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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

FRACTURED LIGHT by Rachel McClellan

I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.

As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.

In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.


First line:
“Sigmund Freud once said that the goal of all life is death.”

Llona has special powers/secrets that keeps her and her guardian uncle on the move. Whenever something scares or worries Llona, the two pack up and move somewhere else. Why? Because someone, the Vyken, killed her parents and are after her, an Aura.
Llona tries not to make any friends to keep them out of danger. But in this new school she makes a couple of friends who both have secrets of their own.
This story follows Llona and her guardian as they escape danger time and time again.
Llona has to find out how strong she really is to defeat the darkness that stalks her. She wants to learn to fight and protect herself, which is unusual for an Aura. She also has to learn to trust someone other than her uncle.
I figured out who the bad person was but I kept thinking IT had to be a red herring because IT was obvious. So I kept picking other suspects. :)
I wish someone would have helped her from the beginning of the story. A mentor or teacher. I would have liked to see her develop her talents progressively throughout the book, not just at the end. I wanted to see more what Llona could do.

This is a good, clean read.



Rating: PG
L: No
V: Dead animals, blood
S:No

Liked:
Llona
Story concept
No love triangle

Disliked:
Not enough Light

3 STARS

Friday, December 14, 2012

Shayla Witherwood: A Half-Faerie Tale by Tamra Torero

Shayla Witherwood has never been like other girls. Being a half-faerie will do that to you. But with magical powers like invisibility, shape-shifting, and healing kisses, high school is bound to be anything but boring. Throw in an ancient prophecy that is sure to get someone killed and a few unpredictable enchantments, and you have one of the most anticipated fairy tales of the season.

First line:
"With three hundred Students wandering the halls
of Jasper Jenkins High School, it was easy to be invisible—especially for me."


Shayla just wants to be a normal high school girl but alas! She's been home-schooled her whole life AND she's part fairy.
Shayla is a cute, witty girl. She has to find her way in the social hierarchy of school. She tries different places and friends, through hard times. The head cheerleader doesn't like her, her science teacher is strict with her, the nerds want her to play chess at lunch (which she really enjoys) and the janitor is nice to her. What can a high school girl do? Find real friends and her true self, that's what.
This book has a good mix of fae, romance and humor for a good, clean read. This is a good story with a positive, uplifting beat about high school.


Rating:
S: No
V: No
L: No

Liked:
Shayla
Jace
Quick, clean read

Disliked:
Nothing

3 1/2 STARS

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

DEMONS by Heather Frost

Kate's life is far from normal. She can see Auras, her boyfriend is immortal, and her powers make her a target. But now that the Demon Lord is hunting her, things are about to go from dangerous to truly deadly. Packed with action, mind-blowing plot twists, and characters you can't get enough of, this is a fast-paced, heart-pounding read from cover to cover.

First line:
"My lower back was beginning to ache."

I really enjoyed SEERS and looked forward to DEMONS. Kate is a Seer and Patrick a Guardian. They've decided to take a chance with a romantic relationship. Kate is constantly in danger with the Demon Lord after her.  When Patrick becomes ill, Kate must find him help. Will it be from their enemies?
The chapters are often told from different viewpoints and I really enjoyed Patrick's story.
SEERS had more of the first-time romance storyline while DEMONS has the in a romance story. There are a few convenient ploys in this book. Overall, a good read.

RATING: PG 13
V: Fighting
L: Sprinkling
S: kissing

Liked:
Writing style
Patrick
Plot

Disliked:
Felt slower/bogged down than last book


 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

ATHENA by Heather B. Moore

Athena is a self-proclaimed bachelorette—it’s better that way—no one gets hurt. But when tragedy strikes, Athena realizes friendship and love is the only way she can pull through, and she must, for the first time in her life, risk opening her heart.

The Newport Ladies Book Club series is unique in that each Newport book is written from the point of view of a different woman in the book club. The first 4 books cover the same time period and the same book club meetings. But only with reading all 4 books, will you learn the whole story of each of the women and her full character journey. Think of it as a parallel series, not as a forward-moving series


First line:
"Three! Four! Five! Six!" My class chanted in unison, but it sounded more like we were just grunting."

Athena was another great book in the Newport Ladies Book Club. Athena is a smart, and sassy, businesswoman with a successful online business. She worked hard to get where she is and she feels happy. Everythings going well. Until the convenient boyfriend wants more from her and accusses her of not being well-rounded. This leads Athena to buy a book to prove she still reads. While in a local bookstore she's introduced to two things that will change her life: the bookstore own and a bookclub.
In Athena's personal life, she's worried about her father who has dementia and her mother as the caregiver. When a tragedy strikes, Athena must rely on other's for help and support, a hard choice for independant Athena.
I enjoyed the romance in this book! :)
I also liked how Athena's perceptions changed throughout the book, in every aspect of her life: romance, family, friends, work etc. Athena is a well-rounded character, very enjoyable to read, even in the hard times. 

Rating: PG
S: No
V: No
L: No

Liked:
Romance
Hard choices

Disliked:
Nothing