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.
Blackwood
Title: Blackwood
Author: Gwenda Bond
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.
Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other.
Blackwood is a dark, witty coming of age story that combines America’s oldest mystery with a thoroughly contemporary romance.
Review: Talk about chills. I’ve always been intriguing by the dissapearance of the population of Roanoke, so I had to pick up this book about the mystery, and let’s say I wasn’t dissapointed. I liked the dynamics between the two main characters. They had some definite chemistry, and it’s not insta-love, so that’s great too.
Primal
Title: Primal
Author: D.A. Serra
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 4,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
The writer who made you laugh with Punky Brewster, who made you cry with Just Ask My Children, will now make you cringe with PRIMAL. This story was originally purchased by one of America’s most prestigious storytellers James Cameron.
What if the worst happens and you are not a cop, or a spy with weapons training and an iron heart? What if you’re a schoolteacher – a mother? In this gritty crime thriller a family vacation takes a vicious turn when a fishing camp is invaded by four armed men. With nothing except her brains, her will, and the element of surprise on her side, Alison must kill or watch her family die. And then – things get worse.
Review: Primal is dark, gritty and suspenseful. When a camping trip goes wrong, it’s up to one mother to save her family when four armed men invade their holiday home. Will she kill them, or watch her family die? The story was intense, and the characters were great, especially Alison.
Windy Hollows
Title: Windy Hollows
Author: Neo Edmund and Adira Edmund
Genre: Children’s Books, Fantasy
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
From the award-winning educational software and kid favorite gaming website Jumpstart.com, arrives the first ever Graphic Novel from JumpStart and Knowledge Adventure! Come visit Windy Hollows and follow our group of adventurers: Logan, Maggie, Nicolas, Selena and Poe as they arrive at Oakcrest School of Magic. They discover their teacher absent but left a note, “Will be back soon. Read your lesson books and DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!” Follow them as they venture into Windy Hollows and embark on a series of quests to undo a potion that went terribly wrong.
This is a fixed-format ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book
Review: I wanted to love this book. The illustrations were adorable, and the idea, although overused, seemed like a good one. Unfortunately, the story isn’t original at all, reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Magic School Bus and lots of other stories, except now for a slightly younger audience. I wouldn’t have minded if the characters hadn’t seemed so cliché, and the text is so dumbed down and simple it’ll be too easy for most kids.
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