Evelyn Illustrated by Philip Hoy

September 15, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Evelyn Illustrated by Philip Hoy
Evelyn Hernandez Book 3
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Around school, Evelyn Hernandez is known as the Revenge Artist, or la bruja, the witch. She’s the girl who out-bullied her bullies. The one with the long dark hair and blunt cut bangs who only wears dresses and is forever drawing in her mysterious black book. People say she can help you with your own bully problems … for a price.

Evelyn is content to ignore the gossip. Let people think what they want. She won’t be a thug for hire. But when a little girl is found running down the middle of the street late at night in only her nightgown, the police enlist Evelyn to sketch a mugshot of her suspected abductor.

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Art can be a double-edged sword.

The first two books in this series were heavier on character development, and it paid off in a nice way. While there was additional character development to be found here, I liked the way the narrator spent more time focusing on plot development this time around. It was exactly what I was hoping to find at this point in Evelyn’s life.

There were some pacing issues, especially in the beginning. As interested as I was in finding out what was new with Evelyn and her friends, I did have trouble staying focused on the plot until it picked up speed. The storyline simply moved a bit too slow for me to really get into it until much later on, especially when it came to the main character’s attempts to make good things happen with her art instead of what her previous experiences with it had been like.

Speaking Spanish definitely isn’t a requirement for enjoying this tale, but anyone who does understand that language will get a little something extra in the bilingual scenes. I enjoyed the way the author included these sentences as a bonus while still ensuring that the main storyline was perfectly understandable for anyone who couldn’t or didn’t translate them. It was a lot of fun to figure out those extra layers of meaning.

This was the third installment of a series. I’d recommend reading all of them in order.

Evelyn Illustrated should be read by teens and adults who love art.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Outrun Battlefuture by Will SciFi

September 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Outrun Battlefuture by Will SciFi
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

WHAT IF YOU HAD TO ESCAPE WAR? ONLY PROBLEM – YOU’RE TRAPPED ON AN ISLAND.

In the year 2082, Noah lives peacefully with millions of kids who go to school and live on the island Trinity. The peace is shattered when news of student abuse is revealed, causing students to protest. As the situation worsens, riots happen, and war breaks out between students and the military which sends the island into absolute chaos.

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How far would you go for freedom?

The action scenes were well written and exciting. I especially liked the portions of the plot that described the battles that went on between the students and Heelers who were essentially a form of law enforcement for these schools. There were some pretty intense moments in these fights, and I couldn’t wait to see how everything would turn out.

I would have liked to see more world building in this novella. There wasn’t a great deal of time spent describing what Trinity, the boarding school where Noah and other children in this society lived between the age of five and eighteen, was like. Having a firm understanding of how kids were treated there was crucial for me to understand why Noah and his friends were so quick to revolt when they found out what had really happened to their missing classmates. The basic framework for a compelling story were definitely there. I simply needed concrete details to help me make the leap from what appeared to be a fairly contented life for them to outright revolution.

The dialogue felt natural to me. It was interesting to see how the characters’ speaking patterns changed depending on how much danger they were in at the moment. They went from speaking full sentences to getting their points across as quickly and quietly as possible. That’s exactly how people tend to react in frightening situations in real life in my experience, so it was nice to see it represented in fiction, too.

Anyone who loves gun battles and action in general should give Outrun Battlefuture a shot, pun intended.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Tales From an Odd Mind by Nom D. Plume

September 4, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Tales From an Odd Mind by Nom D. Plume
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A selection of short stories and poems from many universes.

There’s a little bit of everything here for teens of all ages.

This unique collection was arranged into three sections. The first one shared stories that didn’t have endings, the second was a series of vignettes about the same group of characters, and the third was mostly composed of poetry. I felt obliged to clarify this since the blurb hinted at it but didn’t go into specifics.
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Given that this was my first experience with the author’s writing style, I enjoyed getting a sort of sampling platter of the many different sorts of things they write. They’re the sort of author who seems pretty quite jumping between genres. With that being said, it was a little jarring as a reader to be introduced to so many different types of characters without having resolutions for most of them. I’d be a little hesitant about who I recommended this to because of that. Many people prefer more closure than what was offered here, and I do think that hampered the storytelling after a while because of how unusual this stylistic choice was.

Opening scenes are some of my favorite things to read as well as to write. There’s a real art in explaining enough about a world to draw the reader’s attention in without giving away too many details about what might happen next. I was intrigued by all of the beginnings in this first section and would have liked to see where they ended up. There was definitely a lot of room here for character and plot development as readers only got a brief taste of each scene before moving onto a new one in a different universe. It sure would have been helpful to get to know these characters and their conflicts better. I liked what I saw, but I didn’t get to see a lot of it.

“We Few Old Souls” was the name of the short stories that followed the same group of friends as they took care of each other after accidents and tried to figure out why they all kept being reincarnated and finding each other. This was by far the most interesting section to me. I was fascinated by their various lifetimes and had so many theories about why these characters were destined to meet up again no matter who they were in their latest lives.

The poetry was filled with wonder and emotion. I particularly enjoyed “An Ode to Langston Hughes.” Not only was it written in a style similar to the one this poet used, the subject matter was as timeless as his work, too. These patterns were repeated with the rest of the poems as well. They had conversational styles that made me smile.

Tales From an Odd Mind should be read by anyone who is in the mood for something creative.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Adeline’s Aria by Laynie Bynum

August 5, 2020 By 2 Comments


Adeline’s Aria by Laynie Bynum
Infernal Echo #1
Publisher: Fire and Ice YA
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

What would you give up to be with your idol? Your reputation? Your best friend? Your sanity?

Addie is a small-town high school senior with a best friend to take care of and college plans to figure out. Jude is a drop-dead-gorgeous British rock star turned actor and one-half of Hollywood’s favorite “it” couple alongside his co-star, Lana Thatcher.

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Addie’s always admired Jude from afar. Now he’s right in front of her.

I found the premise of Adeline’s Aria extremely intriguing. Meeting a celebrity crush is something many people dream about, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened when Addie not only met Jude but also began a secret relationship with him!

Addie is a very likable character. As a young woman on the cusp of graduating from high school, she’s still trying to work out what her next step will be. Does she go to college? Pursue her love of photography? Both? Addie is smart, talented, and completely devoted to her family and friends, but what I like most about her, is how real she is. Sometimes she’s totally confident and has it all together. At other times, she’s a mess who needs the comfort of her mom and her best friend. She’s doesn’t have it all figured out, and that’s okay. When Jude comes crashing into her life, Addie is understandably swept off her feet, but through it all, she stays true to herself. I admire her quite a bit.

Jude is definitely a rock star. He’s talented, attractive, and I love the description of his tattoos. I also love the fact that (Un)Lost by The Maine is on his playlist! However, there is more to Jude than his on-stage persona. He’s a regular guy who is sweet and kind but also has faults and family drama. I will say that his occupation does seem to amplify some of his problems quite a bit. While Jude loves his work, he’s also trapped by it to a certain extent. Everything he does is scrutinized by the public. I admire his resilience in being able to live in the spotlight and not completely lose himself.

I love how Addie and Jude meet! I can’t say much without spoiling the story, but I will say this. It could have gone horribly wrong, but Addie handled herself extremely well. I can only hope if I find myself in a similar situation, I’m as cool under pressure as Addie was. From the moment they meet, they certainly have chemistry, but I do think their relationship moves a bit too fast. After spending a few hours together, things start to get pretty serious. Jude is very open with Addie from the start, which I like, but his life moves at a different pace, and Addie soon finds herself out of her depth. Consequently, Addie and Jude often find themselves at odds as they try to figure out how to have a serious adult relationship. I found myself wishing they would just slow down and have an honest conversation. Despite this issue, I have a lot of hope for Addie and Jude’s future.

I enjoyed reading Adeline’s Aria. The relationship drama was intense at times, but the ending made it all worthwhile. I look forward to finding out what comes next in this series!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed by Christine Dore Miller

July 31, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed by Christine Dore Miller
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sixteen-year-old Andrea Cavanaugh is elated when Josh, a bright-eyed piano prodigy, becomes her first boyfriend. But the closer she gets to him, the more she realizes that he’s not the boy she first fell for. In its poignancy and emotional darkness, Forgiven are the Starry-Eyed takes you deep into the delicate and devastating web of shame that spirals from the depths of dating violence when dreamy teenage love turns dark. Andrea must find not only an escape, but a belief that she is even worthy of freedom.

Love isn’t supposed to hurt.
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I appreciated the way the author showed the audience the many warning signs of an abusive relationship through multiple examples in the storyline itself. This was so much more effective than sharing a list or having another character spout them off once Andrea was more deeply involved with Josh. It also gave the audience a chance to think for themselves, especially when it came to the small moments of discomfort the main character felt on her first date that can so easily be brushed off.

There were some pacing issues in the beginning that I found distracting. What made them even more noticeable was that one scene from a faster-paced section was included out of chronological order early on. This was the only thing I wish had been written differently about this tale. Everything else about it was so accurate, interesting, and sympathetic that I wish every teenager would read it before they jump into the dating pool for the first time.

The ending was perfect. I often wondered how Ms. Miller was planning to resolve everything, especially since this was a fairly short novel and there were still so many loose ends to tie up by the time I got to the last ten pages or so. It was delightful to see where she went with the plot at that point. It was satisfying but also left room for a sequel if she ever decides to write one. I, for one, would love to know what happened to Andrea next!

Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed was a timely, educational read that I’d recommend to teen and adult readers alike.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Avocado Bliss by Candace Robinson & Gerardo Delgadillo

July 16, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Avocado Bliss by Candace Robinson & Gerardo Delgadillo
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Dacre Vinson has spent the majority of his life in quite the predicament—even the surf and his books can’t erase his Type 1 diabetes. But when Dacre’s family moves to a new Mexican town, an eccentric girl obsessed with trees offers him a job on the spot, leading to what could be the perfect distraction from his problems.

Salbatora Tames has one true love, her avocado farm. Her family constantly nudges her to be more social, but Sal much prefers the dirt, the sun, and the solitude. Besides, trees listen better than people do.

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This could be a summer full of changes.

Salbatora and Dacre’s character development were both handled wonderfully. It isn’t easy to pull this off when working with two narrators, so I commend the authors for putting so much work into making both of these characters well-rounded and interesting folks. It made me eager to get to know both protagonists better and see if they received the happy endings I thought they deserved.

While I initially understood Dacre’s strong reluctance to talk about his Type 1 Diabetes, there did come a time about halfway through the book when this personality trait of his strained credibility. I’m saying this as someone who has a different medical condition that can become life threatening if not handled correctly. Yes, it made total sense for Dacre to feel embarrassed and annoyed by the way certain folks babied him after learning about his condition. That is always irritating. At the same time, there are certain medical conditions that really need to be disclosed for safety reasons so that others will know what warning signs to look out for in an emergency and when they should call for help. There were so many other things I loved about this story, but I sure struggled to understand why that main character hadn’t learned to communicate the basics about his condition to new people yet.

The road trip was filled with adventure. I never would have guessed that delivering a shipment of avocados could be so dangerous, especially since this was set in modern times and the characters had cell phones and a vehicle. It was a great deal of fun to see just how much trouble two teens could get into despite these advantages.

Avocado Bliss was an exciting read that I’d recommend to anyone who has ever wished they could be like other people.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Flight of the Spark by Evelyn Puerto

June 24, 2020 By 2 Comments


Flight of the Spark by Evelyn Puerto
Publisher: Open Water Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (406 Pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Age Recommendation: 13+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Alstroemeria

Duty. Desire. Destiny.

How far would you go to be safe… to be free…to be loved?

Iskra doesn’t question the rules. The rules are there to keep her safe from those who are deemed unsafe or unfair. Anyone who breaks the rules is taken, never to be heard from again. But that’s the price everyone gladly pays for peace and safety. And no one wants to live like the Riskers–barbarians who reject order and justice, and could kill or be killed at any moment.
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When a friend is taken because of Iskra, the guilt forces her to do the unthinkable: seek out the Riskers. Iskra’s quest to save her friend quickly entangles her fate with a cryptic prophecy and a young Risker named Xico, who ensnares her heart and is willing to put it all on the line to win her.

With every risk Iskra takes, the closer she gets to true freedom. But every choice carries a consequence. The choices she makes set events she never imagined into motion, and the price of her freedom could very well be her life and the life of the man she loves.

Devastatingly beautiful from start to finish, Flight of the Spark left me completely enthralled and praying to the sky-god that my predictions for the sequel would come true! I find that my heart actually feels like breaking knowing that at least for now the story is over and that I will have to wait to find out the fate of these wonderful characters.

Iskra fights with everything she has, risking it all for the truth about her society where injustices keep her questioning what is safe, and what is just there to keep her controlled. The exponential growth we experience with Iskra as she battles her way through her story grips us at our very core and pulls us along with her through order, rebellion, and through a beautiful bond she shares with her forbidden love.

Xico, the fearless, charming, and patient boy of practically a different world from Iskra, guides us along in learning that fears that have been faced can become strengths. He never gives in, and brings color to Iskra’s world of mandated gray.

I am in awe. Truly, I am emotional and delighted that I could fall so easily into a book like this again. All the nostalgia of falling for a dystopian series, gripping the edge of my seat while the turning pages grip the edge of my heart, having me question if any of us, (me and the characters), are going to make it out unscathed from the story that Evelyn Puerto has brought us.

Though Flight of the Spark was written for a teen audience, it brought with it so many important lessons that especially in today’s world would be so immeasurably important for audiences of all ages. It took me away to a different world, but saddled itself up parallel to the one we live in now, helping me find perspective in these unsure times.

Don’t pass up the opportunity to enter the world that Evelyn Puerto has so passionately created for us. Flight of the Spark will fill you with a magic you may have thought disappeared a long time ago. I can’t wait for the sequel.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Just Me by Deidre Huesmann, Roxas James, Madeia Sharif, and Kate Larkindale

June 11, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Just Me by Deidre Huesmann, Roxas James, Madeia Sharif, and Kate Larkindale
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (186 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Love is in the air…
JUST ME is a hand-picked collection of stories about self-discovery and being true to yourself. This LGBTQ+ young adult anthology is not afraid to take on real issues facing today’s teens.

“Witty, fast-paced, and well written.”

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Broken Rules by Roxas James
Bullet Me by Medeia Sharif
We’ll Always Have This by Kate Larkindale

Coming out isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding.

Aislynn got a summer job working at the same shop as her bully in “Wilde Girls.” There were so many plot twists from this point forward that I continued to be delighted by what happened when each of them were revealed. One of the other things I enjoyed about it had to do with the backstories of the two main characters. They were both far from perfect people, but the reasons for behaving the way they did made their previous choices understandable if nothing else.

Slogging through a busy shift at work while nursing a hangover isn’t fun, but it’s exactly what Bastian had to do in “Broken.” In between bussing tables, the question of what really happened at the party the night before loomed in his mind. It was so much fun to see him wrestle with this issue and search for clues. While Bastian could be a little impulsive at times, deep down he was a good kid who wanted to make the right decisions in life. Getting to know him was a treat.

Lonetta was hiding a crush on her best friend in “Bullet Me.” When another student discovered her secret, she had to decide whether she’d give in to his blackmail attempts or allow the whole school to find out what she’d been hiding. This tale was filled with moral dilemmas that were as complicated as they were fascinating. I was especially interested in the ways the adults in Lonetta’s life behaved. Some of them were kind while others were dangerously dismissive. Knowing that she had to be careful about who she trusted only made her limited choices even more important.

After his brother tried to commit suicide, Leo spent the night in his brother’s hospital room looking out for him and talking to the other visitors at that facility in “We’ll Always Have This.” As much as I loved seeing this character’s dedication to his sibling and entire family during this crisis, it did feel a little odd to me to have such a sombre setting for the beginning of a romance. This became even more true once I realized the sad truth behind why Leo’s love interest was spending so much time at the hospital. I wish these subplots could have been separated into individual, related stories. They were all well done, I simply thought they weren’t good matches to be all mixed into the same tale.

Just Me was the perfect thing to read as summer begins. Anyone who is in the mood for something breezy should definitely check it out.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Unusual Confusion by Ada Almond

June 2, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Unusual Confusion by Ada Almond
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (116 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“I was an outsider all my life. The only people in this world that wanted me were my family. But I had a way of escaping that world. I had my own world.”
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Lexi Miller never had any friends. She was the type of girl who would always get bullied, sit in a corner by herself at break, never put her hand up in class. She kept quiet, to not make the situation worse. She was a freak, and with psychic powers too. At age 5 she discovered a weird secret about herself – she could teleport to her very own dimension, which she used as a coping mechanism. But as it usually happens in story beginnings like these, someone comes along and saves the lonely main character. The “hero” in this book is the new girl Melodine Saunders. Lexi is confused about her feelings, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering stronger every time the girls meet. Gradually, she starts working things out and everything is finally going as planned. Until one day, unusual things – more unusual than normal, that is – start happening. Lexi shrugs them off, but you can’t put things off forever…

Sometimes the quiet kids are the most interesting ones of them all.

Lexi was a well-developed and sympathetic character. One of the things I liked the most about her was how realistically her voice was written. She acted and sounded exactly like a young teen her age should act and sound. That isn’t an easy thing to accomplish by any means! Ms. Almond put a lot of effort into this subtle but important part of writing this genre, and her hard work was appreciated by this reader.

I would have preferred to see more time spent developing the sections of the plot that talked about Lexi’s ability to transport to her own dimension. It was nothing like what I expected it to be. As fascinated as I was by the explanation for how this worked and why it wasn’t part of the science fiction genre like I originally assumed, it sure would have been nice to have more information here.

The subplot of this story about bullying was handled sensitively. Some of the best scenes in it involved how the adults in Lexi’s life reacted to hearing about the way she was mistreated by certain classmates. Their responses were as compassionate as they were realistic. I also enjoyed reading about how Lexi herself coped with all of the teasing. That’s a difficult thing for any kid to go through, and her coping mechanisms were good ones.

Unusual Confusion should be read by any preteen or teen who feels lonely or misunderstood.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Frederick Fly-Catcher by Helen C. Johannes

May 27, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Frederick Fly-Catcher by Helen C. Johannes
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (80 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Frederick the frog isn’t looking for adventure. His life in the family pond—hanging out and catching flies—is perfect. Or it would be if a bully wasn’t harassing the youngest frogs. To defend them, Frederick accepts a fly-catching challenge, but what he catches isn’t an insect. It’s a magic ring, and Frederick has swallowed it! Whenever he burps or coughs, something terrifying happens to the pond.

“Frogs shouldn’t have anything to do with human things,” says wise Uncle Ben, so to protect his family, Frederick must leave the only world he knows.
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The world beyond the pond is frightening, but rather than hide or mope, Frederick sets out to get rid of this dangerous human thing. His only hope is to find the small human who tossed the ring into the pond, the boy chased by big men and bigger horses. The boy is in trouble, too, but how can Frederick, one little frog, save a human, much less the pond from an evil sorcerer?

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, including small, green ones.

This was the first time I ever remember reading about a character who accidentally swallowed a magic ring. Small details like that one were what made Frederick’s adventures stand out to me. While they followed many of the rules about what should happen in a fantasy story, the ones they purposefully bent in order to surprise or delight the audience were what made this such a fun read. The author clearly knew this genre well, and it showed.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the world building in this story, especially when it came to the characters and their backstories. There were some fascinating things going on with the other creatures Frederick met while he was on his quest to get the magic ring out of his throat and back to wherever it was supposed to go. The connections between everyone were briefly touched upon, but there was so much going on that it sure would have been helpful if those explanations had been a bit longer and more detailed.

The magic in this universe was delightfully unpredictable. At first I wondered what the rules governing it were, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t meant to figured out ahead of time. Anything could happen each time Frederick burped, coughed, or otherwise jostled it as it was lodged in his throat. The best thing I could do was to relax and enjoy the ride, so that’s exactly what I did.

Frederick Fly-Catcher should be read by anyone who is looking for a lighthearted adventure.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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