Tag Archives: YA

Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods – a Review

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Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods – a Review

 

Summer of SupernovasAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Fans of Jennifer E. Smith and Jenny Han will fall in love with this heartfelt and humor-laced debut following one girl s race to find the guy of her cosmic dreams. When zodiac-obsessed teen Wilamena Carlisle discovers a planetary alignment that won t repeat for a decade, she s forced to tackle her greatest astrological fear: The Fifth House relationships and love. But when Wil falls for a sensitive guitar player hailing from the wrong side of the astrology chart, she must decide whether a cosmically doomed love is worth rejecting her dead mother s legacy and the very system she s faithfully followed through a lifetime of unfailing belief.”

 

Review:

Summer of Supernovas is the debut novel by Darcy Woods.  Wilamena “Wil” Carlisle is a headstrong, enlightened and very unique seventeen year old girl.  She believes she is destined to follow the stars and the astrological chart her mother left for her before she passed away. But Wil is now down to the wire – she has just twenty two days to meet the love of her life the “one” that she is pre-destined to be with forever, at least according to her star chart.   Following the charts and the knowledge her mother left her with she embarks on an emotional, spiritual journey. 

One night as she is star gazing and contemplating her life on top of the town’s water tower, she sparks the attention of one Grant Walker. Grant although afraid of heights, scales the tower in an attempt to rescue Wil, who he thinks is out to harm herself.  But once he realizes she isn’t there to harm herself it’s too late – he has already called the authorities and they are now on their way.  As they are making their way down the water towers ladder – they fall. Wil ends up in the hospital.  Embarrassed and humiliated that he read too much into the situation on the water tower, Grant tries to apologize to Wil by inviting her out to the local club that his parents own – Absinthe.  Once inside the club with her best friend Irina, Wil has a magical and mesmerizing dance with Grant.   But following her mother’s cues and star chart – Wil is quick to learn that Grant is not the right astrological sign; in fact he is the exact opposite.  He is a Pisces and that is what her mother warned her to stay away from, or so she thinks.  

Grant is handsome and there is an undeniable connection between him and Wil.  But she knows he isn’t right for her – not in any sense of the word.  And if she is going to follow these charts to her destiny she must stay away from him. Its then that she meets Seth. Seth is handsome, warm, caring and surprisingly he is exactly what Wil has been looking for. Exactly what her chart has told her to seek and find.  In fact he is almost too exact in what she is looking for. But, in a twist of fate, Seth turns out to have a brother – and that brother is Grant.

Completely convinced that the stars and all the charts have aligned to bring Seth into her life,   Wil tries with everything she has to make her destiny come to pass. But when she finds herself and her thoughts drifting to Grant, she begins to realize that maybe our destinies can’t be found in the stars.  Maybe just maybe the one she is supposed to find was already there. And maybe the stars are wrong.

I loved Wil from page one.  She is unique, strong-willed and you just want to tag along on her journey to find true love and happiness. She is loyal to her best friend, Irina and stands up for what she believes in.  I found myself rooting for her and her star chart every step of the way. I wanted to believe just as she had.  But when Grant comes into the picture – there is an undeniable connection there. A connection that even the stars can’t conspire to create! Wil lives with her Gram and their relationship has been strong up until this point.  But when things come to light that Wil didn’t know about – things her Gram kept from her – their relationship becomes strained.  And you want more than anything for that relationship to right itself.  For the two of them to become whole again. Gram is one of those women that you just know has an amazing back story and you’d give anything to figure out what that story was.

I adored the sub characters of Irina – she was perfect as a best friend.  Strong, confident and just what Wil needs around her. She had me laughing and looking up words in the dictionary all at the same time! And while Irina doesn’t always buy into the stars and the charts that Wil follows – she still supports her and her decisions every time.   Manny is Grant and Seth’s friend and he was adorable from the moment he walked on the page.  He was hysterical and every time he opened his mouth he had me smiling or laughing.  I am hoping and praying to the stars above that there is follow up novels for both Irina and Manny.  Because there is a story that is just fighting to be told!

This story felt real – you wanted to believe in every page.  You buy into it and you want Wil to have everything she deserves.   And I loved every minute of her following the charts and doing what she thought was right to following her heart and believing in what she knew was right. I will be passing this book onto my daughter (I save and keep all my favorite to pass on to her) and I can totally see this being a huge break out summer book for young adults and teens, In fact – its written in the stars!

Reviewed by Erin

Copy provided by Publisher

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Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh – a Review

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Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh – a Review

 

Burning MidnightAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Sully is a sphere dealer at a flea market. It doesn’t pay much—Alex Holliday’s stores have muscled out most of the independent sellers—but it helps him and his mom make the rent. No one knows where the brilliant-colored spheres came from. One day they were just there, hidden all over the earth like huge gemstones. Burn a pair and they make you a little better: an inch taller, skilled at math, better-looking. The rarer the sphere, the greater the improvement—and the more expensive the sphere.

When Sully meets Hunter, a girl with a natural talent for finding spheres, the two start searching together. One day they find a Gold—a color no one has ever seen. And when Alex Holliday learns what they have, he will go to any lengths, will use all of his wealth and power, to take it from them.

There’s no question the Gold is priceless, but what does it actually do? None of them is aware of it yet, but the fate of the world rests on this little golden orb. Because all the world fights over the spheres, but no one knows where they come from, what their powers are, or why they’re here.

 

Review:

Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh is a YA Sci-fi novel. I have never read Will McIntosh, and when I was given the chance to read this book, I accepted after I read the description. It looked like something I might enjoy, and I am happy to say I loved Burning Midnight.

This is a very different and unique world, which is set in a somewhat modern day setting. Years before, hidden spheres were discovered, each in different colors, with different powers. If you burn a pair of the same color spheres, you will receive special abilities. The lower range spheres can offer white straight teeth; or make you a little taller; middle to high range spheres can erase bad memories, make you become more attractive, faster, or smarter, etc. The rarer the sphere, the more powerful it is, not to mention most expensive.

David Sullivan (Sully) is our young hero in Burning Midnight. Sully lives with his mother, and they just barely make ends meet. Sully a while back discovered a rare sphere, and sold it to powerful millionaire Alex Holiday, who holds many spheres. But Holiday cancelled the 2.5 million dollar check he wrote to Sully, when he said the sphere did not do what was expected. Sully continues to search for spheres, trading and selling the small or medium range spheres to help pay the bills. Then he meets our heroine Hunter, a young girl, who sells him a medium range sphere. Sully and Hunter then begin to work to gather in an arrangement that will help both of them financially.

Hunter excels at finding spheres, and with Sully’s help they find another high range sphere that will make them a lot of money. But a betrayal by friends, cause them to be attacked and losing the sphere. Hunter doesn’t trust Sully friends, and their new found friendship will suffer. In a short period, Sully convinces her to trust his friend Dom and Mandy, and when they find a new powerful sphere (gold), all four of them will embark on finding the second gold. Along the way, they are also hunted by Alex Holiday, who wants the gold sphere and will kill to get it. They are thrown into a wild dangerous situation, when the world as they know it will cause destructions and possible loss of lives. How can they stop this massacre?   Who can they trust?

Anything more would be spoilers. What follows is an awesome exciting and captivating story that will have us on the edge of our seat. I could not put this book down, as I needed to know what would happen. McIntosh has created some wonderful characters and villain, and despite this unusual world with spheres, he had us believing it. Though the ending was exciting and climatic, I would have liked a little more explanation about the spheres. However that being said, I loved Burning Midnight.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer-a review

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THICKER THAN WATER by Brigid Kemmerer-a review

Thicker Than Water

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 29, 2015

On his own

Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect.

Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years.

The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers.

Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden

•••••

REVIEW: THICKER THAN WATER by Brigid Kemmerer is a young adult, paranormal, suspense-filled story line that focuses on eighteen year old Thomas Bellweather-the prime suspect in the strangulation death of his mother- ten days following her marriage to a local cop. When Thomas is befriended by Charlotte Rooker, a seventeen year old girl whose three brothers and father are all police officers, things go from bad to worse when a number of incidents and accidents befall Charlotte all pointing to Thomas as the guilty party. What ensues is a police investigation by Charlotte’s brothers that finger young Thomas regardless of his declaration of innocence or clues proving otherwise.

Brigid Kemmerer writes a story that is both emotional and frustrating as it pertains to Thomas’s innocence or guilt. As the number one suspect he is always on the cop’s radar, as well as the focus of public accusation and the mistaken belief that our hero is guilty of any number of crimes. As the story line builds the finger of guilt continues to point at Thomas Bellweather but we are well aware that our hero is always in the right place at the wrong time.

THICKER THAN WATER is told from alternating first person points of view (Thomas and Charlotte) that allows the reader into the mindset of a young man whose life imploded upon the murder of his mother. Living in a strange town, with a man he barely knows, Thomas becomes the target and a victim when the past returns for a final showdown.

To address the paranormal aspect of the story line, I think I would have enjoyed the story line more if this particular trope had not been included. THICKER THAN WATER made for a great murder-mystery, a story of accusation, suspense and betrayal but the ‘supernatural’ element is a big of a red herring that added an unbelievable aspect to the story.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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Wandering Star by Romina Russell – a Review

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Wandering Star by Romina Russell – a Review

 

Wandering StarAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Orphaned, disgraced, and stripped of her title, Rho is ready to live life quietly, as an aid worker in the Cancrian refugee camp on House Capricorn.

But news has spread that the Marad–an unbalanced terrorist group determined to overturn harmony in the Galaxy–could strike any House at any moment.

Then, unwelcome nightmare that he is, Ochus appears to Rho, bearing a cryptic message that leaves her with no choice but to fight.

Now Rho must embark on a high-stakes journey through an all-new set of Houses, where she discovers that there’s much more to her Galaxy–and to herself–than she could have ever imagined

 

 

Review:

Wandering Star by Romina Russell is the 2nd book in her Zodiac series. Though this is considered a Young Adult book, the concept and story is truly for everyone. In the first book, Zodiac, where we met our teenage heroine, Rho, we learned about the different houses in the 12 galaxies. We learned about the evil Ochus, of the long lost 13th Galaxy, who was slowly destroying them. However, Rho was the only one who saw him in her visions. With the destruction in her Galaxy, causing the death of the Guardian, Rho was elevated to become the Guardian of House Cancer, due to her powers. She took on the mantle to alert all the houses with the help of a select few, but distrust and failure cause everything to backfire, and Rho was sent home in disgrace.

In Wandering Star, we find Rho working quietly in House Capricorn with her brother and their friend Aryll. A month has passed, when friends from House Sagittarius come to Rho and ask for help. War is on the horizon, and the Marad are threatening to destroy all. To her surprise, during her mediation, Ochus comes to her for help and a warning. Does she believe him, after all he has done to her, her friends , family and other houses?

Rho, with Aryll and Hysan (I really love him, but she is still stuck on her feelings for him and Mathias), leave for Sagittarius to meet up with her friends, Nishi and Deke. What follows is an exciting, action filled and interesting adventure that will be filled with betrayals, danger, death and mistakes that Rho must learn to rise from. Rho has a hard time accepting the challenge, especially after the shaming at the end of Zodiac. But there are those still out there who believe in her, and it is this trust that will allow her to rise again to unite all the houses in the face of this war.

There were many surprises and twists throughout the book, especially with all the deaths and betrayals, some of which was very sad. Rho, who works hard to bring the houses united, must also learn to believe in herself, in order to win this war. Most of all she needs to resolve her own dilemma of loving two men; one from her own house, and the other from a different house. I know who I would choose 🙂  but much will depend on the outcome of the war, and her freedom to be able to choose.

Romina Russell amazes me how she does this world building, with all the galaxies, the different characters, complicated rules, and yet make us believe in it all. Wandering Star was a very good read, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Queen B* and the Homecoming King by Crista McHugh – a Review

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The Queen B* and the Homecoming King by Crista McHugh – a Review

 

Queen B and the Homecoming KingAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
The Queen B*, Alexis Wyndham, has only three rules when it comes to dating that star quarterback, Brett Pederson:

1. No obligations to spend every waking moment with each other.
2. No public displays of affection while at Eastline High.
3. And absolutely, under no circumstances, will she ever go to the Homecoming dance.
But as her life is completely upended time and time again, she begins to wonder if some rules are meant to be broken.

 

Review:

The Queen B* and the Homecoming King picks up right where book number two ended….with Alexis and Brett officially dating. Of course, as the blurb says, she has three rules and she is determined that they both stick to said rules. Uh huh…….

As Alexis and Brett go about figuring out their relationship, one thing becomes abundantly clear. Brett is having a hard time with the no PDA rule. Alexis reprimands him, only to be secretly flattered that he has no problem with it and people knowing they are an official couple.

Brett is a little preoccupied with finishing out his high school football career and making it to the state playoffs, which may or may not have a direct impact on what college he decides to attend. It then hits Alexis that they could be going in different directions when it came time to leave for college and that, surprisingly for her, does not sit well. But first, she has other things on the front burner..

One of Alexis’ best friends, Morgan, is still upset with her over a situation with a guy that we learned about in the last book. Her other best friend, Richard, agrees to try and talk to Morgan to help her out, but he has so much on his plate. He’s trying out for the debate team and someone is leaving threatening homophobic messages on his locker, which does NOT sit well with Alexis. She thinks she knows who’s doing it, but Brett tells her she is wrong. That in itself makes Alexis wonder if he’s already picking his friends over her. Or, could she actually BE wrong?

As they continue to navigate their new relationship, potential colleges and typical high school stuff, Alexis has also made it her mission to make Morgan understand what really happened, as well as find out who is bullying Richard. However, when a horrific accident leaves one of our beloved high schoolers in a bad way, what follows is both heart wrenching and heartwarming.

The Queen B* and the Homecoming King was another great story by Crista McHugh. I have to tell you once again that the relevance of this story was not lost on me, but Mrs. McHugh has a way of doing that with everything she writes. Alexis may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when you find out her back story, it just makes her that much more of a great character. Brett is the guy that EVERYONE wants their daughter to meet. Has a huge heart and is good down to his core. I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that Crista is saying this is the last one in this series and am hoping that we may at some point get to visit with these great characters again. Their future is so bright that I’m hoping she has a hard time shielding herself from them! Ha! Once again…… Well done, Crista McHugh! Very, very, very well done!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Author

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Soundless by Richelle Mead – a Review

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Soundless by Richelle Mead – a Review

 

SoundlessAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever…

 

 

Review:

Soundless by Richelle Mead is a fantasy novel using Chinese folklore as the theme. Soundless was a very different type of story by Richelle Mead, and though this was sort of a dystopian story, it was totally different using the chinese folklore theme.

Fei, our heroine, is a young girl who lives in a mining village high up in the mountains, with no way to leave. All the residents are deaf, as they use sign language to talk to one another. No one knows why they cannot hear, since this has been the way of life going way back. The miners in the village must work hard to pull precious metal from the mines, in order to ship them via a line down the mountain in exchange for food for them all. Slowly, some of the miners are going blind, causing fewer metals to be pulled, and thereby less food to feed them.

Fei is an artist, one of the few chosen ones, who have the daily job of recording history through their paintings. Fei’s sister, Zhang is also an artist, but she has begun to hide the fact they she is slowly losing her sight. One night Fei has a dream, and wakes up with different vibrations. She begins to realize that she is beginning to hear things. She is afraid to tell anyone, and doesn’t know why this has happened. Fei spends the next few days listening to different sounds, and it was nice to watch her try to understand what the sounds are.

Li Wei, our hero, is one of the miners in the village, who has become disgruntled at the poor conditions. Li who sees his father die from all those years in the mine, begins to protest the conditions. Li many years ago helped save Fei from a fall, and she has always had a crush on him. But they are like night and day, as he is determined to fight this kind of life, and she is content to do what she is expected to do. Once Fei’s sister’s impending blindness is discovered, and Zhang is demoted to a servant, she will go to Li and agree to help him.

What follows is a very interesting story, as Li and Fei sneak out together and make their dangerous attempt to go down the mountain (via ropes) and try to ask for help. What they find isn’t what they expect. There are so many different aspects of the story, including the budding romance between Li and Fei. Whatever the discoveries they find, and there are many, some horrific, Fei will stop at nothing to go back to save her sister. The wild ending was exciting, especially with the added fantasy element. To tell too much more would be spoilers.

Soundless was a different but excellent storyline, which I thought started somewhat slow, though any world-building is normally that way. However, the last 1/3 of the book was very well done. If you are looking for a pulsating action packed adventure, you will not find that in this book. In the early part of the book, I did find myself losing a little interest, but thankfully I kept going and in the end, I did enjoy the story, and found the entire concept very interesting. Richelle Mead did a fantastic job writing this story and making it believable to us.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel – a Review

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The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel – a Review

 

The Revolution of IvyAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
Beyond the fence. I am still alive. Barely.

My name is Ivy Westfall. I am sixteen years old and a traitor. Three months ago, I was forced to marry the president’s son, Bishop Lattimer-as all daughters of the losing side of the war are sold off in marriage to the sons of the winners. But I was different. I had a mission-to kill Bishop.

Instead, I fell in love with him.

Now I am an outcast, left to survive the brutal savagery of the lands outside of civilization. Yet even out here, there is hope. There is life beyond the fence. But I can’t outrun my past. For my actions have set off a treasonous chain of events in Westfall that will change all of our fates-especially Bishop’s.

And this time, it is not enough to just survive…

 

Review:

The Revolution of Ivy is all about change and breaking glass ceilings. How very fitting: Today is Election Day! A sequel is a daunting task, Amy Engel told me so, but this second book was so compelling…it was as high caliber as her debut, and I raaaved about that one (The Book of Ivy available here). I actually compare TRoI to the likes of The Empire Strikes Back! That’s rare and stellar praise coming from this reader.

Ivy is in full survival mode after [partially] completing her mission. To recap, President Lattimer ordered Ivy put out at the conclusion of book one. Ivy would have accomplished the goal, the Westfall goal, had her heart not been compromised. Falling in love with the enemy wasn’t the plan and her last minute, Hail Mary play cost her place alongside Bishop, her husband and once-intended target. Ivy is blindsided by her family, but even more bereft without Bishop.

I was both exhausted and on edge from the onset of Ivy’s exile. She’s been trained (manipulated?) in the ways of political maneuvers, but no one in the Westfall faction thought to initiate protocols for survival. Ivy’s no princess, but these odds outside the fence were unrelenting and nearly insurmountable. The isolation alone would have catapulted me back inside the safety of Westfall! This mindset is strategic in hindsight, however, as it adds more depth to an already impressive Ivy.

What once was soft has been carved away, leaving only what’s absolutely necessary behind.

The setting commenced as solitary and desperate, until Ivy aligns herself with two nomads, Ash and Caleb. A brother and sister (but not) who welcome Ivy into their group and teach her newfound, comprehensive independence. Her understanding of life outside the fence, nature versus nurture, transforms Ivy into a tour de force; her life in Westfall but a chrysalis.

It’s impossible not to reveal a spoiler as this is a sequel, but suffice it to say that Bishop lands, most unceremoniously, at Ivy’s feet, threatening to dismantle the new life she’d forged from pain and suffering. Their reunion is brutal on the heart. Ivy never expected to see Bishop again, so she began shutting down that vibrant part of her soul that his love set to life (penance for her betrayal). When Bishop arrives solely to be by her side, Ivy is inexplicably angry and terribly confused. Ms. Engel writes a magnificent storyline about reconciling emotions. My heart was lodged in my throat, fearful and mesmerized by the power of their words. To say I swooned is simply insufficient. I was overcome with feeling!

The political turmoil within Westfall reaches our H/H. The Lattimers and Westfalls are at it in veritable Hatfield and McCoy fashion. The flawed system (made up of extremes and revenge) has deprived the town for too long and it’s imploding. Ever conscientious of choice and freedom, will Ivy and Bishop return to instill peace or remain independent and outside the clutches of chaos?

What a finale! Momentous showdowns of the breath-stealing variety! WOW. Ms. Engel advised me that the series ends here. It’s not enough, *sniffs*, I could read about Ivy and Bishop for at least a trilogy! It’s better to have loved, they say? ;D

I cannot recommend The Revolution of Ivy enough! Ms. Engel writes a wonderful YA series that is meant for readers of all ages. She created an outstanding young woman who flourishes under adversity. Ivy’s journey to maturity and identity is exemplary. Bishop’s plight is symbiotic to Ivy’s and his catharsis is displayed with grace and dignity. This series captures magic. I miss them already.

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep – Review & Giveaway

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Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep – Review & Giveaway

 

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Dark Heart of MagicAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository  / Audible link

Description:
Something Wicked This Way Comes…

As a thief, I stick to the shadows as much as possible. But when the head of the Sinclair Family picks me to compete in the Tournament of Blades, there’s no escaping the spotlight—or the danger.

Even though he’s my competition, Devon Sinclair thinks I have the best shot at winning what’s supposed to be a friendly contest. But when the competitors start having mysterious “accidents,” it looks like someone will do anything to win—no matter who they hurt.

As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, mobster Victor Draconi is plotting against Devon and the rest of my friends, and someone’s going around Cloudburst Falls murdering monsters. One thing’s for sure. Sometimes, humans can be more monstrous than anything else…

 

 

Review:

Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep is the 2nd book in her urban fantasy Black Blade series. This is a YA series, but it truly is a series for everyone. Once again I am happy to say that Jennifer Estep has done it again, with another fabulous story. Now that I have completed the second book of this series, I am sure that my comment in the first review is correct.   Lila Merriweather, our heroine, is a young Gin Blanco (Elemental Assassin series), and if you love that series, then run quickly to pick up the first book, Cold Burn of Magic, and follow it up with this book. I love everything that Jennifer Estep writes, and I am thrilled with this series, and all the wonderful characters she has created.

In Dark Heart of Magic, the story continues as Lila is now Devon’s bodyguard, and secretly works behind the scenes to find out more information on the Sinclair family’s enemy, Victor Draconi. The Draconi’s are a very powerful family, with lots of magical ability, and Victor wants to control all the families. We did learn in the first book that it was Victor, who had killed Lila’s mom years before. Claudia Sinclair is the leader of the Sinclair family, and she is the only one who knows the total truth about Lila, her past and what she is secretly doing.

The annual Tournament of Blades is upcoming, and Lila is shocked to find out that she has been selected to be one of the representatives in the tournament for the Sinclair family.  Devon is also competing, as is. Deah Draconi, who is Victor’s daughter. She will be defending her title from last year, and is expected to win again.

The relationship between Devon and Lila remains mute, even though Devon constantly shows Lila how he cares about her. He is forced to act as friends, since Lila wants nothing more. She knows she is falling for Devon, but just wants to do her job, and eventually leave Cloudburst Falls. So becoming serious with Devon is not an option for Lila; even if it becomes harder each passing day.

Before the tournament begins, Devon and Lila discover that someone is murdering tree trolls (one of many types of monsters in this series). Lila using her powers, to “see” the horrific death of the tree troll, and all the blood, but the mystery is on as to why and who.

The tournament begins, as Lila and Devon move up, but in a short time someone is sabotaging the tournament, forcing some competitors to bow out injured, as well as murdering one of the competitors.   As the tournament reaches the final stage, Lila is forced to make a decision that will affect the outcome. At the same time, the murderer begins to up the game, and Lila will put herself in danger to try to prevent another murder. The mystery of the trolls, and the murder comes full force.

Without telling too much more, the ending was a wildly exciting and tense climatic finish that answers all the questions, but will Lila survive?

In the first book we learn about who Lila’s mother is, and what she has to do with the Sinclair family. In Dark Heart of Magic, we learn a lot more; what we learn will change the game going forth, as there were many revelations. This is a great series, with a wonderful cast of characters, such as Lila, Devon, Felix, Claudia, Mo, Oscar, Deah; as well as villains you love to hate, such as Victor and Blake. This book was very exciting, fun, suspenseful, action-packed in a fantasy world of magical families and monsters; but most of all it belongs to Lila and Devon, whom we hope will continue to move forward in their relationship. I am excited about the next book, as so much was revealed. Jennifer Estep always entertains us with her wonderful stories, and amazing characters.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

 

 

giveaway

Jennifer is offering a paper copy of DARK HEART OF MAGIC to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE and Follow Jennifer Estep on Facebook

4. Please FOLLOW The Reading Cafe on TSU

5. LIKE us on FACEBOOK and then click GET NOTIFICATION under ‘liked’ for an additional entry.

6. FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

7. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

8. Giveaway open to USA only.

9. Giveaway runs from October 26 – 30, 2015

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