Review: The Faceless One (The Faceless One #1), by Mark Onspaugh

Title: The Faceless One (The Faceless One #1)

Author: Mark Onspaugh

Format: E-galley

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "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.

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.

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." 

My Opinion: 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.

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.

In summary, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the second book in the series.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Resistance (Of Ember and Flame, #1), by C.E. Ord

 

Title: Resistance (Of Ember and Flame, #1)

Author: C.E. Ord

Format: e-galley

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "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.

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.

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."

My Opinion: 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. 

Quote: "I'm from a world called Gaea," he said evenly, his eyes never wavering from mine.

"A---a world . . . a world? WORLD?" I looked from Coen over to Tyler and then back again. Maybe this guy was a crackpot after all.

"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."

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.

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!

In summary, I loved this book and can't wait to see where the next book takes us. 

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Bleed More, Bodymore (Bodymore #1), by Ian Kirkpatrick, audiobook, narrated by Kieran Regan

 

Title: Bleed More, Bodymore (Bodymore #1)

Author: Ian Kirkpatrick

Narrated by: Kieran Regan

Format: audiobook

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "HORROR IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EVIL OVERTAKES THE HEART.

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.

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."

My Opinion: 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? Thus begin Joey's adventures into the underworld of Baltimore. 

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.

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.

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.

3/5 stars.

I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Secret Magic (Evie Everyday Witch #1), by Elena Paige

Title: Secret Magic (Evie Everyday Witch #1)
Author: Elena Paige
Format: ebook
Source: BookSirens

From Goodreads: "Funny magical adventure series perfect for kids ages 7 and up

My name is Evie Everyday and I’m a witch. But all I’ve ever wanted is to be a Lamron. That’s the word normal spelled backward. Anyways, now I have the chance to go to a regular school and be a regular girl I’ll do whatever it takes to fit in.

Fitting in is easy. All I have to do is:

Keep my magic a secret Swap my favorite colorful clothes for boring black ones Suck up to scary Mrs. Rogers, the school principal Keep my pet cat, bat and corncob from causing any trouble And stay away from Izzy. She’s all colorful and funny and awesome…. and not helpful for fitting in.

But when everything starts to go wrong, there’s only one way to save my new school… use magic. And only one person who can help me… Izzy!

Evie Everyday Witch is a series of chapter books that kids and parents will love. Ideal for reluctant readers. Evie's quirky, funny personality will sweep kids off their feet, and get them reading again!"

My Opinion:  Evie is a witch who wants more than anything to be normal, which to her means dressing normal, having normal friends, and by all means, acting normal. She really, really wants to go to a normal school instead of the school for witches that she attends, and against all odds, she gets her parents to agree to this!! She shows up her first day dressed in her most colorful outfit, but she quickly realizes that the other kids are all dressed in black, with one exception, a girl by the name of Izzy. While Evie secretly admires the way Izzy acts and dresses, she decides that to be "normal" she can't hang out with or  be friends with Izzy. As Evie does her best to fit in, she realizes that it's not as easy as she thought it would be to change everything that makes her, her.

I thought this was a very cute book with a great message. The pacing was quick and the book was very easy to read, and Evie really great into herself over the course of the story.

I think this is a great MG book, full of magic, which would appeal to younger readers that like fantasy, or to introduce them to this genre. 

I'm giving this book 5/5 stars.

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review: Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1), by Kellie Sheridan

Title: Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1)
Author: Kellie Sheridan
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death. 

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore. 

Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.

My Opinion: I love a good zombie book, and this story didn't let me down. There was lots of action, lots of zombie ass kicking, and some sweet YA romance thrown in for good measure. The characters were well developed, the plot moved along at a pretty good clip, and the world building was phenomenal, in that it portrayed a very bleak and deserted world full of violence and general mayhem, with just enough hope sprinkled in to keep you going.

There are two main stories told here - Savannah's, along with her friends, and Zarah and Liam's. They all inhabit the same world, but their experiences are completely different, and it is these differences that shape the characters and drive the separate storylines. I would love to say that I have a favorite, but I kept switching back and forth and finally gave up trying to choose and just enjoyed them both!

In summary, I really, really enjoyed this story, and give it 5/5 stars :)

Review: Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail (Magdalena Gottschalk #1) by M. Gail Grant

Title: Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail (Magdalena Gottschalk #1)
Author: M. Gail Grant
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: Lily Brooke, where small town charm and a hidden secret converge one fateful late autumn night. The demons of the past are determined to never be locked away again. MALB, the Mystical Alliance of Lily Brooke, consists of six childhood friends that are bound together in loyalty, friendship, and courage. Together, they all face the unleashed enchantments that are haunting the children after their discovery of the forbidden sacrificial cave, crooked trail, and mysterious treehouse. Magdalena has always known she is different from the others, but the cause has always escaped her, until now. Coming to grips with her soul purpose, she must gather courage she never knew she possessed to save her friends and family from the evil forces hiding amongst them. 

Magdalena Gottschalk: The Crooked Trail, is a middle grades to young adult epic fantasy fiction novel, that explores faith, unity, differences, belief in a higher power, magic, and teamwork. It will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, begging to turn the page, while written for audiences of all ages. With a touch of southern charm and tradition, this novel takes you on a journey not for the faint of heart. Witches, wizards, demons, black magic, and soul searching all have their place in the quaint little town of Lily Brooke. 

My Opinion: Magdalena and her friends Gabriel and Hubert decide to spend a beautiful day exploring the woods behind Hubert's farm. Magdalena just celebrated her 13th birthday and her wish to have something exciting happen to her has come true, but not in the way she had hoped! When people say to "be careful what you wish for," this is exactly what they had in mind!

I loved the description of this book and was looking forward to reading it, but there were a few glaring problems that really took away from my ability to fully engage with the characters and the story. The description of the book says that it is for middle grades to young adult, but I really think it is geared more toward the younger set. The characters are 13, so I would say this is the age of the readers that would enjoy it, as young adults would really notice the problems and be bogged down by them, as I was. The way the kids speak was weirdly formal, especially for 13 year olds. For example, they didn't use contractions when speaking to each other, and they explained things that the others should already know, almost like they were adults speaking to children instead of young teenagers speaking to friends they've known their whole lives. And at one point, when Magdalena is talking with 5 of her good friends (the members of MALB, the Mystical Alliance of Lily Brooke), she says: "This morning, he made eye contact with my mother, Leona, and had his assistant take his place at the door to greet the morning attendees. My mother turned to my father, Paulos, and excused herself stating she needed to go to the ladies' restroom." Again, these kids have known each other all of their lives, so you would assume they know who her mother and father are, which was why it was odd that she threw her parents' names in there, like they had no idea who she was talking about! I've just never heard kids do that, especially 13 year olds who seem to abbreviate everything these days. Then there was the wrong usage of who/whoever and whom/whomever, which is a pet peeve of mine. I stumbled every time the words were used wrong: e.g. "Whom wrote such a ridiculous story?" This happened over and over again. Also, the writing seems forced sometimes, which breaks the reader's concentration and the flow of the story itself. Other times, something just doesn't make sense, so you have to stop and figure out what didn't work in the sentence, and that takes you out of the story as well: "The group all tried to bend, move or sway the perfectly spaced boulders, but nothing gave." How the heck do you bend or sway a boulder? It just doesn't make sense. 

Another big problem for me was that there would be pages of descriptions of what was happening in a scene, as well as dialogue, and then when someone new came along, instead of just saying that the character repeated what they had heard, done or said, they actually repeated the whole darn thing! There was way too much retelling and re-explaining, and I feel like that bogged the story down a lot. But other times, not enough was explained. When something big happens to Magdalena in the second half of the book, and I mean big as in life changing, rock my world kind of big, she has a moment of indecision, then says she has come to terms with it, and then just seems to know instinctively what to do and how to do it (it's hard to describe it without giving it away lol), even though it's something that adults would have to take time themselves to figure out! There just wasn't enough explanation of how one got from point A to point B sometimes.

Now, the things that I liked about the book: the story itself was a good one. There was a sense of intrigue and mystery that drew you in and made you want to continue to read. The characters were described very well so it was easy to find yourself invested in them. The world building was great, so much so that you felt you were walking around Lily Brooke alongside the characters. The characters were likable so you found yourself honestly pulling for them to solve the mystery and save the town. The title comes from the choice you have in life of choosing the straight path, staying on the straight and narrow, or choosing the crooked trail, which can lead you to trouble. I really loved that symbolism.

In summary, I liked the actual story here, and the characters, but felt the book was bogged down with unnecessary repetition, stilted conversations, and story flow problems, which could all be fixed if the book were to be re-edited. 

I'm giving this book 3 stars out of 5 :)

Review: Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1), by Katie McGarry

Title: Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1)
Author: Katie McGarry
Format: ebook
Source: Netgalley

From Goodreads: "An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both. 

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down. 

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home."

My Opinion: I first discovered Katie McGarry when I read her Pushing the Limit series, and I can honestly say that I loved every book in that series. When I learned that she was starting a new series, I was right there requesting it from NetGalley because I had to learn for myself whether she could top her first series, and boy did she! I can see why she called this series Thunder Road, but it is also about each and every character in Nowhere But Here pushing the limits of their own lives, but in a much deeper way, which will make sense when you read the book, and I highly recommend that you do.

The story is told from two points of view: Emily's and Oz's. Eli is Emily's biological father who, as she's heard all her life, hooked up with Meg (Emily's mother) and when she found out she was pregnant he took off, wanting nothing to do with Meg or their baby. Meg remarried when Emily was 5 and Eli signed away his parental rights so Jeff could adopt her. They've had a good life, and Emily loves Jeff as much as if he were her biological father, and he loves her back just as much. Emily is 17 now, and for the last 7 years she has seen Eli once a year when he comes to visit her where she lives in Florida, but she doesn't feel a bond with him at all. 

Emily's life changes when Eli sends a message to Jeff containing a copy of his mother Olivia's obituary, saying she has died of cancer. Emily has always heard that Olivia and Meg hate each other and have ever since she turned Meg away when she became pregnant while still in high school. So it strikes Emily as very strange when Meg and Jeff decide to take Emily to Olivia's funeral in Snowflake, Kentucky, especially since Emily never even met the woman when she was alive. Meg has always refused to talk about her life in Snowflake except to say that Eli, who belonged in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, and his whole family are crazy and violent and how lucky she was to escape that life. Now at this point in the book I remember thinking that this story was a bit edgier than the books in Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series, but I was loving it because it was written so well you can't help but feel invested in the new characters. You can feel Emily's confusion over all of this and her wish that they could just stay in Florida since she doesn't want to have anything to do with Eli or his family, but she goes along with what her mother and Jeff want because it seems important to them that she go.

While there, many, many unexpected things happen, and Emily finds out that she been lied to her entire life when it comes to Eli, Olivia, and the rest of her family in Snowflake. She finds out that she and her mother actually lived with Olivia and her husband (Emily's grandfather) Cyrus until Emily was 2 years old. Olivia tells her that they were very happy there until Meg stole Emily in the middle of the night and took off for Florida with no warning at all. Olivia learns that Meg told Emily that Eli's family is crazy and that "the people in Snowflake are the worst kind of evil," which breaks Olivia's heart. Unfortunately, Emily finds out that Olivia is not dead yet when she is saying hello to Eli, who is standing next to the casket Olivia is laid out in, and Olivia, in her excitement to see Emily, sits up and starts talking to her! Apparently Eli accidentally sent a copy of Olivia's obituary (which she had written herself to make sure it was done right) instead of an invitation to the party Olivia was throwing to celebrate her life while she was still alive to enjoy it! To add to the horror Emily experiences, she already has a major fear of dead people because when she was 8 years old she fell in a hole already occupied by a dead person in the middle of the woods and after screaming and screaming for help, she ended up spending 12 hours alone with the body until she was finally rescued. Needless to say, Emily agrees with her mother that this whole family is nuts and she doesn't want to have anything more to do with therm. You can imagine her surprise when her dad, Jeff, and her mother decide she should spend a month or so with them so she can learn about that side of her family! Everybody in Snowflake says she's in danger if a rival motorcycle club, The Riot, learn that she is Eli's daughter, and they feel, since she just showed up there with no warning, word might get out and the best people to protect her are the Reign of Terror. Emily is really not down with this at all but is out voted by her mom and dad. 

This is when we really get to know Oz, who is 18 years old and has only wanted one thing his entire life: to become a full member of the Reign of Terror. Eli gives him the job of babysitting Emily while she's in Snowflake and making sure no danger touches her. This doesn't go over well with either Oz or Emily, since it's not exactly love at first site! But as they spend time together, Oz discovers that Emily's not a pushover, that she has a spark in her that he comes to appreciate and love, and Emily discovers that Oz isn't just a dangerous motorcycle driving Reign of Terror follower and future member, that he has a soft side and a very tender one that she falls in love with. 

I can't say any more about the story, although I could honestly write page after page about this amazing love story. I loved every character in this book, and can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series to come so I can find out about some of my favorites: Razor, Chevy and Violet are at the top of that list!

Emily and Oz grow so much as characters during this story, but Eli also does his fair share of changing too. Emily's life changes so drastically during the book, and in her own words: "Without what has happened, there's no doubt I would have stayed in the same bubble I was raised in and I'm not just talking about remaining in Florida. I never would have experienced anything new in life." I couldn't have said it better myself!

There is so much to love about this book - the characters who are amazing, the plot which contains secret piled upon secret, and the ending, which was so heartwarming that I can't even begin to describe it. I recommend this book to anybody who read Katie McGarry's first series, Pushing the Limits, and to anyone who hasn't read any of Katie's books yet - What are you waiting for, people?! You're missing out on some amazing and heartfelt stories here!

I give this book a very, very enthusiastic 5 stars and I'll be holding my breath to read the next story in line, which stars Razor, and is called Walk the Edge. Nowhere but Here is definitely a must read book of 2015 :D

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood and Co. #1), by Jonathan Stroud

Title: The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood and Co. #1)
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . ."

My Opinion: When I saw this book on NetGalley I thought to myself, "Hey, this sounds like a book my 8 year old son would like: not too scary, entertaining enough to keep him interested; it's a bit long (440 pages) but we could read a little bit every night, so sure, I'll request it." Little did I know that he would find it too scary for bedtime, so instead of reading it to him, I read it to myself (although admittedly, the 20 minutes I would have spent reading with him morphed into about 2 hours a night for me - until I reached the big finale that is, at which time I refused to put my Kindle down until I had finished the book)! This isn't a cute little ghost story with namby pamby Visitors (as they are called) - these ghosts don't just float around looking a little scary until they are smacked with iron and the bones salted. No, these ghosts, depending on what level of haunting it is, are evil, violent, malevolent, vengeful spectres that are capable of causing serious bodily harm, and in some cases death. The scariest part is that because adults can't see the Visitors, kids are hired to take care of them because they are the only ones with the psychic sensitivity to see and hear the apparitions!

I like how the story starts in with the action right away as Lucy Carlyle and Anthony Lockwood are on the job, trying to stop a haunting without all of their gear, which, as Lucy reminds Anthony repeatedly, Anthony forgot to pack. This turns into much more than they were expecting to encounter as they find out the ghost is much stronger and much angrier than they first thought. Mayhem ensues and the night ends with the house burning down around them. I also like how they tell the back story of how Lucy came to work for Anthony at Lockwood and Co., along with George, the resident researcher. Where at first I thought the book just seemed rather long for a middle grade book, by the end I had decided it leaned more towards the YA end of the spectrum because it was just really scary due to the amazing descriptions of some of the evil the kids encounter, thanks to the detailed writing of Mr. Jonathan Stroud. I also didn't realize it was the first book in the Lockwood and Co. series right away since it wasn't listed this way on NetGalley, but after much info dumping, which was actually background info on the supernatural problem, why only kids work the hauntings (although usually under the supervision of an adult), and again, how Lucy came to work with the boys, I checked on Goodreads and lo and behold, it all made sense. I could see how knowing all of this would come in handy when reading future books in the series without having to repeat it again and again, so I decided to just enjoy the info and file it away for future reference.

I loved the characters because they were so very different from each other which meant that they got on each other's nerves just like you would expect real kids their age to do when trying to live together. Besides each having their own distinct and unique personality, they each had a special role to play in the business as well. As I mentioned before, George was their researcher (and damned good at it), checking out the location of each haunting before they actually went there to dispatch with the problem, as well as researching any stories, legends, or hopefully facts he could find associated with the haunting. Anthony Lockwood was the enigmatic, charming leader of their motley crew. Anthony's special talent was his strong spectral vision which allowed him to see the "death glows" and any visual signs of the hauntings before the others. Lucy, who had really hoped to get a job with a bigger more established firm, completed the trio. Her last job had ended in the deaths of everyone she was working with that night, with the exception of herself and her supervisor, so she couldn't get hired anywhere else and decided to give Lockwood and Co. a try. Lucy's gift was that her hearing was very sensitive to any noises associated not only with the hauntings themselves today, but also with the usually violent event that started the haunting in the first place (I'm not sure if that makes sense but if you read the book, it will, and I can't figure out how else to describe it!); she can hear things no one else can, and even when there is complete silence, she can sense if things are going good or bad. She can also pick up a haunted object and glean feelings and info about the owner, which is a very rare gift. They are much stronger together than as individuals, and it doesn't take them long to figure that out and to learn to work together in a way that brings out the best in all of them. 

All of this leads to a job that they are forced to take on when the fire they caused that burned the house down (during the job at the beginning of the book) led to them being sued and losing most of their jobs when news of the fire got out. This job is fishy in many ways: the elderly man who hires them (who is a bit off himself) says it is one of the worst hauntings in recorded history but they can't take their strongest work aids (magnesium flares and Greek fire to be exact) along with them because he doesn't want anything to catch fire, even though that would mean risking their very lives, and he only gives them 2 days to prepare for the job, which gets George all riled up because he usually needs weeks to complete his research. They are being offered a ridiculously large amount of money for the job though, and have no choice but to take it. This is the job which finally brings us to the Screaming Staircase, which, along with other assorted and terrible hauntings and apparitions in the house, are what make the last part of the book so deliciously horrific, and believe me, Jonathan Stroud makes it worth the wait! His descriptions of the awful, violent events that have taken place at this particular country manor over the course of hundreds of years, and what the kids find when they start investigating, had me looking over my shoulders more than once to make sure nothing was trying to creep up on me! 

The book never mentions the time period in which the story takes place, but I think it is a modern day alternate reality kind of setting, in and around London, England, with a distinctly old time feel to it, which is to say it felt like I was reading something in the vein of Sherlock Holmes or the like, which I absolutely adored!

In summary, I loved the characters, including their realism and their growth - not only as investigators who must learn to work together as a team to survive and thrive, but also as individuals who start off keeping their emotions close and not letting the others in, to talking, laughing, and confiding in them as they start to really care about each other. I thought the pacing really worked great, giving us information in small bits so we don't get overloaded and keeping the action very steady throughout - until the end, when everything explodes into sights, sounds, feelings, danger, and fear, and you are on the edge of your seat in anticipation of how it will all end. And lastly is the ending itself, which is so exciting and so scary and so perfect. I recommend this book to lovers of scary (not tame) ghost stories, with likable characters who are flawed but are able to learn and grow throughout the story. I am giving this book a very enthusiastic 5 stars and I look forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out :D

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles #1), by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles #1)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "One March day, Jack Swift, a high school student in a small college town, forgets to take the medicine he’s taken daily since he was an infant. There ensues a cascade of events that puts him in mortal danger.

Jack discovers he carries a secret within him that has made him a target of the ruthless wizards of the Red and White Rose. Jack is a Warrior Heir, the last of a dying breed, sought after by the Roses to fight in the tournaments that are used to allocate power among the Wizard Houses. Unknown to him, Jack has lived all his life surrounded by members of the Magical Guilds: wizards, enchanters, soothsayers, and sorcerers. They are determined to save him from the Roses.

With the aid of his aunt, a beautiful enchanter, Jack desperately tries to acquire the skills that might save his life. Jack and his friends, Will and Fitch, unearth a magical sword from a cemetery and fight off the wizards who would take it from them. Jack begins training with the dark and dangerous Leander Hastings, a wizard with a mysterious past.

Meanwhile, Jack is torn between his attraction to Ellen Stephenson, a new student at Trinity High School, and Leesha Middleton, his former girlfriend, who decides she wants him back.
Discovered and besieged by treachery at home, he flees to the Lake District of England. There he is confronted by the greatest challenge of all. "

My Opinion: I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jack Swift is just going about his normal life in a small town in Ohio, minding his own business, when he forgets to take his heart medicine and his life is changed forever. Jack finds out that there is a whole world of magic out there, and because he was born a warrior heir, he is being sought out by two warring factions of magicians and witches, the Red Rose House and the White Rose House. Warrior heirs are very rare so as soon as he is made known to the magic world, he is in grave danger, since the Houses don't exactly ask nicely for him to fight for them. The worst part is that since his mother and his aunt have shielded him from this world, he has no idea how to fight (he finds a magic sword which was passed down to him and which he has no idea how to use). He has to learn very fast though and gets help from strategically based people in his small town who, as it turns out, have been watching over him for years and who are ready to help him out now. My favorite relationship in the book is the one that Jack has with his two non-magical friends, Fitch and Will. Even though they don't possess magic, when Jack is forced to go on the run following a class trip to London, they go along with him, risking their lives and jumping feet first into a very scary unknown future, because they refuse to let Jack fight this battle alone. 

For me personally the beginning was a bit slow, and it took me a while to really get into it. but I'm glad I didn't give up on it. The rest of the story was very action packed and filled with adventure, and I really liked the boys and their aunt, and the boys' friend and Jack's former girlfriend, Leesha, who helps out as well, but I wasn't quite as fond of the new girl in school, Ellen Stephenson, who catches Jack's eye, because as I read on I found out that I am strongly "Team Leesha"!

I thought the pacing was a tiny bit off, moving quickly when Jack and company were fighting, but moving more slowly when they weren't, but it wasn't off enough to keep me from enjoying the book. I've read some other reviews for this book that mention teenage boys who really liked the book and even though they weren't big readers, they finished this book and gave it an A+, which is a huge recommendation! I plan on giving it to my son to read when he gets a little bit older based on these reviews because I'm always looking for books that appeal to teenage and pre-teen boys, so thank you very much for that Ms. Chima!

In summary, I thought this book started a bit slow but it more than made up for that in the end. Jack was a very likable character who fought against his destiny, but in the end, like all heroes, he accepted his fate and did what was required. I recommend this book to all teenage readers and lovers of YA fantasy books that deal with magic and witches and all of that fun stuff! I give this book an enthusiastic 5 stars because any book that has mature adults, young adults, and teens reading it and enjoying it deserves 5 stars :D

Review: Hollywood High (Hollywood High #1), by Ni-Ni Simone and Amir Abrams

Title: Hollywood High (Hollywood High #1)
Authors: Ni-Ni Simone, Amir Abrams
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "They’re the daughters of celebrities—the kind all the teen mags gossip about! But the It Girls of Hollywood High are about to discover that fame has a price. And no friendship—or romance—is safe….
London Phillips will diet as her mother demands. She’ll even date the billionaire her mother has chosen for her. But she won’t give up her secret hottie, Justice Banks. She and Justice plan to elope—right after he becomes a hip-hop superstar. All he has to do is seduce a media mogul’s darling daughter, Rich Montgomery, and a record deal is his! But he better remember London is really his girl…

Rich is so lucky to have a BFF like London. It was London who introduced her to dreamy Justice. Little does she know that her new heartthrob is about to cause a media explosion that will change this spoiled princess’s life forever…

Spencer Ellington hates to see a billionaire go to waste. That’s why she’s hooking up with London’s boyfriend, Anderson Ford. London may not be in love with Anderson, but she believes he’ll do anything for her. Just wait till she finds out the only thing Anderson is doing is Spencer…

Heather Cummings wants in with the It Girls to secure the spotlight for her actress mother.

But when she stumbles upon a secret about the father she never knew, she discovers she has ties to the clique so scandalous it may just bring Hollywood High’s in-crowd to their knees!"

My Opinion: I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. 

This story is abhout four rich girls who call themselves the Pampered Princesses and go to a school called Hollywood High, which they rule from their table in the center of the lunch room. Their names are London, Rich, Spencer and Heather, and they are all about letting everybody else know that they are the creme de la creme of the Hollywood scene, and even though they try to put on a united front, the fact that they can't stand each other is pretty obvious to anybody within earshot. They turn on each other constantly and even though we find out that under all of their strutting and bragging they each have a crappy home life with pushy and even abusive parents, I found it very hard to care about them. They aren't very likable and they can be downright cruel when they don't get their way. They proudly admit that other than Heather, who plays a crazy character named Wu-Wu in a sitcom, they are filthy rich and famous for no "gawt-damn" reason at all. They are all about drama, drama, drama, and boys, boys, boys, and if they aren't the center of attention, they will act out and make sure that they are. 

At first glance, all you see are four spoiled little rich girls who expect everything to be handed to them on a diamond studded platter, but as you read on, you find out that all is not as it seems behind the scenes. They all have secrets that they try to  bury so no one will realize that they aren't happy at all with the way their lives are going and they have no one at home who really gives a damn what they do, as long as they don't end up in the headlines, which given the way that they act, is asking quite a lot of them! When they turn on one another, things get down and dirty real fast.

I have to confess that half of the time I had no idea what they were saying (due to some really crazy slang that I've never heard before) but I was always able to get the gist of what was going on. 

I really tried to feel something for these girls when I read about their tragic pasts and their parents, some of whom should never have been allowed to have children in the first place, but the way they talk and act makes them look like stereotypical rich bitches, and even worse than that, they were portrayed as needing a man to make them feel good about themselves, which is not the message I would want my daughter to take away from a book. I thought their behavior might change and that they might experience some personal growth by the end of the book, but I was very disappointed when they only seemed to get worse and worse. 

Don't get me wrong - there were some very funny parts of the book that made me smile while I was reading it, and there were flashes of insight that the characters experienced that I thought would make them clean up their acts a bit, but that didn't happen. They had no self control and when they got mad, especially at each other, the claws came out and it wasn't pretty.

Basically, I really tried to enjoy this book, and did in fact like some parts of it, but overall when I finished the book, I decided that I wasn't going to read the rest of the series since I expect it would be more of the same. It was a quick read and it might appeal to teenagers but I can't really recommend it just because I managed to finish it. As usual, I would tell everyone to decide on their own whether or not to read it as mine is only one opinion out of many. Because there were areas that were funny and there were a few insightful moments in the girls' lives, I am going to give this book 3 stars. 

Review: Ink (Paper Gods #1), by Amanda Sun

Title: Ink (Paper Gods #1)
Author: Amanda Sun
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive."

My Opinion:  I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

I was so intrigued by this title when it came up on NetGalley because it just seemed so different from other books in its genre, paranormal young adult books that also include mythology, something new to shake up the lovers of this genre. And shake me up it did! To begin with, it was set in Japan and dealt with Japanese mythology, something I admit I know little about, which just made me want to read it more so I could learn about it. I had no idea there were such things as kendo or Kami (the Japanese Gods), but I enjoyed learning about all of this, and much more about Japan in general. The descriptions of the sights, smells and tastes of Japanese life were amazingly well done, and when ink started dripping off of drawings and out of notebooks, I got chills!

The main female character, Katie, was very likable. She lost her mother and was sent to live with an aunt she doesn't even know very well in Japan. Instead of crawling into a shell and just trying to get through each day until she can go back to the US and live with her grandparents, Katie takes the opportunity to immerse herself in the Japanese culture. She soaks up as much as she can, and even begins to thrive, especially after she meets the "gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school's kendo team." She finds that she has a weird connection with Tomo, but unfortunately Tomo also has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being around Katie is making him lose control of his abilities, which I will not describe here because it is a long and very interesting story that you must read the book to learn.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next book in the series, Rain. I would enthusiastically recommend this book to my friends, and to all lovers of paranormal young adult books that have a bent towards mythology, because unless you read YA books that deal with Japanese mythology on a regular basis, this book will definitely appeal to you. 

I happily give it 5 stars.

Review: Transcendence (Transcendence #1), by C.J. Omololu

Title: Transcendence (Transcendence #1)
Author: C.J. Omololu
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.

As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?"

My Opinion: Cole (Nicole) Ryan goes on a business trip with her father and sister, Kat, to London, and while visiting the Tower of London, she has a vision of herself at the Tower (technically, at her own execution at the Tower of London back in the 1500s) and understandably thinks she's losing her mind. As fate would have it, she also meets a hunky American her own age there, who helps her after she faints, and who she later finds out lives very near her in San Francisco. Little does she know that Griffon knows a lot more about her than she thinks, including why she starts having these strange glimpses into previous lives. It turns out that she and Griffon are Akhet, people who can remember their past lives and connections. I have to say that I found this idea really appealing when I read the synopsis, and after reading this amazing book, I'm even more intrigued! 

I loved the characters in this book and really enjoyed watching Cole learn about her past lives in flashbacks, trying to put them together like the pieces of a puzzle. She was a child prodigy on the cello with her future pretty well mapped out and this threw her into a tailspin as she realized that she had probably played the cello in a previous life, which is why has been able to play it so well pretty much without thinking about it, even as a young child, and this brought up the question: Is it cheating to use what you've learned in previous lives to become a world renowned child prodigy, or is it only cheating if you know you're cheating? It sounds confusing when I say it, but trust me, C.J. does a much better job of explaining it in the book! 

Cole and Griffon's relationship starts to grow into love, but then something big happens that totally derails this, and I loved the twist, let me tell you! 

I thought C.J.'s writing was phenomenal and I pretty much flew through the book. The pacing is well done, with lots of romance and intrigue to keep you turning the page as quickly as you can. 

In essence, I thought this was a well written book with great characters and an awesome reincarnation storyline, that I highly recommend to fans of history, romance, and fantasy/supernatural storylines, and I give it 5 shining stars :D

Review: Branded (Sinners #1), by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Title: Branded (Sinners #1)
Authors: Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best. 
Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home. 

Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain. 

Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.

The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me. 
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. 
My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story."

My Opinion: This was a very powerful book! I just have to say that right off because you need to be prepared for violence and the worst that people can do when you read it. In the society of Branded, anyone can be accused of one of the seven deadly sins, and if they are accused then they are sent to The Hole and branded without ever having a trial or being able to speak in their own defense. The Hole is a prison that is nothing better than a slum that the prisoners are forced to live and work in, with guards everywhere who would just as easily shoot you as look at you. The guards are sadistic animals for the most part, although there are a few good ones, one of which is Cole, the guard assigned to Lexi when she is falsely accused of the sin of Lust and is branded with a blue ring around her neck (the color that lets everyone know what her sin was) and thrown in the Hole. 

This book moved very fast at times, and then at other times I felt the narrative bogged it down. I felt that the threat of death over both Lexi and Cole if they ever got close would have caused them to fight their feelings a bit more, but once you get past the slower parts, the book picks up again at an almost break neck pace, hurtling the reader to the conclusion.

Overall I enjoyed Branded and was able to deal with the violence because it wasn't gratuitous - it simply let the reader in on what it was like in The Hole, the "realness" of it is what kept me reading even when I was uncomfortable with it. 

I look forward to reading the next installment and recommend it to readers who don't shy away from violence in a messy dystopian world. I give this book 4 stars :D

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Clockwise (Clockwise #1), by Elle Strauss

Title: Clockwise (Clockwise #1)
Author: Elle Strauss
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Casey Donovan has issues: hair, height and uncontrollable trips to the 19th century! And now this --she's accidentally taken Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Awkward. Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor, something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just "brotherly" protectiveness? When they return to the present, things go back to the way they were before: Casey parked on the bottom of the rung of the social ladder and Nate perched high on the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her younger brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again. Which of course, she does."

My Opinion: Poor Casey Donovan has been accidentally traveling back to the 1860s since she was just 9 years old. She never knows when it is going to happen (although she has figured out that stress could be a trigger), but over the years she has learned to accept it and deal with it. Unfortunately, she can't have skin on skin contact with anyone because that could cause her to take that person back in time with her, which she found out accidentally when she took her best friend on a "trip" back. She's now 16 and dealing with bad hair, and a major crush on Nate Mackenzie, who doesn't even notice her. As fate would have it, when she accidentally touches Nate, whoosh! Back they go! It's now up to Casey to let Nate in on her secret and keep him safe until they can get back to the present. 

I've been really lucky lately in reading books that deal with a popular topic (magic, time traveling, etc.) with a new take on it that makes them very enjoyable to read. Clockwise was one of these. I loved that Casey's time traveling was unpredictable and that she had no control over it, but she dealt with it the only way she could, head on. I also liked how mature she was in realizing that there were going to be things she would not be able to do in life, such as drive a car or fly a plane, because of never knowing when she would trip out. She was very level headed and instead of moaning and groaning over what she couldn't do, she accepted her limitations and made the best of things.

I really liked Casey because of her maturity and the way that she still acted like a teenager when it came to her family splitting up and her raging hormones when it came to Nate. I liked Nate too because he didn't just fall madly in love with Casey (I have a real pet peeve when it comes to insta-love) but let his feelings grow and become what they would without forcing it. 

In all, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the second book in the series, Clockwiser. I give it a very enthusiastic 5 stars and recommend it to lovers of time-traveling YA stories :D

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.