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Book Review: Our Start-Up by Dov Reichman

August 17, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: Our Start-Up
Author: Dov Reichman
Genre: Coming of Age, Young Adult
Rating: 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Nir has a great idea. But will it work?
Middle school student, Nir Carmelli, dreams of conquering the world with his idea for an innovative new product. Although aware of the difficulties, Nir decides to advance the idea, even if it does not become a product or profitable business. Group members of the start-up are required to show daring, original thought, and creativity. They meet industrialists from Japan, investors from America, as well as scientists and professionals from a range of fields working in the field of high tech.
Not only off the ground… but soaring!
His classmate, Anna, gets involved in the project, creating a friendship between the two and even first love. Together, the young inventors learn many practical lessons about what it takes to develop a successful start-up. Their story, written in a contemporary style, is full of humour as it navigates the ups and downs between success and failure and introduces the reader to the challenging world of business.

In Our Start-Up, middle school student Nir Carmelli has a bright, innovative idea for a new product. Although he’s aware of the difficulties, Nir advances the idea by creating a start-up for his project. Along with Anna, a classmate of his who also gets involved in the project, the two young investors learn a great deal about the practicalities of starting a business and trying to launch a product.

There’s ups and downs, but what shines through the most is these youngster’s creativity and bravery as they face the challenges head-on.

This is a daring book for young entrepreneurs. It’s not just about business and start-ups, though, it’s also about growing up, about facing challenges, and about first loves. The story has useful lessons, but they’re tied in with humor and creativity. In that way, the book is never boring and doesn’t just read like a manual or guide, but like an actual story.

Recommended to middle schoolers and young adults, and basically to anyone who’s ever wanted his or her own start-up.

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Book Review Forget Me and Giveaway

July 24, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: Forget Me
Author: Chelsea Vanderbeek
Genre: YA Christian Fiction
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Sabine is a budding poet who was practically born with a pencil in her hand. Though her intelligence and maturity far surpasses that of those around her, she lacks the confidence and social graces to come out of her shell.

She’s been forced on numerous occasions in the past to slip inside the glass double doors of Hilltop Baptist Church. The youth group was her mom’s idea, really. A shot-in-the-dark way for Sabine to try and make some wholesome friends in a wholesome place. Not that it ever worked out—at least she was usually able to make it out with minimal negative attention as her plain-old invisible self.

This time was different. She always hoped it would be different, but not like this. When Sabine decides she’s had enough of this life, she ends it and becomes more visible than she’s ever been before. Is it possible she wasn’t as forgettable as she once thought? The only way to find out is to watch the aftermath unfold, and no matter the outcome, she can’t do a thing about it. No one can…

…or can they?

Forget Me is an inspiring, beautiful story about Sabine, a budding poet who is intelligent and mature for her age… But is also painfully shy, and lacks the confidence to make friends and open up to others, and come out of her shell. Her mother pressures her to go the Hilltop Baptist Church, to a youth group, in the hope of making friends there. It has never really worked out, and Sabine struggles to find a home in this world. But when she decides she’s had enough and takes some drastic steps, it might turn out she’s not as forgettable as she always thought she was.

Reminiscent of 13 Reasons Why, this is a raw, emotional, heartbreaking tale of a teen struggling with low self-esteem and depression. It’s a tough book to read and an even tougher one to read, as the subject matter is quite sensitive and bleak, but the author does a phenomenal job crafting believable teenage characters, and making Sabine’s struggles feel real and honest.

Not a feel-good kind of book, but one that I can genuinely recommend to teens, even the ones struggling with depression or the same things the protagonist is struggling with. The writing is sincere and genuine, and you can feel the author’s genuine intentions to relay a message to the readers. There’s a lot of good intent, passion, and kindness in the writing of this book, despite the bleak narrative.

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Book Review The Unexpected

July 11, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: The Unexpected
Author: Travon Toussiant
Genre: YA mystery / thriller
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

A young man named Anthony finally gets his dream he always wanted, a tech company. But his company starts to fall down the drain, thanks to Spencer. Throughout the story, Anthony runs into shocking hurdles and painful moments that he never expected. Will Anthony be able to handle this when he finds out?. Or will things get out of hand?.

The Unexpected lives up to its name by offering more than a few unexpected twists and turns. Anthony is a young man who sees his dream fulfilled by owning his own tech company. But then his company starts to fall down the drain thanks to Spencer, and Anthony much face many challenges to save his dream.

The chapters were short and to the point but the book flowed easily from one scene into the other. The writing was suitable for teens, not overly complicated or long, but the descriptions were detailed enough to bring the scenes to live. Anthony was an interesting main character, and it was intriguing to see him change and grow throughout the book.

A solid mystery for young adults.

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Book Review: Stealing Liberty by Jennifer Froelich

July 5, 2017 1 Comment

Title: Stealing Liberty
Author: Jennifer Froelich
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

A heist so monumental, it may cost them everything… When Reed Paine is sent to a secret detention school for teens whose parents are branded enemies of the state, he doesn’t expect to find friendship – especially after coming face to face with Riley Paca, a girl who has every reason to hate him.

But when Reed, Riley and a few others start reading the old books they find in tunnels under the school, they begin to question what they are taught about the last days of America and the government that has risen in its place.   Then the government decides to sell the Liberty Bell and Reed and his friends risk everything to steal it – to take back their history and the liberty that has been stolen from them (Stealing Liberty/ Clean Reads).

In Stealing Liberty, Reed Paine is sent to a secret detention school for teens whose parents are nemeies of the state. Reed doesn’t expect to find friendship, and he certainly didn’t expect Riley Paca, a girl who has every reason to hate him, would become his friend. But when Reed and Riley find old books in the tunnels below the school, books that make them question everything they’ve been taught about this new world order and the government, they start to doubt if anything they’ve believed is actually true.

When the government decides to sell the Liberty Bell, Reed and his friends risk everything to steal it, and to take back their history and liberty.

This book was an amazing read, fast-paced, filled with amazing characters, and set in a dystopian world that isn’t too far-fetched but in fact seems like ours could easily transform into, which is a rather scary thought. The characters, in particular Reed, feel very realistic, and their emotions do too. They act and behave like real people, not just characters in a book.

The writing was phenomenal and really sucked me into the story. I can’t wait for the sequel.

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Book Review: Deathly Unloved by Annee Cooper

June 16, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: Deathly Unloved
Author: Annee Cooper
Genre: YA LGBT paranormal romance
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Being raised as a nephilim has its drawbacks when you’re only quarter angel. Now it’s getting dangerous.

Rune’s always known about the angel blood that runs through her veins. A gift—or a curse—from her halfling mother. She thinks she knows who she is. She’s wrong. After a kiss with a stranger completes a sacred ritual, she’s forced to accept the other side of her heritage. And the lust for souls that comes with it. Now this gorgeous seductress is on a hunt to find others like her and discover the truth about her past. But with her hunger growing insatiable, does she have more to worry about than making friends?

 

   Rune has angel blood running through her veins. It’s a gift, or a curse depending on your point of view, from her halfling mother. Rune thinks she knows who she is, but she doesn’t know the secret side of her heritage until a kiss with a stranger completed a sacred ritual. Now she’s on the hunt to find others like her, and discover the truth about her past and who she truly is.

Rune is amazing, and I love how she’s not half angel (which you see quite often) but only one fourth angel, and her other heritage is equally as interesting. I don’t often read LGBT books for young adults, not by choice but because the majority of the books out there for the YA audience isn’t LGBT.  I enjoyed reading this kind of book, in particular how while it features this theme it also has a solid background story and excellent worldbuilding.

I would recommend this book to all YA fans who also love fantasy.

Filed Under: Paranormal Romance, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , ,

Book Review and Giveaway Dreamwalkers

May 27, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: Dreamwalkers
Author: Tiaan Lubbe
Genre: YA Fantasy / Adventure
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

“You walk the bridges between two worlds, between reality and dreams, Ciso.”

“You are a Dreamwalker”

Narciso di Angelo, a sixteen-year-old boy, living on the streets of Rome thinks he is the only one that can walk in other’s dreams.

He’s not.

When a mysterious and dark woman makes her appearance in one of his dreamwalks, he is rescued from her clutches by Project Somnus, a secret underground United Nations organisation, that recruits and trains children with his gifts, using them to fight against and prevent worldwide terrorist threats.

Here Narciso learns more of his abilities and where they come from as well as what it means to be part of a family and a home.

But, as the threat of the mysterious woman and the terrorist organisation Tantibus increases, he also learns what it is like to lose this.

“In dreams we live. In reality we dream.”

Narciso di Angelo is a sixteen-year-old boy living on the streets of Rome, and he thinks he’s the only one who can walk in another person’s dreams. He’s not. A dark, mysterious woman appears during one of his dreamwalks, and he’s narrowly rescued from her clutches by Project Somnus, a secret underground UN organisation recruiting and training children with his gifts.

He learns more about his ability and the meaning of home and family while training with Project Somnus, but a dark threat remains and he risks losing it all.

Dreamwalkers reads like X-Men meets Heroes, and it’s set in Rome and Italy, which I really liked considering it’s one of my favorite countries. I also enjoyed the plot, some of the plot twists I didn’t see coming at all. The writing is excellent and flows fluently, which is great for a YA book. From the moment you start reading, you’re right in the middle of the action, right alongside the characters.

I also liked the characters, in particular Narciso. He grows and changes a lot throughout the book, becoming more confident in his abilities and who he truly is; I found I like him better with each passing chapter.

This is a great read for young adults who enjoy fantasy books about people with special powers. The dreamwalking ability is unique and I enjoyed exploring Narciso’s special ability. Recommended to fans of YA fantasy.

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Book Review: Black Dawn by Mallory McCartney

May 12, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: Black Dawn
Genre: YA/NA Fantasy
Author: Mallory McCartney
Age Group: New Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

The end of an Empire, the rise of a Queen

Emory Fae enjoys leading a quiet, normal life. That is until two mysterious, and handsome soldiers show up at her apartment, and the life she knew is instantly whisked away. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from the magical and war ridden world of Kiero, and upon Emory’s arrival she will discover she is the long-lost heir to the Royal Line and is thrown into the Black Dawn Rebellion with a dynamic role to ignite the rebels and reclaim her throne.

With both men being darkly woven in her past Emory uncovers hidden secrets, a power held long dormant, and will soon realize there are worse things than supernatural humans, love, loss, betrayal, and a Mad King.

Some things are better left in the shadows

With the characters being older than in regular YA books, I would classify Black Dawn more as a new adult read – although it’s a clean read, so young adults can enjoy it too. New adults might find it easier to connect to the main characters, though.

Anyway, Black Dawn is the start of a brand new series, and it’s a promising start at that. Emory Fae leads a quiet, normal life – until two mysterious, handsome soldiers show up at her apartment. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from a different world, the war ridden world of Kiero. Emory is the long lost heir of the royal line of Kiero, and is thus thrown right in the middle of the conflict, as soon as she arrives there, and urged to reclaim her throne.

The story is told in different perspectives, which could be a struggle, but it’s not the case here. If anything, it adds more to the story to be able to see it from differnet perspectives. The characters are three-dimensional, well-developed, and they act realistically, in particular Emory. I also liked Memphis. He had a complex, mysterious personality and it wasn’t always easy to figure out why he did what he did, which made him intriguing.

The pacing is fast, and there’s never quite time to catch a breath, which is pretty much how the whole experience must feel like for Emory, so to have the reader experience something similar works rather well.

The world building was pretty solid, the writing was fluent, and overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to all fans of fantasy novels, and look forward to reading the second book in this series.

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Book Review: Blood Moon by Nancy Gray

May 10, 2017 1 Comment

Title: Blood Moon
Author: Nancy Gray
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4,5 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Mercy finds herself on a ship bound for the Ashen capital with her companions. But things don’t go smoothly there after Mercy, Mirilee, and Erebus decide to sneak ashore to take part in a festival. They get more than they counted on when they witness a public execution of Sylvan Islanders and Mercy is captured after being mistaken for a Sylvan spy!

Dark and sinister secrets are revealed on their perilous journey. Erebus is forced to confront his inner demon, while Mercy discovers a demon of her own. In the midst of it all, Mirilee has a dark vision of the war they are trying to prevent.

What will become of Mercy and her friends?

Blood Moon, the sequel to Blood Rain, is even more exciting than the first book in the series. The cover art really blends in well with the art on the first book too. I’ve grown to like Mercy even more throughout this book than I already did in the first, and the author does a phenomenal job expanding on the world she established back in book one.

Mercy is on a ship bound for the Ashen capital. Mercy, Mirilee and Erebus sneak ashore to go to a festival, but things go wrong lightning fast when they witness a public execution and Mercy is captured.

I really enjoy the dynamics and interactions between the characters, in particular Mercy, Mirilee and Erebus. Each of them will be forced to confront some inner demons along the way, and fight their own battles to grow stronger. I don’t want to give away too much of the story since it’s a sequel, but I was suprised by some of the plot twists, in a good way.

Recommended to fans of YA fantasy series.

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Book Review and Giveaway Operation Child Soldier

May 7, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: Operation Child Soldier
Author: Jaci Wheeler
Genre: YA Suspense
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for a honest review.

I was trained from birth to be the best Agent possible. Growing up in a Military Training Academy for unwanted children has its perks. I might not have ever been to a dance but I am a sharp shooter, master at hand to hand combat and best hacker the Academy has ever seen. I trained my whole life to pass the final and become an Elite agent. The only problem? My entire life has been a lie. My father is a monster and I’ve been trained to kill monsters.

In Operation Child Soldier, Aria’s life can hardly be compared to an ordinary life. Rather than having a regular, ordinary childhood, she grew up in the Military Training Academy for unwanted children. She’s a sharp shooter, excellent at hand to hand combat, and an extraordinary hacking. She’s spent her whole life training to become an Elite agent, but there’s a problem… Her life is based on a lie, and the more she digs for the truth, the more earth-shattering secrets and lies she uncovers.

Aria’s feelings are raw and brutal, and connecting with her is easy. Her pain is real, her feelings are real. The author did a wonderful job crafting her personality and making her appear realistic. She has a strong personality, she’s intelligent and brave, and once she puts her mind to something, she doesn’t give up.

The writing is good too, and the pacing is very fast. The descriptions tend to be short and to the point, but that works well for a fast-paced book like this one. Parts of the story were heart-breaking, parts of it made me smile, but overall, it was an intriguing rollercoaster ride. Recommended to all fans of YA books.

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Book Review: A Daughter’s Curse

May 2, 2017 Leave a Comment

Title: A Daughter’s Curse
Author: C.J. Davidson
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

When Brisnay discovers that she is a part of a fantasy world and meets Nickolaus, her miserable life takes a turn for the better. A world where anything is possible becomes her refuge and sparks fly between her and Nickolaus. Just when she thinks she knows everything about the realm she was thrust into, she uncovers shocking truths that rattle her to the core.
Betrayal. Hate. Envy. Deceit. Vengeance. Retribution. These are some of the things that Brisnay must face to fight a powerful, unknown enemy who is out to destroy her and strip her of the powers she’s rightfully inherited.
Brisnay realizes that she has no choice but to take a stand and must get revenge by fighting for the right to love.

A Daughter’s Curse: The Queen of Water’s Forbidden Love is a story of survival…and a forbidden love that will not be denied, despite all obstacles.

A Daughter’s Curse is an intriguing fantasy novel, about Brisnay, a young woman who leads quite the miserable life, until she meets Nickolaus. He introduces her to a world where everything is possible, and to a love she never thought she could feel. But when she begins to hope about a better future, some shocking truths turn everything she thought she knew upside down.

Brisnay has to fight an enemy who is determined to destroy her. If she wants to be able to love freely, she’ll have to fight for it, and for everything she holds dear.

The plot never slows down. The world building was outstanding, and the author did a great job creating realistic, believable characters, in particular Brisnay. The plot had a lot of unexpected surprises and overall, this was an entertaining, intriguing read.

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