Amáne of Teravinea – The Prophecy

 

 

by D. Maria Trimble

Published November 25th 2012 by D. Maria Trimble

 

 

Summary:

When our young warrior, Amáne, with her dragon, Eshshah, embark on their quest to procure a dragon egg from Castle Teravinea, they discover the unimaginable cruelty of the tyrant who rules the kingdom … Only Amáne and Eshshah can put the true heir of Teravinea on the throne. Her mother’s final words, that she follow her heart, echo in Amáne’s thoughts. Convinced it is a path she cannot follow, she must neglect her happiness. Her duty to the throne comes first — even if it means sacrificing her friendship with Prince Ansel. The dragon and rider pair bravely face the dangerous mission that looms ahead.

 

 

Review:

As you know, if you have been reading my reviews, I LOVED the first book in this series and I was curious how things would develop for the various characters in the second book. I was hoping to see some character development and maybe even learn a bit more about some of the characters’ pasts, and the second installment, Amáne of Teravinea- The Prophecy, did not disappoint. I was so enthralled with this book that I literally could not put it down, or fall asleep for that matter. I stayed up until I had finished the entire book. It is not often that a book is so good that I stay up all night and read it.

There was a lot of action, adventure, and danger as Amáne goes on another quest, this time to try to acquire one of the dragon eggs that have been held hostage by King Galtero. The remaining Dragon Riders, who have been in hiding, need an egg so that they can try to figure out why there has not been another Dragon Rider chosen, even though the Hatching Ceremony had been held every year. While in the castle Amáne receives help from an unexpected source, one she had never expected to meet, especially in those circumstances and learns more about her linking mark with the black dragon. This is a fast paced book. If you read it too fast, there will definitely be parts that you miss.

In Amáne of Teravinea- The Prophecy, we also see more character development and a lot more romance. A good portion of this book is devoted to the growing romance between Amáne and Ansel but there is also another budding romance that develops in this book between two unlikely characters, you will just have to read the book to find out who this new couple is. With every book, I fall more in love with Ansel, he really seems like a great guy and by the end of the book Amáne and Ansel have even more in common than you or they would ever have imagined.

In the second installment of this series, Amáne is still a very strong and independent female, a great role model for young girls. She is smart and strong, even when she is thinking about Ansel or with Ansel, which is not something you often see in a female lead, often they act all stupid around a guy, but not Amáne, she keeps it together.

I am eagerly awaiting the third book in this series; I can’t wait to see how everything develops.

I recommend this book to anyone from grade 6 on up though adult. It is clean and wholesome, but has enough adventure, fighting, and romance to keep the reader interested.

I received this book as an ARC. I do not get paid to review books; I do so in order to assist you in recognizing books that you might enjoy and also to assist parents and teachers in recommending appropriate books for your kids to read.

Read Full Post »

A Dog Called Homeless

 

 

by Sarah Lean
Published September 4th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books (first published April 26th 2012)

 

 

Summary:

When Cally Fisher says she sees her dead mother, no one believes her. The only other living soul who sees Cally’s mom is a mysterious wolfhound who always seems to be there when her mom appears. And when Cally stops talking–what’s the point if no one is listening?–how will she convince anyone that her mom is still with them or persuade her dad that the huge silver-gray dog is their last link with her?

“A Dog Called Homeless” is the gentle and touching story of how one girl’s friendship with a homeless dog can mend a family’s heart.

 

 

Review:

I was very surprised by this book, I started it then stopped and come back to it for another try after finishing another book I had on my list, and I am very glad I gave it another shot. This story started out really slow in the beginning but picked up the pace a couple chapters in and ended up being a really great book.

A Dog Called homeless was very sad but also very happy at the same time. It is a great book for lower grades, maybe 3rd through 5th or 6th, depending on the reading level of the child. It deals with tough issues such as the death of a parent, moving from your home, a parent not being able to afford things for you, how to befriend someone with a major disability, friends who are mean to you, the list could go on.

I liked how Cally saw her mom, it helped her to deal with the loss and also helped lead her to a very happy ending. In the big scheme of things, the fact that Cally saw her mom is not all that important, it is not a supernatural book in any way, it is more like Cally’s mom knew that Cally needed her for a bit longer and was watching over her.

Cally grew up quite a lot in this book and she also helped to keep her family together after the death of her mom. She helped to teach her own father that he needed to focus a bit more on the kids and find a way to deal with the tragic loss of his wife in a way that did not isolate him from his children, who needed him so much during this time period.

I was disappointed in most of the counselors and teachers in the school, they never said anything to the girls that were harassing Cally, they actually blamed her for causing problems and punished her for things these mean girls did. Most of the adults didn’t seem to grasp the concept that Cally was hurting inside and didn’t seem to care that she had recently lost her mother and that life as she knew it was falling apart. There were some good adults in the story though, so not all was lost.

There is so much else that happens in this story, but I don’t want to give any more away in this review. I do highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a nice quick read for adults, but more importantly it is a super great read for lower grade kids. I would recommend that every library- public, school, and classroom, have a copy available.

I received this book as an ARC. I do not get paid to review books; I do so in order to assist you in recognizing books that you might enjoy and also to assist parents and teachers in recommending appropriate books for your kids to read.

Read Full Post »

2:32 AM (The Djinn Master’s Legacy #1)

 

 

by Emily Ford
Published February 8th 2012 by Ebook (first published January 1st 2012)

 

 

Summary:

AND THE STORY BEGINS…

In the early morning hours nearing her 17th birthday, Cat Townsend woke to the sudden blur of a mysterious unknown man sitting on the edge of her bed. She did not feel fear — rather a strange calmness overtook her. In an instant their eyes locked, he lightly touched her hand, and then he disappeared into the nothingness of night.

Caught in that undefined place between asleep and awake, the moment felt hazy and surreal. A chill ran down Cat’s spine as she glances at the time – it’s 2:32 a.m.

What unfolds in the first book of The Djinn Master’s Legacy trilogy, is young Cat’s personal struggle with the overwhelming choice to accept a destiny of magic. As she contemplates the merits of unparalleled power, her new and ordinary world in Savannah, Georgia is understandably shaken. The closer her decision gets, the more twisted her life with family, friends and boyfriend becomes. Will she choose to give up everything she cherishes?

 

 

Review:

I had high hopes when I read the synopsis of 2:32 A.M. I have never read a book about genies, except for Arabian Nights, so I was expecting something fresh and new, but I was sadly disappointed. This story is fresh and new, but that is about the only positive thing about it. The writing style is terrible, it is written as though a high school student wrote it and didn’t proof read it before turning it in, I am a teacher and have experience with this. The plot concept is interesting and fresh, but the book was very difficult for me to get through as I want to pull out my red pen and make corrections every couple pages, which could be problematic since it is an ebook.

The story jumps around a lot, time passes very quickly, it is a bit disconcerting. There is almost no development of the characters, except for Cat, but even then what we learn is mostly superficial. All of the other characters are static, even her brother, Hayden, and her boyfriend, Todd. Her female friends are even worse. They are all terrible examples of females, though quite stereotypical when it comes to high school cheerleaders, though they are not cheerleaders, more like football groupies.

Sex is a big part of this book, do I have sex with this guy that I have a superficial relationship with or not? Will he stay with me after, even when he goes away to college on a full scholarship as the most sought after quarterback? Lord, help me; I want to slap Cat in the face most of the time. She is so super annoying; I can’t seem to figure out what makes her so special.

Then Cat goes to summer camp and completely forgets about Todd once she meets the blond guy from her dreams, Rolf. I am so confused by this change in her personality, it isn’t like she is torn, she just seems like she has multiple personalities. Then all of a sudden she is all about Rolf- but wants to keep Todd in the background, in case things don’t work with Rolf.

I could go on and on about this book, but I will actually get annoyed if I do and I don’t want to ruin my day complaining about a book that had so much potential, but fell so short of the mark that it is unbelievable.

If you want to give this book a try, please do, but it isn’t a great book for teenagers since Cat makes having sex seem like something someone just does and doesn’t even get mad at Todd when he tries to coerce her into having sex with him before he goes away to school. As an adult, this book was so annoying, I stated a few reasons above, and I will not be reading any more books in this trilogy.

I received this book as an ARC. I do not get paid to review books; I do so in order to assist you in recognizing books that you might enjoy and also to assist parents and teachers in recommending appropriate books for your kids to read.

Read Full Post »

Samantha Moon: All Four Novels (Vampire for Hire #1-4)

 

 

by J.R. Rain
Published (first published August 13th 2011)

 

 

Summary:

All four novels in Nook’s #1 Bestselling Vampire Series by J.R. Rain, including:

MOON DANCE
(Vampire for Hire #1)
Mother, wife, private investigator…vampire. Six years ago federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire.

Now the world at large thinks Samantha has developed a rare skin disease, a disease which forces her to quit her day job and stay out of the light of the sun. Now working the night shift as a private investigator, Samantha is hired by Kingsley Fulcrum to investigate the murder attempt on his life, a horrific scene captured on TV and seen around the country. But as the case unfolds, Samantha discovers Kingsley isn’t exactly what he appears to be; after all, there is a reason why he survived five shots to the head.

VAMPIRE MOON
(Vampire for Hire #2)
Private investigator Samantha Moon finds herself hunting down a powerful crime lord and protecting an innocent woman from her ruthless ex-husband — all while two very different men vie for her heart. And as the stakes grow higher and her cases turn personal, Samantha Moon will do whatever it takes to protect the innocent and bring two cold-blooded killers to justice — her own brand of justice.

AMERICAN VAMPIRE
(Vampire for Hire #3)
Private investigator Samantha Moon receives a heartbreaking phone call from a very unlikely source: a five-year-old girl who’s been missing for three months. Now on the hunt, Samantha will use her considerable resources — including her growing supernatural abilities — to locate the missing girl before it’s too late. And as she gets closer and closer to the horrible truth, she receives devastating news on the home front. Now with her world turned upside down, Samantha Moon is forced to make the ultimate choice of life and death.

MOON CHILD
(Vampire for Hire #4)
Now in MOON CHILD, sequel to AMERICAN VAMPIRE, private investigator Samantha Moon is faced with an impossible decision — a decision that no mother should ever have to make. A decision that will change her life, and those she loves, forever. And through it all, Sam finds herself in a lethal game of vampire vs. vampire as a powerful — and desperate — enemy will stop at nothing to claim what he most desires.

 

 

Review:

I love vampire books and one of my favorite series of all time is the Dresden files, so a series that is about a vampire private detective sounded amazing, and I was not disappointed. At first I was not sure I was going to enjoy this series since Samantha Moon’s husband was a cheating jerk head and it appeared that she was just going to take his demands lying down, I was thoroughly annoyed, but I continued reading, and I am super glad I did, because Samantha does get a backbone eventually, and that made me love her. This series definitely grew on me as I continued reading; it only got better with each book I read.

There is sex in some of the books, but nothing very descriptive or terrible, I just kept wishing that Sam would meet a great guy, a guy that really deserved her, I am not sure she has found him yet. Sam has to make some terrible hard decisions and it made me feel for her. Sam has made some supernatural friends, but I have a bad feeling some of these “friends” are not really what they seem, I will have to read more of the series and see what happens.

I would highly recommend the Samantha Moon: Vampire for Hire series to anyone 18 or older, mostly because of the few sex scenes, and maybe a bit for the crudeness of Sam’s ex- husband. These are quick books to read, and even though the series starts out slow, it really picks up as the series progresses.

If you are a fan of paranormal mysteries, please do read theses, there is also just enough romance in them to keep you wanting more.

I received this book as an ARC. I do not get paid to review books; I do so in order to assist you in recognizing books that you might enjoy.

Read Full Post »