Book Review: Magnolia Mystic ~ Lisa Kessler

Title: Magnolia Mystic (Sentinels of Savannah, Book 1)
Author: Lisa Kessler
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Date of Release: July 23, 2018
Pages: 79
Format: Kindle (NetGalley)

This was a fun read… we have a psychic who doubts herself and an immortal pirate who is the champion of Savannah, GA. It doesn’t get any better!

Skye is having a severe case of self-doubt after a relationship gone wrong. She is trying to swear off men, but there is something about Colton she can’t quite put her finger on. She likes that he gets to do what he loves and that is playing the role of a pirate. What she doesn’t know, he’s a real-life pirate! Who didn’t want to be a pirate growing up?! Colton, as quartermaster, has made it his mission to protect the city of Savannah against his former captain, Ian Flynn, who wants to build a hotel in the city. The only thing stopping Ian is Skye. She owns the last piece of property he needs to purchase in order to make his dream a reality. Can Colton get to Skye before Ian? What will happen when she finds out who they really are?

Colton, the handsome devil, has a heart of gold, and up until meeting Skye, he let every day just pass him by. Skye can’t seem to trust herself after her last relationship. Her previous relationship left Skye wary of all men, but Colton was a breath of fresh air. This is a whirlwind romance that will keep you tuned into the story. My only complaint, it was too short! I needed and wanted more, however, it does make me want to read what happens next. What would be great while waiting for the next book, is finding a prequel! I can’t wait for either or both! (Preferably BOTH!)

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Book Review: The Girl in the Forest ~ Bridgid Dean

Title: The Girl in the Forest
Author: Bridgid Dean
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewer: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Bridgid Dean
Date of Release:  August 7, 2016
Pages: 63
Format: Kindle (Author via AXP)

Jolie has a recurring dream, she sees a woman in the forest with a hollow back. She’s had a rough day when she spots a bookstore. On the second floor is Jamie, who reads tarot cards. She’s intrigued about her dream, but she’s more intrigued with Jamie. Wanting to help Jolie, he reached out to his friend, Greta, who is in need of a baker. Great thing Jolie is in need of a job! As the book progresses, nothing is as it seems. Greta and Jamie have secrets. What do these secrets mean for Jolie? Who is the guy in the forest following them?

I have to say, I’m a bit torn about the story. On one hand, it was intriguing enough for me to finish the story to see what happens. On the other hand, I finished the book just to see where it goes. Each character was beautifully flawed and damaged, but there really wasn’t any character growth. Jolie was a bit naive and seemed to be attached to Jamie, who was extremely sweet and very mysterious. I, personally, thought Jamie and Greta were sketchy. There was something that was so dishonest about them. It was really hard to get a grasp on the characters as this was a short story. The ending was abrupt. There wasn’t a cliffhanger, but it didn’t feel complete. I’ll be completely honest, from the synopsis I was expecting a little more from this story. It fell a little short for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. Perhaps if the story was fleshed out a bit more, this would be a higher rating.

 

Book Review: House of Diviners ~ Alesha Escobar

Title: House of Diviners (Book 1)
Author: Alesha Escobar
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Sci-Fi
Publisher: Creative Alchemy, Inc.
Date of Release: March 1, 2017
Pages: 138
Format: Kindle (Lizzy Black)

Kelsey Jackson Diviner is a shaman-in-training who witnesses an attack on a fellow shaman. There’s a shadow-in-black out to get all shamans, Kelsey is no exception. Her father, a fellow shaman, is attacked while helping Kelsey with a client. Can she help save her father and potentially the world?

Escobar writes an interesting group of characters, with each one serving a purpose. In the beginning, Kelsey’s father seems overly protective, until he’s attacked and not only do you see and understand why her father was always “butting in”, but you also got to see just how much training Kelsey still needed. This caused Kelsey to draw on an inner power she didn’t know she had within her. It wasn’t magic, she had plenty of that (although not fully trained with it), it was grit and determination. She was sympathetic and empathetic, with sometimes not a clear plan to achieve her goal, but she never gave up. Kelsey does have a hard time figuring out who can and can’t be trusted. No one wants to walk around feeling suspicious all the time; this is where her strengths were sometimes her weakness. Some magical details about shamans and gods could have been explained more, but it’s possible to learn more about them in the next installment. Overall, she achieves her goal, but not her end goal. This was written in such a way there was no true, clear cliffhanger… but just enough to get you excited about the next installment.

Book Review: Bring Me Their Hearts ~ Sara Wolf

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Title: Bring Me Their Hearts (Book 1)
Author: Sara Wolf
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Folklore, Sci-Fi, YA
Publisher: MacMillan
Date of Release: June 5, 2018
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback (Entangled Publishing)

When asked to not only do a cover reveal but a read and review, I had to jump at the chance!

One night, a group of bandits killed Zera’s parents and almost killed her until a witch, Nightsinger, saved her life by making her heartless… literally. Being a “heartless” isn’t too much different from being a zombie, except you still look human.  Now she is under the control of Nightsinger. Zera was made an offer she couldn’t refuse, bring me the heart of Crown Prince Lucien and I’ll give you your freedom… but fail, and your heart shall be crushed. Decisions, decisions!

I knew immediately I would love Zera! Who doesn’t love a sassy, smart-mouthed, strong young lady?! I appreciated her internal battle for her humanity. The relationship between Zera and Prince Lucien really worked for me. It felt like time was taken for them to get to know each other. The only issue I had with the book was the pacing… it was a bit slow for my liking, but still an enjoyable story. The cover is stunning, great storytelling, and I’m already excited for the next installment. I can’t wait!

Book Release: Burning Bright ~ Chris Cannon

Burning Bright by Chris Cannon is out today! Get your copy and fall in love today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Kz24uI

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2GZk0w4

About the Book:

Bryn is back for her senior year at the Institute for Excellence, also known as shape-shifting dragon school. She isn’t sure which is scarier, the life-force sucking dragons stalking campus or the fact that she’s officially betrothed to Jaxon, a guy who will never love her. Not that she could ever love him, either… That’s just ridiculous.

Senior year should be fun. Her parents are alive, she’s finally fitting in, and she’s learning how to be a Medic. But what’s with Jaxon giving her strange looks? He runs hot and cold, and he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a hybrid fire-and-ice-breathing dragon like her. One minute they’re having a great time and the next, she wants to blast a fireball at his head. The marriage contract of doom looms over them–unless this match not made in heaven kindles a flame…

Book Review: The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray ~ B.A. Williamson

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Title: The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray
Author: B.A. Williamson
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, YA
Publisher: North Star Editions
Date of Release: May 15, 2018
Pages: 336
Format: Kindle (NetGalley)

In a world that is all black, white, and gray, things can become extremely boring! No one knows how that feels better than Gwendolyn Gray! She faces a very serious problem… she doesn’t think in black and white. She is the only person her age that doesn’t think the way everyone else does, and that leaves her as an outcast. As her parents and classmates continue to fall under the influence of the gray, dull society, Gwendolyn’s vivid imagination runs wild and naturally gets her in trouble. There are two faceless men who will stop at nothing to stop Gwendolyn from changing the world as they know it, including completely wiping cities off the map. Can Gwendolyn, with the help of two friends, stop the two faceless men and save everyone from a dull, gray existence?

This was the kind of book I read as a child! It is so awesome to read about a child having such a vivid imagination! There is something about a child using their imagination to save the world that is absolutely amazing. There are so many great things about this book: a narrator who acknowledges the readers and makes you feel as though you are a part of the story, Gwendolyn realizing she isn’t just some silly girl. There is a real power in your imagination. Stirling and Sparrow are great characters! The addition of siblings Stirling and Sparrow helped create the steampunk feel this book had. The story was great and I loved the small moments when the narrator would say, “I’ll spare you the boring details…”, “Sparrow said a few words that wouldn’t be polite to repeat…”. This might be a turn off for most, but I enjoyed it. The pacing was quite quick with world-building along the way, which was spectacularly done.

What was amazing about this story was the way it challenged the way stories/fairy tales are usually told. Normally it would start with “Once upon a time…”, but instead, it challenged you with “What if…?” Here’s to Gwendolyn Gray, for showing us it’s okay to stand out in a world where you were meant to blend it, for showing us it’s okay to use your imagination, and going against the norms… because being normal is overrated.

 

Book Review: Wings of Flesh and Bones ~ Cathrina Constantine

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Title: Wings of Flesh and Bones
Author: Cathrina Constantine
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by: Shakera
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, YA
Publisher: CHBB Publishing
Date of Release: April 8, 2018
Pages: 384
Format: Kindle (Author via AXP)

This is a story I am on the fence about. I enjoy the concept with great writing, but it kind of feels incomplete. The world building wasn’t as complete as I thought it would be, given the plot. The characters were your standard YA characters, which is fine. They make you love them, get frustrated with them, and adore them. I think what made it feel incomplete for me was the lack of information about magic, and how it works. Does magic work the same in this story as it does in other stories? What’s different? I found Rogan to not really be to my liking. She was a frustrating character, as she didn’t like to follow rules or listen to advice.

The alternate views felt a little disjointed. It didn’t quite flow very well for me. There were so many elements to this story that it can be quite hard to keep up. There were a few instances I had to re-read a section because I lost track of what was happening. The story was information heavy and full of magic, which leads me to believe this was setting up book (and I do hope there is a book 2!)