Title: The Carnelian Legacy Author: Cheryl Koevoet Sold by: Abbott Press Publication date: February 4, 2015 Pages: 458 Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Mystery *ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Goodreads: Marisa MacCallum always believed that the man of her dreams was out there somewhere. The problem is—he’s in another dimension. After the death of her father, eighteen-year-old Marisa's life is on the verge of imploding. She seeks comfort on her daily ride through the woods of Gold Hill, but when a mysterious lightning storm strikes, she is hurled into the ancient, alternate dimension of Carnelia where she is discovered by the arrogant but attractive nobleman, Ambassador Darian Fiore. Stranded in a world teeming with monsters, maniacs and medieval knights, Marisa is forced to join Darian on a dangerous mission to negotiate peace with his cousin and archenemy, Savino da Rocha. Along the way, she starts to see Darian's softer side and finds herself falling in love. But once she learns that he is locked into an arranged marriage, her heart shatters. When Savino falls for her charms and demands her hand in exchange for peace, Marisa is faced with an impossible choice: marry the enemy of the man she loves or betray them both and become the catalyst for a bloody war. In the midst of grief, Marisa is literally thrown into a parallel universe. Understandably, she’s a little emotional. On one hand, I liked that Cheryl Koevoet addressed Marisa’s grief in the story, but on the other hand it felt like Marisa spent the whole book in confusion and tears. We hear about how she was a leader in her high school, and was always a good student, but the evidence of that is hard to find in the book. It was difficult for me to understand why all the men keep falling in love with her, except that she’s supposed to be beautiful. I liked the male roles better. Darian is a good guy, chivalrous, caring, and trying to do what’s best for his country (though I’m unconvinced he needed to keep some important things to himself for so long). Arrie is a great example of a male friend who doesn’t need to be a love interest. He’s funny, lighthearted, and generally the cheery-relief needed in an otherwise somber atmosphere.
The love triangle with Savino felt a little silly. While Marisa is drawn to his magnetism, it’s obvious he’s not a good person. Marisa’s decision about marrying Savino is more of a political vs personal choice in the end, so it never really felt like a real “love” triangle. The mix of medieval and syfy is a fun combination. I enjoyed Koevoet’s world building – parallel universes, knights, beasts, and royalty were all fun elements. The story concentrates more on the romance, which is ok, except that the book is 450 pages. The first half was exciting, while the second half was drawn out with romantic misunderstandings, misgivings, and a strange turn with Marisa attempting her life (Because she can’t be with the man she loves? I don’t think Marisa was actually this unbalanced. The suicidal thoughts felt more like a plot vice to include some faith-related revelations). I think some content could be cut to make the book more compelling. While I enjoyed the book, it was difficult for me to like Marisa, the twist at the end was not really a surprise (Koevoet hints heavily to the conclusion), and some elements of the love story suspended belief for me. So, I’m a little torn with this one. Would I let my teen read this book? The Carnelian Legacy is really clean with Christian themes. Marisa has a return to faith in the book, and Darian depends on his faith and trust in God to help him rule his kingdom. There are some nice discussion topics about grief, faith, and trust. I might have some complaints, but there are good elements that make it a nice recommendation for teens. Age recommendation: 13 Language – none Drugs & Alcohol— Characters drink wine and ale in a medieval-like tradition - it’s not abused Sex – Several “passionate kisses” – that’s exactly how their described Violence – Characters fight off big-foot and yeti-type beasts My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy The Carnelian Legacy on Amazon.com
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Title: Like Candy Author: Debra Doxer Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Publication date: July 28, 2015 Pages: 299 Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery *ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* Summary from Goodreads: Candy Seaborne knows she’s badass. She takes after her father, an assassin and possibly a spy, although he won’t admit to either. She idolizes him. Her dream is to follow in his footsteps. But first, she has to finish high school. Biding her time, waiting for real life to begin, Candy craves drama and isn’t above manufacturing some. If you’re a classmate who wronged her or a boyfriend who cheated, watch your back. She’s no pushover, and revenge may be her favorite pastime. Jonah Bryson is the senior class heartthrob who breaks all the stereotypes. He’s a jock, but he isn’t the typical player. He’s moody and antisocial. No girl has gotten anywhere with him since his last girlfriend broke his heart. Candy sees Jonah as a challenge and the perfect distraction. But she may be in over her head because unlike everyone else, Jonah isn’t buying her tough act. He sees the lost, lonely girl inside. He sees too much. When he looks at her that way, she wants to let her guard down and be vulnerable. But that’s the last thing she should do because her father’s world is spilling over into hers, and life is about to get real much sooner than Candy expected. Self-published author, Debra Doxer, writes a building, page-turning mystery in Like Candy. From the summery, I expected this book to be adventurous and fun, but the themes are more serious. Candy says she’s tough, and I think she is, but it comes from a need to protect herself. She’s lost her mom, lived with relatives who mistreated her, has an emotionally disconnected, hit-man father, and her best friend is terminally ill. When she dishes out revenge pranks (some extreme) her “successes” come off as more immaturely ruthless. I couldn’t decide if I was cheering for her or not. She comes off as a character misguided. Her father’s profession continues to be cloaked in mystery. Should Candy look up to him? Candy is determined to believe he’s one of the good guys, but is her opinion swayed by her need for his approval? Her budding relationship with Jonah proves that she longs to be truly cared for and seen. If she had an attentive relationship in her life, would she feel the need to take revenge on those around her? Jonah also hides behind a façade, protecting himself from getting hurt by a relationship (so we think). The more time Candy spends with him, the more she discovers he’s compassionate and kind, utterly charming—opening doors for her and carrying her books. But as Candy discovers a threat to her father, and said threat targets Candy as a way to get to her father, she realizes Jonah might not be as trustworthy as he seems. This has happened to me a lot lately: Start book engaged in book and characters excited for the reveal get to 10% left on my Kindle in particular book and realize “oh no, this can’t possibly be resolved in the allotted time” realize I’m reading a series instead of a stand-alone novel… Doxer leaves us with one intense cliff-hanger. The good news: according to Goodreads.com the next book, Sweet Liar, comes out in October! If this story appeals to you, it’s only $2.99 on Amazon.com. Would I let my teen read this book? Some people might think Like Candy idolizes revenge, and maybe Candy’s strengths do play a little heavily into her ability to manipulate and carry out pranks. However, Candy is emotionally dealing with so much in her life that, as the reader, it’s hard to trust her judgment. Overall, it’s a clever mystery and romance with themes of grief, love, sacrifice, and trust. Also, expect the teens in this book to act like teens. There’s some language. The boys are full of sexual innuendos. There’s an unsupervised party with alcohol. Despite these things, the book felt relatively clean to me. If you don’t remember high school, than you might disagree, but compared to the real high school lunchroom, Like Candy is tame. Age recommendation: 16 Language – mild Drugs & Alcohol— Underage drinking at party Sex – There’s some references to sex, like I said, boys with innuendos; Several kissing scenes Violence – Candy’s father gets strangled; Candy fires a gun My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars Buy Like Candy on Amazon.com for $2.99
Title: Beware the Wild
Author: Natalie C. Parker Published by: HarperCollins Publication date: Oct 21, 2014 Pages: 336 Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Gothic, Romance “Beware the swampy places, child, Beware the dark and wild, Many a soul has wandered there, And many a soul has died.” So begins Part One of Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker. Sticks, Louisiana has secrets, and the “cruel, hungry” swamp in Sterling Saucier’s backyard holds the key to those secrets. Sterling, however, is only concerned with one secret for the time being – the disappearance of her big brother, Phineas. Phin ran into the swamp this morning and never returned. When a figure finally emerges, it’s Lenora May, a girl who seamlessly takes Phin’s place in Sticks and in the memories of those who knew him. In fact, Sterling is the only one who remembers Phin existed at all, and the responsibility falls on her to discover what happened to her brother. Heath Durham, the local rumored drug addict and an old flame, delivers hope in the form of three words – “I believe you.” Heath lost his best friend Nathan to the swamp too. Heath’s not really an addict, but he is on anti-depressants for thinking he had a best friend named Nathan who was lost in the swamp. You can imagine the relief Heath finds in the revelation of Sterling’s story. Together, Sterling and Heath embark on a journey to search for the truth within the swamp, and fight for the courage to rescue those they love.
At its heart, Beware the Wild is a cautionary tale about fear. Each character is acting from or is paralyzed by fear, even the villain, at his roots, is motivated by fear. Sterling, too, is literally wasting away from the fear of living without her brother. Growing up with an abusive father, Phin always protected Sterling. Now Phin’s preparing to go away to college, and Sterling is so afraid to live without him that she’s starving herself in protest to his decision. Sterling’s journey is about finding the courage to fight for herself and those she loves by leaning on the strength of those around her. She “dared to remember” those lost who should still be living and that determination propels her to the truth.
I liked this swampy tale for its mystery and intrigue. The story moves steadily, if a little slowly at times, but Parker keeps her readers guessing as to who’s behind the kidnappings. It was not difficult to imagine Sticks, Louisiana and it’s southern characters. Candy (Sterling’s best friend), Heath, and Lenora May are the most vivid, while Sterling fell into the protagonist without a face. She seems to be one of those characters that young girls can imagine themselves in her place. Besides her background of an abusive father, there’s little describing her. I felt like I didn’t know anything about her other than her anthem, “I lost my brother to the swamp, and I’m going to get him back!” It’s an honorable anthem. Oh, her favorite sport is volleyball and her favorite food is broccoli…what? Broccoli is no one’s favorite food. You can like broccoli, I guess you can love it, but your favorite? Utterly unbelievable. Beware the Wild is well written, and you’ll enjoy it if you like gothic mysteries. There’s a simplicity to the storytelling that keeps the tale easy to follow and the characters understandable. Would I let my teen read this? Absolutely. There are good things to discuss about not letting fear rule your decisions and having the courage to fight for yourself and your beliefs instead of depending on others to do it for you. Age recommendation: 14 Swearing – Mild, including Lord’s name in vain Drugs and Alcohol – Kids do shots together Sex – Kissing; Reference to homosexuality Violence – Mention of abusive father; kids get in fistfight at school My Goodreads rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Buy: Beware the Wild - on Amazon.com
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Lindsey Learn
I read a lot. I'm a Mom. I'm officially in my 30s, but strangers often don't believe I'm old enough to drink. I love Young Adult fiction, and thought it was worthwhile to help teens and adults find age-appropriate options. Categories
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