(A Rasper Novel, #1)
Publication date: April 5th 2016
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Trust no one.

Never go out in the dark.

Always have a weapon.

Sixteen-year-old Val lives by these three rules etched on her arm. Her rules and her gun are the only things standing between her and assimilation by hordes of human-looking aliens she calls Raspers.

By day, Val gathers supplies. By night, she hides and wishes she could go back in time…before her family died…before the annihilation…before the Raspers began stalking her and demanding she join their collective.

But when the Raspers attack in broad daylight, the truth becomes startlingly clear.

They’re evolving.

A fellow survivor crashes into Val’s life. Adam’s full of charm and promises—like rumors of a safe haven—but there’s something wrong. He’s survived with no supplies, no weapons…no plans. Time is running out. With the formula for survival shifting around her, Val must decide how many rules she’s willing to break to escape the Colony.

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My Review:

The Colony is about a post-apocalyptic world where the scientist have drilled the biggest oil deposit the world has ever seen. But instead of it provided wealth and resources it unleashes a plague on the world. Many people die from this plague, other are infected. And those few that survived are hunted by Raspers. The story follows Val. She had lost her parents and is doing all she can to survive. She doesn’t trust anyone, that is until she meets Adam. When Val turns 16 she breaks into a house where she finds Adam. And Adam knows something she doesn’t. Adam knows of a place that will keep them safe. Together they set out to find the safe place. It’s non-stop action from there on end. It’s an adventure that’s filled with suspense and action. And let me tell you, those Raspers are creepy!

I think the plot of the story is truly gripping. It isn’t your average “zombie apocalypse” story. There’s so much that makes this story what it is. It’s truly enticing! And the characters wonderful. They have so much depth to them. Val is a little stuck on caution mode, while Adam is mysterious and doesn’t mind taken risks if it means he’ll survive. Together they make a formidable team, and their journey to a safe place is not easy. But together, together they pretty much rock. 🙂

The Colony is a great survival story! The world the author has created is truly fascinating. If you enjoy survival stories with great characters and an amazing plot, filled with action that’s nearly non-stop, then be sure to check out The Colony. It won’t disappoint!

About the Author:

Kathleen wrote her first story in elementary school about a pegasus named Sir Lancelot. It had no plot or conflict, but it sparked a dream. After serving a fifteen-year sentence in retail management, the bulk in big box bookstores, she turned her love of reading into a full-time career writing dark and haunting characters and stories.

She lives by the mantra that a day is not complete without tea. Lots of tea. Kathleen lives in Ohio with her husband, two boys, and two attention-demanding dogs. When not writing or editing or revising, you can find her reading, cooking, spending time with her family, or photographing abandoned buildings.

Author links:

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Infinite Dolls by Emalynne Wilder
Publication date: May 3rd 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Rating: 4/5

Book Summary:

 

Born to be the best.

Head of his class.

No strings attached.

The third year of medical school is supposed to be the hardest, but Callum Trovatto has no idea what he’s about to face when Everly Anne Brighton stands between him and a passing grade, shaking up his world with her secrets, and digging into his dark past.

Hopeless.

Trapped by her father’s rules.

Longing for freedom.

Expected to die before her twenty-first birthday at the hands of a rare medical condition, Everly Brighton begins to defy the carefully crafted routine her father enforces to keep her alive, despite the fact that it could kill her.

INFINITE DOLLS is an emotionally charged love story about finding faith, coping with loss and living in the preciousness of Now.

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My Review:

 

About the Author:

Emalynne Wilder is the voice of the Broken-Hearted. The Forgotten. The Unheard. Painfully shy in person. Unapologetic on paper. She’s the girl listening to your dirt from the corner of the room as she plots how to turn tragedy into triumph.

Author links:

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Revolution by Jessica Frances 
Publication date: January 26th 2016
Genres: Dystopia, New Adult

Summary from Goodreads

I was raised in a world where humans no longer rule.
In the past, we made a terrible mistake by creating a new species we thought would serve us as our army, which led to our downfall.

There was a war, we lost, and many lives were massacred. It was the end of life as we knew it and the beginning of a hell we were now trapped in. We became enslaved to what we now called Superiors, becoming pets to them, simply there to entertain.

In a world so miserable, I managed to do the unthinkable: I fell in love. But even that was doomed, because to love a Superior was forbidden.

What the rest of the Superiors didn’t know was how deeply a human could love or how resilient we became when we were hurt.

The Superiors never could have imagined an uprising, which was why they never saw it coming.
Humans deserved to be free, and I would stop at nothing to deliver that promise.

My name is Tilly, and I am still alive with one sole purpose: to begin a revolution.
~
I had been raised to believe humans were worthless. We owned them and controlled them, and when we were done with them, we threw them away. Therefore, I never thought I would ever feel more for Tilly than disinterest. I never expected to want to save her.

It was forbidden for a Superior to love a human. No one had ever crossed that line, but I did. I fell madly in love with her, so it was no surprise how we ended up.

I was raised to be a soldier, and that was what I was always going to be. However, I was not a soldier for the Superiors, not anymore.

I became a soldier for humans, and I would stop at nothing to help them. They deserved to be free, and I would die protecting them.

My name is Johnny, and I am here with one sole purpose: to finish a revolution.

Buy Links

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My Review

This book has the level of maturity in the writing that I absolutely LOVED. I was incredibly interested in this book from the summary and it really did exceed my expectations. The visualization in scenes and incredible ability to guide the reader deeper and deeper into the story was really fun. This was a morally testing book that I believe has an underlying truth in our own society. It’s a bold story that looks into beings that are genetically engineered to be better and are considered Superiors. With no rights, humans became pets and there were no ramifications for how you treated them.

It’s a great twist on the usual dystopian genre that is popular today and had so much more to offer as well. A forbidden friendship emerges when Tilly, a human, is brought into Johnny and Charlotte’s home. As time goes by, Tilly and Johnny grow closer and weary of their feelings towards one another. Together, though, they are strong and determined to change their society forever. Having the past and present, as well as Tilly and Johnny’s point of view was a really interesting choice and it worked!

Revolution is suspenseful, engaging, and even sweet. I would definitely recommend you put this at the top of your list of ‘must read’.

About the Author

I enjoy reading and writing paranormal and sci-fi romance, however I will read almost anything if it is written well. My e-reader is FULL of books and I continue to add to them daily. I am a book hoarder and will never change. I love entering new worlds and finding new perspectives to view life through.

Feel free to add me as a friend on here or email me if you have any questions: jessicafrances_author@yahoo.com.au

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Above The Flames by Cassandra Fear
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: April 19th 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Rating: 3/5

Book Summary:

Jasmine’s sixteenth birthday was the worst ever…

All in one day, her dad died, she met a demon, and her mother rejected her existence forever. After all, the demon who killed her dad was there to take her, and all because of her stupid powers—the ability to conjure blue flames.

Two years later, she’s happy. But happy never lasts…

After moving to Idaho to live with her grandparents, Jasmine has a new life. Almost nobody knows about her powers, and she’s just a normal teenager with normal problems. Then comes her eighteenth birthday—and the earthquake that changes her world forever.

An army of demons rise from Hell. And Jasmine is right in the middle of the battle…

When demons claw their way to Earth, Jasmine is surrounded by hundreds of fire-eyed beasts. Worse, she is captured by a big-shot demon named Bael. He’s a tricky foe with a chip on his shoulder—and the desire to make Jasmine use her powers for evil.

Amon is a fallen angel with an attitude—and everything to lose.

Successfully escaping the underworld undetected, Amon is on a quest to regain God’s grace when he rescues Jasmine from the clutches of a particularly nasty demon he knows all too well. The attraction between him and the not-entirely-human captive is instantaneous. Heavenly sparks fly, but ideas of romance will have to wait. First they have to stop the demon race from wiping out the mortal realm. Humanity’s fate rests in their hands.

Can two troubled angels rise above the flames to ensure a future for mankind? Or will Jasmine and Amon’s souls be bound together—in hell?

My Review:

Above the Flames follows the story of Jasmine, a teenager with angelic powers. Jasmine is pretty much a bad ass (probably not as empathetic as she should be) and definitely seems to have bad birthdays. But the cool thing about Jasmine is that she gets to meet Fallen Angels and does what she can to save the world. She does cycle through guys a bit (I think there are three of them throughout the book), but overall I really enjoyed Jasmine as a character. I think she’s courageous and doesn’t mind telling anyone how it is.

Amon was probably one of my favorites from this story. He’s the guy that saves Jasmine in the beginning from a demon and Jasmine is practically obsessed with the guy (but who wouldn’t be, he’s pretty dreamy!)

I think the team that get’s assembled in this story is pretty cool, consisting of angels and humans that have powers. Cole and Gemma are also very likable characters and definitely help keep the reader engaged since they have a lot to offer as secondary characters.

I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters. I think that a book needs to not only have likable characters, a good story ARC, but also how they interact with each other, how the build relationships and how they tear down others. Characters need to help each other grow, or destroy each other. And I think that this is a strength of Cassandra’s.

I think the plot was intriguing and definitely kept me guessing and wanting to read more. The ending left us with a bit of a jaw dropper and definitely left it opened for a sequel. One I definitely look forward to reading!

The only thing I didn’t enjoy about the book was probably how much Jasmine thinks about Amon or Beau and what they think of her. It’s just constant and probably occurs a little too frequently. But other than that, I think it’s a truly enjoyable adventure! Definitely be sure to check it out!

About the Author:

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Fear My Mortality

Author: Everly Frost
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Pages: 342

Book Summary

In a world where people are invulnerable to illness and death, with lives spanning hundreds of years, a sixteen-year-old becomes witness to the impossible – her brother’s failure to regenerate after death after which she suspects that she too may be mortal.

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My Review

Fear My Mortality is a gripping journey of life and death. I was incredibly intrigued from the first page of this book. It’s so new and well-written that it became so easy to be captured immediately and desperate to find out more with Ava.

The world seems to be filled with a mass of psychopaths that find creative ways to main and kill each other. It’s sounds brutal, of course, except for the little detail of people coming back. Filled with fast healers and slow healers; these people that cannot die find peace with their enemies as a result. After all, what would be the point of fighting when no one can win? Except, peace is rarely that simple and as Ava discovers, there is so much more to the factions that exist in her world. The ability to heal faster is now a determination of superiority, at least to some people. The ability to kill…well it seems to be a high commodity for all the people holding a grudge.

There is this incredible cycle of action mixed with discovery as Ava and Michael run from everyone. Secrets that test the delicate trust between them as well as everyone Ava has known. She barely has time to come to grips with her brothers death before she forced to face her entire life changing. I was really shocked a few times in this book, especially with the action of Ava’s parents. As Ava struggles to survive and decide where she could ever be safe, she continues to think about the brother she lost. Ava eventually discovers all of his struggles and what he did to protect her before his death. It really hit home for me.

Michael is many things. Such a wonderfully complex character that accompanies Ava and is determined to protect her. With an extraordinary ability to heal, he might just have a chance to get her to safety relatively unharmed. Of course, it’s much more complicated than that. For one, he was the one to kill her brother. Two, he also happens to be the son of the man running the operation that’s hunting her. Three, he might have been the one to set off the chain of events that ruined her life. It sounds bad but Michael is a great character that cares for Ava at the risk of his own life.

There’s quite a interesting theme about the concept of this book. That if we are mortal, we have more compassion for others and it’s literally in our DNA. Mortals have the ability to live life to the fullest and grow. It’s brought up that Ava has this quality and shared it with her brother as well. However, strangely it was Michael that displayed the most compassion for me. Not to mention growth. He follows orders and fights like everyone else, careless about his life because he heals faster than anyone. Yet after the startling revelation that he’s killed Ava’s brother, his life has twisted and he rebels against everyone and everything he knew. He plans to leave everything behind and help Ava in anyway he can. As more of his history is revealed as well, Ava comes to understand and trust him.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It’s action can be slightly disturbing with gore but has this amazing energy that makes the scenes flow so well. I honestly read this in a matter of hours and look forward to reading more from Frost. Ava is a great character with admirable traits and I enjoyed the amazing ferocity, compassion, and smart decisions she made. I’m really looking forward to a sequel.

About the Author

Everly Frost wrote her first story when she was nine. She grew up in a country town, lived for a little while in Japan, and worked for several years in Canberra, Australia’s capital city. Now, Everly lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband and two children. She doesn’t speak Japanese so often anymore, has left the cold Canberra winters behind, but has never stopped writing.

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The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books

Book Summary (Goodreads):

Patient Twenty-nine.

A monster roams the halls of Soothing Hills Asylum. Three girls dead. 29 is endowed with the curse…or gift of perception. She hears messages in music, sees lyrics in paintings. And the corn. A lifetime asylum resident, the orchestral corn music is the only constant in her life.

Mason, a new, kind orderly, sees 29 as a woman, not a lunatic. And as his belief in her grows, so does her self- confidence. That perhaps she might escape, might see the outside world.

But the monster has other plans. The missing girls share one common thread…each was twenty-nine’s cell mate.

Will she be next?

Purchase Links:

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Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

My Review:

The Requiem Red is a wonderful historical fiction with a blend of darkness, mystery and romance. It’s a beautifully crafted Gothic Romance. I thoroughly enjoyed the world Chapman created and the characters she brought to life. I loved all the history she brought into this story and it clearly shows how much work she invested into this novel.  Her characters were, though odd, very captivating. The way Chapman reeled you in with their personalities and their stories was truly enchanting, especially Jane, patient 29! Jane is very interesting. She grew up in the insane asylum and had to be around all the horrors that happened there. Talk about freaky!

One thing I really loved was the musical element that Chapman brought to this novel. Jane sought refuge in her music, and I always enjoy books that try to incorporate music, art or dancing. I also really enjoyed the paranormal element to the story. The monster that roamed the halls and was taking Jane’s roommates in his attempt to get her was intense and scary and I loved this plot in the story!

As for the love stories, one of the love stories I thought was very adorable, but I feel like the other could have had a little more substance to it. Overall though I enjoyed both love stories, something I am often very picky about.

The ending was exciting and left on a cliff hanger and all I can say is I REALLY hope there’s a sequel so the questions I have can get answered.

Her characters, her plot, her world building, her ability to use history to set the stage, these are all strengths of Chapman. If you are into historical fiction, gothic romances, or horror stories, than you should definitely check out The Requiem Red.

About the Author:

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

She also writes under the pseudonym R.R. Smythe .

Author Links
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Winter Queen

by Amber Argyle

Release Date: June 19th 2013

Summary from Goodreads

Becoming a winter queen will make Ilyenna as cold and cruel and deadly as winter itself, but it might be the only way to save her people from a war they have no hope of winning.

Mortally wounded during a raid, seventeen-year-old Ilyenna is healed by winter fairies who present her with a seductive offer: become one of them and share their power over winter. But that power comes with a price. If she accepts, she will become a force of nature, lose her humanity, and abandon her family.

Unwilling to pay such a high price, Ilyenna is enslaved by one of the invaders, Darrien. While in captivity, she learns the attack wasn’t just a simple raid but part of a larger plot to overthrow her entire nation.

With the enemy stealing over the mountains and Darrien coming to take her to his bed, Ilyenna must decide whether to resurrect the power the fairies left behind. Doing so will allow her to defeat Darrien and the other invaders, but if she embraces winter, she will lose herself to that destroying power —forever.

Buy Links

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To receive Amber Argyle’s starter library for free (4 books!), simply tell her where to send it: http://eepurl.com/l8fl1

My Review

Can I just first say how pretty this cover is? It reminds me of my childhood when I used to print out fantasy creatures and put them on my wall. It really is some great work. Now to the review!

Argyle has an incredible ability to immediately suck you in to a book. It was really easy for me to immediately connect with Ilyenna and admire her throughout the book.

This book very much plays like a movie and allows the reader to envision the characters and surroundings to their imagination.  While I enjoy the more descriptive novels, I found that all of the action and plot motivators really moved the story along. This book is very heavily action packed to start out with, which is really right up my alley of what I like in books. I will say that for the reader that enjoys a more description and explanatory introduction, this book can be a bit of a whirlwind to start. A lot of new names, clans, and places are dropped with occasional backstory, so it kind of became of those stories where I have to repeat the word in my head a fews times to remember it. Or you can take a cue from my mom and have a post-it of names and descriptions nearby. 😉

The most admirable characteristic of Ilyenna was definitely her kindness. As a great healer in her village, she not only has a desire to help those in need but puts the people’s safety before her own. While her actions were not always the right one, she continues to the best of her ability to still be herself.

I really enjoyed how easily this story flowed and continued the story along. The villain of the story, Darrien, really was a teeth-grinding, cringe-worthy, glaring eyes bad guy. All good books have a good villain (or bad villain I guess I should say). His capture of Ilyenna was very tense and really quite frustrating. After Ilyenna is near death, she’s met with even more harsh decisions that affect not only her life, but the lives of those she loves, and the fate of her clan. However, as Ilyenna knows from the beginning, everything has a Balance in her world.

The romance in the book was a great addition as well. Ilyenna and Rone weren’t perfect and had clashing from time to time. However, they really do care for one another quite a bit. It was complicated and made it quite real and believable. Especially since this is just the beginning of the series, it was nice to see a blossoming relationship that left you wanting more.

I’ve really just touched the Iceberg of this adventurous story and would recommend it for sure!

Sidenote: There are a few triggers in this book that can come from the violence and war the clans ensue. Any future reader should take note of the summary as it is important to always be prepared.

About the Author

Amber Argyle is the number-one bestselling author of the Witch Song Series and the Fairy Queen Series. Her books have been nominated for and won awards in addition to being translated into French and Indonesian.

Amber graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in English and physical education, a husband, and a two-year old. Since then, she and her husband have added two more children, which they are actively trying to transform from crazy small people into less crazy larger people.

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The Beltane Escape by Ariella Moon
(The Two Realms Trilogy, #1)
Publication date: February 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Book Summary

Lady Fenella, ever surrounded by guards, knows only responsibility and duty. She believes Merlin and the Lady of the Lake are myths, Gran’s warnings about Fairy are superstition, and Fairy was invented to make children behave.But then Gran brands her, Lord Argonshire kidnaps her, and the Lady of the Lake makes her a pawn. The Highland heiress must betray her newly betrothed and fend for herself when she dives into a wormhole to save her cousin. She lands in a part of Fairy even fairies avoid, and joins forces with Talfryn, a half-Viking/half-Fairy.Fenella must use her wits to find her cousin, free the Lady of the Lake, and reach the wormhole in Glastonbury by Beltane. Nine days to unshackle herself from a sorceress, prevent a war between rival clans, and decide in which realm—and with which lad—she truly belongs. Oh, and The Most Powerful Wizard stands in her way.

 

This book is one wild adventure after the next. It begins with Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, running from the powerful Merlin in a quest to best him and prove her power. However, with her sight, it is revealed he will imprison her for her recklessness. This begins a chain of events that lead to our heroine Fenella. Fenella lives in the Scottish Highlands in 1505 and heir to the thanedom of two bickering people that were united by her mother and father’s marriage. While young, she carries a lot of responsibility on her shoulders and tries her best to set a good example.

 

However, Fenella’s life is turned upside down when her land is invaded by the Blackwoods. She is betrayed and hurt by her Gran, kidnapped by the Blackwoods, and arranged to marry the third son. Her only chance to survive the ordeal is if she is not ‘tainted’ by magic. Still, Fenella’s actions are honorable and she truly tries her best to stay noble in her actions. Even to the point of keeping her word and staying in the Blackwoods captivity. It’s only when her hand is forced, that she escapes in pursuit of her cousin Sorley, fearing he is in danger.

 

Fenella then begins her wild journey through a wormhole where fairies, brownies, and other magical creatures reside. As the Beltane approaches, she desperately searches for her cousin and gains allies along the way. Fenella is likely one of the stronger characters I’ve ever read. Though she fears the strange world she travels in, she continues with a second thought, desperate to save Sorley. She receives the unlikely help of a gatekeeper Dit and meets the mysterious Talfryn, and though she is wary of him, he intrigues her more and more.

It did take some adjusting to the way the time and culture is expressed. Some of the speech and descriptions of the scenes could be a bit confusing at first but after more chapters, it became a lot easier to follow. Even with the slightly challenging terms, Moon has a way of describing each scene and description of surroundings as incredible visuals. There are so many amazing details that easily fit in a scene and really enlighten the story.

I really enjoyed reading about the magical creatures that lived in the Fairy world and the ancient traditions they followed. There was so many amazing descriptions of the Fairy world packed into every scene but still moved the story along quite well. From the summary, it was known that Talfryn was half-Fairy which was eluded but quite interesting to discover as Fenalla travels with him. Not only is he on a quest of his own and still helps Fenella, but he subjected to harshness from others for his lineage.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of information about the fair folk, which is slightly daunting but still fascinating. Fenella is a strong and great character to root for and I really enjoyed her development throughout the story. Anyone who enjoys amazing world building will love this story. I was really taken by the beautiful descriptions and suspenseful scenes. Moon really takes fantasy stories to the next level and I’d recommend this to anyone that enjoys them.

About the Author

 

Ariella Moon draws upon her experiences as a shaman to create magical Young Adult fiction. Her Two Realms Trilogy is a medieval fantasy adventure series with romantic elements. The Teen Wytche Saga is a series of sweet contemporary paranormal romances.Ariella spent her childhood searching for a magical wardrobe that would transport her to Narnia. Extreme math anxiety and taller students who mistook her for a leaning post, marred her youth. Despite these horrors, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Davis. Ariella lives a nearly normal life doting on her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and an enormous dragon.Ariella loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at http://www.AriellaMoon.comor visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ariellamoon.author

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Facsimile by Vicki L. Weavil
Publication Date:  March 8, 2016
Publisher:  Month9Books
Rating: 3.5/5

Book Summary:

For a ticket to Earth, seventeen-year-old Anna-Maria “Ann” Solano is willing to jettison her birth planet, best friend, and the boy who loves her. Especially since all she’s required to do is escort Dace Keeling, a young naturalist, through the wilderness of the partially terraformed planet Eco. Ann‘s determination to escape the limitations of her small, frontier colony never falters, until Dace’s expeditions uncover three secrets. One offers riches, one shatters Ann’s perceptions of herself, and one reveals that the humans stranded on Eco are not its only inhabitants.

Ann’s willing to sacrifice friendship and love for a new life on Earth. But when an entire species is placed in jeopardy by her actions, she must make a choice – fulfill the dream that’s always sustained her, or save the planet she’s never considered home.

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My Review:

Facsimile follows Ann whom is desperate to get off of Eco. Her descendants came to Eco to terraform the plant to resemble Earth. Ann helps her grandma in the green house, and she has a boy her age name Raiden that fancies her, but there’s nothing keeping her on Eco. Eco is not her home. Earth is. The community on Eco barters with shippers that come to dock. The captain on the ship has a nephew that is a naturalist and has been conducting research on other planets. Ann volunteers to show Dace around Eco so he can collect samples. And on their ventures they make a miraculous discovery, one that tells them they aren’t completely alone in the universe. Their discovery though is soon in peril and Dace and Ann must do what they can to keep their discovery from being destroyed.

Facsimile is a fast past adventure filled with all sorts of exciting scientific concepts. Ann grows a lot through this story. She starts off as being somewhat selfish and a little insensitive to others, but over time she grows as an individual and starts care about more than just herself. Dace is a scientific nerd, and I just loved him. He’s very into his findings and is an easy character to like. Raiden is probably my favorite character. He’s a bit moody, but underneath it all a really good person. There is a love triangle in this book, and I’m not particularly a fan of love triangles, but I enjoyed the message at the end of the book concerning boyfriends. Part of the reason why Ann doesn’t really want to be with Raiden is that there really is no one else in their small community for her to match up with. It was practically a given when they were young that they would be together. But I think Raiden’s feelings are true and genuine and even though he’s moody and grumpy at times he’s very considerate of Ann’s feelings and doesn’t push her concerning the issue with Dace even though he obviously get’s jealous. And the two boys even were fond of each other, which is rare in love triangles and I have to admit I rather enjoyed it.

The plot was very enjoyable. It centers around their discovery and how to save it. If you enjoy adventures filled with science and great characters than be sure to check this book out! I highly recommended reading it! I give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5!

About the Author:

Vicki L. Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Virginia, a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University, and a Masters in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After working as a librarian at the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center, and the Museum of Television & Radio (now the Paley Center for Media) in NYC, she is currently the Director for Library Services at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats. A member of SCBWI, Vicki is represented by Fran Black at Literary Counsel, NY, NY.

Author Links:
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GIVEAWAY:

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Blackheath by Gabriella Lepore 
Publication date: December 21st 2015
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

My Review:

Maggie and her friend, Isla, try to get their fortunes told at Blackheath’s annual carnival.  The fortune teller refuses to even let Maggie enter the tent.  It seems that she has already been cursed by someone.  All of Maggie’s friends just brush off the incident, but Maggie isn’t so sure.  She has had a lot of bad luck lately.  Maybe she really has been cursed.  The only one she can turn to is Joel, a fellow classmate who just happens to be a witch.  In fact, his whole family are witches.  Joel agrees to help her break the curse, but it turns out to be harder than he thought it would be.  Helping Maggie might even be dangerous to his health.

I really liked this book.  Maggie and Joel are wonderful characters, but I also enjoyed the supporting characters like Joel’s brothers and Maggie’s best friend Isla.  The writing was good and the story line kept me interested all the way through the book.  I never got bored for a minute.  There were some interesting twists in the story that I didn’t see coming and I thoroughly enjoyed the little love story between Maggie and Joel.  I will definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out this fall.

If you are looking for a light, clean read full of high school drama with some witchcraft thrown in, then this book is for you.  I give this book 4 stars.

AUTHOR BIO:

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