Solomon's Ring

Title: Solomon's Ring
AUthor: Mary Jennifer Payne
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars




Jade and Jasmine are twins sisters who have finally been reunited after 5 years.  They have that special twin connection, but they are also Seers known as Daughters of Light.  Their city is being overrun by demons who are coming over through the rift, or so it seems.  While fighting a demon, Jasmine is plague with the question of why he referred to her as the chosen one.  Throughout all this she also discovers someone has stolen a powerful ring, one that could control the demons.  It has become a race against time as the Daughters of Light enter into a battle with the forces of darkness.  Will it be too late?





The idea of this book is fantastic.  I like the idea of twin sisters feeding off of each other's strengths and weaknesses, really being a team against the forces of evil rather than a guy and girl teaming up together and the inevitable romance ensues. This is one of the main reasons why I requested it from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review, because it seemed like something out of the ordinary in the world of YA novels. The cover features the twins with a ring with the Star of David in the middle makes me interested to see what the story had to do with Judaism.




From the very beginning of the book the reader has to distinguish between speakers as it changes between the two sisters' viewpoints, while this isn't something that I mind, but the chapters seem rather short and the reader doesn't get enough time with one or the other to really feel a connection with her.  I understand the girls are to be Latinas, but the dialogue doesn't really suggest this other than a few random Spanish words entering into conversations...at random.  There could be a conversation in English and then boom one random Spanish word that makes it feel disconnected and out of place.  I honestly had a hard time connecting climate change terrorism with the acts of the demons and how that played a large role into the story, but I will admit I had a hard time finishing this book as well.


The different perspective between the sisters do not seem to sync up with each other which makes it hard to pinpoint a timeline of events for the story.  The story feels very choppy and difficult to follow.  While the cover shows a ring with the Star of David the story did not show anything related to Judaism, I am not sure if it will come up later in other books.  I don't know if I would continue reading this series because of how disjoined this novel felt.  I don't think I would recommend it either.

Born Again

Title: Born Again
Author: Tom Harpur
Genre: Non-fiction, Spiritual, Memoir
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Tom Harpur is an Anglican priest, Rhodes Scholar, Professor at University of Toronto, writer and editor for Toronto Star and a published prolific author.  His previous book "The Pagan Christ" has received critical acclaim.  In this book, Harpur delves into his spiritual journey away from fundamentalism and into spiritual freedom.  He discusses his struggles and triumphs along the way to spiritual self discovery.  What Harpur brings to his audience is more than a memoir, it is something personal and gives us a glimpse into his life.





When I seen this book on Netgalley I was interested in reading someone else's spiritual quest, but also was unsure of what to expect.  I have read a few memoirs that fell short and didn't seem as interesting as the synopsis made it seem, but this book held my attention from beginning to end.  Harpur basically opens the door to his own life for readers to experience.  He doesn't bore readers with every little detail of  his life, but pinpoints the critical points along his journey.


He writes with a knowledgeable, sage voice and include very candid comments about things he observed throughout life which made reading the book all the more real.  He makes it personal and relatable which is something I love about his memoir as opposed to others.  I haven't been able to feel connected to my author the way I did while I was reading this book.  Harpur address some of the things I have been thinking in my own personal spiritual odyssey.


Throughout this memoir, there is a lot of insight and revelation that leads to his personal renewal, his personal freedom from the fundamentalism of organized religion.  This book really hit home as I admit it is something I struggle with in my own personal walk.  I found it very resourceful and know I will find myself returning back to it time and time again., and I feel each time I return to it, I will find something else that will be helpful.


I recommend this to anyone who longs for spiritual freedom, and someone who enjoys memoirs.  It is definitely one of those reads that will get you thinking about things. 

The Hollow Crown

Title: The Hollow Crown
Author: Jeff Wheeler
Genre:  Fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


While celebrating the wedding of the new king, Tryneowy's mother discloses a vision she had had of an upcoming war, one that may devastate the kingdom.  She had grown up learning of military and political strategy.  In her heart, she knows she is to protect the country as a knight rather than a Wizr.  Tyrneowy struggles to find her own destiny within this world she studies her mother's traditions and secretly trains with the general.  An evil force now threatens the future and the kingdom.  Trynne hopes she has what it takes to help protect the kingdom, but does she have what the kingdom needs, or will she fall short?

I have not read the beginning of the series, as I received a copy of this novel from Netgally and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.  But I do not think one needs to read the series in order, thought it would be beneficial as you will understand the kingdom and key players, and the magic that is used.  The story has a lot of background in it, a lot of build up to the climax and conclusion, which is very much important in the end.  The characters are beyond complex and filled with depth.  From the very beginning of the story, your heart aches for Tryneowy.


The way Wheeler describes things and builds his characters, it is easy to understand them and the motives behind every action and spoken word.  He has given each one such personality, it felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book, I could almost see this being made into a movie and acted out.  I would love to see how Hollywood would depict the magic he creates.  I liked the idea of the main character going against what is expected of her and following her dream regardless of how she will be viewed or what her parents think, though I believe her father approved as he gave her permission to train with the sword.


There aren't many lose ends other than those one would expect to carry over into the next novel.  I am excited to see what else Jeff Wheeler has in store for his readers, and I now have to go back to read the other books in this series.  If they are anything like this book, I will be hooked on yet another series!  I would recommend this book and potentially series to anyone who enjoys reading a good fantasy novel.  Anyone who loves to get lost in another realm and wish to never come back, then this is the book for you!  Great novel, great writing, new fan!

The Waking Land

Title: The Waking Land
Author: Callie Bates
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars


Lady Elanna is dedicated to the man she knew like a father: the King.  When the king suddenly mysteriously dies Elanna is now the prime suspect and she runs away for her own safety.  Now that she has returned to her magical homeland she must reconcile with a father she never knew and face the truth about the powers within her and her connection to the lands.  Quickly a new threat faces her and now she has to lead a rebellion against the realm she once called home.  She struggles between her loyalties, feeling devoted and connected to both.  Will she be able to come to terms with her destiny, or will she be torn apart in the process?





When I received this book from Netgalley, I was already interested based on the synopsis.  I love a good earth magic book and that is what I was expecting.  What I got was so much more.  First let me mention that cover! OMG how gorgeous is that!  It is what initially drew me into the blurb and captured my heart.  Great art work.  Now into the book:


There is so much going on in this book with different kingdoms and different characters (each with their own personalities).  I understand that might deter some people but there seemed to be too many, some of which we don't meet in this novel, maybe we will in future novels, but I don't know. Elanna was interesting at first, but the more she struggles back and forth between her emotions made it difficult to follow along with the real plot of the story. It was really hard to relate to her on a level beyond struggling within yourself.  I liked the idea of being one with nature and feeling connected to nature, but to wed the land..what does that mean? How does one actually marry the land?  And don't get me started on the sex scenes, I know this is a YA novel, but the scenes included made this 35 year old woman gasp and blush!  I couldn't believe they were included in a novel meant for young adults. 


The writing was beautifully lyrical, almost like reading poetry but it was also hard to follow and get an easy grasp on what was exactly happening, maybe because there was SO much going on.  In all honesty I don't think I could recommend this novel to others as it was difficult for myself to read it.  If Callie writes more I would consider reading it, but I hope she tones down the amount of characters/plots and make the romantic scenes not so explicit.

Greensmith Girls

Rowen Greensmith is an aspiring journalist and is beyond happy to have gotten away from her family, and their reputation.  But when her aunt calls about 2 dead bodies, Rowen returns to home for the story and to help her family avoid the press. Her whole family, and Eric Richardson get pulled into the a story of supernatural intrigue.


So this book was relatively shorter, coming in at alittle over 100 pages.  It is easy to fall in love with the idea of this family of women being pulled into a supernatural mystery.  But the idea and execution are two different things.  The writing itself was a hit and miss.  Something's were great while other things not so much.  The tone was very monotonous and hard to really get into. There is a lot of build up to what happened only for the reader to be let down with the "big reveal"  it wasn't all that big if you pay attention. 


There is a romance in the story, and I guess almost every story needs to have a budding romance in some form or another.  The characters aren't really all that deep, nor do they grow throughout the story.  Rowen decides to quit her job after a few short days of her family  having a sort of see-saw effect of welcoming her and not welcoming her.  They didn't seem all that warm enough to quit a job.  Once the book ended I had more questions that answers.  There isn't much to the story other than Eric and Rowen just  driving around.  I would have liked a little more from the ghosts speaking or interacting with the characters more, or more aspects of the women being witches.  That part of the story seems important, but isn't used much.


If you like a book that is incredibly easy to read and that you don't need to put a lot of effort into it, then sure pick up this book.  But if you want something with a little more meat to it, then this isn't for you.  Personally, I give this book a 2 out 5 stars.  I was not a fan of it.

Twisted

Aoife qanted nothing more than to protect her family and care for them.  She has rejected every advance from potential suitor.  She is happy with the way her life is going, if only her father would lay off the drink.  All that changes when, in a drunken stupor, her father promises the Duke that she can turn straw into gold.  Aoife does her best to show how the Duke can change his excess straw into gold, but he takes her father's claims literally and demands she turns straw to hay.  This begins a deal with a little wizard man, one that could end up costing Aoife everything she loves dear.

This story is a supposed retelling of Rumplestiltskin, but I feel as though I have read this story before.  It may be because I am so familiar with the tale and this book doesn't really deviate from the tale.  It is remains close to the tale we all know with a few exceptions. I admit it felt like to story progressed a little slow for me with details that are mundane.  It wasn't until Aoife began learning about the Duke and his birth that I felt like the story really picked and got interesting for me.  I didn't really feel I could relate or connect with Aoife.  I had a hard time with her loving Rumple, and despising the Duke then doing a complete 180 after she had married the Duke. 

There are a few twists and turns as the readers discover the truth behind the connection between Rumple and the Duke.  Rumple claims to love Aoife, but denies her love and becomes somewhat controlling telling her the only way they could be together is if she sacrifices her family.  If the man knew her all these years and loved her he wouldn't make this kind of request.  I like that the book showed Aoife's struggle, but she doesn't cave to his demand.  Too often I see books where the girl gives in to whatever the guy wants simply to make him happy.  WRONG!

I am not sure how I feel about the book.  I admit I skipped a few pages just to get past some things that didn't seem to fit in with the story.  I have mixed feelings about and not sure what kind of rating I would give this novel.

Dragonmark

Illarion is a dragon, who was force to become human, and then again forced to serve those same humans as a mount during their battles.  Understandably he becomes bitter as he is separated from his dragonkin and everything he ever knew.  He then is forced into the fey realm where he looses the one woman he loved...


Where do I begin with this one.  I couldn't give a more detailed synopsis because I honestly did not finish the book and that saddens me greatly.  I have been a fan of Kenyon since Fantasy Lover and all the way through the other Dark Hunter novels, but this...this book was shear crap and not up to the standards that I have held Kenyon.  This is probably her worst novel yet.  It is LITERALLY copy and paste from other books.  There were chapters from Dragonsbane and Son of No One.  Oh you might think those sections were rewritten with Illarion's point of view WRONG!  He was barely in his own book!  I actually pulled my copies of Son of No One and Dragonsbane from my shelf and compared the three....word for word the same info from those books in this one.  It is not an original story so to speak.  Honestly how dare Kenyon do this to her readers.


I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone.  I don't even want to rate the book, so 0 out of 5 because there was no effort in this.  Granted in the past we have seen scene from other stories in with other books like Acheron, but never has she copied and pasted verbatim.  The scenes were always rewritten from the view of Acheron or whatever hunter the book was about.  I couldn't be more disappointed in this author.  This may be the book that makes me no longer read her work.

Beautiful Storm

Alicia has always been drawn to the beauty of lightening, more so after the mysterious death of her father.  During a storm one night Alicia witnesses a fight in between the flashes of lightening.  When she gets to the scene, she finds military tags with the name Liliana Valdez on it.  After some research, she discovered this woman has been missing for two months, and takes the tags to the police.  This is a piece to a the puzzle that allows the police to begin further investigations, but Alicia decides to try and see what she can find.  She meets Michael along the way, a man who is the prime suspect in the investigation simply because he spoke to the Liliana. They work together to piece together the puzzle of Liliana's disappearance, a quest that takes them half-way across the country and into something far dangerous and sinister.  Their search begins to spark more disappearances and murders, will Alicia and Michael find out the truth before it's too late?

This is another book I came across on BookBub (if you are an avid reader and don't use this, you should).  The story is very suspenseful and you don't know what is going to happen next.  You try to figure out who took Liliana, but when the truth is revealed you will be taken away.  I definitely was.  There was a little bit of romantic tension between the two, but it doesn't take over the story.  Freethy does a fantastic job including this into the foreground of the story, but maintains the true mystery of a missing woman.  I actually don't like when it feels like authors are pushing characters together just for the same of a romantic sub story, Freethy doesn't do this.  She develops a friendship with romantic tension mixed in. 

The characters had depth to them, both Alicia and Michael had their own demons to tame while performing their search.  I think this gave them the feel of being...well human.  I loved the idea of lightening having paranormal attributes, and almost wanted something more from this, something more to tie it into the story other than an explanation as to why Alicia and her father were obsessed with this act of nature.  It is not a "typical" mystery with blood, gore or anything like that.  It is relatively clean, it does have a few sex scenes.  Nothing too "steamy" but sex scenes nonetheless.

Overall this was a good enough book to read, I wouldn't say it was phenomenal or out of this world.  But it is one of those books that will draw you in and keep you interested until the very end.  I do recommend other mystery lovers to pick up a copy.  Also if you normally aren't a fan of mystery, I would say give this book a chance, you might be surprised.  I give this a 4 out of 5 star rating. 

The Watchmaker's Daughter

India's father had just passed away, on the same day her fiancé kicks her out of the house and keeps her father's watchmaker's shop for himself.  The other shop keeps will not hire her, not because she lacks the skills, but because she is a woman.  At a lost for what to do and one who doesn't take things lying down, India goes to the shop to give Eddie a piece of her mind.  While there she runs into Matthew Glass who gives her a proposition of helping find a specific watchmaker to fix his watch.  One that is rare and carries an air of mystery around it.  While helping him find his mystery watchmaker, India begins to believe he is a wanted outlaw from America and wonders what do and how to prove her suspicions while trying to find out why the guild members are being so cold to her.  Danger seems to be lurking around every corner and India begins to discover new things about the man she is working and living with, as well as herself.  Will they be able to find the watchmaker before Glass' watch stops for good?  Will India be able to find proof of her suspicions and why she lost favor among?

This was one of the books I stumbled upon on BookBub.  Its hard to describe how I felt about this book. It was a good read and I enjoyed the characters but it felt like it took too long to develop and that there were too many things happening in it.  Whenever something happened or revealed my reaction was "oh..that's how that's being shown."  It had its suspenseful moments but overall it seemed somewhat predictable especially the "romantic" tension between India and Glass.

I don't feel like readers are able to feel completely connected to the characters, but they were interesting enough to finish the book. My opinion on India is like a love-hate relationship.  I liked her enough, but don't see her as a strong female lead.  I know this is the first book in a series and I have to wonder what the other books will be like and where the story will go.

As for a rating...i give it a 3 out 5.  Much more could have been done with the story, but young fantasy readers will enjoy it as well as many other readers.  I just don't think this was a book that demands me to read it again.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards

Jim Qwilleran has his string of bad luck since leaving his job with a big city paper, not he has taken a position with the Daily Fluxion, and small town paper, doing a column he has no knowledge on...the art column.  Many of the artists in the town are hopeful that this means the replacement of the ever too critical art critic, many try to convince Qwill of how horrible of a man the art critic is while he attends art functions and does human interest articles on local artists.  Qwill decides to met this critic and ends up living in the same house on a lower level.  While the critic is away, Qwill takes care of his Siamese cat whom Qwill nick-named Koko.  This cat has extra ordinary talents of being able to read backwards and know when something is amiss.  Soon artists and others in the art community become victims of murder.  Qwill's old investigative journalist talents kick in and he begins o try and solve this murder, with the help of Koko of course.  The question is will Qwill be able to find the correct murderer and save the reputation of many artists as well as the critic? Or will he soon become the murderer's next target?

This is a series of books that I read when I was younger and starting to really get into mysteries and longer chapter books aside from the typical baby sitters club (that's like a rite of passage for little girls).  I loved that a cat helped solve mysteries by leading Qwill to different clues and seem to pick up on subtle things the humans in the books don't pick up one.  The cat in this book, Koko reminds me of my friend's cat Artemis (pictured on the left) with his perchance of running around the room, wanting specific food and making his discontent known.  Braun gives the cat as much personality as she does her human characters, which is something you don't see in many books with animal.  Normally the animal is just that an animal whereas in these books, Koko is another personality rather than a prop so to speak. 

I love this series even 20 some years after beginning to read the series and returning to it time and time again.  This is the perfect novel to begin with since I believe it is the beginning of the series as it introduces Qwill and Koko and how they became a dynamic duo. The writing isn't too complex and easy to understand which is one reason why it was great for a youngster as I once was.  There also isn't blood, gore, or sex in it.  Sure Swill has attractions to ladies and flirts a little, but it's all innocent and clean, another reason why it is a great starter series for young readers (and a nice break from stuff included in some books today). This is a short, cozy mystery that is easy to read within a day.  Perfect for a rainy afternoon curled up with your favorite feline. 

I do recommend this book as well as the series to any young reader who wants to grow in their reading library.  I also would recommend this to anyone who loves a cozy mystery, easy to read book or who feels a little nostalgic.  I give the book a 4 out of 5 for a rating, it needed more Koko!

Woodcutter

A man known as The Woodcutter stumbles upon a maiden's dead body, with no trace of foul play, nor who could have caused her tragic fate.  The only thing left behind were her glass slippers.  The Woodcutter seeks to find her killer before other maidens suffer the same fate.  The Woodcutter is not your average man, he is the keeper of peace between the kingdoms of man and the realm of the faerie.  He searches the realms for clues to the mysterious events happening around the kingdoms and the forest, along with three axes blessed by the River God, he begins to find clues to lead to the truth.  Shortly into his search he discovers information that is troubling: one of Odin's hellhounds has escaped, a nefarious mansion appears and disappears and princes and princesses along with it, pixie dust being turned into a drug ring, and more young woman proceed to go missing without a trace.  The Woodcutter must find the truth to all of these before it is too late, as task proven more difficult with an evil queen lurking in the shadows intent on stopping his every effort.  Will he be able to stop the queen before she destroys the kingdoms and the fae or will it be too late?

I love fairy tales.  Everything about them brings me back to my childhood.  I love reading retellings and other author's takes on the different stories.  When I picked this book up I expected it to be along the lines of the woodcutter in Snow White or Red Riding Hood, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be something completely different.  I love the idea of a mysterious protected of the realms that no one knows his name, his name never gets revealed and leaves the read in as much a mystery as the characters.  It almost makes you as frustrated as the queen in not knowing his name.  That adds an air of mystery around this character, and at the same time the reader knowing he cannot bear children but must wait until the fates bring a child to him and his wife makes your heart break especially after he comes across young children.  You can almost feel the fatherly desire in his heart.

Danley creates a world where the characters come to life, without specifically referring to the characters by name or tale, readers can get an idea of who is supposed to be who based off minor descriptions such as the glass slippers left behind when the maiden was killed.  Readers get the idea that someone harmed Cinderella without specifically being told.  It was also interesting that Danley incorporated some mythology in the tale with the use of Odin and the hellhounds.  That was a great touch though I wanted more from that storyline, it almost takes a backseat to the other events of the tale. This was a great story, one that I finished in a few short days.

I highly recommend this novel if you enjoy fairy tales, fantasy, young adult, and a good story.  As for a rating I will give this a 5 out of 5, pick it up today.  You won't regret adding this to your book shelf.