First Love

Title: First Love
Editor: Denise Daniella Darcy
Publisher: Smashwords

ISBN: 9781554228317

Why Read?: Early Review
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: This seems to be labeled YA in quite a few places, but it is definitely not!  Maybe NA, but really just contemporary, steamy romance with hardly any plot (and what little there was left me scratching my head).

Rating: 1 star

In the Box: June 2015 Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss

The second month of the Fresh Fiction monthly box, was a another pretty good one.  The paperback I received was A Sword for His Lady by Mary Wine, which is not really my type of novel, but I'll try it.  The ebooks I received links/codes for were Hex by Mackenzie L. McGuire, Rescued by the Buccaneer by Normandie Alleman, Death by Scones by Elizabeth Ashby & Jennifer Fischetto, The Taming of the Bachelor by Jane Porter, These Boots Are Made for Butt-Kickin' by Kalan Chapman Lloyd, and Again, Alabama by Susan Sands.  Of all the books I received, I am most excited for Death by Scones, which is another Danger Cove cozy mystery (received Secret of the Painted Lady last month and am loving it!), and Hex, which looks like a YA paranormal, which is definitely my type of book.

The swag was actually more useful this time, and kinda fit with their "Vacation Staycation" them.  I was actually the most excited about the bottle gripper because mine had died, but bottle opener, luggage tag, and good-sized pouch also come in handy. Haven't tried the lollipop yet, but that was the one item I could take or leave.

Not a bad second Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss.  I have a lot of books, so it was great to find a sub that focuses on ebooks. Each box will have a paperback and 3-6 ebooks, along with swag, for $25 a month (you can skip months). 

Dead Ground

Title: Dead Ground
Editor: Chris Amies

Publisher: Monico
ISBN: n/a

Why Read?: Early Review
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: There was some great stuff going for this novel - an ancient curse, a historical setting, adventure - but it just dragged a bit in places.

Rating: 3 stars

Stacking the Shelves: 6/21-6/27

First Reads from Goodreads:

Duplicity by N. K. Traver

Bought on Amazon:

In Midnight's Silence by T. Frohock

Bought at Church:

The Accent by Binu Edathumparambil

Spinner

Spinner

by Michael J. Bowler

published by YoungDudes

2015

ISBN 978-0-9946675-1-9

Why read? Review

Challenges: n/a

Even when writing immersed in a genre, Michael J. Bowler manages to deliver a strong message.  Spinner may be a YA horror about evil cats, a hypnotic music box, and other strange mysteries, but it is also a tale of acceptance and strength.

Alex has known he is different his whole life.  Not only is he confined to a wheelchair with a severe learning disorder, he also has a bizarre talent for taking away the pain of others.  His house mom makes sure he knows he is a freak, as do most of the kids at school.  The only people who truly accept him for who he is are the other boys in his small Special Ed class, especially his best friend, Roy.  In class is the one place that Alex truly feels accepted, but all of that changes when his teacher is mysteriously murdered, clawed to death by cats, just like Alex dreamed.  Alex starts having more dreams after that, also going into bizarre blackouts when he hears a haunting music box.  Now Alex and his friends must figure out where the cats have come from, what Alex’s dreams mean, and who is their new teacher, really.  With plenty of forces against them, both internal and external, the boys have plenty of obstacles to overcome if they are going to save Alex and themselves.

Bowler does an amazing job of creating characters who might seem like outcasts and making them real instead of generic stereotypes (except for some overuse of words that I, having worked with teenagers, have never heard a teen use).  The strength of his characters, in this case Alex and Roy, really endears them to the readers.  Both boys have a lot of things against them, but they know they are strong in their own way, and use that to their advantage.  And here is a big thing, especially for teenagers – neither is afraid to ask for help.  Mix these strong characters with an eerie mystery and you have a teen thriller with amazing depth.

Spinner is a refreshing addition to the YA horror genre.  Michael J. Bowler pulls influences from novels from the heyday of teen thrillers and mixes them with current issues to great one heck of a read.

Rating 4/5

The Precious One

Title: The Precious One
Editor: Marisa de los Santos

Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0-06-167089-3

Why Read?: Book Reporter
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: A great book that really makes you think about the title.  Usually when there are two narrators, I find myself liking one over the other, but not so with this book.  I could relate the most to Taisy, and loved that she was trying to undercover the "mystery" that is her father, but Willow made this feel almost like a YA novel, which is my favorite genre.  This combined so many elements that I love, that I could not help greatly enjoying reading this.

Rating: 4 stars

Random Acts

Title: Random Acts
Editor: Mia Kerick

Publisher: Dreamspinner
ISBN: 9781632163653

Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: This was almost like two separate - yet related - stories.  However, Kerick's writing is engaging and the title is just perfect.

Rating: 4 stars