Bound by Night by Larisa Ione (review)

 

 MoonBound Clan Vampires:  Bound by Night (1)

by Larissa Ione

Genre(s): Paranormal, Romance, Adult

Pages: 400

Published: Sept. 2013

Publisher: Pocket Books

Summary:  "A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD

Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE

A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever."

Review:  Welcome to Larissa Ione's latest vampire series! An interesting story of slavery, loyalty, revenge and a hot 'n sexy romance.

Nicole is a human woman and New-found CEO of Daedalus Corp. She inherited the company from her parents who were massacred in a vampire rebellion attack when she was a young girl. Her illegitimate half-brother, Chuck, has been ruining it in her place until she was ready to take the reins. But what she thinks she is getting may be more than she expected.

Books That Need more attention Giveaway Hop

 

Lots of thanks to Valerie at Stuck in Books for hosting this fantastic Giveaway Hop! 

So many of us have read and loved (or at least enjoyed) a book that no one else seems to be aware of it's existence.  Well this is a chance to help get the word out about them.  

I am going to share some of my favorite lesser known books with you then I have a giveaway below.

These are books that do not seem to be well heard of or acknowledged.  These books have less than 500 ratings on goodreads, and not because they are new titles! Most are under 100 even...

  These books deserve more and come with my recommendation to read.  Click the picture for a link to learn more about each Title!

         

Deep Blue (1) by Jennifer Donnelly (review)

 

Waterfire Saga: Deep Blue (1)

by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult, Youth

Pages: 368

Published: May 2014

Publisher: Disney

Summary:  "Waterfire Saga is an epic new series set in the depths of the ocean where six mermaids seek to save their world.

Written by Carnegie Medal winning author of A Gathering Light, Jennifer Donnelly.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be about reuniting with handsome Prince Mahdi, her childhood crush. Instead she finds herself haunted by strange dreams foretelling the return of an ancient evil, and dealing with the deaths of her parents as assassins storm the betrothal ceremony, plunging the city into chaos.

Led only by her shadowy dreams and pursued by the invading army, Serafina and her best friend Neela embark on a quest to avenge her parents' death and prevent a war between the mer nations. In the process they discover a plot that threatens their - and our - world's very existence."

Review:  This was a decent underwater fantasy-adventure that has potential. And yet for all the good it is, there is also some head-spinning vocabulary.

Seraphina is the heir the kingdom and her whole life seems set before her before and attack destroys her apparent path. But just before the attack she has a 'dream' of a prophecy she must help with. For she is one of 6 that must save the sea.

This books word choice and creation had me utterly overwhelmed at first. We are given a lot of made up words, terms, names and places. Seriously, every paragraph seemed to have at least 3 new words. This continues throughout the books but is a little less overwhelming thank goodness. But the beginning was so bad I almost DNFed this. Some were just a play on words (like Merlfriend instead of Girlfriend) . And then others are real words in all sorts of languages! We are given Italian, Qin, Arabic, Brazilian slang, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek...

It gets worse... we also have several made up languages including Mermish, Dracdemara, Rurus, and more!! You know Scuttle from "Disney's The Little Mermaid" and how he calls a fork an dinglehopper? Well there is A LOT of that type of wording happening and it leaves us guessing what they are talking about. Sometimes i just gave up and went with it like I would a Dr Seuss book where it just isn't meant to make sense.

Leaving all that aside, the adventure is quite good. Although I must say the attack on Seraphina's home had me sad. I always put mermaids in a happy place so reading about them dying left a pout on my face. Some of the imagery is pretty like when we hear about Seraphina's room or when they change her look to disguise her.

Seraphina is a nice mermaid but very insecure to her role. Neela, her best friend and companion, is a stronger character that I really liked. We get other characters including Blu, Ling and many others.

There is betrayal, death and action...a small dash of romance...loyalty and friends...all mixed together is a "Save the World" adventure.

I will read the next one. I am curious how it ends but I do warn new readers, be sure to have patience and focus when you start reading this!

 

*I received a copy of this book from Disney in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.*  

Nisekoi Vol 2 by Naoshi Komi (review)

  

Nisekoi Volume 2

By Naoshi Komi

Genre(s): Manga, Graphic Novels

Pages: 192

Published: Mar 2014

Publisher: Viz Media

Summary:  "Though Raku and Chitoge's false love is off to a rocky start, they have everyone fooled! However, Raku's still hung up on his childhood sweetheart and wears a pendant around his neck as a memento. But one big problem prevents him from finding the girl whom he promised to marry—he can't remember her name or face! To further complicate matters, Onodera, Raku's current crush who also harbors secret feelings for him, accidentally overhears the two arguing over their false relationship!"

Nisekoi Vol 1 Info and Review

Review:  Which one is it?! This book adds more complexity as we begin to really question who Raku's promise was with. Filled with humor, hints of romance and a couple beatings we are offered this next installment to the series.

Onodera is so sweet and adorable. I love her. But her shy nature can also be a point of frustration. I wanted to shout "Just show him already!" a few times. She certainly is most likely candidate for the promise, but I don't know...

Nisekoi Vol 1 by Naoshi Komi (review)

  

Nisekoi Volume 1

By Naoshi Komi

Genre(s): Manga, Graphic Novels

Pages: 192

Published: Jan 2014

Publisher: Viz Media

Summary:  "It’s hate at first sight... Rather, a knee-to-the-head at first sight when Raku Ichijo meets Chitoge Kirisaki! Unfortunately, Raku’s gangster father arranges a false love match with their rival’s daughter—who just so happens to be Chitoge! However, Raku’s searching for his childhood sweetheart from ten years ago, with a pendant around his neck as a memento, but he can't even remember her name or face!"

Review:  A cute beginning!

Raku is your typical decent, average guy in high school who is given a nasty surprise when he gets hope. He has a fiancee!! And she is none to thrilled about this (or him) either. She is very pretty but has a violent side. Her name is Chitoge.

Stacking the Shelves 63

 

For Review

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.

He’s the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.

Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkin’s guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxy’s lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heel—by intimidation . . . or annihilation.

Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkin—whose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire’s supremacy . . . and its enemies’ extinction.

------------------------------------------------------------

  

They call them ‘husks’, the demons that cross the Farfall Mountains, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.
No incursion goes unmet; otherwise the cancer would spread until the whole of Aethir was consumed by nightmares.

That’s why the Maresmen were formed—trackers and warriors charged with holding back the tide. Each of them is different, uniquely suited to the task in hand, but one thing they hold in common: they are half-breeds, part human, part husk; and they are bound by an inviolable rule:

Hunt the husks, or be hunted themselves.

Jebediah Skayne has been hunting husks his entire adult life, but there’s something different about the trail leading to the fishing town of Portis on the shores of the Chalice Sea: no spoor, no footprints; nothing save the unmistakable feeling of wrongness.

Finding a husk in Portis would be near impossible for someone who didn’t have the sixth sense, but the instant Jeb arrives, all trace of the incursion vanishes. Forced to rely on more mundane methods of investigation, he starts to uncover a town rife with corruption, where a man will kill you for looking at a woman the wrong way; a town that’s seen its share of incursions from the land of nightmares before.

As events start to slip from his control, he realizes the husk he's come to kill is one step ahead of the game, and it holds a secret that will shake his world to the core.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: Rush by Eve Silver

 

Rush (The Game #1)

by Eve Silver

Release Date: June 11, 2013

Publisher: Harper Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures.

There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Available from (US links):

    

 INT On sale for only $1.99 at the following links only:

Amazon AU│iTunes IE│iTunes NZ

Books in this series:

Book Excerpt Short:

Puppet by Pauline C Harris (review)

 Puppet

 

by Pauline C Harris

 

Genre(s) Retellings, Young Adult

Pages: unknown 

Published: Oct 2014

Publisher: Patchwork Press

 

Summary:  "Penelope lives in a world of advanced technology but many claim society has yet to catch up. Marionettes have advanced in the form of robots; lifelike creations remote controlled to perform super human tasks.

When Penelope makes a deal with Jed, a marionette-obsessed scientist, she doesn’t fully realize what she’s getting herself into. In order for Jed to take her away from the orphanage she lives in, she must first agree to undergo his experiments and tests, ultimately creating something no one ever dreamed possible; the first living marionette.

As Jed shows off his scientific creation to the world, concerns arise surrounding Penelope’s abilities and what she’s capable of doing. Ordered to somehow lessen her abilities, Jed makes a desperate attempt to change Penelope to make her more human, more vulnerable. After Penelope lies to the officials about her past, Jed makes sure it’s the last one she’ll ever utter. The truth is now the only thing she is capable of telling.

As Penelope struggles with her past, her disturbingly new present, and her uncertain future, she is thrust into a magically twisted world of mayhem in search of the one thing she wants, but knows she can never have. The chance to be just a girl again. To be normal. To be real."

 

 

 

Review:  Puppet has a very interesting premise. Definitely a different twist on the Pinocchio tales. More opposite in fact. Pauline C Harris lays out an interesting foundation for storytelling. Sadly, though, I feel it fell a bit short of it's potential.

Penelope (Pen for short) is an orphan girl taken in by a man named Jed. In return for a home, she had agreed to his experiments on her. Now she is a living marionette. Now I fell this is a bit of a futuristic time because marionettes are not dolls on strings. They are instead control by remote control. They are faster and stronger than humans. But Pen her has a mind and heart of her own.

Voice Over Vol 3 by Maki Minami (review)

 

Voice Over Volume 3

 

by Maki Minami

 

Genre(s): Manga, Graphic Novels

Pages: 192

Published: February 2014

Publisher: Viz Media

Summary:  "Hime Kino's dream is to one day do voice acting like her hero Sakura Aoyama from the Lovely Blazer anime, and getting accepted to the prestigious Holly Academy's voice actor department is the first step in the right direction! But Hime's gruff voice has earned her the scorn of teachers and students alike. Hime will not let that stand unchallenged. She'll show everyone that she is too a voice acting princess, whether they like it or not!!

Hime just got her first big break in voice acting, but it means she has to move out of her house and pretend to be a boy! Her new manager, Yamada, is willing to put in the extra time to train her personally, and Hime's hope of being a voice actor seems close to being fulfilled. But Yamada insists that he'll only use her for male characters. Will she have to give up on Lovely Blazer to see her dream come true?"

Review:  Hime is now living on her own. Part of her deal is showbiz. That and how, outside of school, she is living a double life acting as a boy to make it.

This is my favorite volume so far. We get a lot of fantastic backround information on Mizuki and the girl he liked and once tried to help. We learn why he is is eager to help Hime. So sweet, yet so sad. The story drew my closer to the Aqua boys.

Lycanthor the Werewolf by Aiden Storm (review) #dragonfyre

 

The Dragon Fyre Blade: Lycanthor the Werewolf (1)

by Aiden Storm

Genre(s): Children, Youth

Pages: 71

Published: July 2014

Publisher: Dreaming Empire

Summary:  "Thirteen year old Jack is spending the summer at his Aunt’s house in the country. Unfortunately, it’s done nothing but rain and he’s stuck in her old mansion without cable or internet. Bored and alone, he sets out to explore the house. When he reaches the attic, he finds an intricate and unusual mural painted on the walls. Life for Jack gets turned upside down when he stumbles and is transported through a portal into a magical world.
For Jasyra, the daughter of the High King, life couldn’t be worse. Her father has been turned to glass, her kingdom has been taken over by the Demon Emperor, and she and her friend, Evooku, have been exiled. The only way to save the land is to reassemble the Dragon Fyre Blade, but the Demon Emperor has hidden all six pieces and each is guarded by great mythical beasts. There is only one person who can help restore peace, but it has been said that he is not of their land.

When Jack awakens in the Great Forest of Karandur, he encounters Jasyra and Evooku. He discovers the only way home is to band together to fight the evil Lycanthor, a giant werewolf that guards a piece of the Dragon Fyre Blade. But first they have to make it through an enchanted land full of danger.

The Queen of Light appears to Jack and delivers a gift, as well as a revelation. He, Jasyra and Evooku form an unlikely friendship along the way and lasting bonds are made when they realize they are Karandur’s only hope. Will the trio be able to defeat Lycanthor and save the kingdom from an eternity of despair?

The Dragon Fyre Blade: Lycanthor the Werewolf is the first book in a series of six and is written for children 7 - 11 years old"

 

 

Review:  I started off with the book, amused by the title Lycanthor the Werewolf being the lycanthropy is the condition of being a werewolf. So simple play on words there.

Top Ten Tuesday 25- Fall TBR 2014

 

Top Ten books on my Fall TBR list.  Well I haven't done so good on these in the past.  I love this particular TTT but I always fall short when I choose a lot of books I want to read the most.  So this time I kept a more practical list of books I have from the library, upcoming or past due review books, etc. 

   

 

 

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (review)

 

Dorothy Must Die (1)

by Danielle Paige

Genre(s): Retellings, Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 464

Published: April 2014

Publisher: HarperCollins

 Summary:  "I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened? Dorothy.

They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

I've been trained to fight.

And I have a mission

  

Review: I want to start off by saying that when I started this book I what I would think if it. My twisted sense of curiosity is what got the best of me on this one and I am glad it did. Lots of twisted and backwards adventure to be found here!

Amy Gunn is your average girl who has been dealt a bad hadn at life. She has no friends (thanks to nasty Ms. Madison), her father left when she was young and her mom is is a druggie. She wants nothing more than to get away from her crappy trailer life. Well she gets her wish; just no how she expected it.

Monday Madness Giveaway 7

Okay, so I am exhausted but wanted to get this to you for all the early risers out there.  short, simple and sweet this week.  

$12 Book from the Book Depository to 1 lucky winner INT as longas TBD ships there.

Happy Monday to everyone and have a great week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Program by Suzanne Young (review)

The Program (1)

by Suzanne Young

Genre(s) Young Adult, Dystopian

 Pages: 405

Published: April 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Summary:  "In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them."

Review:   Suicide rates are higher than ever in the time period for this book. Seems mostly similar to current time but medical technology is higher and civilization control it tighter. Why? because 1 in 3 teens are offing themselves.

Right from the beginning the program annoys me in how high risks are decided. I see why people are concerned... But they are asked these daily questions such as "Are you overwhelmed or lonely?" Who isn't, once in a while at least, 1 of those things. Ugh...they need a better set of standards to filter people. You can't cry in public that is bad. If you know someone who died that is bad and if you dare contact with someone just out of The Program, WATCH OUT!

Happy Marriage Vol 4, by Maki Enjojo (review)

 

Happy Marriage Volume 4

 

by Maki Enjoji

 

Genre(s) Manga, Graphic Novels

Pages: 192

Published: February 2014

Publisher: Viz Media

Summary:  "In order to help her father, Chiwa Takanashi agrees to an arranged marriage with the company president, Hokuto Mamiya—a man she doesn’t know—at the request of Hokuto’s grandfather. Chiwa believes the arrangement isn’t binding, but her new partner seems to think otherwise. Can two strangers living together find their way to a happy marriage?!

 

Chiwa Takanashi has married a total stranger—company president Hokuto Mamiya—to get her father out of debt.

With her first attempt at making love with her husband foiled, Chiwa starts going out drinking every night with Yu Yagami. Hokuto blames himself for what happened, but how long will Chiwa allow her husband to keep her at a distance?"

 

 

 

Review:  Huge turning points finally happen in this volume! Oh and a forewarnign of lots of smut in this volume. That combined with a kidnapping made this a fairly intense volume!

#TackleTBR- Wrap Up

 

Well that is it.  It's over.  I didn't do as well as I would have liked but I didn't fair too badly either.  

Books I completed during the read-a-thon:

 

and I made progress in:

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (review)

 

Out of the Easy

 

by Ruta Sepetys

 

 

Genre(s) Young Adult, Historical

Pages: 346

Published:  Feb. 2013

Publisher: Philomen Books

Summary:  "It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny."

 

 

 

Review: This is the second book I have read by Ruta Sepetys and I must say she is quickly becoming a favorite author to me! This is a well researched, beautifully written 1950's historical. You really get the feel of being in New Orleans in 1950.

Josie (Jo) is a very well written character. She is strong, intelligent and very realistic. She is an extremely believable character with a good blend of strengths and flaws. She is a teenage girl who lives on her own, and wants desperately to get out of New Orleans and go to college. With a prostitute for a mother and no known father her goal seems to be a pipe dream. A sick friend, and a murder mystery just adds to her troubles.

Magi: Labyrinth of Magic Vol 4 by Shinobu Ohtaka (review)

 

Magi: Labyrinth of Magic Volume 4

 

by Shinobu Ohtaka

 

Genre(s): Manga, Graphic Novels

Pages: 197

Published: February 2014

Publisher: Viz Media 

Summary:  "Deep within the desert lie the mysterious Dungeons, vast stores of riches there for the taking by anyone lucky enough to find them and brave enough to venture into the depths from where few have ever returned. Plucky young adventurer Aladdin means to find the Dungeons and their riches, but Aladdin may be just as mysterious as the treasures he seeks.

After many adventures, Aladdin finally reaches the great city of Balbadd. There he reunites with his friend Alibaba hoping to once again capture a dungeon together. However, a more cruel destiny lies ahead"

 

 

 

Review:  Again, this volume continues on a slightly more serious line. While there are still some great comedic moments, especially when Aladdin starts acting like an adorable little boy, the intricacy of the plot deepens.

#TackleTBR- update

 

Today is the last day!!  What reading will I manage in the next few hours?  I don't know but here is what I did yesterday.

I finished:

 

Pages read since last update: 78 

Now, I figure it is also time to share some challenges :)

Book Cover Opposites Challenge

  

I went for elemental opposites.  And to make it interesting they are for the same series!  I have heard some good things about the Akasha series here and even have the first book on my TBR (sadly I will not be reading it for this readathon)

Color Challenge:

Stacking the Shelves 62

 

Beware!  Lots of books ahead....

  Eila Walker knows luck is not a friend, so she is downright shocked to inherit a million-dollar Cape Cod home. And yeah, her new town isn't perfect: the cheerleaders are heinous clones, the local undertow can kill ya, and her Great Grams was supposedly fried by lightning in the harbor square. Still, Eila is hopeful her luckless days are in the past . . . until history decides to repeat itself.

When drool-worthy Raef O’Reilly becomes her friendly, yet weirdly protective shadow, Eila thinks life is pretty darn perfect – until she is hauled beneath the waves by an unnatural undertow. Revealing coal-black eyes and iron-like strength as he rescues her, Raef can no longer hide what he is . . . or what she can do. Eila, last of her kind, can supposedly channel the power of human souls, while Raef is more adept at stealing them. Even worse, the legend about her ancestor isn't such a myth, since Eila’s grandmother was one kick-butt warrior until her lightning-like power backfired. A power that is written all over Eila's DNA.

Determined to stay one step ahead of a dangerous clan that is hunting her, Raef, along with three unlikely allies, will do all they can to protect her. But as hidden pieces of their brutal histories unravel, Eila begins to understand just what went down in the harbor square. She soon realizes that following in her grandmother’s fearless footsteps may be the only way to save those she loves . . . including Raef.

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After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light—two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.

Children of the Republic, Helena and Jason were inseparable in their youth, until fate sent them down different paths. Grief and duty sidetracked Helena’s plans, and Jason came to detest the hollowness of his ambitions.

These two damaged souls are reunited when a tiny boat from the Blessed Lands crashes onto the rocks near Helena’s home after an impossible journey across the forbidden ocean. On board is a single passenger, a nine-year-old girl named Kailani, who calls herself “the Daughter of the Sea and the Sky.” A new and perilous purpose binds Jason and Helena together again, as they vow to protect the lost innocent from the wrath of the authorities, no matter the risk to their future and freedom.

But is the mysterious child simply a troubled little girl longing to return home? Or is she a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of a godless Republic, as the outlaw leader of an illegal religious sect would have them believe? Whatever the answer, it will change them all forever… and perhaps their world as well.

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One hour to rewrite the past . . .

 
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

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 I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.

And then the games began.

The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear.

But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out . .

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.