June 9th by Emha Goliesh
Publication date: June 9th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Book Summary

June 9th: a night to love or a night to hate? A night to embrace or a night to erase? College freshman, Lacey Shyver, has no clue. Growing up with a neuromuscular disease, Lacey knows people only pretend to be nice—pity her, really, for looking different.

That is, until graduating senior, Blake Nivey, enters her life. Breaking down her walls and lifting her spirits with just one touch, he’s not like the others. He cares about her well-being and makes her laugh. He unlocks something within Lacey that captures her soul, yet Lacey’s internal struggles surface. Is she just a charity case for him?

Blake can’t possibly like someone with limited mobility when there are prettier girls wrapping their arms around him. Or can he? But when Lacey finally sees where Blake’s heart truly lies with her, everything changes.

Because once June 9th begins, it never ends.

Purchase (upon Book release)
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My Review

Goliesh’s characters all seem very real and unique. She takes extreme detail in her characters and gives them all a very differentiated sense of self and motivations in life. I did really enjoy each new character in this book and the ‘between the lines’ life they led.

Lacey is just a girl that wants to fit in and experience normal things in her life but with her disability, this has always been difficult for her. Especially with her controlling aunt and the family she said goodbye to long ago.

Being completely honest, I did have a bit of trouble connecting with Lacey due to her emotions changing so often. Lacey is a very impassioned individual which could be overwhelming at times and what did irk me a bit was her tendency to cry in situations that weren’t really that upsetting. However, it did seem warranted that at this troubling point of her life with discovering her feelings for Blake, not to mention school…well I would spontaneously cry too. In fact, I have now that I think about it. Her emotions drive her physical reactions often in the book. Very driven in her school work she finds it frustrating when the people around her do not take school seriously, something to which is the basis of her life and future.

I was a bit confused at first with Lacey’s predicament since she describes anyone touching her as painful and burning. Therefore, after a time when she enjoys Blake’s touch, it threw me for a loop. It did become clear that her pain was not only from her disability but her actual uncomfortableness with her own skin and therefore didn’t like anyone touching her directly. Especially without her permission. 

This book takes a different route to the classic love story you might often read. First, there is no love at first site but Lacey does fall very quickly. I was a little taken aback by her sudden feelings actually and had to get used to her sudden declarations but at the same time I could understand Lacey’s sudden change in feelings. She is struggling with changes in her life including a man actually showing her affection. With the female influences in her life, she’s able to see very opposite opinions on women looking for love and tries to come to terms with her own sudden affections for Blake.

Surprisingly my favorite character was Blake. Lacey and Blake’s interactions are very interesting to say the least and I was honestly surprised at times by their witty banter with one another. Blake is first described as a popular ladies man and perpetual flirt and when he starts to interact more with Lacey, you really discover more about him. I liked how you were able to discover more about his character; the odd quirks and history into his family and what drives him. He had some very funny one liners as well.

Despite the difficulties I first had, I did come to understand Lacey in a way. After all, her situation is so different than my own or what I’ve read from any other main character and it did open my eyes to many things disabled people experience. For this, I did enjoy the book quite a bit. It’s not often that a book will make you contemplate your morals and experiences one usually takes for granted. Overall, this book shares some very interesting and original experience. It’s main premise is to open the eyes of the reader and show the struggles of a smart but struggling woman looking for acceptance, understanding, and love.

About the Author

Shy and introverted, I never felt like I fit in, even though everyone saw me as a “social butterfly.” I moved around a lot in California, left people and met new ones, but nothing felt like home. Ever. Expect for writing. I grew up loving to write in small journals, under a desk, in a secret place. A place known to me and only me. I built a relationship with words in order to escape the reality that wrote about me—documents filled with all of my flaws and weaknesses. The reality that I didn’t understand at a young age and wanted to hide away from because my writing was something I could control. I could live in a secret place where every dream, fear, joy, and risk could be mine and only mine. My home. My safety. My love.

Author links

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Ascenders: High School for the Recently Departed

by C.L. Gaber

Release Date: April 20th 2015

Summary (from Goodreads)

Walker Callaghan doesn’t know what happened to her. One minute she was living her teenage life in suburban Chicago…and the next minute, she was in a strange place and in a brand new school with absolutely no homework, no rules, and no consequences.

Walker Callaghan, 17, is dead.

She doesn’t go to heaven or hell. She lands at The Academy, a middle realm where teenagers have one thing in common: They were the morning announcement at their high schools because they died young.

These high school kids are now caught in a strange “in-between” zone where life hasn’t changed very much. In fact, this special teen limbo looks a lot like life in a quaint Michigan town complete with jocks, popular girls and cliques.

“There are even cheerleaders in death,” Walker observes. It’s not a coincidence that the music teacher is a guy named Kurt who “used to have this band.” The drama teacher, Heath, is crush worthy because back in his life, he starred in some superhero movie.

Principal King explains the rules — there are none. Why? You can’t die twice.

There is no homework.

No tests.

No SATS.

You’re just there to learn because the human brain isn’t fully formed until you’re 24.

By the way, you can’t get hurt physically, so race your Harley off that hillside. But falling in love is the most dangerous thing you can do …because no one knows how long you’ll stay in this realm or what’s next.

“Losing someone you love would be like dying twice,” Walker says.

* * * * * *

Walker Callaghan has just arrived at the Academy after a tragic car accident. “Is this heaven or is this high school?” she asks.

She finds out her new life is a bit of both as she falls in love with tat-covered, bad boy Daniel Reid who is about to break the only sacred rule of this place. He’s looking for a portal to return back to the living realm.

He needs just one hour to retrieve his younger brother who strangely never arrived at The Academy. Bobby is an Earth Bound Spirit, stuck at a plane crash site that took both of their lives as their rich father piloted his private jet nose-first into a cornfield on Christmas Eve.

Walker loves Daniel and risks it all to go with him.

Have they learned enough to outsmart dangerous forces while transporting a young child with them? Can their love survive the fragmented evil parts of themselves that are now hunting them down as they try to find a way back to the middle?

At the Academy, you learn the lessons of an after-lifetime.

Buy Links

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Book Trailer

My Review

There’s a lot I can say about this book. How unique it is in its plot. How I actually felt like I was reliving high school memories of my own, despite the fact that The Academy is a high school like none other. Also, I really loved the quirky jokes and puns the author slipped in. Even the ones about death, which I never thought would amuse me. This book actually made me nostalgic, especially in the beginning. Perhaps it was the occasional music referenced and urged me to listen right away, or it could have been the mellow, highly accomplished but deceased teachers that spent their afterlife bettering the not so future of mankind. I feel I’m writing in circles but let’s just say this book is a tragic comedy, which is maybe not the best way to put it.

Walker is a 17 year old girl no longer going on 18 and she just started a new ‘life’ in ‘Michigan’. Only she doesn’t remember moving and her mother is acting strange. Also, they have a giant house with lots of pricy tech but no means of communication. Walker is bright, sassy, and intuitive to the people around her which made her a great editor ‘going on reporter’ for her old school paper. Suffice to say, I instantly liked her. On her second day in ‘Michigan’, she meets the allusive, rude, and chiseled Daniel and later his rambunctious siblings. After the initial scope of Daniel’s-perfection from head to toe-features, her unending questions quickly motivate him to show her just what has happened to her.

For some reason the thing that stood out for me the most with Daniel was his habit to actually reach out and physically move people (mostly Walker) out of his way, which was hilarious. I also think it’s a good indicator towards his personality. I really enjoyed all of the different types of characters in this book. Daniel’s siblings are a handful and wonderful to read, especially his interactions with them.

Overall, this book was a very good read with an easy flow of the plot that captured you from very early on. Discovering the each persons’ ‘story’ and the secrets of the school were quite interesting, as well as the plot twists along the way. Walker is a brave girl that takes her death in stride and doesn’t lose her sense of curiosity and generosity to the people around her. This looks like a great beginning to a series and I look forward to reading the sequel.

About the Author

C.L. Gaber is the author of the ASCENDERS SAGA and co author of Jex Malone. A well known entertainment journalist, she lives in Nevada with her husband Ron, bonus daughter Sabrina and two unruly dogs. ASCENDERS 2 is due out in early 2016.

Author Links

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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Silver in the Blood (Silver in the Blood #1)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

A New York Times bestselling author brings dark secrets to life in a lush new YA perfect for fans of Libba Bray or Cassandra Clare.

Society girls from New York City circa 1890, Dacia and Lou never desired to know more about their lineage, instead preferring to gossip about the mysterious Romanian family that they barely knew. But upon turning seventeen, the girls must return to their homeland to meet their relatives, find proper husbands, and—most terrifyingly—learn the deep family secrets of The Claw, The Wing, and The Smoke. The Florescus, after all, are shape-shifters, and it is time for Dacia and Lou to fulfill the prophecy that demands their acceptance of this fate… or fight against this cruel inheritance with all their might.

With a gorgeous Romanian setting, stunning Parisian gowns, and dark brooding young men, readers will be swept up by this epic adventure of two girls in a battle for their lives.

My Review:

This book is a good example of why you shouldn’t let other people’s reviews influence what books you read.  I was very excited for this book when it first came out, but I was unable to read it right away. By the time I was ready to read it, the reviews were not as good as I would have liked.  So I put off reading it until earlier this week.  I have a whole stack of books that I need to read, but this book was calling to me.  I am very glad that I took the chance.

Dacia and Lou are cousins, their mothers being sisters from an old and powerful Romanian family.  Their fathers are from two of the most prominent families in New York.  Dancia and Lou are best friends, but in many ways they are opposites.

Dacia is tall, thin, and beautiful.  She loves her cousin, Lou, and tries to protect her from things that might hurt or upset her.  She can get very restless when things become too routine and she can maybe even be a little wild.

Lou is short, curvy, and beautiful.  She is shy and always follows the rules.  She loves her cousin, Dacia and will do anything to make her happy.  She wishes that she were tall and thin like her cousin.

Their Aunt Kate takes them on a European Tour to give them some polish.  Lou’s family comes along too, but Dacia’s family stays home, because her mother is expecting another baby.  While in London, Dacia gets involved with a very dashing Lord.  As punishment, Aunt Kate whisks her off to Bucharest without stopping in Paris.  While Lou and her family head for Paris.  The girls have a hard time being apart.  They keep in touch by writing letters to each other.  Some very strange things start happening for both girls.  They are eventually reunited, but their whole lives are starting to change.  It seems there is a family secret.  One that some members of the family would kill to protect. Once the secret is revealed, their lives will never be the same.

I really loved this book.  This is not your normal shape-shifter story. To me it was a very refreshing change.  The author is a little slow to reveal the secret, but the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat.  I read this book in one day and I never got bored.  I had a hard time putting it down to take care of daily things.  It does not end on a cliff hanger, but there are enough unanswered questions to warrant a continuation of the story in other books.  When I got to the end of the book, I was sad for the story to be over.  I wanted more. I loved the characters, especially Dacia and Lou.  The story is told from both of their points of view.  I loved the letters they wrote to each other and the journal entries.  There are also a couple of villains  in this story and they are truly evil.  I love a good villain.

Jessica Day George is a great author and one of my favorites.  This book is definitely worth reading.  I give this book 5 stars.

Poison by Lan Chan
(Wind Dancer #1)
Publication date: September 1st 2015
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

Book Summary

Since the night her mother was murdered, sixteen-year-old Rory Gray has known one truth: There are no good Seeders.

In post-apocalyptic Australia, the scientists known as Seeders have built a Citadel surrounded by food-producing regions and populated with refugees from the wars and famine. To maintain their control, the Seeders poisoned the land and outlawed the saving of seeds.

It’s been six years since Rory graced the Seeders’ circus stage as the Wind Dancer and still the scars on her body haven’t healed. Even worse are the scars on her heart, left by a Seeder boy who promised to protect her.

Now the Seeders are withholding supplies from Rory’s region for perceived disobedience. Utilising the Wanderer knowledge she received from her mother, Rory must journey to the Citadel through uninhabitable terrain to plead for mercy.

However, the Citadel isn’t as Rory remembered. The chief plant geneticist is dying and rumours fly that the store of viable seed is dwindling. The Seeders are desperate to find a seed bank they believe Rory can locate, and they will stop at nothing to get it.

To defy the Seeders means death. But Rory has been close to death before–this time she’s learned the value of poison.

Recommended for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, strong protagonists, minority characters, circuses and nature!

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

My Review

The world Aurora grows up in is a violent dystopia of greed and savagery. Embracing her own encompassing feelings of revenge, she pushes herself into a warrior bent of the destruction of the Seeders but also the continuation of her mothers legacy. Still a feeling that lays heavy in her gut and heart continues to drive her to other actions that determine her future.

Poison is made of groups called Seeders, Wanderers, Reapers, and Blood Furies (which by the way is an amazingly scary name) all at war with one another. Famine causes ‘survival to the fittest’ in a dying land, where Aurora struggles not only to survive but save the future of their world.

Every bit of this book is like reading poetry. The way Chan describes even something like walking through a forest ends up being a dance in words, must like her plot. Usually when reading about a world so different it can be hard to follow at times. However, I had no trouble at all following the intricacies of this future dystopian world that captured me so quickly. I truly feel that this book is very fresh and unique. I usually feel a bit of tension with a character when I first start to read, yet I immediately enjoyed reading Aurora, or for short Rory’s, point of view and the struggles she faces. Rory is such a brave, aspiring character, and it was very easy to like her. She faces her fears, pushing past the moments when she only wants to freeze, and is very loyal to the people she cares about.

It was very refreshing to read a story based in Australia. Having already a bit of knowledge about the creatures and atmosphere that are already deadly, it was very interesting to read Chan’s particular flare about the conditions there. Just by writing this I realize how many different elements are involved in this story, yet I never felt boggled by an overload of information. If you crave fast paced action stories then you will certainly enjoy this.

Also, I must confess, I’m a sucker for bad boys in books. Rory’s counterpart (or adversary) Aiden can certainly fit the description. Aiden is ruthless and complicated, which makes him all the more fun to read.

I would definitely recommend the book, though I’d suggest reading it further in the future because I’m already frustrated that I can’t read the sequel. Kidding! Sort of…

About the Author

Lan Chan is a writer, gardener and professional procrastinator based in Melbourne, Australia. She is still waiting for her super powers to manifest but until then she writes young adult novels featuring strong female protagonists, minority characters and has a particular interest in dystopias and urban fantasy. Lan’s debut novel POISON, the first in her WIND DANCER series is due for release in September 2015.

Author links:

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