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.