Through the Door

Jodi McIsaac

Cedar, Eden and Maeve have lived a relatively uncomplicated existence up to this point, with the exception of Eden’s father running off and Cedar being left heartbroken… and then of course, Eden’s new abilities.

McIsaac has nicely captured the interplay of modern invention with old world magic. This is one of the best examples of urban fantasy I have read in a while. It’s a genre I should get into far more.

I would have loved to hear more from Eden’s perspective and also from Maeve. As befitting the first in a series there are a lot of things here that can be built upon in subsequent novels. There’s a lot to be said for foreshadowing and slow revelations though.

It’s very difficult for me to review this novel without spoilers. The things you think you know are true, or at least presume all is as it seems, it isn’t really. That being said, I’d like to know how the Druid gave up what she was for such a long period of time.

The action was enthralling, and you didn’t know what was going to happen next. Nothing was as straight forward as it seemed. And oh, the twist! The suspense! Arg! It seemed like every time they almost caught up, they were gone!

I’d hesitate here, and put it in teenage fiction and adult fiction. Teenage for sure, but sometimes it is difficult to say what would tickle an adult’s fancy. There is no erotic content, and the only things are heartbreak and suspense! Which every good reader is going to enjoy anyway.

I’m quite upset that it took me so long to get around to reading this novel. It was really enjoyable, and I’m really looking forward to the next in the series. I received this novel free from the Goodreads: Frist Reads program and the author went above and beyond to make sure I got a copy. This did not influence my review in any way, but I would recommend getting a copy of this book anyway – because it was a good read!

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Any Other Night

Anne Pfeffer

Ryan’s life is falling apart and there is nothing he can do about it. Left bereft by his friend’s death, his growing feelings for Emily make him feel bad, like he is betraying Michael’s memory. Add in the fact that Mitchael had a potent secret, and you have a potent, enjoyable, teenage read.

Any other night, Ryan Mills would have driven his best friend, Michael, to Emily’s sweet sixteen party at the Breakers Club. Instead, determined to win over the birthday girl, he goes to the party early and alone, setting off a chain of events that ends with a car accident in which Michael dies.

Pfeffer has a good mix of past and present at the beginning of the novel to really expose what Michael was like when he was alive, and why he meant so much to the protagonist.

Opening a novel on a party scene, even one with a seemingly Mexican theme is a pretty thrilling beginning! It won me over, and I had to keep reading.

By avoiding introducing the fact that Ryan is a rich boy (except the mention of his car) until after the party, we sort of see more clearly that he is more than just a rich white guy who likes girls and partying. By the time I read that section, I already liked him too much and couldn’t be too prejudiced against him for his parents.

The Chrissie storyline really forced Ryan to grow up, to become more responsible. The theme of not knowing what you are going to do with your life and being anxious about it is one that would resonate with many teenagers and young adults.

Grief and denial play a heavy role in Ryan’s life. These feelings are mied with the attraction he feels towards Emily. Ryan treats his parents like crap, and you know there must be a reason behind that, but nothing is made certain. Tidbits of information are fed to the reader at just the right time to enhance our understanding.

The use of drugs in this novel is not glamorised in any way. It seems horrifically easy how these teenagers are able to get them though. So many lives potentially wasted. I would have said the thrills of drugs weren’t worth any of the other problems associated with their use, and this novel definitely confirms it.

I read this novel before having seen the cover, and now that I do see it, it makes it seem a bit like it’s more a romance than anything, but that’s not true! It has depth and detail, and makes you want to read more. The new title of ‘Any Other Night’ is far more appropriate than ‘Loving Emily’.

This novel is a gem, particularly for the reluctant teenage male reader. I’m not saying girls won’t enjoy it too, just that it might be a good option for males. For me, this is in the realms of Brent Runyon’s amazing writing. I look forward to further novels from Pfeffer.

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About the Author

Keepers of the Zodiac

Tonya Fitzharris

Syrie has been given the most important task – to collect the 13 Keepers of the Zodiac and prepare them for their new roles. He falls in love with one though, and that complicates things beyond what he could have ever imagined.

The stars have shifted and the Earth is rapidly moving into the throes of chaos.

Four god-like beings known as the Zodiac High Council, send their winged herald, Syrie, out

with twelve sealed envelopes. His mission? To bring a chosen group of thirteen future Zodiac

Keepers, including a set of mesmerizing twins, to the Isle of Oriba for training. Syrie never

could have imagined that he would fall in love along the way—ultimately forcing him to choose

between betrayal and death. Keepers of the Zodiac is an enthralling tale of obligatory fate,

temporary hope, and impossible love.

This book looked like a fun read, and the concept initially reminded me of the Power of Five series by Anthony Horowitz (which I have been waiting for the fifth book for a long time). I was happy to review it particularly because this tour company is excellent at getting novels to me in a timely manner so I can really read and enjoy them before posting a review.

I have to say that the concept was awesome, very interesting, but then the execution was a little flawed. I felt like most parts of the novel were quite stilted in their extravagant descriptions of things and I ended up skipping over them. The dialogue was also quite stilted, and I didn’t really get into the characters’ minds. This was a plot driven novel wholeheartedly (nothing wrong with that, just not usually my style of thing).

The almost steamy kissing scenes would make this novel suitable for older teens, if your younger teen is wary of such a thing. I know some 13 year olds that would be grossed out simply by the thought of kissing! I guess it’s boy cooties or something. This novel could equally be for males or females, but I feel that because of the romance element its more of a girly book.

Poor Syrie! Of all the characters, I felt for him the most. I was a little leery of his island naming, and I couldn’t believe that coincidences such as that happened in such a structured world. Not to mention the revelations for him, and his future. To love, and then to lose. Throughout the novel I felt like there had to be more going on than what met the eyes…

The ending is a cliff hanger. I would quite like to read the second book in this series, simply because it’s so uncertain! How can so much happen in a day? And what is going on with Syrie? Arg! Those twin sisters are nothing but trouble. Perhaps a borrow from the library book.

People who follow and believe in the Zodiac may be a little affronted by this novel, because I don’t think it necessarily reflects those beliefs accurately. Not being a follower myself, I doubted that all the signs could have all those positive portrayals. I might have enjoyed the novel even more if I remembered each of those.

Ew, foot flakes. Gross. That’s all I’ll say about that, but really, it’s quite humorous. There’s some other points of humour, but as a whole it’s quite serious, as befits a novel that is trying to prevent the collapse of the world as we know it.

Three stars from me for this novel. Plot yes, execution no. An easy read, probably well suited to teenagers that have less experience than me for pulling novels apart.

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About the Author

November 13 – Reading Addiction Blog Tours – Meet and Greet

November 14 – The Cozy Dragon – Review

November 15 – Wonderland Reviews – Review/Interview

November 16 – Corssroads Reviews – Review/Interview

November 17 – Lovely Reads – Guest Post/PROMO

November 18 – Pink Fluffy Hearts – Guest Post/PROMO

November 19 – Winged Reviews – Guest Post/PROMO

November 20 – My Cozie Corner – Review

November 21 – The Solitary Bookworm – Guest Post/PROMO

November 22 – Emily Ward – Interview/PROMO

November 23 – Lost in Fictional Worlds – Review/Guest Post

November 24 – Oh Chrys! – Guest Post/PROMO

November 25 – Book and Appointment with Wisdom Books – Review/Guest Post

November 26 – LovLivLife Reviews – Guest Post/PROMO

November 27 – Inside BJ’s Head – Review/guest Post

November 28 – The Book Maven – Review

November 29 – Books and Swoons – Review

November 30 – Books, Books, The Magical Fruit – Gues Post/PROMO

December 1 – In This World of Books… – Review/Interview

December 2 -A Bibliophiles Thoughts – PROMO

December 3 – Getting Your Read on – Review

December 4 – My Seryniti – Review/Guest Post

December 5 – Rolling With the Moments – Review/Guest Post

December 6 – YA Novel Reader – Review/GuestPost

December 7 – Bookworm Lisa – Review/Guest Post

December 8 –Fiction Prediction – Review/Interview

December 9 – Pa
ulette’s Papers – Guest Post/PROMO

December 10 – Read-A-Holicz – Review/

December 11 – Willing to See Less – Guest Post/PROMO

December 12 –Bookishly Devoted – Review/Guest Post

December 13 – My Reading Addiction – Review

Michele T Villery, Tigris Eden and Riley Ross

Romantic Tales: Bedtime Stories

As a reporter for the Wakefield Post, Harper Erkstine has seen everything. From murders to robberies, all of her recent stories have ended with tragic consequences so great, that she began to question if she made the right career choice for herself.

While all of her friends were dating, or going to clubs, she was winning journalism awards for covering the latest drive-by shooting or a home invasion that cost someone she knew, their lives.

She loved her job, it was rewarding to be a crime solver and get to the truth of the matter. As much as she loved her job, but the hours of a Metro beat reporter began to descend her into burn out mode.

She craved balance. A break, a welcome distraction every now and then. She forgot what it was like to have fun, to take a breath, smell the roses.

Was it wrong to want a great career and to have some kind of a personal life? She couldn’t remember the last time she had a date or danced with someone from the opposite sex.
In the middle of working on a missing person’s story that has rocked her town to the core, Harper decides as a favor to her friend and colleague to do a feature on local an up and coming rock band, called ‘Crave.’

It was a break from her routine, but Harper soon discovers that this band may have ties to the missing person, not only does she question why, but she also finds there is more to this band than just their music.

By Tigris Eden: The Genesis Project

Old earth has been deemed unsuitable for life, New Earth is home. With the Uni-War over, races have joined together in order to sustain their way of life. All life was deemed worth saving, but only one race failed to submit. Humans.

Now extinct, humans are a thing of the past, or at least their way of life. The people of New Earth won’t acknowledge their hand in the human’s eradication, but they have benefited from it. Dr. Vaggo Blackmore has found the answer, he’s restored his races way of life- sustenance through farming. The one thing that will give them back their long lives….. Blood: human blood.

Biologically engineered in a lab, Genesis Blackmore has always been different. Her father has told her it’s due to her enhancements, the Federated Council sees her as a genetic mutation; and her fellow peers see her as the shiny new toy. Gen has had better days.

Everyone on New Earth has milky white skin, platinum blonde hair, and electric blue eyes. It’s the norm. Genesis’ glossy, black hair, ice blue eyes ringed by gold, would have almost made her socially acceptable- if it wasn’t for her honey, almond skin and blue, gold veins. In a sea of milky white she alone is the dark anomaly.

All Pars get their life’s nourishment through blood plasma. All Pars find their match through the tasting. Gen can do neither, forbidden by her father to do so. She can neither taste, nor be tasted. Something that’s never bothered her until now.

By Riley Ross: The Getaway

The Getaway isn’t your typical romance woman meets man of her dreams, loses him and then they get their happily ever after. It’s a romance story with hints of drama and plenty of comedy. Mike and Juliet have been dating for about four months. Juliet is madly in love with him but has never shared her feelings.

Mike hasn’t said those three magical words so she doesn’t even know if they are on the same page when it comes to their relationship. Mike takes Juliet on a two week vacation, so she can escape her family drama and stresses from her job. He has romantic surprises planned and there are several unexpected surprises for them both. How well do Mike and Juliet really know each other especially when an explosive secret from his past is revealed? Will their relationship survive a visit from his family and his ex-girlfriend? Will the secret destroy them or make them stronger as a couple? His mother has made it clear to everyone that she wants Mike back with his vile ex-girlfriend?

Will his mother sabotage her son’s relationship with Juliet? Juliet does have an ally in Mike’s father. Will Juliet fight for her love? Or will she let him go without exposing his mother for her dastardly schemes? How far will his mom go to ensure she gets what she wants for her son?

This is not normally my style of novel – I don’t go for the thigh clencher romances or short stories. But I’d read the first set and reviewed them here, and they weren’t so bad, so I thought I’d better go for the second episode.

This time the first short story was The Getaway. Although I wasn’t really going for the awkward tension that had to be radiating through that household  I was feeling a bit more for Juliet (a cliched name if I ever saw one). We get a bit more of her back story, and it’s very interesting to hear about her family.

There’s too much focus on descriptions for me – the coffee drinking and the clothing are two striking examples. But that’s made up for me by the likeableness of Harper, and the genuine friendship you can feel between her and Ellen.

I’d recommend this book for adults only. It does come with a tag of erotica, and in this case that means explicit descriptions of sex and so forth.

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About the Authors (and where to find them)

Tigris Eden: 

 

Ty Langston: 

Riley Ross:

20. Andi’s Book Reviews

Natalie Wright

Emily’s House

Emily comes home to a grumpy old aunt and an odd creature in her tree house. She’s about to head off cross country, and indeed, across time and space, in a journey that will make her look at her whole life differently. Emily must find herself, and prevent a great evil from surfacing after more than 1000 years.

Fourteen-year-old Emily Adams is flunking math – and life. But Emily has a secret, one that she has kept even from her best friends. Soon the ancient legacy coursing through her veins will force her secret to be revealed. Dormant for over a thousand years, an evil has arisen and this time, it will destroy anyone – or anything – that stands in its way.

I was expecting something in the realm of a spunky heroine who was willing to take on anything to protect her family and friends. I sort of got that, but I felt that Emily could have had a bit more spine for a 14 year old. More spine Emily! Less weeping about things that can’t be changed and more kicking butt. Also, less being pigheaded about the benefits of meditation and more doing.

Fanny was just irritating. It didn’t help that I was fond of Fanny in Enid Blyton’s classic, The Faraway tree, and comparing this Fanny – well, she was a bit flat. I much preferred Jake to either of the two girls, he seemed hard and sensible.

The concepts of time and space brought up in this novel are very interesting ones, and that’s what made the novel to me. Physics is something I have difficulty understanding (and never linked) but I have a healthy respect for those who do). The continuum between this world and other worlds is always interesting.

For me, this book wasn’t a gripper. I would probably recommend it for mature children and early teens. There are references to ‘making love’ and ‘making-out’ but that’s about as bad as it gets. Plenty of ass jokes/references, so I guess if you’re sensitive to those, don’t read it. The teenage language might be more suitable to teenagers – maybe I’m getting too old for this type of book?

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Rise of the Seven

Frey has recovered her memories, her throne, her people. But she’s still a bit confused on what she should be doing about Chevelle… and there’s plenty of action to keep her occupied in the meantime.

Memories and magic recovered, Frey is restored to the throne. But as she works to regain control of the North, a small silver dagger nearly brings her end. She raises The Seven of her guard and proves her abilities in order to secure her position. But another attempt on her life, from what appears to be fey, reveals not all are pleased with her return. If she could only figure out the force behind the attacks, she might be able to relax enough to decide what to do about her other problem… Chevelle.

I was a bit confused from the beginning which what was going on, and how much time had passed and so forth. Where had Frey’s extra power come from? What was the importance of the twins? What the hell was she doing? But that evened itself out, and I found myself enjoying the novel.

The style of this novel was much improved from the first two novels in the trilogy. The action was a lot more balanced, with things happening throughout ramping up to a quite satisfactory conclusion.

I could have sworn this was a trilogy, but the way this one reads is that it could be the start of something new (ie. an epilogue would have been useful) or else it would have done a good job of being a standalone (with a bit more at the beginning).

The romance between Chevelle and Frey ramps up a bit in this novel, but the reader is still left hanging with the bonds. What kind of bonds are they?! That’s something that appealed to me though.

Melissa Wright

Molly wants to believe she is special, but she’s part of an army of breeders…

Molly dreamed her whole life of living in a world of magic… until the day she walked into one. This short story falls between The Frey Saga Book Two: Pieces of Eight and the third book, which is scheduled to release late 2012.

This little novella was hardly long enough to qualify for a review, but I promised 4 posts, so here’s number 3. I actually quite liked this little story, and it was pleasant to hear some someone other than Frey for a bit.

This short story raised more questions than it answers in my opinion. Which is good if you’re trying to draw your readers on for more. I think it’s more polished than the first two books, and I have hopes for the third novel to be more exciting again.

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