Book Review: Pointe By Brandy Colbert

Title: Pointe

Author: Brandy Colbert

Genre: Young Adult

Find It On: 

Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis:

Theo is better now.

She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

My Review:

The name of this book is so simple, but the story within its pages are so complex you wonder how just one word can encompass all this tale tells you. I was captivated as I read, wishing to never put it down. When you thought one thing to be true, you next find yourself questioning the very thing you believed moments before. I rooted for the protagonist, clapped for her, screamed at her, cried for her, and at times thought she was just plain stupid. It felt like I was reading from prospective of an actual teenager, her thoughts and voice did not feel like the forced writing of someone trying to mold a character they cannot relate to.
Something I did not like was I felt as thought it was too detailed. I found myself at times reading sentences that I felt lent nothing to the story. Other times it helped me believe I was right there with them, so its double sided coin.
It's hard to put into words how amazing I thought this book was. A story unlike anything ive read before, a tale of love, heartbreak, realizations and a past that can change the future. I enjoyed the fact that we saw development with Theo at the end, almost proud to see her grow more as a person as there were times I wanted to strangle her.
Overall it's a gripping and compelling story, not the typical coming of age story of most young adult stories.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes: 

 "I don't know how to say ballet is the only thing in this world that makes me feel alive, that doesn't disappoint me."

"I wondered if they knew how marvelous it felt to truly take control of your body, to possess the kind of daily discipline most people won't know in a lifetime."

"And maybe I am special, but it's not because he said so."

About the Author:

Goodreads | Website | Amazon

Brandy Colbert was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks and has worked as an editor for several national magazines. She lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Book Review: What's A Soulmate by Lindsey Ouimet

Title: What's a Soulmate

Author: Lindsey Ouimet

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Libby Carmichael has just met her Soulmate. It’s just too bad he’s behind bars.

When you only see the world in black and white until you meet yours, it's pretty simple to figure out when you’ve found your Soulmate. What Libby can't figure out is why fate/destiny/the powers-that-be have decided that Andrew McCormack is her one, true match. Libby is smart, organized, and always has a plan for what's coming next. So when she sees Andrew for the first time and her world is instantly filled with color, she's thrown for a loop.

Namely because he's in a dingy grey jumpsuit.

And handcuffs.

And being booked into a juvenile detention facility.

Surely a boy who's been convicted of a headline-making, violent crime isn't the person she’s meant to be with. There's no way she belongs with someone like that... Right?

Find It On:

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Kobo

My Review: 

What’s a soulmate is definitely something I haven’t read before. People start out not seeing color, solely in black and white and when you meet your soulmate you are thrown into a world full of colors you’ve never seen before. It’s definitely a unique version of finding your soulmate, especially because I read so much about werewolves and that’s a completely different way of finding your soulmate. 

I enjoyed the take charge way of our main character, who chooses to navigate on her own as she tries the list of questions that grows as the story goes on. There was a realness to her that I enjoyed, she didn’t just take everything in stride like I find a lot of main characters tend to do. Instead, she worries (making herself sick with it at some point), and becomes her own detective. 

I found the dialogue to be witty at times, and sometimes utterly ridiculous, which is expected of teenagers. The story had several twists which definitely threw me for a bit of a whirl (but of course I won’t give it away for you ;) ) and kept me interested in reading. I enjoyed the romance, or the lack of it at times. Sometimes it truly is refreshing when you can find a work where you have to really work for that love, whether it be destined or not. Considering the fact I’ve had a lot of trouble these last few months finding a book I can’t put down, I enjoyed this one greatly

Favorite Quotes:

"This is the same man who not only cried on my first day of kindergarten, but called into work sick so he could sit in his parked car across the street in case I needed him."

"Having a soulmate... Being with that Soulmate? It doesn't change human nature."

"Sometimes it's easy to overestimate in others something that you have so much of yourself."

"It's okay to not know how you feel, sweetie. That is totally okay... as long as you afford him the safe courtesy."

"And, Libby, you should know... Me not loving you might not be the end of your world, but it sure as hell would feel like the end of mine,"

Review By Sam Valkyrie

About The Author:

Lindsey Ouimet is an author and enormous fan of young adult literature. She grew up absolutely living for the Accelerated Reader Program at her elementary school, devouring one book after another. Over time her love of reading morphed into a love of telling stories as well. She's been writing ever since.

Born and raised (& still living) in Georgia, she spends most of her time obsessing over fictional characters (both her own and those created by others), wasting time on the internet, marathoning TV shows via Netflix, and hanging out with her husband and their small army of pets.

To date, her greatest claim to fame is the fact that she once made eye contact with Jordan Catalano... er... Jared Leto.

After and Again - Michael McLellan Review

Book: after and again

Author: Michael A. Mclellan

Book Synopsis:

Centuries after a cataclysmic event drastically changed the world, fifteen-year-old Zack McQueen stumbles upon a cave filled with relics from a nearly forgotten era. Relics that could both reshape his destiny, and forever change the future for all living things. Returning home, he finds his town in ruins, and his loved ones missing. Vowing to find them, he embarks on an epic journey of danger, love, and self-discovery that will take him to places that he’d never imagined possible.

Book Review:

It always seems like something military/war related that brings on the end of the world. In After and Again, we follow the trail of our hero Zack as he attempts to rescue those dearest to him. This book combined several different genres including adventure, romance, and even a western theme to the story, and did so quite nicely. I enjoyed the determination of our hero, and the fact that as the story played out we learned more about the blunders made in the past which helped explain why the world was as it was during Zack's present. One thing I did wish for was maybe more from the point of Zack's 'sidekick' Max. We get one snippet but it leaves me wanting to know more from him and his loyalty to our hero. With an ending that left me wanting to continue the tale, After and Again is a great read that probably has a little bit of something everyone loves. 

Favorite Quotes:

 “You go to hell!” the old man spat.   “Yes yes, if such a place exists, I will surely go there someday.

ARC Opportunity

Hey everyone!

It's Sam! As I'm sure some of you know my book will be coming soon. I'm getting it edited again one last time before it hits the kindle shelf, which I'm totally excited for! So in the meantime, I'm going to be offering an advance reading copy or two to anyone who is interested.

Answer to the moon is a young adult paranormal romance. If you're interested please comment here :D 

Keep on Rockin'

-Sam

Cover Reveal: Answer to the Moon - Samantha Julmisse

Title: Answer to the Moon

Author: Samantha Julmisse

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Book Synopsis:

Sometimes having a voice inside your head doesn't mean you're going crazy.

Adela is just your average teenager, aside from being a witch. Her coven loves her, even though she's nowhere near as powerful as any of them. The voice inside her head nags her all the time, but she's gotten pretty good at shutting it up. 

That was until new people showed up in town, creating a huge buzz around town. As Adela delves deeper into the world that they bring with them, she starts to question everything she knew about herself. 

What she finds could destroy everything she holds dear.

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22448225-answer-to-the-moon

About the Author:

 

Samantha Julmisse is an author, student, book lover and dreamer who prefers to be called Sam, claiming she looks like one (whatever that means). Her love for writing stems from her forever love of reading. She's been writing stories for as long as she can remember but didn't discover her true passion for it until her early teens.

In her spare time she can be found catching up on TV shows, online shopping, reviewing books for indie authors and listening to music. She eats perfectly acceptable amounts of chocolate and loves to see people happy.

Answer to the moon is her first published novel but will certainly not be the last.


Follow her On:
Website | Twitter

Witch Hunt - Patti Larsen Review

Series: Hayle Coven
Book: Witch Hunt
Author: Patti Larsen
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy

Book Synopsis:
Teen witch Sydlynn Hayle finally did it. Despite the fact she's a social outcast, Syd finally made friends. Even the captain of the football team wants to be her boyfriend. When an ancient power is freed to ravage her new town, Syd does her best to help her family fight. Too bad the mysterious Chosen of the Light don't see things her way. Their interference could lead to her family's destruction


Book Review:
Syd is back and better than ever! Just when things seem to finally be going her way (yay!), something new pops up that just brings her back to the life she wants to leave behind so bad (boo). My heart raced as I read this book, hanging onto every word as I turned the pages. I didn't know what to expect, but what popped up half the time was definitiely not something I dreamed up. Not just when it came to the world of magic she had always known, but also when it simply came to being normal. Now that was a new adventure for Syd, and she handled it pretty well (sort of, okay, well, just read it I can't find the best way to be honest here). 

Family Magic - Patti Larsen Review

Series: Hayle Coven
Book: Family Magic
Author: Patti Larsen
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Book Synopsis:
Her mom's a witch. Her dad's a demon. And she just wants to be ordinary. I batted at the curl of smoke drifting off the tip of my candle and tried not to sneeze. My heavy velvet cloak fell in oppressive, suffocating folds in the closed space of the ceremony chamber, the cowl trapping the annoying bits of puff I missed. I hated the way my eyes burned and teared, an almost constant distraction. Not that I didn't welcome the distraction, to be honest. Anything to take my mind from what went on around me. Being part of a demon raising is way less exciting than it sounds. Sydlynn Hayle's life couldn't be more complicated. Trying to please her coven, starting over in a new town, and fending off a bully cheerleader who hates her are just the beginning of her troubles. What to do when delicious football hero Brad Peters--boyfriend of her cheer nemesis--shows interest? If only the darkly yummy witch, Quaid Moromond, didn't make it so difficult for her to focus on fitting in with the normal kids. Add to that her crazy grandmother's constant escapes driving her family to the brink and Syd's between a rock and a coven site. Forced to take on power she doesn't want to protect a coven who blames her for everything, only she can save her family's magic. If her family's distrust doesn't destroy her first.



Book Review:
An amazing start to what appears to be a fantastic series from what I have read so far. I was hooked from the beginning, I don't think I have ever read a series quite like this one, which makes it all the better. The main character is a gem, there's a little bit of Syd in all of us, I know she has traits that definitely remind me of myself. The thing i think I love most about her is that fact that no matter what is happening, she still puts the love for her family ahead of things. So what if it means disobeying her mother aka coven leader, she's a badass heroine so it's okay. As the story unravels, my heart sped up at certain points where I thought it was going to jump out of my chest and find another body to inhabit. You know, get away from all the stress I was probably causing it. A story like this would be hard to maintain as it progressed, there would be lost of authors who lose the point in the middle of the book leaving readers unsattisfied. That is not the case here. Patti has given me all I could hope for and more.


Favorite Quotes:

"There's only one problem with mooping in your room for a whole day with no one to talk to. You have no one to talk to."

"I was done being a target, for my mother, for the Alison Morgan's of the world. They wanted a battle? They'd get one, Sydlynn Hayle style. Damn, I was late for class."

"The people who think witches are dangerous were never bullied in high school."

All in All:
A series with the promise of giving me more than I hoped for with each new book coming into my possession. I could barely put them down when I got my hands onto them, and I can't wait to read more of the series! You should too!

Cover Reveal: Collide - Christine Fonseca

Collide by Christine Fonseca
Publication date: April 29th 2014
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult

Designed by Book Cover Machine

Synopsis:
The most dangerous secrets are the ones that kill.

When a surprising mental breakdown draws too much attention from a secret government group call the Order, 17-year-old Dakota discovers that her so-called boring life isn’t so boring after all. Between the lies, secrets and assassins out to kill her family, Dakota discovers there’s more to paranormal activity than ghosts and cheap mind tricks. Now she must uncover the truth before a new breed of terrorism takes everything away – including her life.

Goodreads

AUTHOR BIO

Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Drawing on her expertise as an educational psychologist, her nonfiction titles address issues of emotional intensity, resiliency and giftedness. In fiction, she explores the darker aspects of humanity and delivers gothic thrillers that take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. In life, she teaches her own children to embrace their unique talents and find their voice by being a force of positive change in the world.
When she’s not writing or developing programs to support children with exceptional needs, she can be found spending time with her family, sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about Christine Fonseca or her books, visit her website – http://christinefonseca.com or her blog http://christinefonseca.blogspot.com.

Author links: 

http://www.christinefonseca.com/

https://twitter.com/chrstinef

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4077598.Christine_Fonseca

Cover Reveal: The Lost Kingdom (The Elements Series #1) - Stephanie Beerden

The Lost Kingdom by Stephanie Beerden 
(The Elements Series #1)
Publication date: May 28th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Designed by Amygdala Design

Synopsis:

A Prophecy made long ago, announced the arrival of the new Ladies of Elements.
And now almost a millennia later, it finally came true …
All her life Arima thought she knew who and what she was. That is until the day of her sixteenth birthday came and her world is turned upside down, when she’s told she’s not a White Witch but Lady Spirit. And that she is the one that has been foretold, will unite the Five Ladies of Elements once again and save Ilendia and the Other Lands from Ahriman, the Demon King.
At first Arima refuses to accept her new fate, but when Shanums come and destroy her village and kill her loved ones, she has no choice but to flee and fall right into the destiny she never wanted.
As she grudgingly starts her journey into the unknown, she is accompanied by her unicorn familiar Sirrim, Blythe, a Vampire with a dark past and Myrddin, a mysterious Ljosalfar.
And the longer her journey lasts, the more Arima begins to realise that she can’t escape her own destiny and she must learn to control her powers and learn to be a Lady for the sake of the Sisters she doesn’t know and the people of Ilendia and the Other Lands.
However, things get more complicated when Arima comes into the possession of a key. Her instincts compel her to go towards danger when she discovers that the key she holds, can unlock the legendary kingdom of Eléssima, the home of the Ladies of Elements.
She will have to make the choice to follow her instincts …
…or stay on the path that has been laid out for her.

Goodreads

AUTHOR BIO

Stephanie Beerden was born on Friday the 13th (no joke, she really was) in a small city called Genk and has always been fascinated with the occult, magic and books. Her childhood and teen years were filled with reading lots and lots of books and imagining what life would be like as a Vampire. Until one day she decided that she wanted to try her hand at writing her own books and that was the beginning of her writing adventure.

Her first book is a YA Fantasy called De Elementen – Het Verloren Koninkrijk and after many, many trials and tribulations, one small Dutch Publisher, named Jaylen Books decided “Hey, let’s give this girl a shot”. Her second book De Elementen – Archandir has recently been published by same publisher and she couldn’t be happier about that.

Stephanie hopes to keep writing as long as she can and already has several writing projects in the works for the future.

Author links:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6974721.Stephanie_Beerden

https://www.facebook.com/stephaniebeerdenauthor

https://twitter.com/SBeerden

Giveaway & Book Blitz: Chasing Prophecy - Book Blitz

Book: Chasing Prophecy
Author: James Moser

Publication date: January 2nd 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Thriller, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Mo is a shy teen just trying to survive high school.  He has secretly fallen in love with a girl named Prophecy.  Some people call her family a harmless hippie community.   Others call them a cult.  Desperate to keep their land, Prophecy’s family turns to the drug trade and tricks Mo into smuggling.  Prophecy flees the compound. She agrees to testify but disappears. Mo is devastated. When he is called to trial, the Family threatens to reveal his own drug trafficking. Mo commits to speaking out, though doing so will destroy his future.  Prophecy returns to help Mo kill the monster that her family has become.

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon

The author works with high school students because young adults inspire him. As such, he wanted to write about teenagers transforming themselves to overcome obstacles, which is what he watches them do every day. This book's mission is to entertain adults while inspiring teens.  The result is "Chasing Prophecy," a story about love, loss, redemption, and monsters.

Boo Radley is the author's all-time favorite literary character, which is how the Seattle-area legend of Bigfoot entered "Chasing Prophecy".

The author lives in Seattle with his beautiful wife and lively eight year old son. When he's not reading and writing, or talking about reading and writing, he's watching too much television and snacking on frozen treats from Trader Joe's. Man, those things are good.

Author links:

Goodreads I Twitter I Facebook

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