Review: Spinner by Michael J. Bowler with Giveaway

Not every book is for every reader. I admit, I am not the right match for Spinner. That isn't to say that it doesn't have it's merits. There are a lot of readers who remain unmoved by Pride & Prejudice, despite it's sass and unconventional use of an ampersand in the title. So, rather than talk about my personal issues, because really, what good is that going to do you, a prospective reader, I'm going to tell you what there is that makes Spinner kind of awesome anyway.

First and foremost, in Spinner, Michael J Bowler embraces diversity. I am always a little disheartened that most of the YA literature out there forcuses on economically stable, healthy, cis gendered, white kids. The whole focus of Spinner is on outcasts, misfits, and a boy in a wheelchair since birth. Serioiusly, books that draw attention to diverse characters and therefore give diverse readers characters with whom they can empathize need to be given their due. Ableism in literature is so last century.

I like that Bowler writes about characters in awful situations that, although infused with the supernatural, still resemble the awful situations that some of his readers live every day, or if they don't, maybe they know someone at school who does. Bowler gives voice to their issues, like the woefully mishandled youth perpetually stuck in a dysfunctional and often abusive foster system.

Those kids are real, and their stories have merit, just in case those in a position of privilege forgot.

So this is a good book for inciting conversations on topics that usually don't arise from reading the latest paranormal YA book on the shelf, and so even though it may not be the best fit for every reader (like me), it is a good book to add to your summer reading list this July. Check out the summary and the author bio below, then hop on the giveaway too.

Spinner Book Summary:
Fifteen-year-old Alex is a “spinner.” His friends are “dummies.” Two clandestine groups of humans want his power. And an ancient evil is stalking him. If people weren’t being murdered, Alex might laugh at how his life turned into a horror movie overnight.

In a wheelchair since birth, his freakish ability has gotten him kicked out of ten foster homes since the age of four. Now saddled with a sadistic housemother who uses his spinning to heal the kids she physically abuses, Alex and his misfit group of learning disabled classmates are the only ones who can solve the mystery of his birth before more people meet a gruesome end.

They need to find out who murdered their beloved teacher, and why the hot young substitute acts like she’s flirting with them. Then there’s the mysterious medallion that seems to have unleashed something malevolent, and an ancient prophecy suggesting Alex has the power to destroy humanity.

The boys break into homes, dig up graves, elude kidnappers, fight for their lives against feral cats, and ultimately confront an evil as old as humankind. Friendships are tested, secrets uncovered, love spoken, and destiny revealed.

The kid who’s always been a loner will finally learn the value of friends, family, and loyalty.

If he survives…

Michael J. Bowler's Bio:
Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author of eight novels––A Boy and His Dragon, A Matter of Time (Silver Medalist from Reader’s Favorite), and The Knight Cycle, comprised of five books: Children of the Knight (Gold Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards), Running Through A Dark Place (Bronze Award Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards), There Is No Fear, And The Children Shall Lead, Once Upon A Time In America, and Spinner.

His horror screenplay, “Healer,” was a Semi-Finalist, and his urban fantasy script, “Like A Hero,” was a Finalist in the Shriekfest Film Festival and Screenplay Competition.

He grew up in San Rafael, California, and majored in English and Theatre at Santa Clara University. He went on to earn a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and another master's in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

He partnered with two friends as producer, writer, and/or director on several ultra-low-budget horror films, including “Fatal Images,” “Club Dead,” and “Things II,” the reviews of which are much more fun than the actual movies.

He taught high school in Hawthorne, California for twenty-five years, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities, in subjects ranging from English and Strength Training to Algebra, Biology, and Yearbook.

He has also been a volunteer Big Brother to eight different boys with the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a thirty-year volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, something that is sorely lacking in this state.

He has been honored as Probation Volunteer of the Year, YMCA Volunteer of the Year, California Big Brother of the Year, and 2000 National Big Brother of the Year. The “National” honor allowed he and three of his Little Brothers to visit the White House and meet the president in the Oval Office.

He is currently outlining a sequel to Spinner.

His goal as a YA author is for teens to experience empowerment and hope; to see themselves in his diverse characters; to read about kids who face real-life challenges; and to see how kids like them can remain decent people in an indecent world.

  

 

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Review: Black Abaddon by Sasha Hibbs

Black Abaddon, the second book in Sasha Hibbs' Vulcan Legacies series, follows the tale of Ally Watson whose choices in Black Amaranth may have helped save the world, but are hard to come to terms with. Having lost her soul mate to an act of heroism, Ally ventures into a darker realm and into darker secrets, traveling to the Nosferatu Nation and delving into deeper mysteries, training to defeat the Devourer and coming closer to her terrifying destiny.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Black Abaddon, beyond the epic weight of Ally's role and destiny, and the gravitas of her mission, is the fact that she is the Angel of Death, but remains a relate-able character, sans all the powers that could have made her too distant. The gloom that clings to Ally is only fitting, considering the great loss she has suffered, and the personal failures she struggles to overcome; moreover, it makes her an accessible character. Throughout the book, Ally seems to slowly grow more into herself, coming into her own as the twists and turns in her journey with Marik, of all people, gain more and more force, moving from a winding stream to a churning river.

Dark, engaging, and best enjoyed all at once, Black Abaddon will keep readers of the Vulcan Legacies on the edge of their reading chairs and up well after their reasonable bedtimes. Of course, I recommend catching up with Black Amaranth first, because Black Abaddon isn't a stand alone. 

Happy Reading.

     

Review: These Broken Stars, by Megan Spooner and Amie Kaufman

I didn't mean to read it twice, and I certainly didn't intend to read it twice in the space of two nights. Nonetheless, These Broken Stars stunned me with it's pacing, detail, energy, humanity, originality, and depth of character development. Having just come down off a whirlwind YA Sci-Fi high induced by reading Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress in short succession, I didn't expect to be impressed, but instead I was absolutely transported into a different world.
I can't recommend this book highly enough, and am putting it on the short list of my favorite books. Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner come together to tell a beautifully constructed tale from the shifting perspectives of Tarver, a quick thinking military hero and Lilac, a seemingly spoiled rich girl, both of whom have a lot more to them that one would think on first glance. Filled with genre bending twists that will leave you wondering how the authors can keep moving the ball forward, which they do with unrelenting momentum, I recommend reading These Broken Stars when you have the time to devote to it, because you aren't going to want to put it down.
This is one of the best books I've plucked off my library's shelf this spring.
As a side note, although These Broken Stars is, alas, the first in a series, it has the closure of a stand alone, and that made my heart happy.
Go forth, read it. Indulge in survivalist adventures in beautiful alien landscapes with echoes of Marion Zimmer Bradley' Darkover Series, and just enjoy it

    

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Review and Giveaway: Bound, by M.J. Stevens

Synopsis:
‘No good deed ever goes unpunished, Mellea…’

Mellea Wendorn hasn’t exactly had a normal life. Misfortune seems to follow her, and her family, wherever she goes.
However, when Mellea stops to assist a mysterious young man suddenly her prior hardships seem trivial.

His name is Leo. He is a Successor, a child of the Guardians of Selestia.

He is royalty.
He is handsome.
And he wants Mellea completely to himself.

Unable to escape the Guardian’s laws, Mellea must learn the ways of the royals. She is convinced her life can’t get much worse. But when a timeworn Guardian enemy arises from the shadows, Mellea must make a choice that will change her destiny forever.

*

First and foremost, I didn't intend to read this in one sitting. I personally find present tense a little difficult to get into, so I thought, in the beginning, that I was going to have to take this book in small sections. That was at ten o' clock. At one o' clock I was giving my tablet the evil eye because it was over and I couldn't turn the page and find out what happens next.

Throughout Stevens' tale, she juxtaposes fast-paced action and dreamlike detail to create a world that feels believable, inhabitable, and as multi-layered as the "real" world. I like that although Bound, in some ways, seems to be a futuristic world with some advanced technologies, the tech is highly relatable and the concerns of Mellea, the young woman at the heart of the story, are the same concerns any girl who grew up in a family scraping for money with a dad who felt the aristocracy had ruined him and a mother who was, perhaps, somewhat too far immersed in her own dream world. Mellea's parents actually remind me a lot of Jeanette Walls' parents, from The Glass Castle (perspective changing nonfiction).

Bound's main characters, Mellea and Leo, are surprisingly likable. In the beginning Mellea seemed a little too likable, a little too good, and I worried that she was going to turn out to be something of a Bella Swan, but she has strong moral fiber, and that's different than being a blank canvas. Leo rather seemed like the rudest most horrid man alive, but there's a little bit of Pride & Prejudice meets Beauty & the Beast going on in Bound, so it's, ultimately, forgivable. Sometimes I read a book and characters are all good or all bad, and they fit only into one archetype or another, but M.J. Stevens sees to just be writing people for her constellation of main characters, and I enjoyed that.

There remains the Stockholm Syndrome issue to deal with in Bound. Mellea is abducted by the Guardians and told she has to unite with Leo (creepy much?), simply because he has chosen her, and is locked in their tower. Her consent to this arrangement is treated as unnecessary, and the threat of violence is ever present. This also represents a sudden escape from her poverty and a guiltless immersion into opulence. On the one hand, this is very much the stuff of dreamy childhood/teenage secret fantasy, on the other hand, it's a fundamental violation of her rights that ultimately *spoilers.* On the gripping hand, through the details, makes for an interesting tale.

All in all, it was a good light read before bed. As the first in a series, I'm sure to be in for some frustration as the subsequent titles are released and things go from no good deed being unpunished to no good deed going unpunished with heaps of heart wrenching complication.

If you'd like a chance to check it out for free, check out the great giveaway after getting to know M.J. Stevens a little better!

Happy reading, everyone.

        

AUTHOR BIO:

M.J. Stevens is a true storyteller.

For a long time, words were never her best friend. However she has always had a creative spirit and writing became the lead way that she could share her ideas with the world. Today, it is her number one passion in life.

“I wish I could say that I was one of those kids that read insane amounts of books and that’s why I was inspired to write, like a lot of authors. But I actually found the joy on people’s faces [when they talk about stories they love] more inspiring and wanted to create something of my own that will give young readers that same excited expression.”

M.J.

Author Links:

http://boundtotheguardians.com/

https://twitter.com/MelanieJStevens

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7686588.M_J_Stevens

https://www.facebook.com/boundtotheguardians?ref=hl

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Review: RATGIRL: Song of the Viper by Gayle C. Krause

It's funny how the sun is so far away, but it's one of the most vital and influential things for all of us. Without it, of course, we wouldn't exist at all. Spend too much time out of it, and our vitamin D levels drop, our immune systems weaken, and we suffer depression. It can burn us, but it also helps us grow our food. We need the sun. You need the sun. I need the sun. But for Jax, the main character from Gayle C. Krause's post-eco-apocalyptic YA dystopian novel, the sun is an enemy. The sun is too hot, the ozone layer too thin, and even minutes outside during the day will mean third degree burns, and longer spells certain death.

In a world where the poor have taken to the sewers and the wealthy have fled to the new continent, a ruthless dictator has taken over the city Jax grew up in, and even though she and her brother were barely surviving, he stands to come between her and the meager existence she's managed to scrape together. While Jax was accustomed to fighting the rats and dodging the sun, escaping Culpepper's crack down on all the city's two legged vermin is going to take more skill and cunning than Jax dreamed.

With echoes of the pied piper and the story of Saint Patrick, the fraternal responsibility of The Hunger Games, and an underclass that puts me in mind of Invitation to the Game, Krause's novel draws the reader in with quick prose and fills her world with every unpleasant detail of the awful world she's created. RATGIRL: Song of the Viper has both momentum and staying power. I found myself reading a few chapters, (I admit it, I do most of my reading on the elliptical these days) then quietly analyzing and speculating through the rest of the day- wondering where they got their water while doing dishes, contemplating the implications of a world without books, wondering at the maturity of a child my son's age if raised in such a horrid environment, staring horrified at someone who tosses a metal can into te waste basket. I like it when a book stays with me and gives me things to think about when I'm not nose deep in the e-ink.

Availible on Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
Follow Krause on Twitter

Check below for the tour-wide giveaway Rafflecopter link for a chance to win a Kindle!


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Review: Memory's Wake, by Selina Fenech

Her memory may have been stolen, but her tale is unforgettable.

Complete with excellent illustrations, Memory's Wake draws you in until you forget yourself in the story of Memory, a girl who seems to have been ripped out of the mundane world and thrust into a world of the fae, dragons, magic, and a girl with a secret, on the run.

In classic adventure style, they set off on a high-stakes quest, to reunite Eloryn with the only family she knows, and to help Memory find herself. With turns of fate that echo well loved fairy tale themes, Memory's Wake is an immersion in the world of possibilities.

Surprisingly, Memory's Wake has made me feel unusually thankful for the mundane predictability of the humdrum day to day life. We can't gain consciousness halfway into another realm, hit the ground sore and confused, but hit it running nonetheless. No, that sort of relentless fleeing and then dogged determination is reserved for the young and the fictional, and Fenech captures the energy as well as the depletion well.

Available on Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and Kobo.

Review: Dead Dreams, by Emma Right

When Brie O'Mara decides to strike out on her own at eighteen, rather than stay under the wing of her religious and overprotective family to forge her own path to realizing her dreams,she may have made a mistake that could kill more than just those dreams. Dead Dreams, the first book in Emma Right's New Adult psychological thriller series, raises questions and the hair on the back of your neck.

Throughout, Right keeps readers holding their breath and tense through heavy foreshadowing and Brie's painful naivete. Dead Dreams surprised me in a good way. Although I didn't feel particularly close to Brie, I caught myself reading in full nerves mode, waiting for the inevitable turn. Though at times the story begins to get bogged down in tiny details, we all know that the details are what solves the mystery.

Because the story is told from the prospective of the main character with hindsight, Brie often clues the reader in as to what s/he should be looking for in the upcoming chapter, drawing attention directly to clues and details, which makes it easy to keep up with the story. However, if you're the type of reader who likes to stumble on the important clues without being fed them, that may detract from the story.

What I found the most interesting is the dialogue throughout the text between Brie and her mother's pastor, dealing with the nature of dreams and prophecy in Brie's daily life. The layering of types of dreams and the interpretation of those dreams within the scope of Brie's distance from the faith of her family made for an interesting angle from which to view her choices.

All in all, it was a quick, tense read that left me with a lot of questions. Unfortunately, they will have to wait for the second book in the series.




Dead Dreams is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Review: Two Brothers:Origin by Sofia Diana Gabel

For some kids, the first day of school is about a change of routine. For Argus and Tai, a pair of formerly homeschooled twins, the first day of school changes everything. In Two Brothers: Origin, Sofia Diana Gabel's science-fantasy novel about what it means to be human, even when you aren't, Argus and Tai face down their first encounters with the public school system, bullying, and classism. While their polite demeanor and naivety probably strike their classmates as disingenuous, and at first brush the reader as implausible, in the end, their unlikely characteristics underscore the otherness that defines their struggle to belong.

Orphaned and raised by a helicopter aunt, Argus and Tai are growing into the powers that make them different, which catches the attention of a government agency set on finding proof of extraterrestrials, and the boys find themselves the subject of investigation by an obsessive agent who is trying to use his hunch about one of the boys to salvage what is left of his broken career.

I like the premise of this story. I like that Gabel tackles the question of whether or not we are alone in this universe with a vehement no, and builds on it in the tradition of one of my favorite rainy day guilty pleasures- Ancient Aliens, suggesting that not only are we not alone in the universe, but that an alien race has been with us since the beginning. I like the way she wove the story of the Dachel brothers into the greater tapestry of human history and myth.

Though some of the powers the boys develop seem, at best, stalkerly, and a few scenes seem to be told in real time, and a lot of problems come from unusually poor decision making skills on the part of both Argus and Tai, the story moves along at a good clip, exposing some of the things that are the most blatantly wrong with schools right now.

Young readers will enjoy reading along as the Dachel twins come into their own and navigate the new world they never dreamed existed, and older readers will feel for the plight of their Aunt and the agent trying to come back from a failed marriage by achieving what no one else with a boss as obnoxious as his could hope to accomplish.

Review: The Girl with the Iron Touch, by Kady Cross

Kady Cross' much awaited sequel to The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, The Girl with the Iron Touch brings the unapologeticly steampunk feel to a London adventure that spans from Mayfair to Whitechapel, and unearths new secrets in the London Underground. As a woman with a soft spot for the London Underground (have you seen the National Geographic article?), this book certainly touched on some of my favorite themes: Aether, SCOUSes, that's Sea Creatures of Unusual Size, in case you were wondering, Automotons, and philosophy.

The Girl with the Iron Touch revisits all of the story's past dealings in one way or another, Finley even remarks on parallels between the dilemma they are faced with and one she overcame on her own in The Strange Case of Finley Jane, which remains my favorite of the tales from Cross' The Steampunk Chronicles. That said, with the character of Endeavor 312, The Gril with the Iron Touch examines one of my favorite questions in speculative fiction: what does it mean to be human?

Enjoyable, as expected by any novel coming from the pen of Kady Cross, my one reservation is that Finley, Griff, Emily and Sam seem to be spending a little too much time letting their hormones get in the way of their better judgment, and the plot. Yes, the fact that this is a Harlequin TEEN novel means that I shouldn't be surprised, but I missed the slow build of the awkward tension which typified The Girl in the Steel Corset and The Girl in the Clockwork Collar.

Now, I'm going to go find a copy of The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy, because somehow I didn't know this existed until a moment ago, and my logic engine tells me it is imperative that I read it.

Review: Antithesis by Kacey Vanderkarr

Centering around an unlikely and reluctant heroine, Kacey Vanderkarr's science fantasy YA novel Antithesis offers a bizarre but compellingly constructed universe as a backdrop to her tale of murder, kidnapping, and a bid for pandimensional domination. While featuring the bright but off-putting, egotistical, angsty, and too attractive for his own good male lead I've nearly grown to expect, Antithesis' female lead went a step beyond the expected awkward female lead to focus a differently-abled young woman, Gavyn, who doesn't plan to let the arm that never grew keep her from doing exactly what she wants.

Although Gavyn often picks on herself for her one-armed ginger status, and the steamy scenes, sometimes literally, got a little too steamy for me, the world building driving Antithesis was altogether too delightful. In Gavyn's world, things aren't too different from the world we know, until Liam comes into her life and pulls her through to a series of alternate worlds which could only exist in dreams, each farther from the one she left behind, a world which is endangered by the machinations of a world in which another girl wears her name and her face, but shares none of what's inside.

Vanderkarr's novel demonstrates a surprising layering of the intimately familiar and mundane with advanced technologies, surreal landscapes, and the clinically macabre, in a story which has left me waking from dreams wondering for a moment if maybe I really am just glimpsing other realities, just as real as this one. Isn't that what books should do? Make us think? Antithesis has definitely given me a few things to consider.

Review: Kiss of Fire by Rebecca L. Ethington

Kiss of Fire, the swift moving first book in the Imdalind series by Rebecca Ethington made me smile, a lot. From the begining, Jocyln, the 16 year old protagonist, comes off as a full fledged character full of strengths, quirks, insecurities, and an unusual combination of self assured boldness and a deeply ingrained compulsion to avoid notice. Throughout the Kiss of Fire, I enjoyed watching Jocyln overcome the walls she's built around herself and begin to learn how to let people in and even trust.

Of course, a paranormal/urban fantasy  novel wouldn't be complete without the complicated love interests, social drama, strained family relationships, and magic: Kiss of Fire more than delivers.

Estranged from the father who walked away after her mysterious childhood coma, seemingly because of the bizarre scar that was the only physical reminder of that time, and living with the hardworking mother who still loves her ten years absent husband, Jocyln spends a lot of time home alone or hanging at her mom's workplace, the kitchen of an outrageously wealthy man whose son became her only friend.
Of course, even best friends keep secrets, and Jocyln is hiding more than her fateful scar under her hoodie. She's also hiding the burden of her missing father's apparent madness, her own fears regarding her sanity, and the feelings she knows can come to nothing. Of course, those are small secrets compared to Ryland's.

Ethington's approach to the ubiquitous wealth and privilege endemic to the genre surprised me. As soon as I read that Jocyln's world lies tangent to the extremely wealthy and powerful family for whom her mom works, I worried that the story would devolve into a tag-along tale in which a regular girl from a working family background gets to spend her time with the extremely privileged. Let's face it, we all read Twilight, and as a reader, I can only take so much "I'm not worthy." That's why I was delighted that in Kiss of Fire, while there are times when they come out and say "you're not worthy," Jocyln never took that notion into her personal world view, and neither did her best friend, said wealthy, handsome, smart, funny, able bodied Ryland. I was even more delighted as the plot unfolded and the heavy cost of Ryland's privilege unfolded.

I'm a big fan of leading ladies who make their own decisions, and while just about everyone tried to boss Jocyln around, and though she did, ultimately, tend to comply, she did so with agency. I liked the way that Ethington dealt with Jocyln's emotions, particularly dealing with her transition from living in the world as we know it into one in which magic is not only a very real force, but a part of who she is. I enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the second in the series.

Review: Owlet by Emma Michaels

Fragility can be it's own strength, and in Owlet, by Emma Michaels, Iris, a seventeen year old girl who has grown up secluded and weakened by debilitating asthma finds herself waking into the adventure of her dreams while beginning to discover her true strengths in a past which has been kept from her. On her own island of Never-Never, Iris begins to face the past she lost and the improbable future ahead of her while under the threat of the Eyrie, which wants her dead. Enchanted by her once-would-be assassin, she faces this new world with an unbridled thirst for the truth, even when the answers may be more dark or peculiar than the tragic past she'd constructed to fill in the gaps in her memory.

Written in lavish prose, Owlet moves between dreams and the present with fluidity and grace. The author uses poetry and song to weave a spellbinding and emotionally charged journey on a far away island that juxtaposes the surreal with the mundane. After all, Never Never is still close enough to get Chinese take-out.

My one reservation is that for much of Owlet , the first book in the Society of Feathers series, the story happens to Iris, with little agency on her own part. Debilitated with each exertion and constantly being watched and micromanaged, even half of her soul bosses her around without her own full understanding or complicity. Iris' amnesia provides a good mechanism for learning about her world as she does, but in keeping the main character in the dark about so many things, while relying on dream revelation and the monologue of others, the story does not move forward so much as it unfolds around Iris. At one point, her inner voice reminds her, "You are not inadequate: you are perfectly Iris," though at that time, she is very much the helpless damsel in distress, having not yet come into her own strength.

I enjoyed the dreamlike prose and Micahels' subtle approach to the paranormal and modern fantasy YA genres. I like that Michaels chose to write a differently abled lead character, reminding readers that fantastical adventures and beautiful new worlds are not reserved for the demigods among us, but even the slightly frail and less than hale. I am looking forward to the continuation of the series, and am optimistic that reading along as Iris grows into her potential will be a satisfying fairytale. 

Review: The Unbelievers by Julie Affleck

Julie Affleck's mid-grade supernatural thriller, The Unbelievers, flows relentlessly and as swiftly as the river that features in the heart of her tale. When Leigh and her close-knit group of friends decide to go to lunch one frigid winter day, they get swept up in the current of a curse that has plagued their island community for over 65 years: a curse which threatens to untie more than the bonds of friendship, but the bonds of life.

Although dealing with topics which may be a little heavy for younger readers: suicide, kidnapping, murder, rape, madness, The Unbelievers is clearly aimed at younger readers. Affleck demonstrates a keen understanding of social dynamics as well as the importance of doing the hard work necessary to maintain friendships. Underlying the entire story, the themes of courage, initiative, modern skepticism, youthful imagination, and the strength of love to warp or heal combine to forge a memorable story.

For me, The Unbelievers coaxed memories from my own childhood of the things my friends and I would find in the woods, and the tales we'd tell each other, reinventing our concrete world into something more deliciously frightening and powerful. I could relate to the tale's unfolding as well as the familiar tools to which Leigh and her friends turned. I appreciated the telling, and I know my younger self would have enjoyed it even more.

For a chance to win one of two paperback copies of The Unbelievers, check out our interview with Julie Affleck, which includes a giveaway.

The Unbelievers can be purchased on Amazon

Happy Book Birthday + Review of The Art of Wishing!

Today, I am pleased to announce the release of The Art of Wishing by my awesome agent, Lindsay Ribar!

He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life.

Margo McKenna has a plan of attack for everything, from landing the lead in her high school musical to dealing with her increasingly absent parents. But when she finds herself in possession of a genies's ring and the opportunity to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Especially since Oliver--not blue-skinned, not bottle-dwelling, but a genie nonetheless--can see more than what she's willing to show him. With one peek into her mind, he can see the wishes that even Margo herself doesn't know she wants.

But Oliver comes with more than just mind-reading abilities, a flair for magic, and the prettiest eyes Margo's ever seen. Someone from his past is hunting him--someone bent on killing him, along with all the other genies in the world, for the sake of honor. And as Margo soon discovers, it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more.

Okay, two words: GENIES + kissing! I have never read a YA paranormal romance with a genie as the main love interest and I was so intrigued by the premise that I couldn't wait for my preordered copy to come in the mail. So, when Lindsay asked if I'd like to read the e-ARC, I jumped at the chance.

What can I say? I love this book, and I can't wait for the next in the series. It's well written and the pacing is fast and exciting. I kept turning those pages well after my bedtime, wondering what Margo would wish for next, who was Oliver running from, and when would they kiss again.

Margo is a smart, funny, likable character that jumped right off the page. She's real. She has flaws. But, what struck me the most is she's not a pushover heroine. She doesn't live and breathe Oliver, and she even tries to give him up a few times.

*record scratch* What?!?

Yes, a YA heroine who is willing to give up her dreamboat, wish-granting, genie boyfriend! (So much <3 for Margo!)

And Oliver... I just adore Oliver. There is a certain confidence about his character that was so fun to read. He likes his job, he knows he's good at it, and he loves seeing his masters happy with his work (especially Margo). Add in the extra suspense of him being the target of a genie-serial-killer, and you have one awesome read.

If you like YA paranormal romance or even YA contemporary, I highly recommend picking this one up. And if you are interested in reading more about Lindsay Ribar, she will be back on Monday, March 25th, for an interview!

You can pick up your copy of The Art of Wishing:
IndieBound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Sneak Peek Review: Nikolas and Company

Last year I had the honor of interviewing a very talented author by the name of Kevin McGill. In the interview, he talked about the book he was working on called NIKOLAS AND COMPANY: A CREATURE MOST FOUL. I was very intrigued by the idea of the book. And now he's let me take a sneak peek at the first 100 pages.

Let me just tell you: This story is awesome!

First of all, Kevin does a fabulous job of putting you smack dab in the middle of the story with his wonderful use of setting, and the flow and pacing of his storytelling are spot on. And this story is futuristic, so that's quite a feat to accomplish without sounding like you're just describing a Star Trek episode. And the world Kevin created is filled with creatures of all kinds. My favorite creatures? The humans. I absolutely loved the teens in this story. They're witty, they're brave when they have to be, they mess up, they try again, and they talk to each other like real teens talk to each other. I felt like following them around just to listen to their banter some more. Don't get me wrong, there's adventure in this story too. Nikolas takes his troop on a mission to ... well, you'll just have to get the books to find out.

Check out his website for more details.

Thank you, Kevin, for letting me get a taste of this wonderful adventure. I look forward to reading the rest of it! :)