Bloodstains, Bruises and Butterflies by Rain Julia

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RATING: 4 STARS

This book is difficult to review, simply because there was so much going on in the plot, and it has a giant cast of characters. With that said, it is also brilliantly and intricately woven together.

The story is set in both Australia and Russia. In Australia, something happens, and we have so many births take place. These births are unique, bearing unique children, while in Russia we follow the goings on of  one unique child. They begin as two separate story lines, that eventually merge, bringing chaos, action and intrigue. It leaves you on a cliffhanger, with you wanting more. Needing more. 

This story is filled with detail, and information. As I said in the beginning, it is brilliantly written. I was intrigued by the layout of the cast, and the whole story. It's a one of a kind book that I'd highly recommend to anyone that likes an action/adventure packed story to keep them going. 

Keri

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.)

Orion's Curse by Amy Bartelloni

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RATING: 4.5 STARS

I read this book without having read Andromeda (the first book in the series). With that said, it was a great book. It can be read on it's own, but I feel like I would have loved this, giving it 5 stars, if I had more of the background before diving in. 

We follow the lives of Malachi, Anyon, Jade and Sera, watching them take on so many life challenges after their world is torn apart by President Vice. They face their histories unearthing, friendships and love is tested all while rebuilding their lives in a new camp. This story creates a balance between emotion and science that I don't usually see in this genre, making it a lot more enjoyable, and creating a scene where you feel present in what's taking place. 

I strongly recommend this novel to anyone interested in dystopian stories. It brought a lot to the table, and is fantastically written. I'm going to go back and read Andromeda now, and can't wait to see what Amy brings in the next segment. 

Keri

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.) 

The Body by D. Nichole King

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Rating: 5 STARS

"The Body" picks up where "The Spirit" left off. I cannot say enough good things about this part of the series. We are introduced to a few new creatures, and the interwoven parts they play in Lucas and Carrie's lives. 

Carrie struggles through this book with her feelings still, wondering if she's being selfish about Lucas and the part she desperately needs him to fill in her life. They face a whole new battle of good and evil, while learning about Lucas' past, and why he is dead, and has not passed on. We learn so much more about the supernatural forces that are living among them, and part of their history, and the council that presides over them.

The growth in characters, and their maturity is seen throughout, and works well for the story. As a YA novel, I always have issues with parts feeling "too grown up" or "too young" for the life they're living, but D. Nichole King has written it so well. I absolutely love it and don't want to wait for the 3rd part! 

Keri

(ARC Provided in exchange for an honest review.)


*** You can find our review of "The Spirit," book one in this series here.

Soul Knowledge by Miranda Shanklin

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Rating 3.5

This is the third book in the Soul Saver series by Miranda Shanklin. We once again join Annisa, Chase, Landon, Penelope, Rayne and Ethan on their quest to protect the Origin from anyone wanting to cause harm. We go up against new baddies in Kynzie and Dalton, a couple of new teenage WICCANS who have been led to believe our gang are the bad guys by the Counsel.

In this portion, we see the relationships in the group tested in ways they never have before, and it was nice to see more growth in the characters. We learn about golems and goblins, and of witches familiars. We make new friends along the way. I enjoy this story by Miranda, it took me a bit to get into at the beginning but now at the end of the third I am excited to see where the characters go in the two remaining books in the series. There are still a few things I struggle with but nothing that really takes away from the enjoyment of the story. I give this book a solid 3.5 star review and can't wait to see more from Miranda.

Caitlin

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.)


*** Reveiws for book 1, book 2 and book 4 are also available.

The Spirit by D. Nichole King

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RATING: 5 STARS

Witches, demons and ghosts grace us with their presence in this small town in Iowa. Carrie is told she has to live with her Grandparents in Villisca, Iowa for the summer after her parents divorce and her Mom has a rough time with it. Carrie dreads it, but she quickly changes her mind after settling in, starting work, and meeting a few people, including Lucas. 

Lucas and Carrie fall for each other almost instantly, but the evil powers that be just don't want that to happen. Carrie is propelled into a world of uncertainty. Feelings she's not sure of and feelings she doesn't think she deserves after experiencing the heartbreak her mother went through. Lucas is not something of this world. Megan; who works with Carrie, is and warns Lucas to stay away from her. We watch these two dance between knowing what they feel is right, and what's meant to be. This is a story of heartache, a story of love. A story of good and evil, and the battle between them. 

D. Nichole King has done a great job of syncing good and evil with love and heartbreak in this book. This was her debut novel, released in April 2014, and the 2nd part of the series was released on Nov 18th. Stay tuned for the review of "The Body." 

Keri

This book is currently free- snatch it up now while you still can!


*** You can find our review of book two "The Body" here.

Soul Redemption by Miranda Shanklin

          
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                                                                             Rating: 3.5 STARS

This books picks up a very short time after the first. The gang Annisa, Chase, Penelope, and Landon have barely even had a chance to settle down before they are hit with a new danger. The Advisors, a group of witches who feel they are more powerful and more deserving than others. The gang is their main threat and they set off to try to eliminate that threat before it gets too bad. We meet two new teenagers, Amy and Brian a couple we spend a small part of the book trying to figure out just who these two are and what they are doing. We run into old foes turned friend with Rayne, who I must say is probably my favourite character. We also introduced to more new friends and enemies throughout the story as we read about our heroes on their quest to keep their town and their family safe against the evil forces at work. Mix in a little bit of drama and voila. I've got to say I liked this one more than the first. It was great seeing the story grow from what I read with this authors first novel. There were a few minor details I found bothered me a little bit, but I can't really explain them without giving away some important plot. It took me a little bit to get into this but once I did I enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to reading the next one :).



Caitlin


(copy provided for honest review.)

*** Reviews for book 1, book 3 and book 4 are also available. 

Moonlight Lost by Sabrina Archer

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Rating: 4 STARS

Archer has written a sweet little paranormal YA romance packed full of adventure and magic. 

We start the story meeting Jayde and her mom, Constance. They've recently lost Jayde's father, and end up moving to another state. Accidents happen, and life changes course quite abruptly for Jayde while she meets Bently, the super hot love interest. She's thrown into a life of things she thought only existed in the movies, and Bently is there to save her, show her the way and root her on after discovering Jayde's best friend Scarlet needs to be saved. 

I adored this story, and the only thing that keeps me from rating it higher was the dialogue. It felt much younger than the 17 and 18 year old characters, and as a result, the story didn't play out to the best of it's ability for me. I hope to read more of this trilogy in the future and can't wait to see what happens next. 

-Keri

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.) 

Soul Journey by Miranda Shanklin.

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Rating: 3 Stars

This is the story of Annisa Lawson, who generally lives a picture perfect life. She's the captain of the cheerleading squad, her long time boyfriend and best friend Landon's the quarterback, she's pretty and popular and yet she still can't fight the feeling that she's not like every one else around her. There's something different about her. Then her new neighbors move in next door, and her life gets turned upside down. It takes one look into the eyes of the cutie next door for her to begin to question everything about her life. Then on her 16th birthday, she learns that she was right all along. She's not normal she's a witch along with long time boyfriend and best friend Landon and her new neighbors Chase and Penelope. Confused by the attraction she feels for Chase, Annisa learns she has to make a decision for it was this same situation with Chase and Landon that got them into this mess in the first place. Torn between what she thought was love, and what she feels could be love Annisa makes her choice, which opens up a whole new world of problems. The four teens come together to form a very powerful bond which comes in handy as they face off against jealous girls, their worlds best assassin and the ones who govern them all in the Counsel. We join Annisa and the gang on their adventure to save the world.

There was a lot about this story that I really liked. The story line had pretty much everything I look for in stories like this. I loved the maturity in our younger characters, you don't always see that in a YA novel. I loved the bad girl that we got with Rayne. The relationship between our four main characters was great. There were a few things that bothered me though. The biggie for me honestly was the sex scenes. I thought they were a little intense for a YA novel, I had a hard time reading about freshly 16 year olds and their sex lives. I'm not naive, I know it happens, unfortunately it was just something that took away from the book for me. Parts also seemed to drag for me, and it took me a little bit longer to get through some of them. Honestly, I think if I had of read this story as an N/A novel I likely would have rated this story a 4.

Caitlin

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review)

Reviews for book 2, book 3, and book 4 are available as well.