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTQtCiP1lZ-bbTTgh-ba0zs0FjLLylrXxRf5C-8-1hAMeqkTNi78ktnBJyhvb8BTkYrcpsgDXEKtD1ld5f0k7xbb12BNPmSy3B9z98gWibYLHrP7O_ccBC8o_CU76M0nd2MG4dm2MFbA/" width="159" /></a></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Title: Furia</div><div style="text-align: left;">Author: Yamile Saied Mendez</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: Audiobook</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life.</span></i></div><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her."</span></i><p></p><p><b>My Opinion: </b>First, I have to say that I thought the narrator did an excellent job with this book. She was very easy to understand, she did a great job with the voices of the different characters, and she let the story lead. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I can't tell you how frustrating it is when I'm listening to a good story but the narrator's voice just doesn't flow between the character changes, and this tends to yank me out of the story. <br /><br />As to the story itself, Camila is a typical teenage girl in most ways, but she is driven by her love of soccer, and through soccer, her need to succeed at winning an athletic scholarship, hopefully to a university in North America. That is her ultimate dream, but there are a few things standing in her way; specifically, the fact that her parents don't know that she is even interested in soccer, let alone playing on a team that has qualified for the South American tournament. Her brother is supposed to be the star in her family, as he is the male, and that's just how it is. And then there's Diego, her old boyfriend who is now an international soccer star himself, and who has unexpectedly come back into her life. <br /><br />This isn't just a story about a girl's love of soccer, though. It's a story about domestic violence, gender inequality, racism, and the need to escape from an untenable situation, no matter the cost. Camila's father is overbearing and runs his house with an iron fist. Her mother, brother, and she herself live an existence where they are constantly walking on eggshells so as not to upset him. Having lived in a situation just like this, I can relate to her feelings of anger, shame, and determination to escape. <br /><br />I thought all of the characters were well written and very well fleshed out. There was definitely character growth and development throughout, and I was pleased with the direction all of the characters took. The storyline flowed very well, also, and I was always looking forward to seeing what would happen next.<br /><br />In summary, I thought this was a very well written book, and I enjoyed it very much. Kudos to the narrator, as well. I enthusiastically recommend it to lovers of YA fiction with a very moving and weighty subject matter. <br /><br />I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my impartial review. <br /><br />5/5 stars.</p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-7212116992210759432020-12-02T20:07:00.000-05:002020-12-02T20:07:03.054-05:00Review: The Loop, by Jeremy Robert Johnson<p> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoj2OaQQ8b8cMjKXC9VDxNofUOExREOh_InKtPK2OzTpN_19kAO8aqNWSJGZh-J0P_ez4uAxtuyxTnHogYUBpT_A3mh_OGLna9TO2Cy83-UWtCT1iHO50zEPBgdTsTWA1oDXdpB21nPQ/s2048/the+loop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1355" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoj2OaQQ8b8cMjKXC9VDxNofUOExREOh_InKtPK2OzTpN_19kAO8aqNWSJGZh-J0P_ez4uAxtuyxTnHogYUBpT_A3mh_OGLna9TO2Cy83-UWtCT1iHO50zEPBgdTsTWA1oDXdpB21nPQ/s320/the+loop.jpg" /></a></p><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Title: The Loop</div><div style="text-align: left;">Author: Jeremy Robert Johnson</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: ebook</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Stranger Things</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> meets </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">World War Z </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">in this heart-racing conspiracy thriller as a lonely young woman teams up with a group of fellow outcasts to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong.</span></i></div><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Turner Falls is a small tourist town nestled in the hills of western Oregon, the kind of town you escape to for a vacation. When an inexplicable outbreak rapidly develops, this idyllic town becomes the epicenter of an epidemic of violence as the teenaged children of several executives from the local biotech firm become ill and aggressively murderous. Suddenly the town is on edge, and Lucy and her friends must do everything it takes just to fight through the night."</span></i><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>My Opinion:</b> This story takes place over the course of one night, but I have to say, there is so much action packed into that single night you don't need any more time! Lucy goes out to a party with a couple of friends, more to keep busy and get out of the house than because she's excited about it, and all hell breaks loose. It turns out, the tissue from an alien species has been replicated and </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">implanted into </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">a group of kids in town </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">and has </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">ha</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">d </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">an unexpected side effect</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">, to say the least. It's supposed to control them but instead turns them into little killing machines with a hive mind. The worst part, which is saying a lot due to the sheer number of awful things that happen on that fateful night, is that the kids need to kill to keep them calm, even while they are salivating over the violence they are inflicting! Crazy, I know! </span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The book started out at a nice, normal pace, introducing the characters and giving their back stories, and then before you know it, it throws you headlong into the action, and doesn't take its foot off the brake for the rest of the book. Definitely a page turner, with an explosive conclusion.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">As mentioned above, the pacing of the plot is very quick, making it near impossible to put the book down as you don't want to miss a thing. The characters are very well written and grow and develop throughout the book, especially our Lucy. I'm still amazed that all this happened in just one night! (Broken record, I know, but still ....)</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for a quirky, unique horror story, that moves at a fast pace without sacrificing character development. </span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>5/5 stars.</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.</span></div><div><p><br /></p></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-45661789436781678602020-10-14T15:40:00.000-04:002020-10-14T15:40:41.197-04:00Review: Snow & Caramel: A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller, by Jay Kerk<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAMQ2O9lRLToOeuh49O4G_CZhsDtgvNwaR4PTnCdtbbUD71rjWjj-yguYuDwTfBiD_8pSrZVjcodzgWA-dtHUQEOZg_CeP8QL-FDx8cG3Tm9eIIBSpcOCPLN5sag4OnE-RyrH7ituhLc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAMQ2O9lRLToOeuh49O4G_CZhsDtgvNwaR4PTnCdtbbUD71rjWjj-yguYuDwTfBiD_8pSrZVjcodzgWA-dtHUQEOZg_CeP8QL-FDx8cG3Tm9eIIBSpcOCPLN5sag4OnE-RyrH7ituhLc/" width="159" /></a></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Title: Snow & Caramel: A Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller</div><div style="text-align: left;">Author: Jay Kerk</div><div style="text-align: left;">Format: ebook</div><div style="text-align: left;">Source: NetGalley</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>From NetGalley:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">We stood against the big humans: the oppressors, the opponents, the enemies, the hated.</span></i></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; outline: none;"><i>These were all names I had learned for them, and yet were they the right names? Experience screamed yes, logic screamed no, and I grappled with morality as I grappled with slavery, unable to tell what made a man and what made a monster. Where did we fit, we oppressed? </i></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; outline: none;"><i><b style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">Snow </b>– white ice made in freezing clouds atop the world. I am Snow, and the world we live in has no place for snow, no place for me or my kind, save in labor and death. The radiation of the sun burns up the land and the bigger humans that stalk this Earth have claimed it for their own. They care nothing for us smaller folk. </i></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; outline: none;"><i><b style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">Caramel </b>– soft, silky, sweet. Little Caramel, the sweetest of sisters. I would not allow the world to burn her as it burned her namesake. I would keep her safe and golden if it cost me everything. She was the only beauty left in life. </i></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Raleway-Regular, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none;"><i>In our reality, with force and a few coins, you had power of life and death over a creature of equal awareness and thought. How had it world come to this? How could any of us, especially those so small as we were, create cracks in which to sow the seeds of change? I did not know the answers, but when I stared across parched land, I knew that the cracks must be found, the seeds sown, or the world could never heal."</i></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>My Opinion: </b>This story touched me on a visceral level because it dealt with oppression and discrimination, slavery<b> </b>and cruelty, but also hope and love, compassion and strength. It is set in a dystopian future where the "big humans" are able to buy and sell the smaller race of "humanoids." It throws the cruelty of the owners right in your face as they have complete control over this sweet brother and sister, and it shows how this cruelty is taught to the next generation. But it also shows the strength that Snow, as the older brother taking care of his young sister, has, and how he, in turn, is passing that on to her. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought the writing was superb. I was drawn in immediately and became invested in the story from the get go. The characters were well written and the plot moved along at a very good pace. My only complaint is that the story was too brief, being a novella. I would love to read more.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I highly recommend this story to all lovers of dystopian, horror stories that deal with uncomfortable subject matter in a way that is extremely well written and moving. I look forward to reading other works by this talented author.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>5/5 stars.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.</div><p></p>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-934954926419916843.post-42398713949994843002020-08-05T14:16:00.000-04:002020-08-05T14:16:00.590-04:00Review: Hag-Seed (Hogarth Shakespeare), by Margaret Atwood<img alt="Hag-Seed" height="243" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463887982l/28588073.jpg" width="151" /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Title: Hag-Seed (Hogarth Shakespeare)</div><div>Author: Margaret Atwood</div><div>Format: ebook</div><div>Source: NetGalley</div><div><br /></div><div><b>From Goodreads:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">When Felix is deposed as artistic director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival by his devious assistant and longtime enemy, his production of The Tempest is canceled and he is heartbroken. Reduced to a life of exile in rural southern Ontario—accompanied only by his fantasy daughter, Miranda, who died twelve years ago—Felix devises a plan for retribution.</span></i></div><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Eventually he takes a job teaching Literacy Through Theatre to the prisoners at the nearby Burgess Correctional Institution, and is making a modest success of it when an auspicious star places his enemies within his reach. With the help of their own interpretations, digital effects, and the talents of a professional actress and choreographer, the Burgess Correctional Players prepare to video their Tempest. Not surprisingly, they view Caliban as the character with whom they have the most in common. However, Felix has another twist in mind, and his enemies are about to find themselves taking part in an interactive and illusion-ridden version of The Tempest that will change their lives forever. But how will Felix deal with his invisible Miranda’s decision to take a part in the play?"</span></i><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif"><i><br /></i></font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif"><b>My Opinion:</b> This is a contemporary retelling of "The Tempest" and I have to say, it made the original Tempest much easier for me to understand. There was a lot of nuance that I missed when reading the original, which was, admittedly, quite a while ago. </font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif"><br /></font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif">Felix has been removed from his position as artistic director of the Makeshweg Theatre Festival after being stabbed in the back by his assistant, and decides to in essence remove himself from the world. It is not only the pain of this particular betrayal that causes this self exile - Felix ix also mourning the death of his daughter, Miranda, who died when she was still a toddler. Felix spends quite a bit of his time alone, plotting revenge against those who wronged him, and is finally able to enact said revenge in a very unique way. </font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif"><br /></font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif">I loved the way Ms. Atwood wove a story of revenge and vindication into a play within a play. Felix takes a job at a prison teaching Literacy through Theatre to the prisoners by having them put on Shakespeare's plays, with their own twists thrown in. When he hears that the very men who betrayed him years ago will be visitors at the prison to see his latest endeavor, he decides that The Tempest would be just the play to allow him to exact his revenge. </font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif"><br /></font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif">I thought the flow was very smooth throughout the story. The characters were very well developed and fleshed out. The plot was interesting and the pace was quick.</font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif"><br /></font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif">I thoroughly enjoyed Hag-Seed and always love reading anything by Margaret Atwood. I'm giving this book <b>5/5 stars</b> and enthusiastically recommend it. </font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif"><br /></font></div><div><font color="#181818" face="Merriweather, Georgia, serif">I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.<br /></font><div><br /></div></div>In Julie's Opinionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11773229635604332414noreply@blogger.com0