From Goodreads: At seventeen, Roe Daniels didn’t need to believe in fairy tales, she knew they didn’t exist. But when Roe moves to Gaudium Falls to be with her aunt, she finds the elusive friend, a love triangle turned square, and the magic that she would have bet six bucks never existed.

Within a new town Roe doesn’t trust enough to call home, she’ll find a place she knows is too good to get used to and too perfect to trust, and a boy also too close to that description to fall for. She’ll survive the contact with the world that feels so foreign to her and the boy who is big enough to shake that world and her life to its core, or she’ll watch everything she’s just beginning to know and to love burn to glittering ashes at her feet.

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While I think that the premise of the story is solid, I feel like something is missing within the story itself. It’s a very fast paced, relatively short novel, but I feel like it jumps around a bit too much for my taste. Thus, I had difficulty connecting with the characters on a deeper level—I was only able to scratch the surface with them and, though I am interested in their story, I am the type of reader that really needs to connect with the characters in order to feel kinship and become one with the book. Smith does have a killer ending that blew me away, though, and the writing was great, in my opinion, but I would have liked just a touch more development within the story itself. Two and a half stars.

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

From Goodreads: In the year 2053, Dallas bounty hunter Mina Maxwell’s goal is to reach Global status, and she is only three catches away from the needed 25. During one of her hunts, she lets criminal Roberto Franco go in order to capture his higher-ranking boss. It is a mistake that will come back to haunt her.

As she continues on toward her goal, she battles with the demons of her past, among them being Damon Wolfe, her Global bounty hunter lover who left her without explanation. Attempting to heal the damage is Mina’s good friend, musician Jackson Kincade, who has been hinting at taking their friendship to the next level if she will let him.

All hope for the future shatters when Roberto returns, hunts her down, and kidnaps her. His plan: weaken her body and crush her spirit so he can sell her to the highest bidder.

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Kidd has done a phenomenal job painting an interesting picture of the future in her debut novel, and I must say that I was hooked from the very beginning.  I love books that deal with the future, and I really enjoyed this well written, action packed thriller!  Kidd certainly has a vivid imagination, putting together a future so enticing that I’m dying to get a hold of the gadgets Mina uses throughout the text, especially as Mina Maxwell is a kick-butt heroine and I just couldn’t get enough of her.  She knows what she wants and won’t let anything stand in her way; it’s a refreshing take on the female lead.  Kidd has presented Mina in such a way that the reader can’t help but feel for her as she fights her way to the top amid personal crisis and immensely evil antagonists. 

Mina is presented in such a way that she feels 100% real, like I could look up from the pages and literally see her standing across the room.  This novel took me into another world, providing me with a mini vacation as I lived alongside Mina while reading her story.  I really enjoyed it, though I was extremely anxious for Mina on multiple occasions, especially when Roberto was involved.  Overall, Kidd has done a fantastic job making this novel pop right off the pages, and I can’t wait for the sequel.  Four stars.

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

Many new titles are planned in the series in 2012, to be released on a monthly basis alongside the scheduled novel releases.

Updates and additional information can be obtained at the official site for Seventh Star Press, at www.seventhstarpress.com,

From Goodreads: Fifteen-year-old Stevie Calhoun is used to taking care of herself.  However, one night, her mom, who works as an exotic dancer in a downtown Seattle nightclub, never comes home.

That’s the night Stevie’s life turns upside down.

It’s the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer Stevie has to stay with her annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest guy in high school.

But most of all, it’s the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on December 20.  This story is very realistic and poignant, and though we may sit back and yell at Stevie to “wake up” and get herself together, I feel like we often take on Stevie’s mindset when we’re put in similar situations.  Stevie is a fifteen-year-old know it all, or so she thinks.  She’s under the impression that she can take care of herself and that her mother can do no wrong.  Although all the evidence points in the opposite direction of these two “truths,” Stevie is blind to her reality, and this really isn’t a far-fetched story at all.  While I’ve never been in Stevie’s shoes, per say, there have been many occasions where I am blind to the truth because I’m right in the middle of the situation, and I am sure that this is true with all people out there.  Although we may really love a person, we don’t always note the error of their ways, or even our own, when we’re in close proximity, and this is exactly what Stevie must learn to overcome when it comes to her mother.  Now, I will admit that I yelled at Stevie throughout the entire novel… she really made me angry, but looking at the life she’s led, and her poor excuse for a mother, I have to say that I completely understand where Stevie is coming from, as well. 

If you’re into realistic life stories, this is definitely a book for you.  I highly enjoyed it, though the sections about the birds and such weren’t really that interesting for me.  The rest of the novel, though, is very well done.  Three stars.

From Goodreads: The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

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I hate to say it, I really do, but this book is, unfortuantely, not for me.  Now, I realize that I am in the minority here, because if you look on Goodreads, over 1400 people gave this novel five stars and absolutely loved it, but I’m afraid I”m not one of them.  This just goes to show that different people like different things; we all have different tastes, and that’s okay, because it makes us unique.  I may love a novel that my best friend absolutely hates, and vice versa, but that doesn’t mean either of us is wrong, only that we have different likes and dislikes, different opinions.  That being said, I really didn’t care for this novel.  In fact, it really turned me off, mainly because I know someone just like Travis Maddox, I’ve been in Abby’s shoes, and it’s not a pretty thing—it doesn’t end well.  I think I spent a majority of this novel sitting there yelling at Abby to get the heck out of there, and for Travis to get some therapy.  I know, it sounds terrible, but Travis is so unhinged, physically destroying things when he doesn’t get his way, that it was nerve-wracking to read about.  I felt like Abby was in danger throughout the entire novel, and even though things turn out okay, anyone as needy as Travis is dangerous, in my opinion, especially when alcohol is in the mix. 

Abby is trying to outrun her past, but in the end she seems to be right back where she started, making bad decisions and throwing in her lot with someone who I, personally, don’t think is the best person to hang around.  Yes, this is fictitious, and McGuire has tailored her story to go a certain way, making it almost fairy tale like in the end, but I felt like it was unrealistic, mostly based on my own personal experiences with my own Travis Maddox, so my bias tainted my reading of this novel.  I am not an extreme feminist, by any means, but I am an independent person, and watching Travis control Abby as he does throughout the novel really irked me, again, based on personal experience.  But, this doesn’t mean I don’t like McGuire!  McGuire is an extremely talented author, and the fact that she was able to make me feel so strongly about her characters is a testament to her sheer writing abilities.  Both Abby and Travis are extremely well written characters and, as I said before, the masses really do love them.  My personal issues with the characters don’t reflect on McGuire as much as they do my own past, and it won’t stop me from reading more of her work either.  Yes, I had a difficult time reading this novel, and, therefore, can only give it two stars, but remember it’s personal, people.  Unless you’re just like me, you’ll probably really enjoy it.

From Goodreads: When due homage is paid to the heroes of Frewyn, what could possibly go wrong?

The Frewyn Players at the Royal Theatre in Diras are looking for new material to perform when a famous director from Marridon arrives to impart a Marridon theatrical pastime that is certain to make them famous. An opera will be their new performance, one that glorifies Frewyn’s greatest heroes, but what begins as homage ends as mockery, and the play that would make them the greatest exhibition in Frewyn might instead make them the Den Asaan’s most merited enemy.

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Franklin has, once again, written a lovely novelette concerning her beloved characters, the Commander and the Den Asaan.  This is an especially cute story and I loved that the cover of the novel actually shows up in the story itself!  I think this is ingenious; the cover is described in detail within the story itself, and being able to physically see what the characters are talking about, in color, allows the reader to really connect and become a part of the story!  Not only that, but it also adds to the mayhem as the Den Asaan and the Commander gear up to watch an inaccurate portrayal of themselves on stage.  This is a hilarious tale involving our beloved characters and, though I feel it’s easier to understand having read The Commander and the Den Assan, this is a standalone novelette that anyone can read, though I recommend it for mature audiences. Four stars.

I received a copy of this novelette in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads:  Grief-stricken by the murder of her twin, Keely Morrison is convinced suicide is her ticket to eternal peace and a chance to reunite with her sister. When Keely succeeds in taking her own life, she discovers death isn’t at all what she expected. Instead, she’s trapped in a netherworld on Earth and her only hope for reconnecting with her sister and navigating the afterlife is a bounty-hunting reaper and a sardonic, possibly unscrupulous, demon. But when the demon offers Keely her greatest temptation—revenge on her sister’s murderer—she must uncover his motives and determine who she can trust. Because, as Keely soon learns, both reaper and demon are keeping secrets and she fears the worst is true—that her every decision will change how, and with whom, she spends eternity.

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I am in awe of Muto’s sheer writing abilities!  This book sucked me in and didn’t release me until the final page was tucked neatly inside my head.  I can’t get over how amazing, how breathtaking, and how riveting this book is.  Don’t Fear the Reaper is one of those books that I’m going to read again and again.  It’s one of those books I wish could hit the big screen; it’s that good. This is that book that leaves you stunned and wanting more, much more, upon its conclusion.  Seriously, why are you still reading this review?  You need this novel now!!!

Muto has created a very powerful novel about suicide, and though I feel like the messages it portrays to the readers are subtle undertones, they speak volumes, nonetheless.  Yes, this novel is about the netherworld and Keely’s attempts to reconnect with her sister, but it’s about so much more than that.  Muto portrays the raw truth concerning suicide and its effects on those left behind, and even though this is just a book, I felt so strongly for the characters that I actually cried on multiple occasions.  I am not a crier, by any means, but this novel really touched me and made me feel as if I was a part of it, looking the awful truth of suicide straight in the face. What the person committing suicide doesn’t realize is how much of an affect they’ll have on those they leave behind, devastating everyone around them, just as Keely does when she succeeds in killing herself.  The fact that she has to stand there and witness the chaos she left behind in a fit of selfishness, watching her family mourn her, is all too powerful, and I feel like this novel does a phenomenal job showing readers that suicide really isn’t the answer.  Yes, I realize that this is the subtle undertone of the novel, and that it really isn’t about the suicide as much as it is about Keely making the correct decisions in the netherworld, but it spoke volumes to me and I can’t get over how powerful this story really is.

This is an action packed novel, full of in-depth characters that feel so real it’s hard to remember they’re not.  I am extremely impressed with Muto’s characterization and am eagerly awaiting more from this author. Five stars.

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

From Goodreads:  On March 13, 1905, Mata Hari launches her famous career to great acclaim, although her origins remain a mystery. Except to Wim Brink, a Dutchman who is appalled by her performance, but more horrified to discover she is the same girl he adored as a youth in Leeuwarden.

To his dismay, the charms that bewitched him fifteen years before captivate Europe. Everyone seems obsessed with Mata Hari, particularly the people closest to him. To Wim, Mata Hari becomes the symbol of Europe’s moral decline. He wants nothing to do with her. Taking advantage of the ambiguity of her background, he decides not to let on she is the girl he knew.

But his efforts to conceal this connection inadvertently create friction with his wife and in-laws, and begin to isolate him from society. Matters escalate in Paris where an encounter with Mata Hari reveals for Wim a solution to his inner conflict, albeit at great cost to him and his family.

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This is a interesting story.  I feel that it is rare to have such a conservative protagonist, but at the same time, it’s very refreshing.  Wim Brink is living in the early 1900s, a time when sex was regarded as more of a duty than a pleasure, when men and women regarded each other with respect and dressed conventionally.  But, times are changing and, unfortunately for Wim, the Europe he knows is changing as well, embracing more secular notions which, as time does tell, seems to be the truth throughout all centuries.  But, for Wim, the newest sensation, Mata Hari’s lewd dance, is anything but respectable. 

The novel centers around Wim’s constant struggle within himself, as well as his inability to accept change.  He spends a majority of the novel attempting to wipe away his past, having grown up with Mata Hari, yet her provocative dance causes him to attempt to hide all associations he had with her as a young man.  While the premise is interesting on the whole, I felt that it lacked the action that I am used to in my novels.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially as this is a piece that actually looks deeper into relationships on the whole and seems to open up the human psyche as we watch Wim begin to deteriorate as Mata’s fame continues to grow.  While interesting, I have to admit that it wasn’t really my forte, though I think those interested in the breakdown of humanity and our relationships with one another will highly enjoy this novel, especially as it is very well written.  Two and a half stars.

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

From Goodreads:  In his latest tour de force, Allen Smith takes on the challenges of life from his own gritty perspective. Everything from surviving on-line dating to enduring his first sigmoidoscopy and advancing age. Watching Grandma Circle the Drain is a collection of Smith’s most entertaining work from his previously published columns. In addition to his own experience with struggling to learn Spanish and annihilating the game of golf, he gives the reader an inside look at some of the things they’ve never wondered about, like managing persistent telemarketers, what it’s like to qualify as a sperm donor and some of the most unusual ways to make a living without a college degree. In part two, Smith takes aim at news stories by attacking issues like home schooling, women competing in the Tour de France, dozing air traffic controllers and the first person to marry (and divorce) himself. Watching Grandma Circle the Drain is a bite-sized, entertaining look at the way we complicate our lives. Once you read it, you’ll never look at life the same way again.

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I didn’t know what to expect going in to this book as it’s not a novel, per say, but rather a compilation of short vignettes dealing with random topics, but I have to say that it’s absolutely hilarious and well worth reading!  At first glance, one might not realize the hilarity that resides deep within the pages, though I think the cover and title are telling in that aspect.  But if you open up the table of contents, you’ll see interesting chapter titles, such as “Expelled from Match.com,” “Television Shows that Didn’t make the Fall Line-up,” “Golf Course Thugs,” Speed Dating Cougars, MILFs and Chihuahuas,” and many more that will most likely peak your interest, as they did mine.

One of my favorite chapters in the book is “Expelled from Match.com,” a hilarious take on the online dating site we hear so much about.  In this chapter, Smith creates a profile on Match.com that will have you bursting with laughter.  For instance, in the About Me section, he states, “I spend most of my time outdoors and love to travel.  Not having a place to live will do that to you.  I enjoy exercise and enjoy a good chase from the police on a warm summer evening…”  I can’t even write this without snorting.  To me, this is absolutely hilarious and I feel like Smith probably isn’t too far off on some of the crazy things people say on dating sites!

All in all, Smith has a very satiric wit, catching the reader by surprise and causing him/her many fits of laughter.  This is a great book for those who are looking for a quick laugh, especially as it’s designed to be a book you can peruse at your leisure since each vignette is a standalone piece.  I highly recommend this book!  Five stars.

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