Florence (Florence Waverley #1) by Ciye Cho

Publicaiton Date: 01/07/12
Pages: 336
Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

My Review: 

It's taken me a while to write this review because of various personal issues but here goes! I loved this book to bits! I found this to be a rare and wonderful piece of escapism that sucked me in from beginning to end.
As if the story line wasn't enough to draw me in; the descriptions of Niemela and the Mer people made it even better.

Florence was an inspirational character and I felt I could relate to her a lot, It was very easy to imagine how it would feel to be in the background to then be thrown literally in the deep end without any warning (please pardon the terrible sea related pun)
I loved reading about her relationship with Rolan; my personal favourite of the two brothers and I can't wait to see how their relationship progresses in the sequel (something I will most definitely reading, i might add).  

Filled with action, a bit of mystery, romance and one of my favourite mythical creatures of all time I knew this book would be a fantastic read before I even picked it up and I have to thank the author for giving me the chance to read it. I am currently hounding my sister to read it and now I'm harassing everyone reading this to read it too.

If you love your books filled with mer-folk, strong female leads, with a well thought out plot and romance then this is definitely a book for you and I highly recommend reading it. The writing style is fantastic and at no point (I promise you) will you get bored whilst reading this, something that I find is rare in books today.

Anyway, enough rambling. go read!

Red Flame: Wizards' School by Pamela Shine

Release Date: 13/08/12
Publisher: Upfront Publishing
Pages: 114
Target Audience: Kids
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure


Synopsis: Hi, my name is Resha Valentine, I'm a 17 year old wizard who wants to join the strongest Wizards' School, Red Flame. I meet Aiden and Kat, 17 year old twin wizards just like me. Only it turns out they're in the running for the strongest wizards in Red Flame Wizards' School!

Review: Usually I find writing reviews for books pretty straight forward because essentially the authors are all adults with life experience behind them and years of schooling or at least some knowledge of literary skills and devices. Occasionally however, I need to re-evaluate how I look at a book because the author is different. In this case, the author is only 12 years old.

When I think back to when I was twelve there is no way on this earth I had the urge to read much let alone write something. And if I did write stories, I got bored very quickly, so I have to give Pamela Shine full credit for her determination and staying power to the task at hand. To review her like an adult however, would be unfair.

Red Flame: Wizards’ School is a fun fantasy adventure about a group of wizards who go to the Red Flame School, one of many in the world of Wizland. These wizards are given missions and jobs to go on and in the case of some of the wizards, get to go out and cause a lot of trouble (the child in me grinned wickedly at this) and they also get into fights with other competing schools.

The powers the characters have were different to what I usually expect from a book centred on magic. It is often too easy to make your main character super powerful with an insane complicated power, but Pamela has created abilities for her characters which tend to stem from something simple or basic and become surprisingly powerful when used.

The story itself is fast paced and quickly comes to a conclusion without any messing around or going off on a tangent (something some adult authors are guilty of), whereas it  is the way of the teenager or younger person to get the point. Having said that, as an older reader I think I would have liked a bit more explanation as to background and character history and description of the places the events were set. The ability to do this is something I feel she will develop over time and gain with experience, but if I were to give this to a younger person as it stands now I feel they will love it to bits without the added description. As this book is aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds then I think it would be nice if this book got a bit more publicity as I’m sure children in that age group will love it.

One important point to note while reading this, and as a reader it is one of my big sticking points; I hate grammatical errors and I was expecting some from such a young author, but you know what? There were NONE. None what-so-ever. I’ve been known to mark books as DNF because the grammar mistakes are so bad and this book has absolutely none at all. So I give 10/10 for her brilliant spell checking and grammar skills.

If Pamela writes a sequel I will definitely be reading it as I’m interested to follow her career and to see where she goes from here. I’m sure that with more experience and knowledge she will become a very competent adult author. 

Sound (Solid #3) by Shelley Workinger

Release Date: 01/11/12

Publisher: Createspace

Pages: 218

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults

Genre: Fiction/Sci-fi/Romance/Suspense

Synopsis: Clio Kaid's had one crazy summer.

After learning she was one of a hundred teens who were genetically modified before birth, she and the others departed for "camp" at a classified military site.

Besides discovering her own special ability, uncovering a conspiracy, and capturing a killer, she's also forged new friendships, found love, and managed to lose them both.

With no answers and the end of summer closing in, Clio's terrified of going home more lost than when she arrived.

Will she finally find everything she's been looking for?

My Review:

Wow! I think this wraps up the Solid trilogy perfectly. Though I have to admit that those looking for a cut and dry answer to every question will find themselves at a loss, though for me I found that this series wasn't about knowing everything and this makes it much more realistic as in life we never really get all the answers to everything we face.

What I found particularly fascinating is the difference between the lessons that are learned in this book compared to some others. Often you get the main characters forced to do the right thing even if it hurts people, in this Clio is encouraged to do the opposite in more than one situation. Even when she knows that she should push issues, she slowly learns to back down so as to let things unravel at there own pace. I love a book with a different take on life; there are far too many cliche stories out there.

The fact is people aren't polished and perfect and it's great to see a bunch of characters who mess up as much as your average person.

I loved the chemistry between Clio and Jack and it was great seeing how there relationship developed. It got me thinking...what would it be like to have a clean slate with someone you thought you'd messed up with? I think We'd all love that. For those who have missed Bliss, Miranda and Co they are all back and it was like meeting up with old friends again after a long time apart. I love Bliss to bits and even Miranda got my attention with her softer side in this installment rather than her confronting attitude and I loved seeing her love struck.

The ending really grabbed my attention with it's suddenness and excitement and I read the last few chapters so fast they flew by...but that epilogue! Why? It's killing me and I really want to know what will come of those last few pages. I really really hope I find out at some point because I want to know! *stamps feet like a child*

All in all this has been a fun trilogy with some twists and turns that kept me guessing. The bad guys in this book and the previous ones were always so unsuspecting and I found myself taken by surprise in each book, and it was no different in this one. As much as i'm sure Clio and Co love the excitement I think it'll be nice for her to have some peace and quiet and not be attacked by random nut cases...though I have to admit it would be interesting to find out what happens to them all in the future and have some light shed on that epilogue :)
Brilliant :)

October Girls: Crystal and Bone by L.C. Glazebrook

Release Date: 04/10/10

Publisher: Create Space

Pages: 264

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults

Genre: Fantasy/Fiction

Synopsis: Five days until Halloween and all hell is about to break loose. 

And it’s all Crystal’s fault. 

Momma warned her not to consort with the dead and tried to teach her the magic spells that would close the portal to the afterlife. But Crystal doesn’t want to be a trailer-trash witch like Momma. She has dreams of going to community college and escaping the Appalachian town of Parson’s Ford. 

Her best friend Bone is only too happy to escape the afterlife and help Crystal break the rules. Bone died too young, and she’ll do whatever it takes to remain among the living. 

Then a teen movie maker comes to Parson’s Ford, and he has a very special project in mind: a horror movie starring a real ghost. The kids who watch his movies turn into brainwashed zombies. And to totally complicate matters, Crystal thinks he’s kind of a hunk, and she’s afraid her boyfriend Pettigrew only loves her because of Momma’s magic spells.

Now it’s Halloween, the night when the portal to the afterlife is widest, and somebody’s been messing with Momma’s potions. The fate of the world is in Crystal’s hands, but she hasn’t been paying attention to her lessons. And a mysterious figure in the afterlife is urging Bone to stay loyal to her own kind instead of to Crystal. 

The movie is rolling, the creatures are stirring, and the brainwashed teenagers are ready to welcome a new star from the other side of the grave. 

Crystal and Bone must overcome drama queens, coffin cuties, and mangled magic if they want to remain best friends forever—but at this rate, forever may not last much longer.

My Review:  I received this from the author in exchange for an honest review and I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to read and review his book.

I'm going to start by saying that there were some very original ideas here that had the potential to take off and make this a great story and I really can't knock the author's originality as I haven't honestly read a book with this spin on the paranormal.  So it's a shame that myself and this book just didn't click at all, and for several reasons.

The first issue I had was simply the writing style. Though I was able to read the story and follow it through, at points it seemed to jump about a bit and I'd be left wondering how I got from one point to the next. Occasionally I'd even flick back a few pages to see if I'd missed something important.

The other major issue I had was lack of plot building in some areas. What was Bone doing that night when she got hit with the UPS truck? I mean I was able to put it together but it was never fully explained and I couldn't understand how a story based on the friendship of two girls had so little background on either themselves or the events that led Bone to be deceased. 

The other plot problem was that I also didn't grasp how the whole world ending thing was Crystal's fault. Yes, I get she was a bit lazy and didn't do her spells, but it's not like she was responsible for the evil going on elsewhere nor was she responsible for Bone's actions either. Maybe I'm a softy, but that character is a wee bit too harshly treated, by both herself and her mother.

I would have loved to have learned more about Bone's and Crystal's past in order to make more sense of their relationship and to therefore understand how Bone can do what she did and I would also have liked to have read more about the Judge since there didn't seem to be any good reason for the plan he forms or for why he does what he does.  

There was a good basis for a plot but I just didn't get along with the way it was executed. I know some people have loved this and given it five star  ratings, but for me I just couldn't like it as much as I wanted to. This is not to say that readers of this review shouldn't give it a go. If you like an original twist on horror/fantasy/humour than don't hesitate to read this, you may find you completely disagree with me.

I Loved You First by Reena Jacobs

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Romance/LGBT Fiction


First of all I'd like to say a big thanks to Reena for asking me to review her book and also for asking me to take part in her up-coming blog tour, it's always amazing to be asked to take part in these events.
I have to say, I loved this book and although it's a novella and quite short it tackles a very important issue and with sensitivity, care and has just as much impact as a full length novel would have.

Alex has just started college along with her best friend Seth who she has known since they were at school together. Things are pretty much going OK apart from two things. Number one, Alex is in love with Seth and number two, Seth is gay and only Alex knows about it. As all is revealed Alex faces some tough times and choices as she risks losing both her best friend and the person she loves.

To an outsider reading this review it may appear a bit odd that a straight girl is in love with a guy she knows is gay. But for anyone who's ever been in love you'll know how irrational love can actually be and regardless of the circumstances, you can't help who you fall in love with and in what circumstances.
I can't write an in-depth review without posting spoilers accidentally but what I can tell you is that this is a wonderful story of self-discovery, honesty and learning to love yourself.

I have to admit, I did not envy either Alex or Seth, especially towards the half-way point of the story when they both faced some truly difficult times. Alex is in every way the sidekick to Seth's stronger character and it was wonderful to see things change as the story progressed and as Seth also changed and adapted (I have to admit I was furious with both him and Alex on several occasions because of some of the things that happened).  As someone who has and had both Gay and Bi friends, I found some of the characters attitudes to being gay absolutely horrifying, some people are so judgemental it's unbelievable and we see some extreme reactions in this novel with some extreme consequences.

Other characters play a major part in this novel, in both good and bad ways including Dink, who I still haven't made my mind up about, and Trinity, who is just simply awesome in every way. I think if I were to have any of these characters as a friend, it would be Trinity.  Even Cheyenne who, to put it mildly, is not my favourite person plays a part in things being different towards the end and the scene with her and Trinity had me doubled up laughing.

As I've previously said, this is a short novella but it's impactful. I'd recommend this book for Straight, Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Curious and everyone else in the world really. Reena tackles some difficult issues in this novel and although this is not a heavy read, it will make you think.
In short, this is a stunning book with lessons to be learned in both loving yourself, loving others, being true to yourself and breaking free and with an ending I'm sure most readers will love.

Ambasadora by Heidi Ruby Miller

Target Audience: Older Teens/Adults
Genre: Sci-fi/Fiction/Romance

First of all I'd like to thank Heidi for allowing me to review her book for her and for asking me to do an honest review :-)
I'll start, as usual, by giving a brief synopsis of the general story:
Sara Mendoza  lives in a world where feelings and especially love is seen as an emotional fallacy and people are encouraged to have multiple partners in order to have more children. Infertility is seen as the ultimate shame, a caste system rules everyone and those who can't bear children are often encouraged to commit 'honorable suicide'.   Having grown up with these beliefs Sara knows no different until she is captured and tortured and ends up caught up in events that she never could have imagined happening.

I was a bit torn about this novel and there are a few reasons why, so bear with me while I explain my reasoning for my rating.
First of all I will say that the world building and the sheer imagination that went into this is incredible. It's been a long time since I've read about such a vastly detailed and completely different world in a sci-fi novel and I was fascinated by it. However, I felt there were a lot of new terms and ideas used in a short space of time and I felt slightly overwhelmed and a bit lost whilst reading it.
I'm aware that other readers did not have this problem though, so I guess that this is more down to the individual reading it.

Secondly, because of the sheer amount of new terms, places and concepts, I found a little difficult to follow the plot at times, especially with some of the chapters jumping to a different place and focusing on a different character. It would make me stop and have to think about what had just happened and what was now happening. Having said this, it was different reading about so many unique places, people and ideas and I found myself torn between wonder and outrage at some of the things that happen throughout the novel.

Some of the concepts for example, having multiple partners, I found really weird and I don't think I could live in a world like that, I mean I'd get insanely jealous if my partner had another 3 wives. But that's what is done well in this book, because you can tell that to most of the characters this is perfectly normal and for a lot of people there are no emotions involved in that sense.

The characters themselves are incredibly vivid though my opinion on them is once again divided as I found that I'd meet a character and not see them for a while despite having learned quite a bit about them and this threw me off a little bit or a character would be mentioned lots then hardly seen.
On the other hand, the attention to character detail is fantastic and I feel like I know Sara and Sean like best friends because of how descriptive Miller is in this book.
I loved Sean and Sara, they were fantastic and one of the best duo's I've read about in a while, although I flinched at some of the things they both had to go through and felt myself disgusted at what happens to Sara part way through the novel.
As for the bad guys? Well I'm not going to spoil anything so I will just say that they're very evil and I was hard pressed to decide who I hated more; Faya or Simon as both gave new definition to the term 'bad guy' in so many different ways.

I will summarise by saying that although I had a few issues with a few areas this is a great example of sci-fi that will give anyone's imagination a run for their money. The writing quality is brilliant, characters are vivid and if you're looking for a bit of sci-fi escapism, yet still with a hint of realism and a healthy dose of romance, then most definitely give this book a read.

Predators of Darkness: Aftermath by Leonard D. Hilley

Target Audience: Adults
Genre: Horror/Sci-fi/Dystopia

I'd like to start by thanking Mr Hilley for asking me to review his novel and for allowing me to publish my review on my blog. I will now go on to say that this is a brilliant read and definitely one for lovers of sci-fi and horror, oh, and talking cats!
Before going on I'll give you a brief spoiler-free synopsis and I am also going to warn that this book contains content of an adult nature and some bits that some teenage or younger readers may find upsetting.

Following a missile strike, the inhabitants of Pittsburgh now live in the research center hiding from monsters that now stalk the streets. These creatures known as Shifters are able to change shape at will and get stronger feeding off other creatures. Daniel, the leader of the group of survivors discovers that Pittsburgh is fenced off and that nothing is as it seems leading them all to question whether the Shifters were an accident or whether they were placed there on purpose.

This book struck me as very different from a lot of other horror/sci-fi novels I have read in my time and it really took me by surprise. I am going to be honest and say that It took me a few chapters to get into it and there was a strong macho air about the story (for example, women fighting to be with the men they wanted and men fighting to be at the top of the pecking order) but this was a minor niggle for me and it didn't take anything from the plot.  The story moved quickly and without any jumping around, which was a relief and I was reading very fast towards the end as the pieces came together and everything made complete sense.

There were some instances that had me absolutely horrified and scared out of my skin. I have a very active imagination so anything I read I can picture very clearly and the thought of monsters running around eating people and humans becoming monsters terrified me to no end.
The writing is very well done and I couldn't help but imagine how these people were living and I had a strong sense of claustrophobia just reading about the living conditions.

On a character front I have to say that there are a lot of them but only a few are looked at closely. Those few including Daniel, Lucas, Dr Helmsby, Julia, Johanna and a few others, the rest of them are touched upon but aren't focused upon as much.
On the Shifter side of things very few of them are focused on and  I can't say who or what without spoiling the plot for those who haven't read it, so I'm keeping my fingers away from the keyboard in that area.
The thing I liked the best in this book though...the talking cat! Yes, there's a talking cat called Morton! This alone is a reason to read this book, he's awesome :-)

Anyway, in all seriousness, if you love your sci-fi, horror and a dash of romance and some truly creepy and scary scenes definitely give this a read. I will definitely be reading the next in the series.

Half-Inch by McCarty Griffin

Target Audience: Adults

Genre: Fiction/Dark Chick lit

I hadn't really heard of this sort of genre before but when I got an email from the author asking me to review her book I thought it'd be an interesting read so I agreed to do it. I'm very glad I did since it seems to twist murder and humour with effortless ease. Just think of a pretty good chick lit novel with a rather morbid twist and a hell of a lesson to be learned.

Pammy had been married to her abusive husband for years before finally their about to be divorced. Pammy however feels she will never be free of him and so decides to kill him. Years of being stuck inside and watching murder programmes has enabled her to envision the perfect murder plan, and so she puts it into action. And wow is it an incredible plan!

I really loved this! It's short and yet to the point and there is no rambling and although I don't condone murder in any sense, I have to say I had massive sympathy with Pammy and the situation she was in. The recalls of abuse weren't too graphic although I will say that anyone who has ever been in her situation may find this book a little too close to home.
Her murder plan was truly ingenious and the end part of it had me laughing at the idea of it; the scale of it is incredible and that's all I'm saying since I don't want to spoil it for anyone!

There was a one bit i did find a bit weird and that was with who else the plan for murder included. I didn't understand why and that did bug me a little, but none the less this doesn't take much from the otherall quality of the story.
Pammy is an inspirtional if not slightly nutty character and although I don't agree murder is the way out of an abusive relationship there are some very clever hints throughout about getting out of these relationships quickly and not letting it get as bad as it got for the main character in this book. There is always an escape. As if to reinforce that everything has a consequence, Pammy gets to find out something at the end that maybe makes her slightly regret her plans and I found the ending added a bit of balance, although I was cringing on behalf of Pammy.

All in all, if you love a bit of chick lit with a rather morbid twist then give this a go. Pammy is a likeable and very tough character and despite her plans you will warm to her (in an odd kinda way!)
Anyway, don't be too judgemental :-)

Between by Cyndi Tefft

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Historical Fiction

First of all I'd like to say a big thank you to Cyndi for asking me to review this for her, it's always an honour to be asked :-)
As usual I'll start my review with a brief, spoiler-free synopsis:
Lindsey waters is on a date when tragedy strikes and she is killed in a car accident, but for Lindsey, this is only the beginning. Soon after her death a very handsome Scot names Aiden appears who tells her he is there to transport her to heaven.
But as Lindsey and Aiden spend more time together and their attraction grows, Lindsey finds herself resisting the lure of heaven itself in order to be with him. Can love really be strong enough to transcend the boundaries of life and death?

If your reading the above and thinking it sounds to similar to other supernatural and paranormal love stories then you couldn't be more wrong. Between takes all of the elements that are needed for a good romance and has a twist of it's own.
The idea of a transporter is a fascinating thing to me, after all, how can we be expected to die and immediately know where to go? The answer? We can't. Therefore it'd be nice to have a guide, and that is what Aiden is.
This story does not start gently and I was taken aback a little (in a good way) by the beginning because I did not see it coming at all, which is weird, because I knew that Lindsey was dead from the start because of the synopsis.
In relation to that however, I will confess that the story goes a little slow just before the middle, but this soon picks up again and it wasn't much of an issue at all.
There's also a massive twist half way through that I honestly didn't see coming, and my jaw literally dropped because it was the last thing I was expecting!

I really really loved the all the trips to various times and places (although I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything) through the eyes of both Lindsey and Aiden. To me this made the whole afterlife seem much more adventurous and having the ability to look back at things is a fascinating concept, especially when considering the fact you may notice different things while looking at something you've already experienced (again I will say no more, I shall spoil nothing!)

Ultimately this is a romance with an historical twist and if your a Scottish fan (or if your an eighth Scottish like me) you will be drawn in by the Scottish history and landscape just like I was. If your not a Scottish fan, then it really doesn't matter because this is a truly enchanting story and not to be missed in any way, shape or form.
And as for Aiden himself, well I think I fell for him, every girl in the world young or old dreams of finding a man who is that devoted, loyal and romantic and Aiden is all that and more *swoons while typing*
I challenge any woman reading this, not to want Aiden, I really do!

In summary, I loved this novel. Cyndi has created a very imaginative and original world that has no bounds or limits, I have to admit, I would never have imagined an afterlife like this.  Romantic, pacey and with several jaw-dropping twists, I think all readers will be left longing for the next in the series. Amazing book!

Settling by Shelley Workinger (ARC received from author)

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy/Romance

After reading Solid I eagerly anticipated the release of Settling so when I was asked to review it by Shelley I jumped at the chance, especially after the dramatic ending to Solid.
Needless to say I was not disappointed and it more than lived up to it's predecessor, if anything it was even better :-)

Settling continues where Solid left off. The students at the camp are still left reeling from the betrayal they suffered in the first book but are bravely trying to get on with things while trying to discover what the effects are of the experiments that were done to them as well as taking on summer jobs around the army camp (some of which were pretty awesome).
The peace is soon shattered as strange events once again occurring and a new threat emerges that throws everything out of balance, and Clio and her friends are once again in danger, but the question is; from who?

I loved this book from beginning to end and, unlike a lot of sci-fi, this book manages to keep the kids in a sense of reality. If there's one thing that I find truly intriguing it's that midst all the amazing abilities and extraordinary events, these kids are still talking about their favourite bands, falling in love and celebrating July 4th like everyone else in America.  The contrast between the the surreal and the real is truly amazing!
In relation to this, the realism of the characters is exceptional and no character is perfect. In this novel cracks emerge and I got to see different sides to characters that I thought I knew pretty well with hilarious and sometimes sad consequences.

If I'm honest, Clio was definitely the one to stun me in this novel and I felt horrible for her at the end (I can't post anymore without spoiling anything, so just read it!). I will say that I am thoroughly annoyed at the harshness and judgmental attitudes of some of the other characters, and I found myself thinking about an old proverb about sins and casting stones.
The characters, in general though were very captivating. Bliss was her usual flighty self, Jack was very cute and loving, Miranda her usual, unusual self and Gareth was just funny. Also we have some new characters and greater focus on some older unvisited characters which, all in all, leads to a wonderfully diverse and interesting bunch!

I can't say what perhaps was the most interesting part because it will spoil the plot, but I will say that things get complicated for Clio, very complicated! There are some incredible revelations regarding the abilities and experiments that were done and I can't wait to find out more so at this moment I am dying to read Sound. I need to know what happens next!
Anyway, this is an exceptional work or sci-fi, romance, mystery and murder and it is not to be missed. If you haven't read Solid, please go and do so and then read this because your missing out!



Also, for those who aren't aware, I am also participating in Shelley's blog tour and I will be posting an interview with her on the 21st June, please check it out!

Solid is available from Amazon now: Solid Kindle Edition or in the USA Solid Kindle Edition (USA)
Settling will be available from July 4th 2011

The Advice Girl by L.A. Shaw

Target Audience: Adults/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Paranormal

When I was asked to review this by the author I jumped at the chance after reading the blurb (do people still use that term?) This book was a quick read but it that doesn't diminish much from the overall affect and is a wonderfully compelling read that kept me hooked from beginning to end.

In summary, Kira and Sophia are best friends. They live together, spend a lot of time together and they both really really love coffee (I just love fellow coffee fiends!). The story picks up one day shortly after Christmas when both girls are getting ready to go to work, Sophia however isn't feeling well and doesn't go in. Later, on arriving back from work, Kira finds out that her friend has been killed in an accident.
Kira is left devastated until a note hints at Sophia's possible survival and she finds herself caught up in a war between two sides that she didn't even know existed, and things are about to get a whole lot worse.

I was gripped with this book from the prologue which seemed completely different to the title of the book. My initial thought was what has this got to do with an advice girl? But this was a good thing, the change in direction really grabbed my attention and the plot came together nicely without it seeming forced or ridiculous.
As a fan of fantasy and sci-fi I love anything that has extraordinary people in an ordinary setting and Sophia was one such person. But the thing I found the most amazing was that despite the fact that Sophia was the character with special abilities, Kira had her own talents and I found her determination and loyalty to be just as compelling as Sophia's ability.

As well as the gripping plot, I also took a personal liking the the fact that it was partially based in the UK (biased I know, but hey!) It makes a book feel more personal when you can imagine the setting very clearly and in this case I could. Having been to London and considering the size of it, it was so easy to imagine the events in this book taking place there and around the area.  This may not be important in all books, but it sure added to the affect this novel had on me.

But, as we know and as I often say, it is the characters that can make or break a novel and the characters in this one are fantastic! Without a doubt it was Kira, Sophia and Ethan that stole the show (or book in this case) and my personal favourite was Kira. Why you might ask? She had no extra special powers, she wasn't some amazingly talented being, yet she was brave, intelligent, gutsy and would have done anything for Sophia, and that to me is an extraordinary ability even if it isn't in the conventional sense.
Sophia came a close second for me and I loved her attitude towards life. She had an enormous amount of horrible stuff happen to her yet she dealt with it in courageous fashion where most people would have caved in and given up. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't done to any extreme, she was still very sensitive and able to cry which was also a good thing; some authors take their heroines and make them insensitive and as hard as nails...women can be strong and still feel, and Ms Shaw has had no problems displaying this in this novel.
Now Ethan, I loved him to bits! Such a great guy and I want to say so much more about him but I don't want to go into too much depth in case I ruin the story!

Now, moving on I have to confess that there were a few little bits that niggled me, but they were minor so I'll be very brief. I did think this book could have been longer as bits of the story felt a bit rushed, such as the progression of Sophia's relationship with Ethan and I would have liked to know a little bit more about Sophia's talent. Admittedly though, this is the first in the series and I am well aware of the fact that there is plenty of time to explore these things so I haven't judged this book to harshly on those things.
And also, don't be fooled by the age of the characters. Yes, they are adults but this book could sit quite comfortably in both adult fiction and YA, so please don't let that stop you.

In summary, this is a pacey, romantic, energetic and original novel that I believe, deserves a lot more attention. It is well written, intelligent and gripping from start to finish, and definitely not to be missed if your a fan of fantasy/sci-fi and romance.
Personally, I can't wait for the next in the series especially since the this book ended the way it did, I love a good cliffhanger!  Whatever you taste in books, I definitely would say this book is worth reading and whether it's your cup of tea or not, there is no denying that Ms Shaw is a talented writer and has a promising career ahead of her as an author.

Beautiful Sins: Leigha Lowery by Jennifer Hampton (Review request from author)

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Dystopia/Fantasy

First of all I'd like to thank Jennifer for sending me this book for me to read, one because I love reading and two because this was one of my favourite books of the year so far :-)
I read a lot of fantasy, dark fantasy and dystopia novels and this one managed to blend all of this with a healthy dose of romance.

Beautiful Sins starts with a young girl called Leigha who moves with her mother and her mothers new boyfriend to Banks, Oregon where the skies are covered in dark cloud and myths and superstitions are everywhere. Leaving her home behind, and starting a new school, Leigha quickly finds out that things aren't as they seem and soon finds herself attracting the attention of Prince Alexander, son of the ruling king of the dark coast, and as time goes on she realises that there's more to her new home than she realised.

There wasn't one bad thing about this book, it was well written and very easy to read. I was so absorbed in the story that I lost track of time really quickly and had to remind myself that I was due at work :-p

Leigha was a wonderful main lead, although she strikes me as a magnet to accidents since I lost track of the number of times she lost consciousness, but in honesty with the things that happen to her, I'm not really surprised, and it was a relief to have a character reacting normally to stress rather than being super strong and resilient. I mean, I'd like to see any normal person stay conscious on having your whole world tipped upside down.

The story itself was fantastic and I loved all the twists and turns and the each revelation, I found the world that Jennifer has created to be truly fascinating and I found it easy to imagine the world in the way it's described.  Part of me would love to visit Banks as it is in this book, just to see it for myself, I imagine it would be pretty exciting and yet very scary,
If you want to read a book that takes old ideas of Vampires, Were's and dystopia worlds and then breathes new life into them...Read this book! It's fast paced, a little scary, romantic, has some seriously hot men in it (swooning for Alex here!) and has a cliffhanger that will leave you on the edge of your seat. An excellent novel, and I can't wait to read more of Miss Hampton's work.

Solid by Shelley Workinger (Review request from Author)

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy/Romance

Solid is only the third book i have read this year but i can tell it's going to be one of my fast favourites. The story is original, well written, intelligent, romantic, exciting and very moving in parts and i have to thank author Shelley Workinger for sending me a copy to review.
In summary, Solid takes place on a type of army base where a group of 100 teenagers who were all the subject of a genetic experiment are gathered together to help uncover what was done to them.  What unravels is well-woven story of science, friendship and love, along with a healthy dose of conspiracy and murder mixed in, all of which make of an engaging and addictive read.

One of the first things i noticed about this book was that it was very character driven, which i really loved. The events that take place, especially near the end, certainly wouldn't have unraveled the way they had if not for the tight knit friendship of Clio, Garrett, Jack, Bliss, Miranda and finally Alexis (who i think is awesome by the way, i love tech nerd). If there was one aspect i loved it was that every person had a role to play, from the quiet, shy and stressful Bliss to the Bossy Miranda who at points certainly got on my last nerve.
Clio was very sarcastic and funny and i found myself laughing out loud on many occasions whilst reading this book despite the seriousness of the novel at times. Garrett was another funny guy, and he really did make me laugh so much.
Jack had his funny moments too but was definitely the thinker of the group and certainly helped to pull plans together when everyone else was struggling with what to do next and his relationship with Clio was just beautiful.
As for Alexis, she really was amazing, and i loved her intelligence and loyalty, not to mention the fact she is a fellow tech nerd! I love tech nerds!

With regards to their abilities that were a result of the genetic experiment were also very cool. I won't go into any detail because i don't want to ruin the surprise when you find out for yourself!  Lets just say there is definitely one ability that i would love, and it would be extremely handy in certain situations. There are a lot of reviews that are comparing the super power element to the x-men, but i wouldn't quite go that far, mainly because in Solid, there is a certain lack of knowledge around the abilities, and the teens in the novel are kept in the dark for quite a while.  I can see some similarities, but really, Miss Workinger is worthy of her own place in the science-fiction/Fantasy genre, because this really is an original and stand-out novel.

The romance side of it was sweet and not over-bearing. I love  a bit of romance in a novel, but i also hate it when it takes over the plot when it clearly isn't meant too. The Jack/Clio relationship was perfectly told throughout and never once did i find it too over the top. And the surprise that Jack has for Clio...awwwwww i want someone to do that for me! Totally brilliant!

As for the ending it was truly fantastic. As a person who dislikes books that have predictable endings, i have to admit i loved that fact that i didn't guess the ending at all. I was left gob-smacked by what had actually taken place and when the full truth was revealed i was honestly surprised.  Although not a cliffhanger by definition, it has still left me wanting to read the next book immediately, and i will do as soon as possible. A brilliant example of original science-fiction in a time when it really is hard to find an original novel.