Magnus and The Jewelled Book of the Universe

Title: Magnus and the Jewelled Book of the Universe
Author: S.L Browne
Genre: Children's, Adventure, Fantasy
Source: Ebook - Netgalley
Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Magnus is a young boy who discovers he is actually from a tribe of Aliens known as Guardians of the Universe.  His mentor Marlo fears an evil wizard named Murdamond will try to destroy their planet after he has destroyed Earth.  Magnus discovers the evil wizard kidnapped his parents and is holding them hostage.  Now Magnus needs to not only save his parents, but also his planet and the whole universe from this evil man.    He utilizes all his power, his friendships with humans and dinosaurs as well as the Jewelled Book of the Universe (which decided it wanted to be a girl to make things interesting).  Will he be able to discover everything he needs to in time to save the world as he knows it?

Netgalley is one of my favorite places to find new books and new authors.  S.L. Browne is a new children's author and makes a name for herself with her debut novel.   While the title may be a mouth-full the story itself was very enjoyable to read and exciting for young readers.  The writing is simplistic, but again this is meant for children not adults.  It was very creative and descriptive that a child would love with characters a child would love as well. There isn't much depth to the characters or the story, but then again I am an adult reading from an adult POV.  It is a story of a young boy who discovers things about himself that he never knew, and comes to terms with those things as well as tries to save his parents. 


Brownes novel takes a look at some very adult themes such as greed and global awareness, and puts into a child-like perspective which is very well done and this book is a good way to introduce those things to young readers.  It doesn't seem like a lot happens in the story, but this is a part of series so it's common for the first book to sort of build things up for the next one, and to a child there may have been a lot of things happening.


As I was reading I thought to myself, would this have been a book I would have enjoyed as a kid of 7-9 years old and the answer is yes.  Children don't need long extensive books that delve deep into the woes of the world.  They need on that is appealing, easy to read and on their level, and that is exactly what Browne accomplished with her book.  I hope to see more from her (him?).

Girl Gone Rogue

Title: A Girl Gone Rogue

Author: Forrest Kane

Genre: Thriller, Psychological thriller

Source: eBook

Rating: 3 out of 5

Waking up in a psych ward with little memory of her past, Iraq veteran Dominique Wolfe must come to terms with her demons as she works through her troubling, psychotic history. Dominique is unsure if she can trust her own mind: it has been tainted by several bad choices she has made since coming home from deployment. As flashbacks help her begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together, Dominique realizes that sometimes, things are not always as they seem.

This debut novel from Forrest Kane is very well written and keeps the readers guessing.  After reading this the reader will have the understanding that this novel is not like any other thriller or psychological novel out there.  It breaks the mold and sets a new standard as far as storyline and character development goes.  There are a few moments when the author repeats something he already said for example:


"The room has nothing inside, no windows, no objects I can use to escape with.  The place is utterly empty..."


It doesn't take away from the story and gives the reader an idea of what the character is thinking right off the bat, but at the same the reiteration is not necessarily needed.  Some parts don't make sense or make the reader wonder how did that happen:


"my attempts to turn the doorknob appear to be futile, which is, in fact, secure from the outside."  So the door to the room is locked from the outside correct?  just a paragraph later:


"I peer down the hallway and do not see anyone coming."  If the door was secure and there are no windows, how did the narrator be able to peer down the hallway?




Despite the few inconsistencies, this was an enjoyable book to read as we watch Dominique piece together the fragmented portions of her life.  Readers cannot piece together the whole puzzle  until Dominique discovers something new, which makes this novel fun and engaging as readers want to know what will happen next.  What will she figure out next about her life. 




It is an interesting look at memory fragments, and psychosis.  It is a novel that makes you think and ponder some of the more challenging aspects of one's own mind.  There is a lot of emotion throughout this book as the character slowly discovers different aspect of herself and her past.


I would recommend this novel if you enjoy psychological thrillers and are looking for something that is a little different from the normal. If you want something new and different, then definitely check out this novel.

Seven Stones

Title: Seven Stones

Author: James Rozoff

Genre: Fantasy

Source: Kindle Ebook

Rating: 3 out of 5

Doug is a young magician who is determined to become greater than the great Houdini.  When an older magician named Ashavan offers to share his secrets in exchange for Doug's help, he jumps at the opportunity.  Little does Doug know that each item he must hind has deep dark secrets to them.  Now things have grown bigger than either Doug or Ashavan can handle, but it is too late to turn back.  Doug must finish what he started and race against time to find all seven stones.  Will Doug succeed in finding all the stones? Or will he give up and abandon his search?

There are a lot of things happening in this novel it's a book about treasure hunting adventure, a metaphysical journey, magic, historical fiction, mystery, but oddly enough it works well for the story.  One aspect of the tale does not overshadow the other. It starts off very compelling with an older magician dangling new and exciting tricks in front of a younger magician.  In order to get what he craves, the younger enters a world of séances, real magic, even death and zombies.  What zombies? Really?  It's not what you think, the way Rozoff presents these creatures of lore is very interesting and unique rather than the traditional zombie we see in other stories.

There are small hints of inconsistency throughout the novel, such as the main character Doug sometimes being referred to as Dave.  It took a moment or two to realize these were not two separate people.  The story is interesting enough of being a treasure hunt for seven mystical stones, but it tries to be so much more and includes a lot of different politics and things which ends up making the story slow moving.  Once Doug leaves Mississippi (or is it Louisiana), the story slows down dramatically, and it's hard to get back into the story after this.  I liked the idea of the seven stones being related to Pangaea, but it was hard to follow the idea that Rozoff was going with it and the stones because the explanation is broken up throughout the story.


Overall it was a decently written story, that had it's interesting moments.  It wasn't the thrill ride I was hoping it would be when I started reading it, but it was interesting enough to finish.  It was difficult to continue to feel connected to the story.  The multiple things happening throughout the novel made for a large feel of disconnection for the reader.  It takes too long to get to the good parts, we are pulled in with Doug finding three of the stones and dealing with their effects quickly, but then there are chapter after chapter of nothingness, which honestly felt like a let down. 


Will I read this book again?  Probably not.  Will I recommend it? eh I'm on the fence because I always feel like there is an audience for a book even if it wasn't my cup of tea.  I will recommend it for those who like books with mystical or philosophical aspects too them, or with a hint of history interspersed.  It just happens that I felt like the characters wondered around like lost puppies after a while.

The Rogue Mountain

A creature hidden in the mountains, lurking, watching, waiting.  Down below a town living to survive with hellish beings living in their backyard, learning to protect themselves from the creatures of the mountains.  Three teenagers long for a life away from wood devils and hell cats.  A woman doing everything she can do to survive while another lives in a perpetual nightmare.  A monster hunter comes on a mission to cleanse the area of the beasts, only to bring unwanted attention from the witch on the mountain.  Secrets rise to the surface and a town finds out the truth behind their fears.  Welcome to the Rogue Mountains where nothing is ever what it seems.


I will start the disclaimer that this book is not available yet, it is set to release in October, October 3rd I believe.  But I had the honor of sort of beta reading this book for an author dear to me.  This is the debut novel for Joshua Tarquinio.  The book is a mix of supernatural/post-apocalyptic thriller, horror, fantasy, self-realization, with a touch of questioning theology.  The story centers around a small town outside of Pittsburgh after an apocalyptic event that opens the doors to the supernatural.   Now this town learns to survive with various beings attacking them, and the knowledge that there is a witch hidden in the mountains that no one has ever been able to go near. Three teens are the only entertainment in town, but long for something more.  Everyone basically lives their lives one day at a time hoping to survive, hoping to one day be free of the beings that prowl their woods and mountains.  Then a monster hunter, Del Ballatine rolls into town with the intent of ridding them of these creatures.  He and naïve Nigel venture out to the woods and happen upon a hell hound, which they take down.  But this gains the attention of the witch in the mountain and all hell breaks lose, literally.  Secrets are revealed and the state of the village changes forever.


The novel does start out a little slow with a great deal of background on the characters, and takes a little bit of time to build up to the climax.  But those details are necessary in understanding the characters and why they act and react the way the do in situations that arise further into the book, also this gives you an understanding of the town functions together, how they arise to the mob mentality so to speak.  Through this part you form a connection with the characters and town in general.  It helps with the wow factor and the twists that's happen throughout the novel.  Tarquinio does a fantastic job dragging his readers into his world, and holds them under a spell, much like the cave worm in his story.  One of my favorite elements in the story was a being known as a nightmare, one that attaches itself to a person and causes them to live in a state of a living nightmare.  It preys on the happy memories and changes them into nightmares.  It is literally the stuff of nightmares and almost makes your skin crawl.  The creatures he creates in this book are not only characters, but become apart of the atmosphere as they lurk in the shadows.


There are times in the novel when some of the characters question the existence of God in that the book takes place 20 years after the Biblical apocalypse takes place and well the world didn't end.  So characters wonder where is God, did he ever exist, is there such as thing as intrinsically evil or can a supposed evil being redeem itself.  A couple points in the story I found myself audibly whispering "no" when something happen.

I am excited to see what else Tarquinio has in store for readers with sequels, prequels or other stories unrelated to this one.  He has a knack for bringing the thrill of the unknown to the surface and his readers.  I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy supernatural thrillers, horror, fantasy, adventure.  Because I am a little bias for the fact the Josh is a dear friend of mine and my opinion of the book reflects my friendship, I will not rate the book the way I normally do.  But will simply say definitely keep your eyes out in October for when the book is release.

What She Left Behind

Sara and her mom had it all planned out, finally they will be able to escape her abusive father and start a new life together.  Sara waits eagerly for her mother to pick her up, but her mom never shows up and doesn't answer her phone.  She is convinced her father has something to do with her mother's disappearance, although he continues to claim she on a business trip.  Her friends know something isn't right as Sara begins to act on edge and jumpy, but she doesn't want to endanger anyone else.  As each day passes her fears and worry grow stronger as she tries to find out what has happened to her mother, and pray it doesn't happen to her.



This book is marketed as YA, but I honestly think adult readers would enjoy this thriller as well.  It is one of those books that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is a dark, deep atmosphere to this book that doesn't waver through the story and draws you in.  I found myself almost biting my nails waiting to see what would happen next.  Sara is a strong female lead.  I like the fear in Sara that radiates off the page especially at the thought that she has no help from the cops as her father is still friends with many of them.  Bilen does a great job at making her readers feel the emotion with her characters.


While I loved this book, there were a few short comings such as the feeling of disconnection to some of the other characters.  We don't get a chance to feel connected to her mother before she disappears, and then Alex just pops onto the scene which is almost jarring.  I understand he provides the romantic interest for Sara, but in a story like this a romantic interest is not necessary and almost at times takes away from the story.  There are things that make the story memorable, but other elements that make it forgettable.  I feel like the story was very well written and well told to the readers.  Bilen does paint a terrifying picture with her words, it's just some elements were un-needed, others almost unrealistic.


If you enjoy mysteries, dark thrillers, suspense then this is a book you should look into adding to your collection.  What She Left Behind is Bilen's first novel, and I think it was a great beginning and look forward to seeing what she has in store for readers.  Overall I give this book a 3.5 out of 5.

In A Dark Dark Wood By Ruth Ware

In A Dark Dark Wood is a mystery thriller story that takes place in you guessed it some woods.  Nora gets an invitation to the bachelorette (hen) party for a woman she hasn't spoken with in 10 years or so.  When she arrives she meets with a mixmatch group of people.  The maid of honor has a creepy "Single White Female" vibe going and Nora notices small things that concern her throughout the novel.  The first night there, Nora finds out Clara is marrying her former boyfriend, one Nora is still in love with.  In a crazy series of events, the party ends with murder and Nora is considered a suspect.  How will she be able to prove her innocence when she is in a hospital room and cannot remember any of the events leading up and including the murder?  Will she be able to remember what happened and convinced the authorities she had nothing to be with the murder?



Ruth Ware creates a story that simply clings to the minds of her readers.  She builds the tensions and suspense throughout the novel that readers can hardly contain themselves as they anticipate what will happen next.  She builds a lot of back-story making readers think they know what will happen or who the killer really is, but then Ware throws in a twist that no one expects.  She develops the characters in a way that makes them come off in a certain light, but then reveals them as something completely different.  Through this she shows that things are a matter of perspective, how we perceive people and things. 

This was another book that I finished within the day/night, simply could not put it down.  When I finally finished it, it was about 2 in the morning.  Crazy I know, but this book is that good.  I could see this being made into a really great movie that has people on the edge of their seats.  I admit I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, and I was blown away.  The cover of the book suggests something eerie and dark, but the tone and atmosphere of the novel are anything but eerie.  The setting of the novel, a cabin isolated in the woods amplifies the story as there is limited cell phone service, limited lighting, landline phone is shortly cut down, and so much more adds to the mysterious tension of the novel . 

 In A Dark Dark Wood is an exciting debut novel for Ruth Ware, and I cannot wait for more books from her in the future.  She has compelling, deep characters with loads of reliability, the plot is so captivating it has readers on the edge of their seats. I found the novel highly entertaining, even if some things seemed a little out there like the issue over tea and how Flo was acting.  But overall I will give this novel a 4 out of 5 rating.