Review: Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review:
Our story takes us on an adventure of Princess Andrea. Stubborn and hearty she wants to be a Page only to have her father turn down her request. He wants her to join her mother and learn to be a Lady as is fitting of her status.
Andrea is gutsy, intelligent and quick witted. She meets her Uncle at some rocks near a beach and is soon to discover that the cave/archway is actually a portal to another world.
Andrea resumes her life and learns her Lady skills to a degree but she is not completely happy in her world.When she accidently goes over to the other side she meets her Uncle again and discovers his other life, meets his daughter and gets to know John, a boy that catches her fancy.
This book captured me from the beginning and I was expecting something else if I'm honest. It started like Alanna by Tamora Pierce and ended completely NOT like Alanna.
I thought the descriptive writing was superb, this author has such a flare for english and can captivate you with the story.
It doesn't matter that some of the characters are downright annoying (Kelsey for instance) I think that was the authors intention.
Andrea does at times act much younger than her age, she is sometimes a little slow (but we can forgive that) and she's impulsive. But that's what I like in a heroine. She's still growing up after all.
 Altogether I thought it was a great read. I'm not sure about the target market as originally I though 10-12 years, but then ended up being 14-16 years, however I'm sure the older audience will enjoy this book also.

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Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to review this book

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

My Review:
So. I had no expectations about this book. I haven't read anything by the author before so this was completely new. However the storyline intrigued me and I started reading.

The start was slow and a little vague. You actually had to read every word just to grasp what was happening and understand who Kali (our narrator) is. We find out soon that she's a hunter, a predator of preternatural beings. From this point we're thrown into a world of beasties and other mythical beings - Kali has the urge, need, thrall to kill them all. She smells blood, she 'feels' weapons and she contantly counts down the time to her next change.

Then - pow - just like that she's sat on her school bleachers next to a girl she doesn't know who turns out to be Skylar, her new friend. And Kali is a human. From here the story really starts and we meet Bethany, high school hottie and the IT girl.

Without repeating the story and writing spoilers the bizarre things start to happen for Kali, Skylar, Bethany and soon Skylars brothers all begin to become involved with the story.

The narrative is first person POV from Kali, and I liked her as a character, Skylar is a loveable character that I think we'd all like to have as a BFF and Bethany comes up trumps also by going against the grain and sticking with Kali.

As written earlier, while I found the book very difficult to put down until the very end, I DID find that a lot of the narrative (particularly ¼ in) was repetative - Kali questions who she is, where she came from, what she is etc to the point where it gets a little bit boring and self-centred. There is only so much of the constant explanations about what she can do, how she can kill, how she feels no pain (which she actually does), and about how she can't die (although again she almost does). This spoilt it as I kept wanting to shout at her to shut up - I've heard this already before, get on with it - and it dragged until we reached Beths house and met her weird mother.

I think the descriptions were good but a little under-rated, I definitely think the book could do with stronger creativity as again I was left almost feeling that Zev was a figure of her imagination and NOT an actual person (silver eyes, dark hair and sharp cheek bones is really all we know about what he looks like). I like to create a definitive image in my head of the characters and felt it was almost impossible in this story, apart from Kali herself.

I loved the storyline of Chimera and the experiments. Clearly the author has done her scientific homework. I'm not an expert on this area so everything I read was absolutely believable.
I thought the action was the highlight of the book and really held everything together. I love a strong female warrier-like character and Kali is all this.

The end was a bit of a surprise in the way that I hoped for a stronger relationship and more interaction with Zev...its almost left to the last page to discover what happens and then we're left hanging a little.

I wonder whether the author is thinking of a followup because I really felt that the story was meant for a follow on. I mean, we've all had to wait until ¾ into the book to 'get' it and now its almost over?? I want to know what happens next with Kali, Zev, Eliot and Bethany!!!!

A good read - 4 out of 5.

Review: Altered Destiny by Shawna Thomas

Altered Destiny by Shawna Thomas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Thank you to Net Galley and Carina Press for allowing me to read this book.


Altered Destiny - mmm, to be honest, the title of this book does it no justice whatsover. This book was SO much more and I loved it from start to finish.

Synopsis:
Selia has run her family's tavern since she was fifteen and can hunt and fight the equal of any man. When she rescues a badly wounded man and nurses him back to health, she has no idea she's about to change not only her life, but also the destinies of two peoples…


The battered warrior is Svistra—a race of bloodthirsty savages determined to destroy her homeland. Or so the stories claim. Jaden reveals a different truth: how his ancestors were driven into the barren northern mountains. Now they are strong and war parties are pushing south wanting their land back.

The son of a Svistra Commander, Jaden is looking for a way to bring peace to both humans and Svistrans. He tries to ignore his growing passion for Selia, but when she is captured he has to decide what he would be willing to sacrifice to save the woman he loves…

Review:

Selia, our heroine, is as gutsy as the toughest woman you know, but she's soft and feminine when she needs to be, not that she wants that way of life.

Jaden is a Svistra (blood dependent savage enemy to all) who Selia rescues from three thieves about to end his life.

Enter the magic! From the moment they laid eyes on each other they know they were fated to be together. But this strong a connection was never going to run smoothly.


In a world where Kings occupy thrones and are reluctant to enter the fray of battle, mayhem and chaos takes over the lands and war is imminent. It can only be stopped if leaders drop their guards and allow an enemy, a Svistra, to take things into his own hands.

The characters in this book are all brilliant and true to life. You shared moments with each and every one including Nathan and Leisle.

But most of all the adventure shared with Jaden and Selia is awesome.

Shawn Thomas has written such a marvellous book that would be enjoyed by anyone seeking a story of romance, high adventure and a kick-ass sword-wielding heroine! I LOVED it!

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Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Synopsis:
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Review:
The best book in the series. Now Grace is wolf and Sam waits to find her. A couple of false alarms later and they're together again. But things are different now.

When the wolves discover they're still under attack from Culpepper Grace and Sam take things into their own hands. The race is on to move the wolves. But there are consequences.

This book was full of highs and lows. At one point I nearly cried (I won't tell you which bit but its near the end). This book has more action and purpose to it than the others. Most probably the reason I liked it more. It still only gets 3 out of 5 though. I'm glad the series has ended but the ending was not a proper one. What happened to tieing up all the loose ends and an HEA? Don't be disappointed!

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