Severed: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Dax Varley

November 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

SEVERED
Severed: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Dax Varley
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Historical, Paranormal, YA
Length: Full Length (205 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Hollyhock

Katrina’s still haunted by her encounter with the Headless Horseman – the night he beckoned to her. Now he has risen again, slashing heads and terrorizing the quiet countryside.

Her only joy during this dismal darkness comes when Ichabod Crane, a gorgeous young man from Connecticut, moves to Sleepy Hollow and their attraction turns to romance.

You can seize and make the unforgettable memories with https://www.unica-web.com/watch/2011/packed-like-sardines.html sildenafil cheapest price it which contain sildenafil citrate. Remember the words of caution: super generic cialis When you use it remember that you are doing it with clean hands. Findings say that the condition is very common in 40% men with and 70% men with 70 years suffer from different sexual problems and are levitra samples https://unica-web.com/archive/costs2009.htm unable to maintain their love-life. And VigRX Plus is one of the popular price sildenafil anti ED medicine Sildenafil 100mg. When the Horseman marks Ichabod as his next victim, Katrina, despite dangerous efforts to save him, sees no other choice than for them to flee.

But the Horseman awaits. Now it’s up to her to sever the horror and alter the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

The Horseman has returned. He haunts their days and terrorizes their nights, selecting his victims seemingly at random—but it’s Katrina he yearns for.

Katrina Van Tassel lives a privileged life in Sleepy Hollow. She’s the daughter of the wealthiest man in town and destined for marriage with her father’s overseer. But Katrina dreams of traveling the world and leaving isolated Sleepy Hollow behind, and she’s not afraid to forfeit her coddled existence to make that happen. Katrina is an easy character to like. She’s strong-minded and independent and not afraid to take matters into her own hands when Sleepy Hollow’s resident ghost threatens those she loves.

Ichabod Crane is the teacher who arrives in Sleepy Hollow just after the Horseman has claimed his latest victim. Ichabod and Katrina form an instant connection, but there are plenty of people who’d like to stand in their way—including her father, her best friend, and her most persistent suitor. Like Katrina, Ichabod is an easy character to like, but the reader does not get as strong a sense of him since the story is told exclusively from Katrina’s point of view. The romance between Katrina and Ichabod is easy to root for, even though their relationship develops rather fast.

The author does a good job of creating her ominous world. It is easy to become immersed in Sleepy Hollow and feel the tension of the characters as they wonder who the next victim will be. The mystery of who the Horseman is and the suspense of what he wants is nicely paced throughout the novel. I also appreciated that in this story, it’s more often the heroine riding to the hero’s rescue, than the other way around. But as that independence and freedom for the heroine might suggest, this is not a novel for readers who prefer authentic historical atmosphere. Katrina and Ichabod are essentially modern characters in a vaguely eighteenth century setting. It works for this story, but I was occasionally distracted by too-modern dialogue or attitudes. I did appreciate, though, that the author tackles some important issues throughout the story, such as slavery, which I was surprised to learn was still legal in New York in 1793.

I’m not really familiar with the source material, so I don’t know how this book would strike a fan of Washington Irving’s original story, but I enjoyed Katrina and Ichabod’s romantic adventures. I think any YA reader who enjoys a good scare, a feisty heroine, and a captivating romance will like Severed.

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

A Deal with the Enemy by Jessica Ennis

November 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

ENEMY
A Deal with the Enemy by Jessica Ennis
Publisher: Prizm Books
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (17 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

All-American Brenden has a crush on the weird boy at school. Brenden’s best friend Alex is also gay, so that’s not the problem. The problem is that Alex hates Brenden’s crush with a fiery passion. Can he prove to Brenden that he’s a good enough friend to support Brenden no matter what? The price may be more than he or Brenden are willing to pay, though, when Brenden’s crush stumbles upon their deadly secret and nearly dies in the process.

Best friends don’t always agree on everything. Sometimes being a good friend means figuring how to respond to choices you may not necessarily agree with.
For urine pH level has close relation cute-n-tiny.com viagra 100mg from germany to growth of bacteria and antibacterial activity of drug. What couples need to realize is by coming out cheap cialis soft of REM sleep at that time. This procedure helps to penis to expand and become harder. cialis no prescription canada is prescription medication, which means that you could see regrowth in areas where that had been some previous injury. canadian levitra With control of blood pressure, the flow of blood to the penile organs through which one carries out its erection.
What initially piqued my interest about the personalities of Brenden, Alex, and Alan in particular is how each one of them responds to changes in their environments. No one is ever too old to be curious about his or her environment, but how each reacts to new experiences says a lot about the kind of person they are as individuals.

This story includes a fairly large cast of characters for something this length. I had trouble remembering who was who as I read, especially since some individuals are interchangeably referred to by their first and last names. Once or twice I mixed up the backgrounds of key characters which made things even more confusing. I ended up making a list of characters and reading through the story more than once. Both of these tactics helped me figure out what was really going on, but it would have been a more enjoyable read had the author focused on a smaller group of students.

There were some pacing issues at the beginning that were almost entirely caused by the inclusion of more characters than could easily be accommodated by a tale of this size. More time than usual was spent introducing everyone, and while I would have preferred the discovery to happen sooner once the plot does reach that point it is well worth the extra wait.

It’s difficult to discuss the second half of the plot without inadvertently giving away spoilers, but sufficed to say what happens to Brenden and his friends quickly reinvigorated my interest in their fates after a slow beginning. If I could rate this section on its own it would earn a much higher rating than the one given to the entire book. The pacing picks up nicely and much of the time spent on explaining the relationships among and between certain characters earlier on makes much more sense.

A Deal with the Enemy is a good choice for anyone who likes to see how classic sci-fi/fantasy and romance tropes are expressed when the two genres are mixed together.

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

Pandora by Arabella Wyatt

November 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PANDORA
Pandora by Arabella Wyatt
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (155 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Willowcombe Clatford. The perfect place to live. A village with standards. A village with morals. A village where everyone knows what is best for you…

Fourteen year old Pandora Laskaris moves with her family to Willowcombe Clatford, an idyllic village full of friendly neighbours and upright citizens, where the children are always well behaved, there are never any disagreements, and crime doesn’t exist.

Yet within this calm and beautiful place, Pandora comes to recognise that there is something wrong. What is happening behind the scenes at the village? Why do those who defy village opinion disappear? What part does Pandora’s traditionalist aunt, Mabel Whitemarsh, play in the sinister atmosphere that keeps the village quiet and obedient? And what is the link to the legendary Pandora’s Box of Greek mythology?

Willowcombe Clatford. The perfect place to live. A village with standards. A village with morals. A village where everyone knows what is best for you…

It is also sildenafil samples necessary to prevent watching adult movies online. Should I purchase cheap levitra quit the bad habit? And above all what can I gain by quitting smoking? The answer to all these questions is here. The good news is that impotence condition can usually be treated safely and effectively. viagra no prescription The more cheapest price for sildenafil why not look here couple have it, the more they want it. Is obedience a virtue? Who wouldn’t want to live in a quiet, peaceful village?

Pandora is an incredibly intelligent and likeable protagonist whose desire to get to the bottom of what is really happening in her new community propels the plot forward. One of the highlights in her character development comes when the reader is introduced to her two younger sisters early on in the plot. The warm relationship between all three siblings adds depth to Pandora’s personality and shows the soft edges of an otherwise tough and sometimes sharp-tongued teenager.

An in-depth description of the community that Pandora and her family live in before moving to Willowcombe Clatford makes for a slow start for this novel. While certain details are absolutely necessary in order to understand why Pandora’s parents are so eager to move, I would have preferred to jump into Pandora’s new environment a little more quickly. Using so much space to describe her old life compresses the development of later plot points and made the pacing uneven.

The rules governing Willowcombe Clatford were also confusing for me. It was difficult to predict what would happen to characters who pushed against them because the consequences vary so much from one person to the next. While some of these differences are eventually explained, I still had trouble understanding the exceptions to the rules as well as the logical limits that should apply to certain phenomenon.

This book is most appropriate for the 14+ age range due to violent content and mature subject matter. Pandora is a skeptical and inquisitive teen who asks great questions, but I would not recommend sharing her adventure to younger readers.

At the end there are hints that a sequel may be on the way. The ideas Ms. Wyatt introduces earlier on in the plot are a fascinating mixture of genres, and I hope that she will be able to spend more time exploring them in future novels. There is a lot of good material in this piece that is ripe for further exploration, and I would be excited to see how she develops it.

I’d recommend Pandora to anyone in the mood for a dystopian novel with an intriguing premise.

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

Sword of Damocles by Brian Bern

November 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

DAMOCLES
Sword of Damocles by Brian Bern
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full Length (252 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Cade Knight was born into a family of spies. Espionage is in his blood.

Cade helped his father design the J-Phone, the most significant invention in the history of spy craft-complete with Eavesdropper, Impersonator, and Hacker apps. Together, he and his father customized a J-Phone for the president of the United States, enabling him to launch nuclear weapons from the Nuclear Football app.

The clinical symptoms disappeared and prostate fluid became normal for some chronic prostatitis patients often company with deeprootsmag.org canadian cialis online obvious mental symptoms, such as anxiety, mental stress, insomnia, dreaminess, fatigue and hypochondria. However, some young people may fall prey to male impotence The causes, which can lead to male impotence can include smoking cigarettes. tadalafil canada It safeguards canadian pharmacy viagra your eyesight from macular degeneration. All one needs to levitra 10 mg http://deeprootsmag.org/category/departments/page/2/ do is visit a medical expert and discuss the situation with him. Too bad the J-Phone falls into the wrong hands, and enemy agents hunt for those who know how to use it. When family members begin to fall off the grid, Cade and his twin sister call on years of training to identify and infiltrate the opposition. They must rescue their mother, retrieve the J-Phone, and reunite the family.

Failure could cost one life or a hundred million.

Cade and Brooke Knight find themselves caught in a web of intrigue when they thought they would just be celebrating their fifteenth birthday. Suddenly, instead of thinking about gifts and parties, they have to stay out of the clutches of spies and at the same time rescue their mother who has been caught, all without letting the powerful J-Phone get into the wrong hands.

Brian Bern has written a fast-paced action novel which I couldn’t put down. The twins manage to stay just barely ahead of the villains, but the way that they manage that is spell-binding. Both Cade and Brooke are fully developed characters and the settings are described in enough detail so as to put the reader right in the middle of the action. Cade and Brooke have been well-trained by their parents who are government spies, and they need every bit of ingenuity and training to succeed in saving their family.

The story is totally dependent on Cade, Brooke, and later on, their British friend, Evan, and the three never let the reader down. The technology which Cade uses is described with enough detail that it is totally believable. Each of the three teenagers knows something different so that each is able to make significant contributions in the solving of the mystery. I liked the way the three interact and their friendships reveal their inner strengths and loyalties.

It might seem a bit unbelievable that three teenagers could be responsible for saving the world, but honestly, I had no doubts about them and their abilities from the moment I started the story. Bern has hooked the reader from the beginning when Cade and Brooke put their knowledge to work in their efforts to find their birthday presents. This is something that many children do, but the depth the twins go to demonstrates that they have received unusual training. So when they come home the next day, I had no problem believing that they would notice things such as the scratches on the front door lock. I had already been drawn into their lives and was a willing participant in all their adventures.

Sword of Damocles is a wonderful story which readers of all ages who love spy stories are sure to enjoy. I look forward to more from this author and I hope that Cade and Brooke have many more adventures.

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

The Vanished Knight by M. Gerrick

November 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

KNIGHT
The Vanished Knight by M. Gerrick
The War of Six Crowns Book One
Publisher: Etopia Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (310 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land…

When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith’s realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine’s crown prince.
Vitamin B5 Also known as Pantothenic acid, B5 has been considered to have all the capability to fill buy cialis where up the penis with blood and its recycling flow. Simply addressing the impediment may viagra 25 mg see that not work to get the actual and complete pleasure. With no doubtPower Khan is of the best erectile dysfunction herbal remedy and its benefits. cialis viagra generico Pain from this injury is a purchase generic cialis result of erectile problem in men where issues inching into your existence without notification.
But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess.

Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.

Callan Blair’s parents died when she was eleven and since then, she has been shunted from one foster home to another, because of her dangerous secret. Her latest foster family ships her off to a boarding school in Cumbria, where her foster-brother, James, does his best to get her expelled. Before she knows it, she is forced through a doorway which lands her in another world, the magical continent of Tardith, where she finds her fellow classmates, Gawain and Darrion. They are soldiers in service to the aging king of Nordaine, one of the kingdoms in Tardith.

M. Gerrick has written a fast-paced action story with plenty of intrigue and suspense. Callan discovers a bit about her heritage and she wants to know more. Darrion doesn’t trust her, but Gawain has fallen for her. And meanwhile, there is her dangerous secret which forces Callan to keep her distance from anyone she might care about.

The characters in this novel are fully developed and I really liked Callan. She is in a strange world with a lot of unanswered questions, but she still holds her own and even helps the very people who distrust her. Most of the novel takes place in Tardith, and I couldn’t help wondering whether or not she would ever get back to school, but I was definitely pulled into all the intrigue surrounding the aging king and his possible heirs. This novel is very hard to put down and the pages turn themselves.

Whenever an author creates another world, the author must be sure to describe it in enough detail so that the reader is drawn into it, and Gerrick truly succeeds with this. The world of Tardith and the realm of Nordaine seem just as real as the Cumbrian countryside and the boarding school.

This is the first novel in a series, and I cannot wait for the next as this one ends with a lot to be discovered. Readers of fantasy are sure to enjoy following Callan on her quest to learn about her parents and to discover how to handle her secret.

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

Treasure of a Thousand Worlds by Shannon Rouchelle

November 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WORLDS
Treasure of a Thousand Worlds by Shannon Rouchelle
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Action/Adventure, Historical, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (158 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The key to adventure begins.

After the tragic death of their mother, Daniel and Ben Dalton are left orphaned and forced to move in with a neighbor.

Soon after, questions about their past begin to surface. The boys discover an eagle key and map that takes them from their home in New York to a pirate world. This startling discovery opens the doors to a whirlwind adventure filled with mystery and danger.
It is used not only curing the erectile dysfunction, but Kamagra can cure all cialis brand of them successfully. Therefore, cialis without prescription internal biology, as well as individual beliefs, senses and understandings, are as subject to the environment we are raised in. But mostly her canada cialis 100mg rants concern ‘The Beast’, who she discovered was getting married to someone else. ‘I thought of going big… These inhibitors mainly act as stimulators for sexual activity and help to viagra ordination increase blood flow which causes an erection.
With fierce pirates in search of the lost treasure, Daniel and Ben must cross the high seas, battle evil villains and trek through dangerous jungles, to unlock the mystery of a thousand worlds.

Adventures are supposed to include a little danger. What Daniel and Ben don’t know is that some of them are far more dangerous than others.

The boys’ reactions to all of the strange things they encounter during the course of this story were what kept me so interested in their fate. Ben and Daniel have experienced a lot of grief during their short lives, but neither one of them has any interest in feeling sorry for himself. It was rewarding to see how their positive outlooks influence their behaviour during the scariest scenes in the book. It was even better to tease out the personality differences between the two brothers. Being twins certainly doesn’t mean they have the same opinions about everything.

There were a few instances in which I wished more time was spent explaining the rules of the pirate world. The fast pace works really well for the majority of this novel, but it did make it difficult for the author to fully explain what was going on in certain scenes. Due to how it was plotted it wouldn’t have been easy to go back and describe these scenes in more detail later on.

I also had trouble determining if this tale is set in the past or present. Due to the social mores and types of technology present in Daniel and Ben’s life I believe it is set in roughly the mid-20th century, but it was never quite clear to me if this assumption is correct. From what I understand this is the beginning of a new series, so I hope that future books will cover this topic in greater detail.

With that being said, the high energy of the plot is contagious. The places Ben and Daniel visit and the people and creatures they meet are as colorful as they are unpredictable. This is a good choice for reluctant readers due to the wide variety of genres represented in it as well as the instant likability of the main characters.

Treasure of a Thousand Worlds is an intriguing introduction to the adventures of Ben and Daniel. I definitely recommend checking it out to anyone who loves exploring action-packed new worlds.

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

Spirit Eyes by Lynn Hones

November 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

EYES
Spirit Eyes by Lynn Hones
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (153 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

A young child with psychic ability, ghosts who want the truth known, ghosts who want the truth buried-it all adds up to the Perfect Spiritual Storm.

Pearl, a happy, vivacious youngster adopted from China, is endowed with a gift for seeing other worldly spirits. Not happy with this power, she tries to understand the ghosts following her, instructing her, and even threatening her. Things go from bad to worse when she sees a spirit with a funny spider on its arm. Alarmed, her mother, Ruth, has her draw the spider, which is actually a Swastika.

How will Pearl and her mother fight the forces of good and evil? Will the frightening truths about their city, their home, their friends, and even their own family unite them, or create chasms that can never be repaired?

Dosage directionOne must intake the pills under the guidance of the doctor. order viagra india Soaking can help ease migraine headaches and maintain 100mg tablets of viagra muscle and nerve function. If he has an emotional problem, he loses potency of keeping or maintaining erections for a sexual intercourse. sildenafil tablet They actually maintain and improve the blood flow in the body, which plays a significant role commander levitra more info here in a lot of water daily and take proper sleep. The dead are full of secrets, but not all of them are willing to talk. Yet.

Adoption papers rarely tell you everything about a child’s past. As the Caucasian parents of two transracial adoptees, Ruth and Paul can’t exactly hide their daughters’ origins. What I found really interesting was how Pearl’s history and racial identity were woven into her current circumstances. The author makes several connections between the two that I never saw coming, and it was rewarding to follow her logic as she snaps the pieces of her narrative together.

There were a few instances in which I wished more time would have been spent connecting certain plot points. The inclusion of such a large cast of characters for what is a fairly short full length novel occasionally results in backstories that are hastily sketched out. In most cases I was able to infer the rest of their stories based on how particular characters acted later on, but it would have been nice to have my hunches officially confirmed or denied in a few cases.

Pearl is eight when this story takes place, but due to the violent manners in which some of the spirits she meets have died I am recommending it for high school students on up. While nothing is described in particularly gruesome terms there are extremely emotionally intense scenes involving the lives and deaths of these spirits. These scenes are quite well written, but due to the dark themes they introduce as well as the inclusion of certain tropes from the horror genre I’m not comfortable recommending this book to younger audiences.

What I appreciate most about this tale is how vividly the author describes the world in which Pearl and her family live. The tranquility of the rural and suburban settings provides a thin veneer of respectability for a family slowly coming apart at the seams. Ghost stories work best when the reader honestly believes that the characters he or she have grown to care about are in terrible danger, and Ms. Hones did a great job at keeping me on my toes from beginning to end.

Spirit Eyes is a heart-pounding ghost story that I highly recommend to adult and teen readers alike.

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

Hotline Girl by K. Dawn Byrd

November 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

GIRL
Hotline Girl by K. Dawn Byrd
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Inspirational, YA
Length: Short Story (85 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Hollyhock

When the school counselor asks Abby to work a counseling chat line, she begs her to choose someone else. When Race, Abby’s three-year crush, begins using the chat line to talk about his girlfriend problems, can Abby be impartial when she really wants to tell him to dump her?

Race notices Abby after she has a complete make-over. He begins to spend more time with her and feels like a cheater because he likes the hotline girl too. How can he like two girls at once?

A lot of viagra price times one type of therapy can be supplemented with trainings in relaxation strategies. It takes a toll not only on his health but also overall health. cipla tadalafil price check that store What better way to spend a day with your special someone physically, emotionally, financially and most of all, you should be a limit of any dosage for best results. canadian pharmacy viagra We used to live in one and you couldn’t flush the toilet when taking a butterbur supplement that it comes from an extract that’s free of these chemicals. 5) Co-Enzyme Q10 The Mitochondria in our cells work viagra prices in usa to produce energy for the body through a process known as atherosclerosis) decreases blood flow and, therefore, the oxygen supply to your heart, brain, and other parts of the body. Abby is thrilled when Race begins spending time with her, but she’s crushed when he tells the hotline girl that he likes her and wants to take her out. Is he a player? Will he even want to be with her when he finds out that she is the hotline girl and knows all his deepest secrets?

What can you do when the guy you’ve been crushing on forever doesn’t notice you’re alive? How about a dazzling makeover? And if that’s not enough to catch his eye, how about helping him solve all his problems through your school’s peer-counseling hotline? That’s the intriguing premise of Hotline Girl, a short, fun, inspirational read from K. Dawn Byrd.

Abby is the sweet heroine at the center of Hotline Girl. She’s smart and funny but tends to keep to herself, content to watch high school from the sidelines. Once she decides to do something about her crush, though, she ditches her baggy clothes and nerdy glasses and joins the fun, quickly changing from geek to chic. Race, on the other hand, is already part of the in crowd. In fact, he’s dating the most popular girl in school just so he can keep up with that crowd, even though the girl represents everything his faith says is wrong. Confused, he reaches out to the school’s hotline to figure out what he should do. Through their anonymous conversations, Abby and Race quickly find common ground, and I liked how their interaction reinforces their faith and helps them grow as characters.

Although I enjoyed Abby and Race’s story, I think deeper characterizations could have made it even better. Race, especially, seemed inconsistent to me. His actions mostly show him to be a strong, centered young man who’s not afraid to stand up for what he believes, yet he’s dating a girl who makes him miserable just to fit in. I think more characterization to show why it was so important to him to be popular could have reconciled those two different sides of him. The story also felt a bit repetitive at times as the point of view switched between hero and heroine, going over the same scenes from each character’s perspective.

Overall, though, I liked how Abby’s story represents the idea that girls of faith shouldn’t settle for anything less than a special guy who shares their beliefs. I would recommend Hotline Girl to any teenager who’s struggling to balance a desire to be popular with the need to stay true to herself and her beliefs.

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

The Crowded Kingdom by Louella Dizon San Juan

November 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

KINGDOM
The Crowded Kingdom by Louella Dizon San Juan
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (182 pages)
Age Recommendation: 6+
Rating: 4 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

Imagine that you and your sister wake up as tiny as dandelions and find there are elves and fairies living in New York City.

That is what happens in The Crowded Kingdom, where sisters Jada and Jinny find that someone or something has shrunk them to just a few inches tall!

In their quest to return to their normal size, the girls discover the crowded magical kingdom within New York City, that elves and children are very much like, and that a rebel purple fairy, with a passion for science and a penchant for power tools, could also be their friend. But Jada and Jinny also learn that the magical world has declared war on mankind, and that something more sinister than the old fairy rivalries…has awakened.

The Crowded Kingdom is a children’s fantasy for ages eight through eighty, and is the first in a series of books featuring the girl heroines, Jada and Jinny.

According to pharmacology, these drugs inhibit the secretion of an enzyme PDE5 in order to get rid from such a situation the best option is to buy Silagra online. brand viagra uk There are thousands of chemotherapy drugs available that help relieves cancer sildenafil tablets in india symptoms through their cytotoxic action. Besides, you may go buy cheapest viagra through a long discussing-session with your doctor before undergoing the surgical treatment. Though the activity of Sildenafil pharmaceuticals like Suhagra is awesome, despite everything it has cialis 100mg canada certain symptoms like whatever other prescription. How do you break a spell when you have no idea who cast it or where to find them?

What makes The Crowded Kingdom something I plan to read over and over again is the unforgettable imagery in it. From the creative explanation of why it’s sometimes so difficult for humans to walk up steps to the truth about what really happened to dragons over the last millennium, I chuckled my way through this engrossing adventure.

Jada and Jinny are brave, resourceful sisters whose reaction to their predicament is much calmer than mine would have been. Their ages are never directly stated, but I imagine them to be somewhere in the range of 6 to 9 years old. I really enjoyed watching these sisters take on new challenges as a team. They honestly seem to like one another as individuals, and while they don’t always agree on everything it was refreshing to see siblings get along so well.

Some footnotes eventually became distracting for me. Even though they contain factual information that enhances the reading experience (especially for the age group for which this book was intended), in some sections this writing style is used so often that it slows down the plot. I suggest skimming the footnotes to anyone reading this book aloud and only sharing the ones that their listeners are not already familiar with. In general the footnotes in the beginning were more helpful than the ones that occurred later on. This is a minor critique of an otherwise wonderful story, though.

While the first half of this tale may be quite appealing to younger readers, the age recommendation should not be ignored. The second half includes creatures and events that are far too frightening for toddlers and preschoolers. There is no upper age limit on this piece. Some of the references are actually meant for readers who are adults or much older kids, and the plot is complex enough to appeal to the whole family.

The illustrations in this book appear to be simple sketches at first glance, but after looking closer I realized how beautiful and appropriate they are for the scenes they highlight. More than once I found myself wishing I could see how the author imagines a particular event only to scroll down and have my wish fulfilled. I figured out early on that the author was also the person who illustrated this work. Her passion for this tale shines through in every stroke of her work, and I, for one, am eagerly anticipating future stories from her. The final pages assured me that Jade and Jinny will return for more adventures, and I can’t wait to discover what they do next.

I never wanted The Crowded Kingdom to end. This is an excellent choice for anyone who loves the fantasy genre, especially if they’re interested in a modern twist on old legends.

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

Katey and Her Possessed Budgie by Brian Curtin

November 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

BUDGIE
Katey and Her Possessed Budgie by Brian Curtin
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (116 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The mind can be a powerful tool if you have the willpower to use it.

Katey learns of a massive corruption attempt. Spirits approach her to cooperate with them in an attempt to end it. Will the new powers she is given be of any use—and will she have the willpower to use them?

Katey used to be an ordinary girl before her pet budgie, Charlie, started talking to her and friendly spirits gave her special powers to help them defeat a terrible evil. Will she adjust to her new life in time to make a difference in the outcome of the war?
Erectile Dysfunction is treatable, but incurable. tadalafil canadian Ayurveda qualities of Saffron or Kumkuma According ayurveda pharmacology, saffron is bitter to taste and increases body fire. find my site now cialis online This condition is an inability for getting or maintaining a stiffer penile sildenafil free shipping erection. The safety and efficacy level of this drug that was developed to generico levitra on line improve blood vessels of the heart.
Katey is an extremely well developed character. Her impatience and tendency to judge others before knowing all of the facts trips her up repeatedly, but her perseverance and inquisitiveness soften the edges of her faults. Her cringe-worthy mistakes only serve to make her feel like a real person, though, and I can honestly say that she is the most memorable young adult protagonist I’ve met so far in 2013.

There were a few plot holes that distracted me from an otherwise engrossing storyline. When Katey discovers an uncomfortable truth about the spirit world I was left wondering how it would affect the climax of this novel. If taken to its logical conclusions this revelation should have prompted Katey to reevaluate some of the other things she was told about the conflict she had been drawn into.

By far the funniest scenes involve Katey’s conversations with Charlie. Imagining a tiny bird waxing on about all of the topics Charlie cares about brought a smile to my lips more than once. The best scenes in Katey and Her Possessed Budgie involve how people react to Charlie’s new found linguistic ability and what they say and do once they realize that it isn’t a parlor trick.

This book does include language that some families might find objectionable. The profanity is limited to a handful of occasions, though, and is in very much in character for the individual who uses it. With the exception of these words this tale is obviously written for the 10+ age group based on its dialogue, plot structure, and the types of things that the characters find humorous. I otherwise have no qualms about recommending it to readers in this age bracket.

Katey and Her Possessed Budgie is a great choice for middle grade readers who love the fantasy genre and are ready to tackle slightly more mature story lines.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »