Review: Hannah Both Ways - Rosie Greenway

 

A devastating Twitter prank yanks Hannah out of the popular crowd and turns her into the high school’s best bad joke. Determined to finish the year and graduate, Hannah must keep the humiliating details from her impulsive mother—who just might pack up their belongings and move. Again.

Hannah hovers below the radar by submersing herself in a new routine. Post-it notes, Dewey Decimal numbers and carefully planned trips to the library are her refuge. That is, until a persistent new student invades her space. Lucas has complete disregard for Hannah’s cynicism and snark, and he seems to know the bullies who targeted her. Can Hannah trust him, or is he part of another ploy to torment her?

Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27218824-hannah-both-ways

Purchase Links:

BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD ~*~

Oh Hannah Both Ways, I am so, so very glad I pushed past the slowish start to get to the meat of you!  I adore this book.  It’s such a wonderful, and true to life portrayal of the ups and downs of modern day high school.  As horrible as it sounds, I found Greenway’s skill with using social media, and it’s wildfire rumor mill, fantastic; because she took into mind, exactly how devastating it can be.

Further, I found not only Hannah and Lucas to be superbly wrought characters, each with very distinctive mannerisms; from Hannah’s grounding technique using the dewey decimal system, to Lucas’ ‘wise beyond his years’ feel - but, also, all of the secondary characters Greenway populated the novel with equally as well fleshed out.

While I feel that Hannah Both Ways and Greenways writing will appeal to not only fans of John Green and XX, and the contemporary side of today’s YA world, I do worry that the slower pacing and start to the story might lose a few readers.  That being said, I highly recommend Hannah Both Ways, both for its take of how social media influences our world, and for the sweet romance.  I cannot wait to get my hands on Greenway’s next book!

-Physical copy provided by publisher, in exchange for review during blog tour

~*~

About the Author

Rosie Greenway grew up on the outskirts of Toronto, and continues to live and work in the GTA with her husband and family. After spending her formative years public-school hopping, Rosie attended the University of Toronto, specializing in English literature.  A former English teacher, Rosie now finds herself putting into practice the many lessons she used to impart to the students in her class room. While she has often turned to writing as a way to relax and unwind, Hannah Both Ways is her first foray into the world of Young Adult publishing.

When she isn’t writing, Rosie is an avid traveler, armchair film critic, enthusiastic foodie and voracious reader.  She is a passionate literacy advocate and one of her greatest achievements is instilling in her daughter the joy of reading.

You can connect with Rosie on Twitter @Rosie_Greenway.

Connect with the Author:   Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads Giveaway!!

• Two (2) winners will received a physical copy of Hannah Both Ways by Rosie Greenway (US/Canada)
• Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Hannah Both Ways by Rosie Greenway (INT)

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Review: Breath to Breath - Craig Lew

Title: Breath to Breath

Author: Craig Lew

ISBN: 9781939775085

Publication Date: November 17, 2015

Publisher: Relish Media

Source: publisher

Uprooted from his home and sent to live with his estranged father, seventeen-year-old William's world is feeling tenuous at best. When he's unexpectedly dragged into a situation in which he has no choice but to help an abused four-year-old boy, William’s world is rocked to the core as he discovers the truth behind the mysterious young boy’s stories of extreme sexual abuse. He and this boy are connected in ways William can't even imagine and as horrible memories begin to flood his consciousness, William’s rage drives him to steal a neighbor's guns, convinced he must kill those responsible for causing a boy so much pain and betrayal. How William finds the love and compassion he needs to make the right choices is the heart and pulse of this riveting verse novel. Inspired by a true story, BREATH TO BREATH explores what hurt and healing really mean: to survive you hold your breath, but to live you must exhale.

LINKS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | The Book Depository | Goodreads

~*~

As a long time fan of Ellen Hopkins' wonderful, gut wrenching novels written in free verse poetry, I was more than willing to take on the challenge of reading Craig Lew's Breath to Breath; especially after I found that Hopkins had read it and given it a glowing review.  That being said, Breath to Breath is definitely a tough read, because like Hopkins' work, Lew doesn't sugar coat the darker aspects of life, even when telling the story from the perspective of teen narrator William.

Lew's skill with verse makes this novel sing with emotion.  Each word on the page is necessary, no fluff words added to dull the message of growth and healing woven throughout the novel.

I found William an easy narrator to sink into, and empathize with - even when his soul searching and anguish was strong enough to bring me to tears.  William is so true to life, and real, that it was difficult for me to divorce myself from him when I put the book down for a breather.  I found, as I went about my day, that he was haunting me, and I absolutely felt driven to return to him to find out how his story would be resolved.

Breath to Breath is a difficult read, yes; however, it is a book I feel needs to be read, lest we behave like ostriches, burying our heads in the sand to pretend that such evils aren't found around us.  I have already added Breath to Breath to my shelves, where it shares pride of place with my Hopkins collection, Ilsa Bich's Drowning Instinct, and Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden. 

~Digital ARC, and physical copy, provided by publisher, in exchange for an honest review

~*~

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~*~

About Craig Lew:

Craig Lew’s storytelling career began even before he had learned to write. As a child, he used his father’s tape recorder to capture tales about strange planets and scary creatures. His favorite story openings at that time were, “Once upon a junk yard heap …” or “It was a dark and stormy night.”

A movie producer, director, award winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter, Craig still favors a Hitchcockian thriller over a broad teen comedy. Regardless of the genre, he believes the best stories involve a hero who is either seeking love or giving love. At heart he’s a big, mushy romantic.

Craig spends his days with his fiancé in a house on a hill with the corgi land seals Yobo and Zeekie, a three-footed Boston Terrier named Moogie, and Smittens, the kitten with the marshmallow mittens.

I strive to spread good karma. Artistically, I enjoy pushing the envelope because I believe this makes more room in the middle. I believe the keys to success are dreaming big, working hard, and being nice.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Review: A Royal Baby Surprise - Cat Schield

Title: A Royal Baby Surprise

Author: Cat Schield

ISBN: 9780373734061

Publication Date: July 17, 2015

Publisher: Harlequin

Source: purchased

Chasing the man who broke her heart halfway around the world to tell him she's pregnant is the hardest thing Brooke Davis has ever had to do. But when she catches up with him, he's got a surprise for her, too: he's been hiding his royal roots. Nic Alessandro is a prince, and Brooke's an unsuitable match—but their attraction is hotter than ever!

~*~

Oh Harlequin, you provide me with such wonderful ways to pass the time. :)

Although this book is part of a series - all about the Sherdana royals, oo-la-la! - I read it as a standalone and wasn't left feeling as though I was missing the entire backstory.

I enjoyed Schield's writing, and the story between Brooke and Nic.  Their romance felt like a real, believable connection and not one of the insta-love kind I find in a lot of romance novels.  My one major complaint in the story was Nic's need to repeat the name of his former project, the Griffin, every other page.  It got redundant, and irksome.

More of a novella in length, A Royal Baby Surprise was a fun, quick read with a well crafted HEA that makes me want to find a copy of the first book in the series and find out what I've missed.

Review: Perfected - Kate Jarvich Birch

“All that mattered was how things looked on the outside.”

Title: Perfected

Author: Kate Jarvich Birch

ISBN: 9781622662685

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Source: publisher

As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.

Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows… and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.

~*~

I’m a total sucker for dystopian reads, be they YA, Middle Grade, or Adult.  I love being moved and disturbed by the often times believable glimpses into what could be our future.  Especially when the stories take a turn towards the dangerous realm of human slavery, and the different facets of said slavery.

Perfected begins with a group of perfectly poised, posed young ladies with no names waiting to be purchased and taken to their forever homes.  Birch immediately draws you into the world she’s created, your heartstrings being tugged at from page one.  The concept she brings to page is one which I have to admit is a favorite of mine, even as it worries me that the thought of specially bred, or raised humans being considered less human than everyone else.

Ella very quickly wormed her way into my list of well crafted characters.  She’s just so naive and innocent, and yet sure of herself and her place in the grand scheme of things; until she starts developing feelings and emotions she’s not ‘supposed’ to have.

Without exception, I found Birch’s characters to be solid throughout the entirety of Perfected.  Even when I didn’t, personally, like the character they still fit the personas they were meant to.  From the anti-Pet ‘nut’ to the disturbing Congressman, every one was believable and added to the overall story.

If I had a complaint with Perfected it was that there were so many questions left unanswered.  Like, what event in history led to people thinking ‘oh hey, let’s genetically engineer girls affluent people can own to raise their status’?  How did Ella’s ‘childhood’ in the kennels go?  And, why aren’t there male pets?  I’m really hoping that some of my questions are answered in Tarnished, otherwise I may have to hunt Birch down to politely demand answers. ;)

-Digital ARC provided by publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Halloweek Reading: Seize the Night - Christopher Golden

Halloweek Reading to SEIZE THE NIGHT!

Enjoying a great treat is not just for kids on Halloween. Indulge yourself this week and read SEIZE THE NIGHT: NEW TALES OF VAMPIRIC TERROR, the new “stellar anthology of tales” (Publishers Weekly Starred Review), sure to quench your thirst for a Horrific Halloween read! Conjuring reactions such as “Going back to the heydays of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot” and “For anyone who likes tales of the creepy sort like Stephen King’s short stories in Everything’s Eventual or Nightmares & Dreamscapes,”  how can one resist?

SEIZE THE NIGHT

Edited by Christopher Golden

Gallery Books

October 6, 2015

ISBN: 9781476783093

Trade Paperback

$18.00

Once upon a time, vampires were figures of terror…and they can be again. Legends of these dark creatures sprang from every corner of the world and infinite variations throughout history—with even more of them waiting in the farthest corners of the imagination. SEIZE THE NIGHT takes hold of a popular culture environment where the vampire has largely lost its ability to inspire fear, and now brings out the dread, showcasing twenty all-new tales of horrifying evil from an extraordinary lineup of twenty contributors:

Under the Big Green Roof: October's Picture Book Reviews

The Most Magnificent Thing
Ashley Spires

The girl has a wonderful idea. "She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look. She knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!" But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.

~*~

I adored this picture book!  Filled with illustrations that made me grin, The Most Magnificent Thing teaches a wonderful lesson about perseverance and working through the bumps in things, even when it seems like your idea has no merit.  I especially love how Spires shows the nameless little girl's progression from a brilliant idea, to anger over it not working the way she wants, to giving up, and all the way around to success.

Definitely a book for your storytime library, and a book I look forward to adding to my own library for future munchkins.

Publication: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Kids Can Press
-Digital ARC provided by NetGalley, in exchange for a review.

Review: Crimson Peak - Nancy Holder

"Actually, I'd rather be Mary Shelly; she died a widow."

Title: Crimson Peak

Author: Nancy Holder

ISBN: 9781783296293

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Titan Books

Source: purchased

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds...and remembers.

Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak. From acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro.

~*~

I've enjoyed Nancy Holder' writing since I first discovered her through her Buffy novelizations, so I was quite excited to find out she was the author behind the Crimson Peak novelization.  Having seen the film itself prior to picking up the novelization I already knew where the story was heading; however, Holder has brought a good amount of inner monologue and scenes which weren't in the theater release, and made this story all the more wonderful.

Definitely a movie novelization I enjoyed equally as well as del Toro's visually stunning film.

Review: Welcome to Night Vale - Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

'People are beautiful when they do beautiful things.'

Title: Welcome to Night Vale

Author: Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

ISBN: 9780062351425

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Source: publisher

From Goodreads:

Located in a nameless desert somewhere in the great American Southwest, Night Vale is a small town where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are all commonplace parts of everyday life. It is here that the lives of two women, with two mysteries, will converge.

Nineteen-year-old Night Vale pawn shop owner Jackie Fierro is given a paper marked "King City" by a mysterious man in a tan jacket holding a deer skin suitcase. Everything about him and his paper unsettles her, especially the fact that she can't seem to get the paper to leave her hand, and that no one who meets this man can remember anything about him. Jackie is determined to uncover the mystery of King City and the man in the tan jacket before she herself unravels.

Night Vale PTA treasurer Diane Crayton's son, Josh, is moody and also a shape shifter. And lately Diane's started to see her son's father everywhere she goes, looking the same as the day he left years earlier, when they were both teenagers. Josh, looking different every time Diane sees him, shows a stronger and stronger interest in his estranged father, leading to a disaster Diane can see coming, even as she is helpless to prevent it.

Review: Spinning Starlight - R.C. Lewis

"Clever girl."

Title: Spinning Starlight

Author: R.C. Lewis

ISBN: 9781423185154

Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Source: NetGalley

Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it's hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it's just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi's vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

~*~

One of my favorite fairy tales is Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans, so I was beyond excited when I read the above synopsis for Spinning Starlight.  And I must say, I was not disappointed with Lewis' retelling of my favorite.

I really like Liddi's character.  She was both a really strong character, and so very insecure about her own self worth, making her feel true to life and three dimensional.  Liddi felt like someone I could relate to.  Someone I could see myself being friends with, if she lived in the same world I do.  Lewis does a fantastic job of portraying her struggle of coming into her own, while trying to come to terms with what the public world was constantly demanding of her.

And even though she spends the majority of the novel forced into silence, lest she kill her brothers, Liddi still manages to be a very complex character.  Watching Liddi try to navigate a foreign world without the ability to speak was both humorous and frustrating because Lewis wrote it in such a way as to make you want to reach out and help her.

I did find Tiav a bit flat in comparison to Liddi, but loved him just as much.  He was such a human character, that the gut wrenching misunderstanding in the latter half of the novel was completely believable in its drama.

Further, I adored the strong familial ties Lewis crafted between Liddi and her eight brothers, and Tiav and his mother.  It gave this retelling a true sense of the backbone of the fairy tale, which to me is the relationship between the siblings.  I loved the strength of Liddi's brothers, and the sense of self they gave to her, even when they weren't present.

My only complaint is about the amount of science speak that's interspersed throughout the novel.  I found it to be a bit distracting as a whole; however, I'm not much a science type gal, so that may be a personal preference coming into play.

Spinning Starlight was a wonderful retelling of a classic, lesser known fairy tale, and I look forward to not only adding it to my library, but also gobbling up Stitching Snow.

-Digital ARC provided by NetGalley, in exchange for a review.

Review: Illuminae - Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

"Am I not merciful?"

"Don't look at me!"

Title: Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01

Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

ISBN: 9780553499117

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: NetGalley

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Review: Prisoner of Love - Cathy Skendrovich

'The gun bounced so much in her shaky grasp that if she did fire, he'd likely be the one to catch the bullet.'

Title: Prisoner of Love

Author: Cathy Skendrovich

ISBN: 9781633754119

Publication Date: October 19, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Source: NetGalley

It was supposed to be a girls-only weekend in the California mountains. But when Lucy Parker is carjacked by an escaped prisoner, her fun weekend takes a nighmarish turn. Now she's caught up in a dangerous world of stolen money, vicious drug dealers, and murder, and the only thing keeping her alive is her oh-so-hot captor.

Imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, undercover cop Jake Dalton wants answers-now. Worse, he's dragged Lucy into the mix, and she's now guilty by association. With their lives on the line, the race is on to get to Las Vegas before they're killed...and they're running out of time.

Review: Awake - Natasha Preston

‘I wanted to roll my eyes.’

Title: Awake

Author: Natasha Preston

ISBN: 9781492618522

Publication Date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: NetGalley

Scarlett Garner doesn’t remember anything before the age of four—but a car accident changes everything. She starts to remember pieces of a past that frighten her. A past her parents hid from her…and a secret that could get her killed.

Review: Merry Mary - Ashley Farley

"Miracles come in all shapes and sizes.  You were Mary's miracle, not the other way around."

Title: Merry Mary

Author: Ashely Farley

ISBN: 97810986167225

Publication Date: October 15, 2015

Publisher: Smashwords Edition

Source: NetGalley

Investigative journalist Scottie Darden is photographing the homeless for her Lost Souls series when she makes a discovery that could change her life forever. Under a makeshift tent in subzero temperatures in a downtown city park, she finds a woman's dead body with her infant child. Without her cell phone to call for help, Scottie makes the split-second decision to take the baby home. Her initial instinct is to provide the baby with food and shelter until her family can be located. But as her fondness for the baby grows, she finds herself facing a life on the run or worse—prison time for abduction.

~*~

Merry Mary is a quick read, being that it's only an 89 page novella.  However, Farley still packs quite a whallop of emotion into the too short story.  I spent the story torn between shaking some sense into Scottie, and being in complete accord with the insanity her biological clock insisted was 'right'.

Further, I really loved the tight knit family bonds Merry Mary portrayed, both with Scottie and her parents, and Scottie and her brother.  Everything about them felt true to life, and very believable.  Scottie's husband, Brad, was probably the only person in the novella I didn't like - he came off as immature and lame, which I imagine was the idea of his portrayal.

Definitely a well thought out novella, with characters I want to see more of in more of Farley's writing.  I eagerly look forward to the next story of hers that I get the opportunity to step into.

-Digital ARC provided by NetGalley, in exchange for a review

Review: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

“At Watford, Magic is just the air we breathe. It's not what separates us from each other; it's what keeps us together.”

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

ISBN: 9781250049551

Publisher: St Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Source: Purchased

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

Review: Fat Cat Art - Svetlana Petrova

Title: Fat Cat Art

Author: Svetlana Petrova and Zarathustra

ISBN: 9780399174780

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Publisher: Tarcher

Source: Tarcher

Internet meme meets classical art in Svetlana Petrova’s brilliant Fat Cat Art. Featuring her twenty-two-pound, ginger-colored cat Zarathustra superimposed onto some of the greatest artworks of all time, Petrova’s paintings are an Internet sensation. Now fans will have the ultimate full-color collection of her work, including several never-before-seen pieces, to savor for themselves or to give as a gift to fellow cat lovers.

~*~

This book is fantastic!  I love the way Petrova incorporates Zarathustra, her ginormous ginger tabby, into the famous works of art.  And Zarathustra's commentary joins all of the 'true' paintings with all of the snark you'd expect from a cat.  This is definitely a book I'm thrilled to add to my collection of cat-centric books.

-Finished copy provided by the publisher, in exchange for a review

Review: Touching Fate - Brenda Drake

Title: Touching Fate

Author: Brenda Drake

ISBN: 9781633754041

Publication Date: October 12, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Teen Crave

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

Aster Layne believes in physics, not psychics. A tarot card reading on the Ocean City Boardwalk should have been a ridiculous, just-for-fun thing. It wasn’t. Aster discovers she has a very unscientific gift—with a simple touch of the cards, she can change a person’s fate.

Reese Van Buren is cursed. Like the kind of old-school, centuries-old curse that runs in royal families. Every firstborn son is doomed to die on his eighteenth birthday—and Reese’s is coming up fast. Bummer. He tries to distract himself from his inevitable death…only to find the one person who can save him.

Aster doesn’t know that the hot Dutch guy she’s just met needs her help–or that he’s about to die.

But worst of all…she doesn’t know that her new gift comes with dark, dark consequences that can harm everyone she loves. 

Review: Cinderella's Shoes - Shonna Slayton

"You're right.  The tags distracted me.  I need to stay with my original plan.  I'm here to find Cinderella's shoes and see if they can lead me to my dad."

Title: Cinderella's Shoes

Author: Shonna Slayton

ISBN: 9781633751231

Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Source: NetGalley

The war may be over, but Kate Allen’s life is still in upheaval. Not only has she discovered that Cinderella was real, but now she's been made Keeper of the Wardrobe, her sole responsibility to protect Cinderella’s mystical dresses from the greed of the evil stepsisters’ modern descendants.

But Cinderella’s dresses are just the beginning. It turns out that the priceless glass slippers might actually exist, too, and they could hold the power to reunite lost loved ones like her father—missing in action since World War II ended. As Kate and her boyfriend, Johnny, embark on an adventure from New York to Italy and Poland in search of the mysterious slippers, they will be tested in ways they never imagined.

Because when you harness Cinderella's magic, danger and evil are sure to follow...

Review: Illusion - Lea Nolan

"Don't you see?  We're connected, you and me.  We always have been.  And always will be.  So as long as this thing keeps buzzing, I'm going to be here for you."

Title: Illusion

Author: Lea Nolan

ISBN: 9781622664030

Publication Date: October 5, 2015

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Source: NetGalley invitation

New school. Cross-country move. Broken heart. If only these were Emma Guthrie’s worst problems as the first day of her sophomore year dawns. Instead, she must battle a trio of enemies—human and spectral—who may or may not have joined forces against her. All while pretending to be over Cooper Beaumont, her ex-boyfriend and true love, to shield him from her arch-nemesis’s revenge.

Worse, when the fight escalates, Emma is tempted to use the black magic she’s always fought against, endangering her own soul. As her enemies close in, join forces, and fight with new and dark magic she’s never seen before, Emma must finally harness the power within her to fulfill an ancient prophecy, defeat a centuries-old evil, save her family, and reclaim the only boy she’s ever loved.

Review: Breath - Jean Lowe Carlson

Title: Breath 

Author: Jean Lowe Carlson

Series: Three Days of Oblenite #1

Release Date: 23 March 2013

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords 

Summary:

Gryffine Toulunnet is cursed to steal life with her kiss. Repressed and miserable, she is free of her curse but once a year, upon the heady death-festival of Rollows. Until her curse marks dashing barman Jessup Rohalle as her soulmate in a single night of passion. Destined to meet again, Jessup finds Gryffine and opens her restricted life into pleasure, causing Gryffine to fight her curse's isolation. But Gryffine's dark draw to kill is shared by another, a man bitterly cursed like she, a secret that Jessup can never know. And only her dark lover understands her suffering.

Potential Triggers: Menage a trois, murder

Review: Ward Against Destruction - Melanie Card

'No.  Save the man.  Be a physician, not a monster.'

Title: Ward Against Destruction

Author: Melanie Card

ISBN: 9781633754522

Publication Date: October 5, 2015

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:

Ward de’Ath used to think that nothing could be more terrible than death. Now he realizes there are worse things. Like his never-ending hunger for blood. Even if he conquers the unbearable cravings that drive him headlong toward destruction, he’s a wanted man with a bleak future.

Assassin Celia Carlyle learns she is the only one who can protect Ward from disaster. She loves him–she wants to help him, but no one can tell her how to save him from himself. And the confusing voices in her head scream to let him go.

But Ward's dark trials keep mounting. A malevolent evil is rising in the land, threatening to unleash horror upon the world. The only way Ward can defeat it, and have the chance to marry Celia, is by accepting his fate and becoming the one thing he swore he would never become...