4 Stars: I liked the characters and the story line. All of the magic and mystical creatures were awesome. The dragons, mermaids, vampires, and different kingdoms were just amazing ideas. The conflicts where exciting and kept me reading. Also the characters like Elearah, Balian, Pearl, and Mika were all my favorites. Pearl was my favorite of all though. She was strong and magical even though she wasn't what everybody expected.
I recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13. Some of the scenes can be a little intense for younger readers. Have fun reading!
Buy links:
Amazon
B&N (paper back only)
Blurb:
For Elearah and her secret companion Pearl, time is running out. They must escape to the Goddess Sanctuary before they are overtaken by assassins even their mysterious protectors Mika and Balian cannot stop. Their long, desperate journey through the kingdom of Huo, is interrupted by a summons from the duke that cannot be refused.
What results is a war between political titans, magical creatures, and unknown spirits. Will they survive to seek sanctuary? Will Mika overcome his tragic history and claim Elearah, the woman he has come to love? Will the ancient dragon god arise? Or will all hope for the future be lost...
Author Bio:
Sandra Martinez writes fiction and non-fiction with a single purpose in mind: to understand the world around us. Sometimes we can understand it by looking from close up, sometimes we need to go far out there.
She writes while taking care of a small edible garden, two kids, a cat and a dog who don´t seem to understand the meaning of pacific coexistence.
Visit elearah.com for news and conversations around Elearah Chronicles.
5 Stars: Awakened is more of a NA romance but I still enjoyed it. My favorite character was Serra (or Serendipity) because she is a strong female character that doesn't know it until the end. Serra reminds me of some of my other favorite female characters. I also like Liam, he reminds me of a strong male hero. He is the strong one from the beginning.
The best part of the book was the relationship between all the characters. All the characters are either friends or will be. They all just fit in the story perfectly.
I honestly recommend this book to people over the age of 14. Good reading!
Buy Links:
Amazon
B&N
Blurb:
Traumatized by her past, and struggling to move on from it, Sera has spent the past three years of college hiding herself from the world and content to stay that way. A chance encounter with Liam shatters her sheltered world, leaving her stunned and shaken by the strange feelings and emotions he arises in her, feelings she never thought she would experience and that frighten her in their intensity. Harboring a dark and deadly secret of his own, Liam knows that he should stay away from Sera; that he will only bring her more hurt, but he is irresistibly drawn to her and unable to deny himself the pleasure that only she can bring to him. But when their pasts collide with their present, and Liam’s true nature is revealed, will their love for each other be enough, or will they be torn apart forever?
3 Stars: This book started out with an awesome storyline and the blurb made it sound amazing!
However, I felt that the story became way too complicated. I honestly think that the author could have also elaborated on the places that the characters went . I thought that they moved around too much without explaining why and how they got to the places they went to so quickly. I spent a lot of time questioning their actions, which pulled me out of the story.
I also don't understand why the author came up with new names for every mythical creature (oops... spoiler). Couldn't he stick with the original names to make it less complicated? I have to say though that the story was quite adventure filled and very unique.
If you still find the book interesting after what I have just said then by all means read it! :)
Buy Link:
Amazon
Blurb:
Drake Copeland never knew his father. His mother disappeared years ago. So the day Drake and three classmates are stuck in the classroom while the rest of the school gets a field trip, it’s just one more time he’s been left behind. But when a bullied genius leaves his experiment running in the lab and throws the whole school through time, getting left behind is the least of their problems. Drake and his friends crash into a burned-out wasteland where their town used to be, discovering cannibals, starving werewolves, vampires, wise ghosts and a dark army directly connected to their own time - and maybe their own school.
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Short bio -
Rick Polito was the fourth grader who bragged about reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe twice in one day and followed that love of words into a 20-year career as a newspaper reporter and columnist. Polito claims he is the only person in history who ever "witnessed a gas chamber execution and took his dog to pet psychic camp all in the same job." His "Wizard of Oz" synopsis - Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again - was a viral sensation. It was reading to his own son that brought him back to his love of young adult fiction and the story that became Dark Shift. A single father, Polito is raising two children in Boulder, Colorado.
The placeholder blog site -
http://darkshiftbook.blogspot.com/
The Facebook page -
https://www.facebook.com/Thedarkshiftbook
My fan page for my jokes -
https://www.facebook.com/Thedarkshiftbook
5 Stars: Diary of a Vampeen captured my full attention with this amazing story! I just couldn't put this book down!!
Diary of a Vampeen, by Christin Lovell, is a story about 15-year-old Lexi who feels very self conscience about her body size. Lexi meets a boy named Kellan. She, despite her boyfriend Mike, instantly has a crush on Kellan. On her 16th birthday she goes through big changes. She turned into a vampeen, 3/4 human and 1/4 vampire. Lexi finds out that Kellan is also like her. Although Lexi is now the hottest girl in her school she isn't sure that she is ready to be a vampeen.
This story was the best of both worlds for me. Vampires and teens stretching their wings(not that they have wings.) Ms. Lovell's voice was perfect for this type of book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Blurb:
Imagine living a human charade for fifteen years and never knowing it. Imagine being provided less than a week to learn and accept your family’s true heritage before it overtook you. Alexa Jackson, Lexi, is abruptly thrown onto this roller coaster and quickly learns that she can’t change fate, regardless of how many lifetimes she is given. She will be transformed into a vampeen on her sixteenth birthday, she will be called upon to fulfill a greater destiny within the dangerous world of vampires, and she will have to risk heartbreak and rejection if she ever wants a chance at love with Kellan, whether she likes it or not.
