From Goodreads: Once Again, Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a front assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens.

But who?

Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.

Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game.

Right?

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In my book club, my librarian and I decided the next novel we’d read with our students would be Ender’s Game as the movie rendition is slated to release this coming November.  Truth be told, I never would have picked this up on my own, so I’m glad my librarian brought it to my attention.  That, and it was inexpensive enough that the club could buy multiple copies… so we read it.  Truthfully, it was a very well written book, even if it was a little too detailed for my liking… I’m not a spatially inclined person, so trying to figure out the gravity issues and techniques Ender and his peers used throughout the novel was way beyond me.  But, even so, the story was phenomenal! 

I will say that it was a bit long—there were a ton of details that I felt prolonged the story, and I could have done without them, but the fact that there were so many details just solidifies Card’s writing genius.  This novel originally released in 1985, before the internet became popular and so fully developed, before virtual video games, etc., and Card visualized it all and created an alternate universe.  A lot of the elements concerning the games and technology were way before its time, and I loved that I could connect with it.  The sheer thought that most of the technology Card discusses wasn’t even invented yet boggles my mind.

The one issue that drove me crazy throughout, though, was the fact that the nakedness of the children in the space station was touched on so much.  It’s just a sentence here or there, but I just couldn’t get over it, and we discussed this element in book club because it irked me that much.  I felt like it was an unneeded aspect, but half of my students didn’t even notice it, and another teacher said he felt it went to show just how little control Ender really had over his life.  He wore what they gave him, and if he didn’t, he was naked.  Most of the kids at the station were male, but there was a female who ran around naked sometimes, too (though the boys weren’t allowed to do so around her), and I just was floored by the repetition throughout the novel.  It’s just one line here and there, but that’s all it takes for me, I guess.  Perhaps my co-worker is right and this repetition was used to make him feel less in control and on his own, but I don’t necessarily see how that would make him feel that he couldn’t rely on anyone.  Instead, I feel that it would make him feel as if they’re more so comrades because they ran around naked… but, whatever.  That was the only thing that really bothered me, and it’s really no big deal, right?  Four stars.

I borrowed this novel from the library at school.

From Goodreads: From the shadowed realms of the paranormal comes 16 chilling tales that dwell in the South and South West. Resurrected in your very hands are stories that will make you laugh, ponder, and shiver as the reader is introduced to spirits that are humorous, saddened, and vengeful. From 16 authors, learn of haunted homes, buildings, landmarks and roads where restless entities from beyond the grave desire acknowledgement amongst the living. Become acquainted with the aftermath of an eclipse that awakens the dead in a Memphis cemetery, see what horrors dwell in the woods at Hell’s Gate, learn the dark secrets of Sidney’s Cotton, and dare to travel down Ghost Road. These and many other tales are sure to keep you awake as you are introduced to what makes the South and South West so unique…. History and GHOSTS!!!!! So, sit back, dim the lights and prepare yourself to face the spirits that walk among us.

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I really tend to shy away from reviewing anthologies because I feel like it’s so hit or miss, especially when there are multiple authors throughout, but I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher, and who doesn’t love a good ghost story?  So, of course, I read it.

Now, as I said before, anthologies can really be hit or miss, especially when there are a large amount of contributors, which is the case with Southern Haunts.  In all, there are about 16 different authors, while means 16 very different stories and writing styles.  That being said, keep in mind that some of these stories are sure to be a real hit for you as the reader, and some might not do anything for you, so definitely don’t take this review as the end all in terms of whether or not you’ll read the anthology. 

Overall, I thought this anthology was very well written and put together, but the stories didn’t really do much for me as the reader.  It wasn’t what I was expecting. I wanted chilling ghost tales that make me ponder and want to visit where they originated, but in many of these stories, I personally didn’t feel like that was the case.  And, while some of these stories read like actual stories, some others read a little like histories of the places themselves, which is okay, but didn’t draw me in as much as I wanted them to.

Truthfully, there are some really good stories in here, and there are some decent ones, and, of course, there are some I just could never get into.  So, if I had to rate the anthology overall, I’d say it’s about two and a half stars on my scale, but individually some stories rank way above that, so… try it and see what you think.  You never know, you might just love them all.

I recieved a copy of this anthology from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: On a Sunday morning, Florida couple James and Bethany Fenner discover they have won the $161-million state lottery. The middle-aged city auditor and his 31-year-old trophy wife dream of exquisite homes, high-performance cars, and lavish vacations. In order to collect, they must first make the three-hour drive from Jacksonville to the state capital, Tallahassee. Fearful that someone might rob them of the winning ticket, they tell no one and hire 29-year-old limousine driver, Riley Lake, to chauffeur them across the state in style. But Lake harbors a secret that he’s hidden since his childhood; a secret that will soon be exposed.

As Jacksonville Detective Kay Larsen investigates a series of gruesome murders where the female victims overdose from a powerful hallucinogen, the clues begin to mount against Riley Lake. Yet the evidence is circumstantial, and there is no motive. When she discovers Lake is driving the Fenners, Larsen fears for the couple’s safety.

For the Fenners and Riley Lake, the journey will take them down a dark road fraught with sex, greed, and murder. Only when Detective Larsen digs deeper into Riley Lake’s past will a disturbing question arise: Who is the hunter and who is the prey?

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This latest thriller from Gary Williams and Vicky Knerly keeps readers enthralled as the many twists and turns make it an epic adventure that you won’t want to miss!  The characterization and deceit are perfect, making it a whodunit style mystery that will blow readers’ minds when the truth is revealed. 

I really enjoyed this novel—it’s the perfect length to include depth of character and plotline, but not so long that the reader becomes bored with the scenarios. It’s extremely fast-paced with only minimal downtime, and it’s also quite interesting because each character, as we learn about them, becomes despicable in one way or another, making them the type of characters we love to hate.  By the end, there isn’t one main character for which I felt sorry, and, while I certainly don’t wish bad things on them, they do get their due… karma definitely strikes back in this novel.

I am always floored when I read a murder mystery of this magnitude as I can’t fathom how the authors were able to create such a perfect, seamless plot.  I believe it takes much expertise, planning, and exact execution for a novel to unwind to perfectly, and Williams and Knerly certainly know how to design and write a gripping novel.  If you haven’t read Manipulation or any of their other novels, I highly suggest you pick them up stat.  These novels are amazing.  Four stars.

Other novels by Gary Williams and Vicky Knerly:

Death in the Beginning

 Three Keys to Murder

“Before the Proof”

Indisputable Proof

I received a copy of this novel from the authors in exchange for an  honest review.

From Goodreads: Life has always been a little strange for Noah Morgan, an ex-con working below the radar as an unlicensed private detective in San Francisco, but strange doesn’t begin to describe the goings on as he is hired to investigate the disappearance of a priceless Guarneri del Gesu violin. At the same time, his name keeps cropping up in the oddest places in connection with the thirty-year-old heist of a fabulous trove of jewels, the centerpiece of which is a spectacular 40 carat green diamond. Sought after, in quick succession, by the FBI, an energy mogul who brings new meaning to the word evil, and an urbane East Bay gangster, all of whom believe that he has the diamond, Noah discovers that he is also the focus of intense—and at times deadly—interest by various and sundry denizens of a previously unsuspected spirit world. An amorous faerie, a beautiful but murderous Ukrainian vampire, the demonic leader of the 18th century Haitian slave rebellion, and a scarily powerful dark entity named Mildred are but a few of the characters Noah encounters in his efforts to not only find the missing violin, but also, and most importantly, stay alive.

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This novel has a very interesting concept, and I enjoyed the seedy underworld Miller creates, especially as it focuses on the spirit world within the human realm (that which we mere humans don’t notice).  It reminded me of The Godfather, but filled with vampires, faeries, demonic entities, and the like—all vying for one precious green diamond and willing to do anything to obtain it. 

Overall, the story itself was a lot of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed Noah’s character.  He’s a very good Private Investigator that fell on hard times due to drugs and drink, but now free again, he’s working to get his life back.  I think my favorite part of the entire story is his pet tarantula, Josephine, whom he rescued from a bee and allows to live under the kitchen sink.  He’s also trainer her to be an attach Tarantula, and it’s the little quirks like this that made me really like Noah all the more, as well as his cluelessness when it comes to why all these people seem to be after him, both human and non.  While Noah can see auras, this is a new phenomena for him, developing within the last few years, so he’s not 100% in control and he doesn’t always know what the auras mean, but he’s a great investigator with fairly adept instincts that help keep him grounded and one step ahead of the crazies.  Overall, you never know what’s going to happen next in this novel, and I thought it was very well written.  Three stars.

I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn’t even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he’s able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it’s been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn’t been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one-half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings…
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While I liked this novel overall, I will admit that there is what I consider much downtime; it’s very slow paced and it takes a while for the plot to thicken, and even then, it seems to slow itself down repeatedly as the narrator, Jacob Grimm, tends to focus on things that I didn’t find all that important, or funny.  What I really wanted was a fast-paced ghost haunting that focuses on the grim (no pun intended), but this is more or less a MG story that spends a lot of time explaining prior events and not really showing the reader, but telling in a way that a younger audience might find humorous.  Jacob Grimm, to me, sounded like the vocal narrator in the children’s movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from 2005.  That narrators’ voice reverberated in my mind as I read this novel because the narration style is very similar. The statements made in both are meant to be funny, but don’t necessarily appeal to, or connect with, the older crowd, like me.  Or, at least, that’s my personal opinion. But, either way, if you’re familiar with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then you have a fairly decent idea of how the narration within this novel flows. 

Narration aside, I enjoyed the overall plot elements and characters: a recluse father, a son who hears the voice of a ghost, a girl who loves mischief, a jovial baker, and a town that never forgives.  What I would have liked, though, is a bit more action.  When things finally do take a turn for the worse for Jeremy Johnson Johnson and the perpetrator is found out, there is a very quick succession of events that will have readers on pins and needles in fear and anticipation, but then there is another lull in activity, which is a bit disheartening.  I can’t explain the lull any further without giving away the plot, so I will stop here.

Honestly, I think this is a great novel for MG readers, perhaps fourth through seventh grade.  The writing is easy to read and understand, and I think younger readers will find it quite humorous, unlike my old self.  And, for those who enjoy the narration, I believe the novel itself will be the perfect pace because action isn’t everything, and sometimes humor makes the story.  Three stars.    

From Goodreads: The wilding Estin just wanted to be left alone, find shelter and food, and live to a nice old age. With war escalating around him, these may be beyond his reach. Instead, survival becomes his only goal as he flees civilization to pursue the chance at a better life by following a fox wildling into the mountains, far from the war’s conflicts.

The war might still be raging elsewhere, but Estin will find the mountains are far from safe. Estin must decide what he is willing to do and become, as well as who to trust if he is to survive, no matter where he lives.

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This is a very well written fantasy novel, complete with world building, magic, wildings, gypsies, orcs, dwarves, war, and the undead. It’s an epic journey, transcending many years, trials, and tribulations for Estin as he struggles not only in the city of man, orphaned and alone, evading slavery, but also in the in the woods, meeting Feanne and her clan, learning healing magic and patrolling against the undead.

The entire premise of the novel is absolutely amazing, and I love that the main characters are anthropomorphic, having extreme human qualities and the ability to speak and walk upright, but still being animalistic in features.  The closest I’ve come to a novel like this is Watership Down, but to be quite honest, I think In Wilder Lands beats out that classic ten-fold due to its epic nature and the absorption of so many fantastical elements. 

The characterization of the many characters was absolutely superb, fleshing them out to the point that I actually felt that I knew them on a personal level, and as the story unfolds over the course of many years, readers learn their entire histories and make a deeper connection with them than many shorter novels allow.  Truthfully, it’s an absolutely amazing read, but also an extremely long one. I’ve been spoiled by shorter novels and, while I truly enjoyed this novel, I do think it could have been a bit shorter, or split up into two novels. But that’s just a personal preference.  Four stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

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Katja Millay’s debut novel, The Sea of Tranquility, grips readers from the very first page and haunts them long after it’s over.  It is epic, heartbreaking, absorbing, and beautiful.  The first-person point-of-views, told from the alternating perspectives of the two main characters, Nastya and Josh, easily carry away the reader as the story unfolds, slowly unraveling and laying bare their downtrodden souls to the point of redemption and healing.  It is a superb read that I highly recommend to all.

Nastya’s past is a secret, one she holds close to her as she begins a new life, throwing away her old identity and reinventing herself.  Uncaring of the rumors that spread themselves in her wake as she closes herself off, refusing to speak, Nastya is a novelty to her peers, especially to Josh Bennett, a young man just as closed off as Nastya herself.  Together, these two form an unlikely bond, and as they navigate the choppy waters of life side-by-side, they uncover the hidden truths about one another in a most breathless, heartbreaking way. 

Millay seamlessly brings her novel and characters together as events unfold, giving readers small glimpses into Nastya’s past while showing the slow healing process that unites both Nastya and Josh as they come to grips with their own realities.  Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the novel is that the events leading up to Nastya’s silence and thirst for revenge, while extremely ruthless and painful, are not that of a typical boy hurting girl story, and yet it is just as treacherous and heart rendering, causing the aftermath and hatred to run deep enough to shatter a soul. 

It is a beautiful tale that will tug at readers’ hearts, minds, and souls as they press onward in the journey that is The Sea of Tranquility.  Five stars.

Atria Books and Simon and Schuster have been extremely gracious in allowing me to read this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its re-release on June 4, 2013

From Goodreads: Kris Langley has always been obsessed with murder. She blames herself for the violent death of her cousin when they were kids and has let guilt invade every corner of her existence. Now an editorial assistant and obit writer for a Massachusetts newspaper, Kris stumbles across an unsolved murder while compiling “25 Years Ago Today” items from the microfilm. She grows fascinated with the case of a young cocktail waitress who was bludgeoned to death and dumped in the woods. Determined to solve the case and atone for the death of her cousin, Kris immerses herself in the mystery of what happened to Diana Ferguson, a talented artist who expressed herself through haunting paintings of Greek mythology. Not only does Kris face resistance from her family and her managing editor, she also clashes with Diana’s suspicious nephew, Eric Soares – until neither she nor Eric can deny the chemistry flaring between them. Kris soon learns that old news never leaves the morgue and that yesterday’s headline is tomorrow’s danger, for finding out the truth about that night twenty-five years ago may shatter Kris’s present, costing her love, her career, and ultimately, her life.

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This novel has a bit of a slow start, but it ends quite nicely. The beginning spends much time situating the story, but once all the characters are identified and the mystery begins to take off, I was very interested in the book!   Originally, I was worried that I knew who the killer was very early on, but Juba throws in many kinks in the story, and I was pleasantly surprised when the truth of concerning the murder was revealed.  I actually didn’t see it until the big reveal was upon me, and I thought it was a great surprise.

Kris Langley is an interesting character that, though she pushes a little too hard on occasion, has a great resolve and yearning to solve the 25-year-old murder.  While I could have done without all the newspaper descriptions and issues within the novel itself, the mystery aspect and sleuthing that Kris undertakes was highly enjoyable and I liked how her relationship with Eric was portrayed.  Overall, this was a good read that those interested in mysteries should definitely pick up.  Three stars.

I purchased this novel from Amazon.