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Book Review: K My Name is Kendra by Kamichi Jackson

February 28, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: K My Name is Kendra

Author: Kamichi Jackson

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Age Group: Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Fifteen-year-old Kendra James’ life begins to spiral out of control with the return of her long-lost runaway sister Meisha, and the visit of a young celebrity uncle with questionable intentions. Things take a particular turn for the worse when that uncle exploits Kendra’s loneliness and untreated depression and makes a move on her that sends her world into a tailspin from which she’s not sure she’ll ever recover. Will she survive this tragedy…or will she hit rock-bottom before anyone even notices?

K My Name is Kendra is an emotional rollercoaster of a book, with a heart-breaking storyline and a heroine you can’t help but root for, and whose tragic circumstances make you want to hug her and not let go.

Kendra is a fifteen-year-old girl whose life spirals out of control due to the return of her runaway sister Meisha, and the visit of a young celebrity uncle with questionable motives. Kendra feels like a very realistic character, painfully honest in the way she thinks about herself and the people surrounding her, a little bit naive which is not unusual at that age, but most importantly, a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for.

The writing is captivating and easy to get lost in, and before long, I found myself part of Kendra’s world. I recognized a lot of my younger self in Kendra and the way she saw the world.

 

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Book Review: Sudden Secrets by C. Lee McKenzie

April 4, 2015 Leave a Comment

24155632Title: Sudden Secrets
Author: C. Lee McKenzie
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

One Secret

Cleo has struggled to heal after her baby sister’s death, but the flashbacks to the accident won’t go away. With the move, she vows to keep her tragedy a secret and avoid pitying looks.
One Mystery
Something’s strange about the abandoned house across the street-flashes of light late at night and small flickers of movement that only someone looking for them would see.
Everyone says the house is deserted, but Cleo is sure it isn’t, and she’s sure whoever is inside is watching her.
Another Secret
In one night, Belleza’s life changes forever. So famous, her only choice is to hide her secret from the world so she can silence small town bigotry.
Then Cleo happens.

Sudden Secrets offers contemporary YA at its finest, with a protagonist teenagers will easily relate to. Yet it it also features a mystery and unfortunately, that part falls a little flat.

Cleo and her family struggle to heal after her kid sister passes away. They move to another town, into another house, and try to make the best of it. But her father has run halfway across the world where he works on archeological dig sites and tries to perserve ancient artifacts, leaving her, her mom and her granddad, to deal with the pieces of the family they once were. All of them struggle with guilt, with sorrow, and the author does an amazing job portraying the family’s grief. This is the strong point of the book. The characters feel realistic and have their little quirks (like grandpa and his pet snake, Clyve), and their sorrow feels as real as they do.

After moving, Cleo makes a few friends. She makes them rather fast though, and this didn’t seem very realistic. They do make an interesting group though, with a fun group dynamic. I liked Rudy and Stacy. Although their personalities were quite different, they did match nicely with Cleo’s personality.

The part that didn’t work for me was the mystery. Cleo’s house had an abandoned house next to it, but sometimes the lights turned out. I was expecting the mystery to be a little spooky, or at least suspenseful, but it turned out rather dull and unrealistic. I was like: so that’s why you stayed in the house for decades? Uhm, right. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the reasoning behind it, is a little over the top, and then the sudden change of heart at the end is strange too. I think I would’ve preferred the book without the mystery of the abandoned house, or at least with a mystery that made more snese.

The writing and language were phenomenal, and the dialogue fitted the characters. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so impressed with an author’s writing style.

If you’re looking for a realistic YA novel that deals with guilt and pain, I’d highly recommend this one.

Filed Under: Mystery and Suspense, Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , ,

Book Review: The Shadow of Loss by Josefina Gutierrez

February 12, 2015 1 Comment

Book proofTitle: The Shadow of Loss
Author: Josefina Gutierrez
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Evelyn Gonzalez keeps losing people, which is always hard, but has she lost something much more?  Has she lost her soul?  Evelyn has a nervous breakdown and is institutionalized, after months of sorrow and pain she is thrust back into the world.  The world of teenage angst and Calculus.  But can she trust people again?  Especially after hurtful assumptions and judgments made her miss her junior year of high school.  Evelyn is just trying to heal what she lost and graduate from high school.

In The Shadow of Loss, Evelyn Gonzales meets up again with her sister Olive after having been institutionalized in a psychiatric institution after experiencing a terrible loss. When Evelyn is released, Olive decides to take care of her. She’s moved both of them into a new house, enrolls Evelyn into a new school, and basically sets up everything for a brand new start. But Evelyn still struggles, and slowly the truth behind what happened is revealed. Will Evelyn’s wounds ever heal? Can she trust people again?

Evelyn is an intriguing character. She went through so much turmoil, and yet, with the help of others, most of all her sister, she continues to stand strong. Olive is everyone’s dream sister. She barely has any flaws, but it seems more like she’s just good at hiding them, and making sure Evelyn doesn’t see so she doesn’t have anything else on her plate to deal with.

The story is realistic, as the genre suggests, and it shows the aftermath of traumatizing experiences, of how someone can suffer although appearing all right on the outside. As such it’s quite a thought-provoking story, and makes one wonder how often we ignored people who could use our emotional support, or how quick we’ll assume everything’s all right with someone, even though they just went through something terrible.

While the book has a minor romance storyline, the focus is mostly on Evelyn dealing with trauma and finding herself again, and on the relationship betwene Evelyn and Olive. A very enjoyable read, and certainly different from the majority of YA novels out there.

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Book Tours: Starter Day Party for The Shadow of Loss

February 2, 2015 1 Comment

shadowoflossbanner

I’m hosting the starter day party today for the book tour for YA realistic fiction “The Shadow of Loss”. The tour runs from February 2nd to March 2nd.

Tour Schedule

February 2nd: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

February 2nd: Promo Post @ It’s A Reading Thing

February 3rd: Book Excerpt @ Indy Book Fairy

February 4th: Promo Post @ Nat’s Book Nook

February 5th: Book Excerpt @ Tea Talks

February 7th: Book Excerpt @ Kerry Hearts YA

February 9th: Book Review, Author Interview and Excerpt @ A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Haus

February 10th: Promo Post @ I’m an Eclectic Reader

February 12th: Book Review @ I Heart Reading

February 14th: Book Excerpt @ Cassidy Crimson’s Blog

February 16th:  Promo Post @ Bedazzled Reading

February 18th: Book Review @ Cajun Book Lover

February 20th: Book Excerpt @ Mythical Books

February 21st: Book Excerpt @ Books and Tales

February 24th: Author Interview @ The Single Librarian

February 26th: Book Excerpt @ Bookish Madness

February 28th: Book Review @ Books are Forever

March 2nd: Author Interview and Promo @ Plain Talk Book Marketing

About The Book

Book proofTitle: The Shadow of Loss

Author: Josefina Gutierrez

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Evelyn Gonzalez keeps losing people, which is always hard, but has she lost something much more?  Has she lost her soul?  Evelyn has a nervous breakdown and is institutionalized, after months of sorrow and pain she is thrust back into the world.  The world of teenage angst and Calculus.  But can she trust people again?  Especially after hurtful assumptions and judgments made her miss her junior year of high school.  Evelyn is just trying to heal what she lost and graduate from high school.

 

Author Bio

Author PhotoJosefina Gutierrez is a Young Adult eBook author and a forever student.  Josefina writes Young Adult Multicultural, Sci-fi, and Fantasy literature in her free time when she’s not embarking on adventures with her son and gnomes Fitzgerald and Bartholomew. Josefina’s current projects in the works are a New-Adult fiction eBook and a Fantasy dystopian eBook, the first in a series, due out in 2015.

Links

Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/yajosefinagutierrez

Webpage     https://www.josefinagutierrez.com

Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8522485.Josefina_Gutierrez

Book Buy Links:

Amazon

B&N

BookShop

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Mini-Review: Guantanamo Boy, Scarlet, The Stubborn Dead

October 10, 2014 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Guantanamo Boy

Title: Guantanamo Boy

Author: Anna Perera

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Khalid, a fifteen-year-old Muslim boy from Rochdale, is abducted from Pakistan while on holiday with his family. He is taken to Guantanamo Bay and held without charge, where his hopes and dreams are crushed under the cruellest of circumstances. An innocent denied his freedom at a time when Western boys are finding theirs, Khalid tries and fails to understand what’s happening to him and cannot fail to be a changed young man.

Review: Story is eye-opening and thought-provoking. It’s not a book I’d normally pick up, but it’s an intriguing read all the same, and inspired by true events. At times, the realism was almost too much. The book was harsh, the torture sickening. The writing and characterization could’ve been a bit better though. It took a while to get into it though.

Scarlet

Title: Scarlet

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Review: This book was pretty amazing. I LOVE Robin Hood. It’s always been one of my favorite stories, and I loved this fresh take on it, with Scarlet posing as a boy in Robin Hood’s gang of thieves, and slowly falling for Robin. Robin was amazing too. This is one of the best romances I’ve read in a while. Great story!

The Stubborn Dead

Title: The Stubborn Dead

Author: Natasha Hoar

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Ghosts

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Rachel Miller thought her next job was a run-of-the-mill haunting. As a member of the Order of Rescue Mediums it’s her duty to release trapped spirits from the earthly realm. But when called to client Sylvia Elkeles’s house, she finds a wraith who doesn’t act like he should.

The Order considers the wraith an extreme threat and Rachel may be forced to use a barbaric ritual to free him—a ritual that comes with a heavy personal price. If she fails to humanely release the wraith, she’ll have her supernatural abilities bound.

When Janus Ostara—local supernatural mob boss—shows up demanding her attention, and Sylvia keeps secrets that may place Rachel in mortal danger, she doesn’t need her abilities to know something darkly sinister is at play.

Between uncovering Sylvia’s disturbing motives, and avoiding Janus, Rachel has enough on her hands without dealing with a wraith who may not realize he’s supposed to be dead…

Review: The book drops us right into the middle of the story. The action picks up from the start, and the book turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Rachel is an intriguing protagonist. She has a great sense of humor, and she’s pretty awesome at what she does. The entire worldbuilding of this book was great, including the Order of Rescue Mediums, and the lore behind that.

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Mini-Review: Spellcaster, The Unseen, The Raft

September 14, 2014 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Spellcaster

Title: Spellcaster (Spellbound #2)

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

After breaking a centuries-old romantic curse, Emma Connor is (almost) glad to get back to normal problems. Although it’s not easy dealing with the jealous cliques and gossip that rule her exclusive Upper East Side prep, even for a seventeen-year-old newbie witch. Having the most-wanted boy in school as her eternal soul mate sure helps ease the pain; especially since wealthy, rocker-hot Brendan Salinger is very good at staying irresistibly close.

But something dark and hungry is using Emma’s and Brendan’s deepest fears to reveal damaging secrets and destroy their trust in each other. And Emm’s  crash course in spells may not be enough to keep them safe or to stop an inhuman force bent on making their unsuspected power its own.

Review: While Spellcaster didn’t rock my socks off, it was one of the more enjoyable YA paranormal romances I’ve read this year. The characters match, and even though their undying love is way too mushy for me, the book had some good aspects too, like an interesting story, humor and solid writing.

The Unseen

Title: The Unseen (Krewe of Hunters #5)

Author: Heather Graham

Genre: Paranormal Mystery, Romance, Suspense

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

1800s. San Antonio, Texas: In room 207 at the Longhorn Saloon, in the long shadow of the Alamo itself, a woman renowned for her beauty was brutally murdered. Her killer was never found.

One year ago: In that same historic room, another woman vanished without a trace. Her blood was everywhere…but her body was never recovered.

Now: In the last month, San Antonio has become a dumping ground for battered bodies.

All young women, many of them long missing, almost all forgotten. Until now.

Texas Ranger Logan Raintree cannot sit by and let his city’s most vulnerable citizens be slain. So when he is approached to lead a brand-new group of elite paranormal investigators working the case, he has no choice but to accept the challenge. And with it, his powerful ability to commune with the dead.

Among Logan’s new team is Kelsey O’Brien, a U.S. marshal known for her razor-sharp intuition and a toughness that belies her delicate exterior. Kelsey has been waiting all her life to work with someone who can understand her ability to “see” the past unfolding in the present. Now she has her chance.

Together, Kelsey and Logan follow their instincts to the Alamo and to the newly reopened Longhorn, which once tempted heroes with drink, cards and women. If the spirits of those long-dead Texans are really appearing to the victims before their deaths, only Kelsey and Logan have the skills to find out why.

And if something more earthly is menacing the city’s oldest, darkest corners, only they can stop it—before more innocent women join the company of San Antonio’s restless ghosts…

Review: The story had its intriguing moments, and well, after reading half a dozen books by Heather Graham, it’s great that she still manages to surprise me every now and then. The combination of the urban legend from the 1800s and present day ghosts was an interesting one. Unfortunately the romance was dull – rather boring even – and the characters had almost zero chemistry.

The Raft

Title: The Raft

Author: S.A. Bodeen

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Rating: 3,5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.

And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.

Review: This is a survival story, and one of the first I ever read. I can’t say I enjoyed it very much though – it was all right, and the writing was decent, but that’s about it. Robie has to make some difficult choices, and her own survival is at stakes. I had trouble connecting to the main character so I didn’t feel much when she went through her ordeal.

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Mini-Review: Whispers from the Grave, Circle of Silence, Halls of Deception

August 15, 2014 Leave a Comment

minireview

Time for some mini-reviews! What are mini-reviews, you ask? As the title suggests, these are short reviews, consisting of one paragraph tops, about a book. It’s a way to catch up on the books I’ve read a while ago, but never got around to reviewing.

Whispers From The Grave

Title: Whispers From The Grave

Author: Leslie Rule

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

When Jenna discovers the diary of a girl who was murdered over 100 years ago, she is startled by how much they have in common. Rita looked like her, acted like her, and faced the trials of high school while experiencing the thrill of first love. As Jenna reads of Rita’s tragic past, she fears for her own future. Because Rita’s history is repeating itself–in Jenna’s life.

Review: Title is misleading, leds readers to believe it’s a ghost story when it’s more of a time travel history. Interesting nonetheless, and the book certainly isn’t dated even though it was written in the nineties. Jenna is an intriguing protagonist, and the mystery unfolds slowly, leaving for plenty of suspense.

 Circle of Silence

Title: Circle of Silence

Author: Carol M. Tanzman

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

The biggest story of my life could be how it ends

It’s my turn to run a Campus News crew, and I’ve put together a team that can break stories wide open. And Washington Irving High has a truly great one to cover, if only we can find a lead.

A secret society has formed in our school. It announced its presence with pranks: underwear on the flagpole, a toilet in the hallway, cryptic notes. A circle of silence keeps the society a mystery. No one knows its members, agenda or initiation secrets—until a student lands in the hospital under strange circumstances.

I will blow this story wide open and stop others from being hurt… …or worse. And while my ex, Jagger, might want to help, I don’t trust him yet. (And, no, not because of our past together. That is not important to this story.)

But whether you find me, Valerie Gaines, reporting in front of the camera, or a victim in the top story of the newscast…be sure to watch Campus News at 9:00 a.m. this Friday.

Review: A strong heroine in a riveting thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire duration of the book. Stays true to teen’s voices, and has a realistic main character who struggles with real issues. Suspenseful and atmospheric.

Halls of Deception

Title: Halls of Deception

Author: Isaiah Weatherspoon

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Rating: 3 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Deviance… Transitions… Lust… Murder… Raised by his loving mother, Robert Bins faces the harsh reality of a broken family. His polished look and smooth talk hoax women into falling madly in love while the grudge he holds for his father’s absence affects his relationships. A handsome young man never taught how to treat a lady is a lethal mixture in a college setting dominated by beautiful women. Haunted by events in his past, Robert and his trusted inner circle of friends, take baby steps towards manhood while stomping on innocent hearts along the way. Riding the rollercoaster of lust and passion, Robert is introduced to a wealthy, highly intelligent woman by the name of Diane Parker. Once the dust settles on this ordeal, Robert then meets Leah Givens, a beautiful young woman with a humble past. Within a few months of knowing her, Robert’s womanizing ways are turned upside down and his transition begins. His past, along with Ms. Parker returns with full-fledged excitement to then end. During his journey, he learns the value of friendship, hard work, and love.

Review: An okay read, but nothing special. It was entertaining, and we get to follow the main character through college. Some of the typical college things happen, but some twists were rather unexpected.

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Book Review: The Soured Earth by Sophie Weeks

March 15, 2014 Leave a Comment

soured-earth-coverTitle: The Soured Earth

Author: Sophie Weeks

Genre: NA Realistic Fiction

Age Group: New Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

When Margaret Campbell left her home, a working ranch in the Canada prairies, for the East coast and college, she never meant to come back. In the aftermath of a tragic accident that claimed the lives of her aunt and uncle, however, Margaret is called home to help. There she must assume a much less glamorous role as chef, gardener, and mother figure for her orphaned cousins.

But when a strange sickness strikes their cattle and blights their crops, Margaret’s family is threatened with the loss of their ranch and only livelihood. Now caught in the middle of a full-scale environmental disaster, Margaret finds herself divided between duty to home and family and the fashion designer career she’s still struggling to build.

In The Soured Earth, Margaret Campbell decides to go back home after a desperate phone call from her Dad. Her family is struggling. Her aunt and uncle passed away in a car accident, and now her Dad has to take care of the ranch she grew up in, her two cousins, and her aging grandma, all on his own. While Margaret wants nothing more than to finish studying for her degree in fashion, she knows she can’t abandon her Dad when he needs her the most.

But coming back home is a struggle. Her cousins each have their own share of troubles and teenage issues to go through. Her grandmother suffered from a stroke, but refuses to take things slowly. Money is scarce, and when an illness starts infesting the crops and animals on their ranch and the surrounding ranches, things are about to get ten times worse for Margaret and her family.

As they struggle to make ends meet, Margaret has to figure out what she wants in live – to be there for her family, or to chase her own dreams.

The Soured Earth was a truly inspiring story about family, dreams, and about what we sometimes give up for family. Margaret struggle with typical new adult issues, and she’s a very realistic character. Her family is lovely, especially Bonne-maman, her grandmother. She may nag every now and then, and she may be harsh on Margaret’s Dad, but she has her heart in the right place. Ranch life is tough, and I never realized how tough until reading this book, it was a real eye-opener.

The writing was good, the characters were enjoyable, and the story was truly inspiring.

Filed Under: Book Tours, Enchanted Book Tours, New Adult, Reviews, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , ,

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