The Second Twin (The Legend of Rhyme series #4) by Jaime Lee Mann

This is the 4th in the Rhyme series and is a fantasy adventure aimed at middle grade children.

Grindlerod has taken Asher and Ariana to a time when Elora and Calla are much the same age as they are. Now that they know what Elora became, how can they possible trust her? A stranger then enters their lives with the promise of help. After all they have been through is it wise to trust him? Meanwhile Teagan is learning what it's like to become a mermaid, but will she be happy enough to make it permanent?

Again the storylines moved in interesting directions but a cliff-hanger smacks you in the face at the end. Many timeframes and scenes are covered in this book, and the jump between them as well as the length of the chapters made it confusing to read at times. I do like the path that the story has taken, and the way that Starla alerts her future self to a memory is very clever. The main themes of family, friendship, loyalty, love and being the hero are beautifully explored in the series. A very entertaining read, rich with interesting characters (although I found the pixies VERY annoying) and an adventure-filled plotline.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the chance to review the book.

Teagan of Tomorrow (The Legend of Rhyme series #3) by Jaime Lee Mann

This is the third in the fantasy adventure series suitable for middle grade children.

The twins have been thrust into the future - one where magic no longer exists but where people know the history of magic. Teagan is from this timeline, but has never felt as though she belongs there. Grindlerod has bided his time waiting for magic to reappear so that his deepest desire can be fulfilled. Asgall is gone but his spell is still intact. Will the twins make their way back to undo Asgall's spell with the help of one who was once a toad? And will Teagan find out where in the world she is actually meant to be?

Another great instalment in the series. The pace of the action in this is a lot quicker and there is more of a sense of urgency in correcting the evil that has fallen. You find yourself reading as fast as possible to see what happens, only to realise that you HAVE to get your hands on the next one in the series. I'm looking forward to the conclusion as I feel I have walked every step of the adventure with all the amazing characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the chance to review the book.

Into Coraira (The Legend of Rhyme series #2) by Jaime Lee Mann

This is the second in the fantasy adventure series suitable for middle grade children.

Now that the evil that threatened to envelop Rhyme has been banished, the twins are ready to find out just how powerful they really are. Unfortunately things are never quiet in their realm  as it comes to light that Asgall, the eldest of the Ancients, is back in Rhyme and bringing all manner of evil with him.

The series continues and answers many questions left by the first book, but of course new ones emerge. More creatures like unicorns and mermaids join the cast of characters which creates a fantastic new dimension. I found the story a little slower than the first but I think it's a build-up to what promises to be faster paced action in the third. Will Asgall succeed in his quest? Will the missing twins be found? Will Asher and Ariana find their powers? Will Grindlerod's wish be answered? So many questions!

This is a fantastic read and I can't wait to see what happens next. Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the chance to review the book.

Elora of Stone (The Legend of Rhyme series #1) by Jaime Lee Mann

This is a fantasy adventure suitable for middle-grade children.

Grindlerod the goblin is tasked with collecting one part of every set of twins born in Falmoor for the evil sorcerer Larque. Gwendolyn and Lochlan Caine have a set of twins and are very careful to keep them close by as they grow up. But even with all their magic and care Grindlerod still manages to steal Asher away. Years go by as the family mourn until Ariana learns that her brother is still alive, and sets off to rescue him. Larque must be stopped at all costs. Can Ariana get to her brother in time and work their magic to defeat the spread of evil?

This is a really fun book for the ages specified, even if a little simple at times. The questions at the end of the book are great for discussions and they get the reader thinking. The idea of goblins, fairies, pixies and magic as well as the age-old tale of good vs evil is always a great recipe for a story. I loved the pictures that were thrown in every now and then -  they added a beautiful quality to the book. The only thing I found difficult to read was the third person singular simple present tense, but I guess for the age group it's easier to put themselves into the context. Fun characters and a good start to a series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the chance to review the book.

There'll be Hell to Pay: Hellcat#6 by Sharon Hannaford

Gabi and Julius are co-leading the Special Investigations dept and still hunting for the betrayer vampire Caspian and his pregnant Dark Magus partner Mariska. An uneasy feeling of dread has fallen over the city as more demons seem intent on crossing the barrier, and the newly formed alliances placed in positions of security might not be ready to handle them yet. The degree of action and danger jump up a notch when someone very near to Gabi is compromised. It's now up to Gabi and those closest to her to deal with the situation, truces, alliances, secrets and traitors for once and all.

It is an absolute shame to see this series come to an end. I feel as though I have been with the characters through their successes and heartaches, their newfound confidence and their rejections; and loved every minute of it. I will miss our heroine, but perhaps now she can take some time off from saving the world and spend some quality time with Julius and Razor. I liked that we got a bit more of a glimpse into Gabi's family and how they have faced all that has happened. Many questions from the series were tied up, but true to Ms. Hannaford's style she leaves us with a little something, and we leave her with a cry of " and then?" The characters have stayed true to personality but grown in substance, and the plot has followed a logical progression. The writing is fluid and has matured throughout the series, and good editing makes it comfortable to read.

While some may feel that the book was tied up too neatly or quickly I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can't wait for the next series to make its appearance.

Frosted Blood by Larry Pellitteri

This is a fantasy novel suitable for YA and up.

Michael finds himself an orphan at an early age; his parents taken inexplicably from him. Having been given a crystal from them just before they left, with the explanation that all will be revealed, he spends his school years learning about crystals and extracting them from caves. Fresh from school he is offered an internship at Enbright - the same place his parents used to work. Considering his experience and expertise it seems strange that he would have been picked for the position. As the days go by and the job entails nothing more than staring at a screen, he hopes to meet someone to make life more interesting. Enter a new co-worker named Emma and the sparks start to fly. But with Emma comes a whole new adventure involving secrets, traitors, vampires, Urashi, Atlanteans and possibly a world war. They are just kids! How on earth will they solve this?

The story hinted of great things to come and then the pace slowed down immensely. Later on it picked up quickly again, but by then the story and timeline had gone into so many different tangents that it became convoluted. It was as though the author had a whole lot of different ideas, all of equal merit that he decided would work, so lumped them together in one book. I didn't feel much depth to the main characters: Michael had his hero moments and then would be too scared to do something in case his heart was hurt, Emma seemed a bit flighty when it came to romance and they both seemed to grasp technology and the ability to use vehicles and machinery too quickly. For the part that Christopher played I don't think he was explained enough to the reader, and West and Father John went from good to bad to good to bad. The language used was a bit strange - some very "large" words that are certainly not in everyday use and quite a few grammatical and punctuation mistakes. The story was definitely aimed more at YA - a bit fluffy for adults. Overall a good idea for a story, but too much packed into it caused not enough substance.

The Hauntings of Playing God by Chris Dietzel

This is a dystopian novel based on the last people left alive in the world.

The De-Evolution wiped out almost all of humankind. The last few humans alive are just trying to get by day after day, looking after themselves and the Blocks they take care of. Blocks are humans born without the ability to speak, hear, move or see and are basically just living corpses. Morgan is a 90 year-old woman doing what she can to take care of the Blocks under her supervision. But day by day her strength is waning and as Blocks die naturally she realises that the fewer Blocks there are, the easier it will be to look after the remainder. Should she wait for the Blocks to die a natural death or help nature along a little? Then the nightmares begin...

This book had some rave reviews and I was looking forward to it. I must have put it down about six times and picked it up again, determined to reach the end, hoping for a riveting finale. I was unfortunately disappointed. A lot of the last chapters were in essence the same story with a different character repeated over and over again. I'm sure a lot of people read very deeply into the subject and deliberated on life and the universe, but to me it was a simple message drawn out for far too long. I didn't like the idea of the Blocks and why they were there and alive, and I didn't enjoy the way that the humans seem to accept their fates so easily. At least the grammar and punctuation were not bad, but the story was not for me.

Jump When Ready by David Pandolfe

This is a fantasy story suitable for YA and up.

Henry has just woken up to find himself dead. Bit of a conundrum, that. It seems that slipping into the river and drowning has placed him in a world between life and death along with others who remain at the same age they died. He is able to go back and see his world but is unable to interact with it, so when he finds that his family thinks he committed suicide and his sister is kidnapped, he desperately needs to find a way to get through to them. With his new friends manifesting powers able in some way to communicate with the living, maybe they all landed together for a reason? Will he be able to do the improbable and save his sister?

This is a beautiful story as you are able to visualise both sides of the coin. You ache for the family left behind and ache for the person who wants to communicate with them but can't. Guess the moral is to make the most of the time you have in life. Since this is the first book in the series, the characters were not very fleshed out but I think more will be given to them as time goes by. The story itself is very thought-provoking: the trust his sister places in someone, the loss his family felt at his passing, the realisation that he was portraying someone to his family that wasn't who he believed he was and inspiring in that he loves his sister so much that he is willing to do anything he can to help her. The writing and editing are great -  seamless reading. The only thing that didn't gel for me was what happened with Curtis at the end -  it just felt tacked on and implausible given the physical constraints explained early on.

Otherwise an unexpectedly moving read and well worth getting into.

Somebody tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead by Christiana Miller

This is a paranormal adventure but due to mature themes I would only recommend it for adults.

Mara is a witch - a real one, not just for Halloween. However, she is soon to be a witch without a place to stay. Even her flamboyant best friend Gus can't help her out of this jam. Fate steps in and a residence becomes available, but it's in a really tiny town and locals believe it's cursed. Well curses are certainly not going to deter a witch, so Mara sets forth only to find a spirit that really doesn't want her there. Why is Aunt Tillie's spirit trying to injure her and are Lisette and Lucien's ghosts as benign as they make out to be?

Well this is certainly an adventure that culminates in a lot of action. The second half of the book seems a lot faster than the first half as there was a lot of time spent on Mara finding the house. Gus was a magnificent character, so over the top and in love with life - he was like a breath of fresh air. Some characters turned out to be wet rags while others rose to the occasion magnificently. The overall story of spirits and hauntings and spells and possession does touch on a very mature theme but is dealt with well in the context of the story. I didn't think it was as necessary to go into the sexual debauchery as was offered in the book. The writing and editing themselves were very good except for finding a sentence involving "sewing seeds" which gave me a giggle. Normally the inclusion of a few chapters of the next book is very enticing, but having the huge revelation that took place actually put me off reading any further in the series.

Other than that a good read that even my husband enjoyed!

The Goodbyes by Leslie Welch

This is a story of life tinged with romance and regret and suitable for mature YA and up.

Bree is the love of Webb's life. Always has been and always will be. This is why Webb finds himself hurtling towards a dying Bree's bedside after walking out on a wildly successful rock tour. It's been years since he has seen her, but his heart still remains with hers. So many memories speed through his mind as he races against the clock, hoping to see her one last time. Will he make it there safely and on time, and if so, will this be the closure he craves from all that has happened between them?

This is a bittersweet story about life and the paths we chose versus the paths we are thrown onto. No matter how many times Bree hurts Webb he forgives her - over and over again - something I think a lot of people can relate to. As a reader your feelings about Bree change constantly, one minute you are disgusted with her choices and the next your heart breaks with empathy. Webb's courage to leave the abuse and strive for his dream gives us hope in our own lives. I liked the way that the story was written in two timelines - it felt as though time was really happening as you were reading it. The cast of characters were so true to life -  many could be compared to people you know. The writing and editing were very good - an easy flow to read even with some uncomfortable situations. Not your average YA read, it and gives you a glimpse of how cruel life can be sometimes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the chance to review the book.