Early Review: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

 

Book: Blackwood by Gwenda Bond
Genre: Paranormal / Mystery

Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback

Publication Date: September 4th, 2012

Where Did I Get This Book: For Review, From Strange Chemistry
First Sentence: "The first time Miranda Blackwood checked the back of her closet for a portal to another world she was eleven."
Description: On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.

Miranda, a misfit girl from the island's most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can't dodge is each other.

Blackwood is a dark, witty coming of age story that combines America's oldest mystery with a thoroughly contemporary romance.

The concept behind Blackwood was genius. The vanishing of the settlers has been a mystery that people have been speculating about for hundreds of years. It’s one of the most famous mysteries in American history and is the perfect opportunity to spin an amazing paranormal tale- which is exactly what Bond does. Blackwood is packed full with excitement, mystery and general creepiness.

I loved both main characters (Miranda and Phillips). They both had such a determined spark that made them easy to fall in love with. Plus, they both possess the snarky gene, which happens to be one of my favorite qualities in characters.

The setup of the book confused me at times; mainly when the author would switch perspectives. Let me try and explain this. Every so often the author would switch perspectives to an unknown character; usually one of the missing people. These sections would be italicized and talked about random things, like going out with girls the night before, opening doors and eating donuts. Let’s just say I found it incredibly confusing. Not only do you not know who you are reading about, you don’t really know what you are reading about. It certainly threw me off and interrupted the flow of the story.

I also felt like the plotline got a little over ambitious as the book progressed. Things became entirely too complicated. I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys, but I felt like the author was pulling in all these different elements towards the end that weren’t all that necessary. It just ended up jumbling things in my head and making it difficult to focus on the key points of the story.

But, all in all, I found Blackwood to be terribly exciting. Sure, there were little faults with the book, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoyed it. I wanted, needed to know what was going to happen to Miranda and Phillips and that kept me turning the pages. I can forgive being slightly confused at times and the choppiness of the pacing because the story kept me wanting to read it.

Oh and one last thing I noted, it is mentioned in the book that Miranda's mom loved Blondie and her favorite Blondie song is Heartbreaker. I'm pretty sure there is no Blondie song called Heartbreaker - that's a Pat Benatar song. Could it be Heart of Glass?

Favorite Quotes:

Moms were psychic and evil.

Miranda's mom had taught her that while eyes were important, music was the real window to someone's soul.

His body trembled against hers. She held on, afraid that if she let go he'd be gone forever.

Miranda tore through the woods like a chupacabra chased her.

"You're eyes," she said, waving her hand next to her own. "I can tell when you aren't alone in there."

Letting other people have this much power over you is dangerous.

"No. We are our families. Both of us. We are the baggage twins. That much, I get."

"Bullfrak," Miranda said. "It's for power. If you're pretending this is about something else, even to yourself, then frak you, you delusional murdering excuse for a nutty professor."

"Morning, creepy people."

He touched it. He danced with her. He wanted her. She officially had devil cooties.

His forehead rested against her own. She expereinced a weird sensation - an eaiser time breathing, a harder time breathing.

 

Review: Borrowing Abbey Grace by Kelly Green

Book: Borrowing Abbey Grace by Kelly Green
Series: The Shadow #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy  / Young Adult
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Available Formats: Ebook
Publication Date: October 17, 2011
First Sentence: "The first thing that I realized when I woke upin the back of the van was that I had noidea at all how I'd arrived in the back of a van."
How Did I Get This Book: From Author, For Review
Description: When Abby Grace wakes up in the back of a van, she has no idea who she is, how she got there, or why anyone would want to kidnap her. After escaping her masked captors, she hurries home, only to discover that she unknowingly left her younger brother behind in the van. Unable to answer the police’s questions with her memories gone, she retreats to the safety of her bedroom where she tries to reconstruct her life. Just as she is settling into the belief that things will one day return to normal, she looks in the mirror—and sees a stranger’s face.
As Abby learns next, she has become a Shadow, sent to inhabit the lives of strangers in trouble. With nothing to go on except the vague hints of her cute but maddening Guardian, a 19th century ghostly teenager named Will, Abby sets out to rescue the missing brother. But she will need all of her intelligence, fearlessness, and wit, because if she fails to find him in time, she will remain trapped in this unfamiliar body forever.

In Borrowing Abbey Grace, Green creates an incredibly intriguing setup that will keep readers interested and coming back for more. You see, Abbey is a Shadow. When someone ‘borrows’ Abbey Grace, she takes over their body and solves whatever problem they have. This time, Abbey get’s placed in the body of Brooke, a girl who was recently kidnapped. Abbey has to face the challenge discovering who kidnapped her and finding Brooke’s little brother.

Isn’t that great? What this tells me is that Green will always have somewhere new and exciting to take the book. We will always have Abbey, but everything around her will change.

Green packs a great sense of suspense into the plot. There is a lot of build up, but I was a bit let down by the ending. It was certainly a surprise ending, but for me, it wasn’t very satisfying. I wanted more from the book. The storyline presents a number of great questions about Abbey and her past, but it doesn’t answer any of them.

Abbey is a great character. She is strong, likable and has no problem carrying the storyline along. She’s got spunk and sass and is quite the little spitfire.

This was a quick, short read, but it certainly packs a lot of potential. I wasn’t a huge fan of the storyline this time around, but I loved Abbey. She has the whole Veronica Mars vibe going on, which is always a hit with me. I look forward to reading the next installments of the series and seeing what trouble Abbey finds herself in next time. I just hope that her storyline is touched on a bit more. I have so many questions about her that were completely left open.

 

Favorite Quotes:

Apparently, Brooke's Dad-my dad?- was not the sort of father that allowed  a day for mental recuperation after a person has been kidnapped.

Who eats soup by themselves?

Leo's stare had given me the same twisting feeling in the pit of my stomach that Ms. Peterson had when she'd known about me jumping out of the van. Naturally, I thought it best to follow him home.

I threw open the linen closet in the hallway: just sheets and towels that smelled like mountain streams and lilacs. No murderous freshman.

I didn't want him to think I was weak, but he was the only person in the whole world who had any idea of the real predicament I was in, and that made him, at the moment, my best friend, even though he was about as comforting as a catcus.

Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Book: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult
Buy A Copy: Amazon / Book Depository
Available Formats: Hardcover / Ebook
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011

How Did I Get This Book: ARC from publisher, For Review
First Sentence:  "It starts with a crack, a sputter, and a spark."

Description: The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget. 

 

With The Near Witch, Victoria Schwab hits one out of the park her first time up to bat. This outstanding young adult debut is full of mystery, magic and charm.

The main character, Lexi is incredibly easy to like. I instantly felt a sort of camaraderie with her; she pushes at the boundaries placed on her and will not take no for an answer. She is feisty in a quiet way, she does not always speak up, but she doesn’t obey blindly either.  I just really appreciated the fact that she makes her own decisions about how she lives her life, who she trusts and how she behaves. 

I also have to talk about Lexi’s love interest, Cole. Oh, Cole, I love you so. He’s mysterious and captivating and just so, magnetic. You want to know all you can about him; you are right there with Lexi as she tries to unravel the mystery of him. I don’t want to get into too much detail surrounding this character, because it would spoil things, but believe me; you are going to love him. He and Lexi together are pure magic. 

Now, I don’t want to short change the storyline, because believe me, it was fabulous, but the real magic lies within the writing itself. Honestly, nothing I say will come close to explaining how much I enjoyed it. It was captivating, lyrical, eloquent, sweeping and just vivid. I think I would like practically anything Schwab writes, it could be a story about a garbage can and I would be utterly entertained.  She has such a unique way of depicting things that enables the reader to envision the complete story;  from head to toe. Schwab gives the reader many different layers of description, not just the surface. She doesn’t simply rely on what you would expect – she comes up with ways of putting things that creates an image that is absolutely unique to her story. Her character and settings simply could not be found in different stories – everything down to the candles Lexi holds throughout the story become exclusive to The Near Witch.  I am not sure if I am explaining this properly or not, basically what I am trying to get at is Schwab has an uncanny ability to put her distinctive stamp on everything. 

I am going to be completely straight with you, The Near With was awesome. With its vivid and rolling descriptions, heart pumping storyline and delightful, enchanting characters, readers of all ages are sure to enjoy it. I am going to be on the lookout for other works by Shwab, because I have an inkling that she is one to watch.

Favorite Quotes 

"She was very old and very young, depending on which way she turned her head, for no one knows the age of witches."

"I feel like there should be a mark in the air where he was wiped away."

"If the moor wind ever sings, you mustn't listen,not with all of your ears. Use only the edges. Listen the way you'd look out the corners of your eyes. The wind is lonely, love, and always looking for company."

"I just want to talk," I add, my voice softer, lower, the kind of voice for sharing secrets."

"And I do not like the way my chest tightens when my eyes snag on him, as it does for wild things."

"With his pale face, dark eyes, and sad mouth, he seems made of black and white, just like the world at night."

"I don't want just any story; I want his."

"Stories are always born from something."

"Gravity pulls me back to him, pulls my feet over a path they know, have always known, with a new urgency."

"He cast one last glance up at the night. His eyes slip down again, and by the time they reach mine,  there's a kind of abandon in them."

"Dead things are bound to their beds until dark."

"Funny how when we start to tell a secret, we can't stop. Something falls open in us, and the sheer momentum of letting go pushes us on."

"Maybe one day the words will pour out like so many others, easy and smooth and on their own. Right now they take pieces of me with them."

"If by 'fine' you mean 'bleeding', then yes, you are."

"Despite his injuries, he seems to feel what I feel: We are both anxious that the other will blow away. And he shares the same desperate need to remind his skin of my own, to prove that he is still here and I am still here."

Review: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Book: Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy #1
Pages: 373
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Young Adult 
Buy A Copy: Amazon / Book Depository
Available Formats: Paperback / Ebook
Publication Date: July 26th, 2011
First Sentence:  "I know your secret."
How Did I Get This Book:  From Publisher, For Review
Description: My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Touch of Frost is the story of Gwen Frost, a teenage gypsy from the wrong side of the tracks. She is certainly an intriguing protagonist, who is undeniably full of sass and whit. It is great to see a young adult paranormal heroine who is shows a sort of unconventional strength. Usually, in these sort of books, the main character is all about kicking ass and taking names. Estep provides her heroine, Gwen, with a different sort of strength; strength of character. Gwen has been through a lot in her life, yet she continues trucking on through life. What I really appreciated about Gwen was that she wasn’t just strong – at times Estep also let her venerable side show. For me, this made the spunky heroine much more realistic and easy to relate to. I mean honestly, all teenage girls are insecure, some are just better at hiding it. 

Speaking of Gwen, I want to talk a bit of about the inspiration for her character. Estep listed Veronica Mars as an influence for Touch of Frost and it is clearly evident within the character of Gwen. Gwen is teenage sleuth of sorts who makes ends meet by solving mysteries for her wealthy classmates (sounds familiar, no?). She has a tough exterior and is quick with a snarky comment, but occasionally she lets her vulnerability show.  Both characters also have a difficult time fitting in with their rich peers and are treated differently by them. Oh and Gwen works in the library to help pay the school tuition, just like Veronica does at Hurst college. Her romantic interest, Logan, also had a lot in common with Veronica’s main love interest… Logan. No, Logan Echols is not a descendent of an Ancient warrior lie, but both characters are perceived as “bad boys” and both are incredibly protective of the lady folk. Then, let’s talk about Daphne. Daphne eventually becomes Gwen’s one and only gal pal and go-to computer technician/hacker. Basically, the Valkyrie is the mythical version of Mac (Cindy Mackenzie on Veronica Mars).

Now, honestly I do not know how I feel about all of these similarities. When reading it, it sort of put me off, because I felt like I already knew the characters. I happen to be a huge Veronica Mars fan and I could not help but see all of the connections. However, after finishing the book, I am not sure. Most of the reasons why I enjoyed the book were also connections I made to the show. I love the characters, especially Veronica, and it was almost like getting to read a book about her. Now, how will others relate to it? I really can’t say. I would think that if you are not fans of the show, you will love Touch of Frost, without a doubt. But, if you are fans of Ms. Mars, then I would say it really depends on the reader.

As always, Estep does an excellent job weaving the storyline together. Touch of Frost is absolutely full of mystery, action and suspense.  I also want to touch on one of my favorite aspects of the book – the setting. I have to say, I loved the idea of an academy for raising ancient warriors. The campus is practically crawling with fun and interesting characters and I never really knew what to expect. I have a bit of knowledge in Greek and Roman history, so I was quickly able to get a handle on things; but honestly, Estep does a terrific job explaining things. A lot of times in fantasy books, I get a bit overwhelmed by things, but the author did a good job of taking the time to properly explain things. There was the perfect combination of explanation and action, so the reader is clear about what’s going on, but the pace doesn’t suffer. I will say that some of the repetitive nature of the writing got under my skin. For those of you who have read Estep’s Elemental Assassin series, you are familiar with Gin’s “grey eyes”. Once again, the heroine’s eyes become a character of their own. It seems like Gwen’s crazy violet eyes were being mentioned every two seconds.

All things considered, with Touch of Frost, Estep delivers an exciting and mysterious story that instantly captivated me. Although the characters were familiar to me, I still found them to be entertaining. The fantastic, mythical setting is pure magic and is sure to dazzle readers everywhere.  I have been a Jennifer Estep fan for a while now and she certainly doesn’t disappoint with Touch of Frost!

Favorite Quotes:

"Sometimes, I felt like Nancy Drew or maybe Gretel, following a trail of psychic bread crumbs until I found what I was looking for."

"Even the richest snobbiest kid knew better than to piss off a Spartan."

"Logan Quinn was the kind of guy who could stab me in the eye with a freaking twizzler."

"I clutched my bag to my chest, as if that would somehow protect me from the Spartan and the fact that he could kill me with his pinkie finger."

"I couldn't stop my mouth from falling open. Had the infamous Logan Quinn just asked me to go back to his room with him? I rewound the last few seconds in my mind. Yes, yes he had - a whole two minutes after he'd just jumped out of some other girls window."

"Graceful I was not."

"Toothpick?" Vic muttered in an indignant voice. "Did she just call me a bleeding toothpick? Kill her! Kill her now!" 

Review: Clarity by Kim Harrington

Book: Clarity (Clarity #1) - Kim Harrington
Pages:  242

Genre: Young Adult  
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository

Available Formats: Ebook & Hardcover
Publication Date: March 1st, 2011

How Did I Get This Book: From the Library

Preview Book: Preview on Google Books

Description: When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth? This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.
Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

 

Clarity by Kim Harrington is a lot of fun. Fans of Veronica Mars are sure to love Clare, she has the same spunky, directness that we all find so utterly charming. The story itself is a great mystery with lots of twists and turns. In all honesty, I found absolutely nothing wrong with this book. I enjoyed every pages – every word. Clare is a fun character, who never fails to entertain.

The overall story is well-development and entertaining. It actually builds up like a mystery is supposed to, which makes it easy to try and piece together the clues and hints you get along the way. I am not saying that the story is predictable, I am simply saying that you are free and able to make educated guesses about what is going to happen next.

The rest of the kooky cast of characters are just as enjoyable as Clarity herself. Her mother and brother are also shall we say, “gifted” – Starla is a telepath and Perry is a medium. This adds an interesting element to the story, especially Starla being able to read minds. In short, what this means is the majority of the town dislikes the Ferns, thinking them crazy. Because of this, the three are exceptionally close, which creates an interesting family dynamic. They are open, honest and blunt, because they know each other so well. I really enjoyed watching the three of them interact, especially Clare and Starla. They have an interesting relationship, more as friends then as a mother-daughter pairing. 

The prevalent love triangle is back in full swing, but this time, I actually like both of the options. Clare is still coping with her recent breakup with Justin, her first love. He got drunk one night and cheated on her – I think it is safe to  say Clare’s pissed. She jabs at him every opportunity she gets, but it is clear to see that she is honestly hurt. Justin, for his part, is obviously still in love with her and desperate to get her back.  Now, what’s behind door number two you ask? Gabriel Toscano, my friends. Gabriel is a recent import to town and the son of the new detective. He’s broody, moody and downright sexy. At first he seems to want to jump Clare’s bones, but then thinks her off her rocker when he discovers her psychic abilities. He proceeds to struggle with his attraction to Clarity, and she to him. As you may imagine, she isn’t exactly wild about the idea of liking someone who thinks she’s an insane fraud. Both boys are interesting, complex characters and even after finishing the book, I am not really on a particular team. Which as you may know, is highly unlikely. Kudos to Harrington to giving us two, actually viable options! 

All in all, I have to say, Clarity was a wonderful read. I have always loved mysteries and this book is exciting, clever and intriguing. The characters and storyline are both extremely creative and well-developed. Do yourself a favor and pick up Clarity!

Favorite Quotes

“Excitement in Eastport? Nay! But I had time to snoop around Nancy Drew style."

“Gabriel Toscano. Damn. Even his name was sexy.”

“Tiffany’s pale faced turned to green and I involuntarily took a step back, half expecting an Exorcist-style stream of vomit to shoot out of her gaping mouth.”

“you can date every girl in town as far as I’m concerned. I hate you. I pray every night that you’ll fall victim to some strange and unusual castration accident.”

“come, fruit of my loins, we’re going for a walk.”

“yellow police tape stretched across the motel room door. I stood beside it, waiting for Mr. Stick-Up-His-Butt to finish up in the office.”

“well, color me impressed.”

“Pass me the Academy Award. I don’t know how I did it, but hysterical-girl tears sprung from my eye as I ran out of the room and down the grand staircase.”

“I think the correct term for this was ‘pissing contest’, and though I was flattered, I didn’t have time for it.”

“ugh. I was going for ‘crazy ex filled with hate" not "isn’t she cute when she’s mad?”