{Review} CHASING PROPHECY by James Moser

ASIN #: B00HLTBDZ4

File Size: 2518 KB

Page Count: 244

Copyright: January 14, 2014

Publisher: Skookum Trail Books; 1st Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Goodreads)

Chasing Prophecy is the story of Mo, a shy teen who is just trying to survive high school. He has secretly fallen in love with a girl named Prophecy who lives with a group that some call a commune and others call a cult. When she disappears, Mo must find the courage to face the monster that her family has become.

Chasing Prophecy is a contemporary coming of age story that is heartwarming, suspenseful, and beautifully written. This book chronicles the adolescence of one boy who must transform himself to save the girl of his dreams. The Pacific Northwest legend of Bigfoot is a fresh paranormal element.

Kathy's Review:

Yes, you read that right. Bigfoot.

Chasing Prophecy is about three close friends in high school. The girl, Prophecy, aka Kazzy, is a part of a locally-known commune, but it’s not until Mo and his friend Max are drawn into some shady dealings that the commune is involved in, that things get weird.

I think the author did a great job of capturing the mind of a teenage boy in main character Mo. In love with his best friend, Mo sees the events unfolding with the cult through the filter of his own feelings. Seen by his peers as someone to be picked on, largely because he has two moms, Mo’s friends protect him and build him up. The other characters in the book aren’t quite as robust.

I wasn’t sure whether this book would be up my alley – I mean from the description above, it just seems like the whole Bigfoot thing is a misprint. But yes, Bigfoot does factor in to this book, as Mo and Kazzy decide to look for the legendary creature up in the mountains. Whether or not they find him, I will not say. ;)

If you have a teen reader in your life, or you are a teen reader, I’d say to give this one a whirl. An interesting storyline, some crazy twists, and some innocent teen romance round this one out.


*An ecopy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} THE STORM AND THE DARKNESS (THE HOUSE OF CRIMSON AND CLOVER, Book 2) by Sarah M. Cradit

ASIN #: B00DS86XU2

File Size: 2579 KB

Page Count: 433

Copyright: June 4, 2013

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Ana Deschanel has made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.

Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely unprepared for a Maine winter. As the first winter storm approaches to whispers of an island shutdown- Ana realizes that she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.

After a surprising encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. Unprepared for the Maine storm, she slips and falls onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, but she remains unconscious. As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn there are other, more sinister forces at work closer than they ever imagined.

With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.

Mandy's Review:

I didn't read the first book in this series and, to be honest, I felt like I was missing part of the background. Ana leaving New Orleans over her "terrible mistake" felt a bit excessive ... especially seeing how a lot of people make that "terrible mistake" all the time.

There also seems to be an almost incestuous relationship between Ana and her cousin. I knew right from the start that there were some feelings involved that were a little more than a cousin should have. Granted, most of those too-close feelings were one-sided, but given time, I think both parties would've felt the same ... whether they wanted to admit it or not. Not sure how I feel about that. A little grossed out, I think.

I can relate some with Ana, though. Not about the incest. About how she is with relationships. Just because a woman enjoys sex with multiple ... okay, many ... partners over the course of her life, doesn't mean she doesn't have any feelings. A guy can do it and it's okay, but a girl does it and she's cold. I don't get it. Girls just wanna have fun, too. =)

Jonathan and Finn were two opposite ends of the spectrum as far as brothers go. Finn was a little too goody-goody for me and Jonathan was a little too cold-fish for my taste. If Ana has to pick from one of the two extremes, I'm not sure which I'd want her to go with. I think she'd get bored with Finn, but I think Jonathan wouldn't help her out of her shell she's in since he's in one himself. It's a complicated situation, at best. Then, to top it off, she has sex with Jonathan when she's falling in love with Finn. Wow. Talk about flipping a complete 180 there, chica.

Oh, and let's not forget about the crazy caretaker in this story peeps. Not only do we have a love quadrilateral, but we have a psycho caretaker who thinks he's the only one who knows how to take proper care of Ana. Not to mention said psycho has killed multiple people over the course of his life.

Overall, I'm not really sure HOW to classify this story. It's not a mystery because we know who did what. It's not a love story because there's some cold fishies in there. It's not a cozy mystery and it's not an epic novel. It's a story with a lot of complexity and simplicity at the same time. It has moments of darkness, yet there's moments of light and hope. I did enjoy this novel, but I'm not sure what it is exactly I enjoyed. Maybe I just enjoyed the feeling of not really knowing what in the world was going to happen next or how cuckoo someone was going to act. Maybe I just enjoyed it because it took me out of my own world for awhile and entertained me in a new world. Which is, after all, what a book is supposed to do, right?


*An ecopy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} THE BOOK OF JONAH by Joshua Max Feldman

ISBN #: 978-0805097764

Page Count: 352

Copyright: February 4, 2014

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Description:

(Taken from back cover)

The modern-day Jonah at the center of Joshua Max Feldman’s brilliantly conceived retelling of the book of Jonah is a young Manhattan lawyer named Jonah Jacobstein. He’s a lucky man: healthy and handsome, with two beautiful women ready to spend the rest of their lives with him and an enormously successful career that gets more promising by the minute. He’s celebrating a deal that will surely make him partner when a bizarre, unexpected biblical vision at a party changes everything. Hard as he tries to forget what he saw, this disturbing sign is only the first of many Jonah will witness, and before long his life is unrecognizable. Though this perhaps divine intervention will be responsible for more than one irreversible loss in Jonah’s life, it will also cross his path with that of Judith Bulbrook, an intense, breathtakingly intelligent woman who’s no stranger to loss herself. As this funny and bold novel moves to Amsterdam and then Las Vegas, Feldman examines the way we live now while asking an age-old question: How do you know if you’re chosen?

Charlene's Review:

Jonah Jacobstein is a successful lawyer, living the good life in New York. After running into an Hasidic Jew who speaks to him about the biblical Jonah, he starts to have visions. As he tumbles farther and farther into his visions, Jonah loses everything in a search for something far outside himself.

In all honesty, I struggled with this novel. It seemed a little slow, and I had a hard time connecting with Jonah at first. The premise was good, and it was as much humorous as it was lacking in momentum. When the storyline drawing the two main characters finally came into play, everything picked up and felt "right". I felt as if I held my breath until these two strangers finally got together. I wish we had seen more of their development earlier in the book.

Having said all that, my "aha" moment for the book was buried deep into page 321, where Mr. Feldman summed up the entire book in a prophetic way: "In the end, it wasn’t God or the visions or the Hasid you couldn’t escape. It was yourself." And that, in a nutshell, is the story of Jonah.


*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

{Cover Reveal/Giveaway} BRANDED by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki

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Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best. Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home.

 Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain.

 Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.

 The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me.
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter.
My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

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About Abi and Missy

  Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.

Abigail Ketner

Is a registered nurse with a passion for novels, the beaches of St. John, and her Philadelphia Phillies. A talented singer, Abi loves to go running and spend lots of time with her family. She currently resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband, triplet daughters and two very spoiled dogs.

Melissa Kalicicki

Received her bachelor’s degree from Millersville University in 2003. She married, had two boys and currently lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Aside from reading and writing, her interests include running and mixed martial arts. She also remains an avid Cleveland sports fan.

{Cover Reveal} SHATTERED SECRETS by Krystal Wade

Popular YA author Krystal Wade has a thrilling new novel coming out on March 3rd, 2014! Meet Abigail Nichols and Derrick Crawford in SHATTERED SECRETS, a story about love and magic that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

We have a fun jigsaw puzzle of the cover for you guys! Go on, give it a try!

...but if you can’t wait, just scroll down and take a peek at final cover of SHATTERED SECRETS!

SHATTERED SECRETS by Krystal Wade

Title: Shattered Secrets

Author: Krystal Wade

Author Location: Virgina, United States

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Release Date: March 3th, 2014

Pages: 300 pages

Publisher: Curiosity Quills

Synopsis:  

After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols' boy problems seem unimportant. 

She couldn't be more wrong.

The boy who saves her holds her heart. 

But Derick Crawford also holds secrets. 

Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail's one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.

Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.

But has she put her trust in the wrong place?

And will the world survive if she has?

Add SHATTERED SECRETS to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

 Author Bio

Krystal Wade can be found in the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday. With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers - who sometimes snore, smell, or have incredibly bad gas - sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of fantastical worlds for you and me to read.

How else can she cope with a fifty mile commute?

Good thing she has her husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.

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