Silver and Stone (Bloodlines #1) by J.D. Thompson

Ah!  If it wasn’t for the workday – I would have read this in one sitting!  It was fantastic!  Kept me guessing until the very end – I had no idea what Alexi was or who Lucas really was until the very end of the book.  The anxiety of the story kept building and building and came to a great climax… and there were no give away moments that ruined the surprise for me.

Alexi is starting her senior year at Weatherford Preparatory School but has been playing hermit the entire summer because of her Mother’s death.  She’s scoffed at and ostracized by many of her “friends”…  Her whole world changed the day her Mom died… but now Lucas Alexander has stepped into her life and has re-awakened her heart.  But things are not always what they seem to be…..

Just to reiterate – I really enjoyed this story – it was easy to read and kept me guessing throughout the book.  The only drawback…  once the mystery was revealed to me I wondered whether I’d read something similar before..  After thinking about it a bit more – not the same but a bit similar…  however I still LOVED this story and am looking forward to the next installment, Blood and Champagne.

I also LOVE to read novels created by fellow Canadians

Highly recommended
Ages: 14 and up

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Favourite quote:

”  ’Unfortunately, the universe wasn’t built to grant wishes.  And as for God, well…  He doesn’t bother answering any personal requests.  All we have are a series of predetermined events handed to us like cards, summing up the buil of what we call life.’ ”     p.36

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Thompson, J.D. (2011). Silver and Stone (Bloodlines #1).  Smashwords Edition.  ebook.  Provided by the author.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”

I’ve heard this saying many a times in my life but never really believed in it.  I’m here today to say YES!!!  I agree!  I’ve been absent for a while…  Life has thrown me what I’m calling 2 major curveballs and I’ve been working through them.  One was a direct hit and the other hit a close family member…

I’d like to say that reading has helped me but alas it wasn’t the first thing I went to.  I actually ended up playing mindless games on my iPad – yes I know…  Michelle you can learn and escape by reading…  but playing these games was what I needed.

My goal is to get back to my reading – feels like I’ve missed so…  much in the past 2 months!  So many new books out there that I’ve been waiting for and so many ebooks that I’ve promised I’d review that I haven’t gotten to yet.  If you’ve been waiting for one of these – my sincerest apologies.

So here’s to reading!!!

Dael and the Painted People by Allan Richard Shickman

Dael and the Painted People is the third installment in the Zan-Gah series and it continues to intrigue me. In this book we follow Dael as he leaves the Ba-Cora and goes out into the wild. Sparrow, feeling like an outcast in the Ba-Cora tribe, feels a need and a compulsion to follow Dael into the unknown. Throughout their travels they develop a relationship and find the Red Painted People.

I really liked this book because of all the different lessons that I caught throughout. Dael walks into this new community, is welcomed with open arms and struggles with the kindness they receive. Sparrow on the other hand feels like she’s home for the first time in her life. As they work together to become active and valued members of the community, Dael unknowingly creates a very powerful enemy, Schnurr, the local shaman, and finds love with Sparrow.

How the characters evolve is fantastic! I do wonder though, whether the demographic to whom this is directed will appreciate the characters and story as much as I did.

I want to thank Earthshaker Books for providing this book

Recommended

Ages: 12 and up

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Favourite quote(s):

“Maybe it was always so, she reflected. The person you loved would not love you back. Maybe the only love that mattered was the one that grew slowly, slowly took root, with neither mate caring too much at first.”        p. 5

“Seared by experience to a knowledge of the world and himself, he awaited events with no hint of his habitual ferocity. Formerly so certain that any path on which he set his foot was the right one, he was forced by the traumas he had sustained to reexamine things that once he was sure of.”        p. 28

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Shickman, Allan Richard. (2009).  Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country. St Louis, MO:  Earthshaker Books.

Author website:  http://www.earthshakerbooks.com/

Guess who we almost met in the bookstore tonight?

Oh my goodness!  I tell you there are days where I wish I was a little bit more confident and outgoing.  Why do you ask?  Well I’ll tell you…  My daughter and I stopped at our local Chapters tonight – I knew there was a book that she wanted, The Hidden by Jessica Verday and I wanted to pick up Bargains and Betrayals by Shannon Delany.  We’re browsing the YA section, which was moved because of renovations….  and well there’s this tall gentleman talking with one of the staff members, telling stories and signing books.  We stuck around and I tried so hard to figure out who he was without going over and asking…  He signs all the books that are available and leaves.  The salesperson leaves to help someone else, but a couple of minutes later she returns and I just had to ask.

It was Eric Walters!!!  Ah…  I should have said something!  So..  you know what I did – yup! bought one of the signed books  And now I know that next time I’ll be a little bit more outgoing and ask directly.  I talked to the salesperson who said he does that – stops in every once in a while and signs all of his books in the store.   Like WOW that’s just great!

I have really enjoyed all of his books to date – I should say all of his books that I’ve read so far.  So…  which book did I buy?  Beverly Hills Maasai – the Sequel to Alexandria of Africa which I absolutely loved.  And I can’t wait to finish my current books to read this one!

Misfit by Jon Skovron

I really enjoyed this book but it really didn’t fit into the type of books that I’ve been reading lately.  Yes, it is a YA book and yes it is fantasy – but it didn’t have all that teen angst and teen drama that I’m so used to.  To be honest it was kind of refreshing to read a story without all that drama (although I do enjoy reading my drama )

Jael Thompson, finds out on her 16th birthday that she’s a half-breed, human and demon.  She learns that her mother was a demon and that well…  the demons in Hell hate her and want her dead.  This also explains why she and her father have been moving around so much during her childhood – to keep the demons at bay.  It was a story – or think of it as a fairy tale.  It was the type of story that I wanted to see it through till the end – so find out what happened next.  There were no cliffhangers per say but I personally needed to know what would happen to Jael.

I haven’t done any research as of yet – but I suspect there may be more stories about Jael.  The author did a nice job at introducing the possibility that there may be more than just Belial searching for her – there are 4 more Dukes that would like to see her done away with. So I’ll be keeping my eye out for those.

This book trailer may be a but old – in that it is a holiday trailer it does give you a little inkling to what the book it about.  enjoy!

Recommended
Ages: 14 and up

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Skovron, Jon (2011). Misfit. Amulet Books.  Advanced Reader’s e-proof from Net Galley.

Author website:  http://jonskovron.com/

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

This is one of these books that has been in the house ever since it was released – because my daughter absolutely LOVED The Iron King and as soon as it was released – well..  we had to have it.  I know we have a copy of The Iron Queen here as well – now to find it.  As some of you know – my daughter and I have similar reading tastes but it’s come to a point where she’ll hide the books that she’s read from me until she’s read the entire series!  I mean really!  That’s just not fair!  Somehow I was able to sneak this one in

And I really enjoyed it!  I’ll admit I enjoyed The Iron King a bit more – but I think that was because the whole concept of the book really grabbed me and spoke to me.  With the Iron Daughter – I just loved the back and forth of the relationship between Ash and Meghan.  Again I so LOVE that Ash is the prince of the Winter Court – whereas so many other Faery books have Ash or Aislinn as a female – Nah…  I like the dark, brooding, good-looking male characters I feel bad for Puck – but really you don’t let her know who you are for how many years?  how can you expect Meghan to have the same feelings?  A little harsh – sorry…

I so love the very strong characters in this book: the Iron Horse – so enjoyed his return  Grimaldin – I so enjoy his nonchalant attitude about everything!  Don’t know if you could write this story without him – he’s such a HUGE part of everyone in this series!  And of course, Meghan, Puck and Ash…  Ah….   Cannot wait to find The Iron Queen in the house now to see what happens next.

Highly recommended
Ages: 14 and up

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Favourite quotes:

“….Of course not, healers don’t rest.  They can just drink one of their special potions and stay up all night, for days on end, ready to jump at every emergency that comes banging on their door at five in the morning!”                    p. 278

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Kagawa, Julie. (2010). The Iron Daughter.  Don Mills, ON: Harlequin Teen

Author website:  http://www.juliekagawa.com/

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

This was one of these books that I couldn’t wait for it to come out and I was NOT disappointed!  I so enjoy these stories that are based in mythology of some type and just build and build until it has its own reality.  Love love love!

Wolfsbane picked up from where Nightshade left off – which is another aspect of this story that I really like.  Nothing worse than trying to figure out where the first book ended and how the one you’re reading now picked up from somewhere  Definitely not the case here – Nightshade ended with one event and it felt, to me at least, like Wolfsbane picked up right after that event.  Perfect!!!

So…  where are we?  Hmmm….  if you haven’t read NightshadeI’d really hate to ruin the storyline…  so.. let’s try to take the vague approach…  hmmm…  not working…  so this will be a plot spoiler for Nightshade  After the big escape, once Calla wakes up – she learns and discovers all the lies about her society, who and what the Guardians really are, who are the Searchers and Keepers – how are they all tied together…  Who is Ren?  Why are their 2 worlds warring and how does Calla and Shay fit into the big puzzle of saving their homes?  With all these questions rolling around, Calla struggles with her decision to leave Ren and her pack, especially when she discovers the truth of what happened after she left.  There are so many lies that she’s no longer sure of who she really is and who she really loves.

I really enjoyed this book and series –  and yup I can’t wait for the next one  Cannot wait to see what happened to Ren? Will Shay find the remaining parts of the Scion?  Ugh…  so many questions and unknowns … January 24, 2012 cannot come soon enough – when Bloodrose, the final book in the Trilogy is released

Here’s an awesome Youtube clip with Andrea Cremer talking about the Nightshade Series:

Highly recommended

Ages: 14 and up

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Favourite quote:

“….”It’s cliche because love matters, Silas,”  Tess snapped, eyes misting over.  ”It’s one of the few things on earth that actually makes people take risks.”  ”                          p.  158

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Cremer, Andrea. (2011). Wolfsbane. Toronto, ON: Penguin Group (Canada)

Author website:  http://www.andreacremer.com/