Title: Two Moon Princess Author: Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban Publisher: Tanglewood Pub Date: 04/15/2010 Category: YA Fantasy Two Moon Princess is an excellent, interesting and well-executed young adult novel with all the hallmarks of a good read, as well as a rare depth in its underlying themes. The twists and turns in the story kept me so enthralled that I read late into the night in order to finish it. Blurb To Andrea, the life of a princess is not a dream; it's tedious and stifling. But the certainties of her life, both good and bad, are thrown into chaos when she accidentally travels to an alternative world, from a cave on a forbidden beach in her family's kingdom to the warm and carefree life of Southern California. Then a careless visit to the cave results in terrible consequences: a brewing war between kingdoms, her sister's love for the wrong man, Andrea's own conflicted feelings for an enemy leader, and dark family secrets exposed. Andrea needs to act to resolve problems … [Read more...]
Review – The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset SubTitle: The Steampunk Chronicles Author: Kady Cross Publisher: Harlequin TEEN Pub Date: 05/31/2011 Category: FICTION - JUVENILE: Action & Adventure An excellent, well-crafted, well-crafted book set in a vibrantly described alternate Victorian world where automatons powered by a substance unfound in our reality are a normal part of life. A light highly enjoyable read. The Blurb In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her. When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch…. Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for … [Read more...]
Review: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber
Title: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess Author: Leanna Renee Hieber Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Pub Date: 05/16/2011 Category:ADULT: Romance: Fantasy Five stars to this beautiful, passionate, sophisticated and moving gothic fantasy set in Victorian England. Leanna Renee Heiber’s language is like poetry in prose form, evocative, beautiful to the ear and rich with many-layered meaning. A memorable book. ‘The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess’ is the third in the award-winning, bestselling ‘Strangely Beautiful’ series’. It’s a prequel to the first book, ‘The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker’ - which I awarded an M-Award to - but you can read this either before or after the first two. I recommend after, because the previous books have wetted our appetite for the details revealed in this one. The blurb says simply - The goddess Persephone begins her quest to be reincarnated with her true love, and more secrets of The Guard are revealed. In this … [Read more...]
Review – ‘Photographs and Phantoms’ by Cindy Spencer Pape
Title: Photographs and Phantoms Author: Cindy Spencer Pape Publisher: Carina Press Pub Date: 04/25/2011 Category: Adult fanstasy This delightful romantic novella (20,000 words) is a companion to ‘Storm & Sorcery’ by Cindy Spencer Pape (March 7, 2011). I haven’t read Storm and Sorcery, but after reading this, I certainly want to. The book shows the writers ability to create a rich world of interesting, likeable characters and mix them up with a good chunk of mystery, romance and surprise to make an absorbing and enjoyable read. I give it 5 stars and recommend it to all lovers of fantasy romance, especially if you’re into anything set in an alternative nineteenth century world where you can have a clockwork dog as a pet. The blurb Brighton, 1855 As a member of the Order of the Round Table, Kendall Lake is overqualified to be investigating strange phenomena at a seaside photography studio. But since the photographer is related to the Order's most powerful sorcerer, Kendall … [Read more...]
Forever Vampire by Michele Hauf
Title: Forever Vampire Author: Michele Hauf Publisher: Harlequin Imprint: HQN Books Pub Date: 04/26/2011 Micheles Hauf has come up with another wonderful paranormal fantasy romance in Forever Vampire. The novel has got it all - interesting characters, a great story, action and hot romance. A great read for romance lovers. The blurb Vail the Unwanted is a pure-blooded vampire. But raised by Faery, he has neither home nor peace, and when his aid is sought in the recovery of a priceless diamond gown, his price is information. Specifically the whereabouts of his accursed father. His goal is revenge, and the supernaturally sexy Lyric, the icy blond vampiress with whom he must work, is a distraction he can’t afford. Outwardly as cold as the diamond dress in which she was kidnapped, Lyric has her own secrets. Desperate to break free from her criminal family, she aligns herself with the brooding Vail. Together they seek justice while each secretly works for freedom and a fresh start. … [Read more...]
Review – The Green-eyed Demon by Jaye Wells
Title: GREEN-EYED DEMON Author: Jaye Wells Publisher: Hachette Book Group Imprint: Orbit Pub Date: 03/01/2011 Category: ADULT: Fantasy This is an excellent book. Urban fantasy full of all the elements I love, great characters, rich setting, interesting plot, a healthy touch of romance and lifted by humour. The blurb The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. She has to save her sister from her mysterious captors. And in order to do that, she has to broker a deal between the mages and the vampires before all hell breaks loose. But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won't be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about, she's got to save herself from the ghosts of her past. Because the past is haunting her. Literally. My Review This is essentially a mystery. The problem Sabina has to solve is, where is her blood thirsty grandmother holding her sister hostage? It’s not easy to find out and she has to work with a werewolf, a voodoo practitioner, … [Read more...]
Review – Angel Burn by L.A Weatherly
Title: Angel Burn Author: L.A. Weatherly Publisher: Candlewick Press Pub Date: 05/24/2011 General impression I enjoyed this YA Romantic Fantasy and devoured it at a fast pace. It’s intriguing, engrossing and heart warming. What people think they experience and what they do experience aren’t always the same thing, and in this novel, angels are definitely not what they seem. Trouble is, very few people know it, and the angels not only have a cult following but have infiltrated all areas of US society with potentially disastrous consequences. It’s an interesting and rather scary take on why cult followers might be so gushy and starry eyed. The blurb Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows … [Read more...]
Review – Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
Title: Lost Voices Author: Sarah Porter Publisher: Harcourt Books Pub Date: 07/04/2011 Lost Voices is an enjoyable, interesting and unusual book. Essentially, it is about moral dilemmas and power plays in a group of teenage girls who are mermaids. The concept of abused girls turning into mermaids at their most horrific moment makes a fascinating basis for the story. The blurb Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of her grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their … [Read more...]
Review – The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Title: The Goddess Test SubTitle: Book I in The Goddess Test series Author: Aimée Carter Publisher: Harlequin TEEN Pub Date: 04/26/2011 I loved this book. As well as being a great story with endearing characters, its themes of death, justice, responsibility for others and the process of releasing a loved one made it moving and thought provoking. The blurb EVERY GIRL who has taken the test has DIED. Now it's KATE'S TURN. It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she … [Read more...]
On what criteria should a reviewer make their judgment & how much should personal ‘likes’ affect a review?
With the development of ebooks, reader reviews are becoming an important arbitrator of quality. Anyone looking for a book online will most likely read online reviews before buying. This gives reviewers an important role in book sales and with it comes responsibility. But, just like books, there are well written reviews and not so well written reviews, and I believe that as readers, to be fair to the author, we should evaluate the reviews we read. In order to do this, we need to consider the following. What are the responsibilities of a reviewer? They are responsible to readers who want an honest review and to authors who want a fair review. Is this an informal review or a formal review? An informal review is usually short and just says whether a reader enjoyed the book or not. This is completely based on personal likes. These reviews are meaningless to us unless we know that the reviewer likes the same books as we do. I put these sort of reviews on Goodreads for books that I’ve … [Read more...]
