(I have a point… I promise, just hang with me for a few more seconds)

Bethany is an angel. (<– ah ha! see point)  Not the hey-we-play-harps-for-fun kind, more the I’m-missing-a-belly-button-and-I-run-with-the-big-dogs kind.  Sent from heaven on a mission to save Venus Cove from the forces of evil (totting her… uh hum…siblings Gabriel and Ivy) Beth does exactly what every teenage girls mother would expect. She gets side tracked by a cute boy.  (Oh woe is me) Unable to control herself Bethany starts to give away more than is acceptable, and by the time she realizes it… it just might be to late.  Can love really conquer all? Will Venus Cove crumble from the absence of compassion, and for God’s sake…who is the dude in all black, and why does he talk like a “Poetry for Dummies” book?

If I’m being honest, it took a significant amount of effort to get “into” this book.  The set up drug horribly, and then once the angst was resolved things just seemed to rotate in a hold pattern, until I reached the 75% mark.  After the 75% mark however, things got wild, and I reverted back into my paranormal junkie persona (aka binge drinking coffee when I should have been sleeping just to see what happens next.) Something notable? The novel as a whole was mild compared to the majority of YA found of the shelves these days who rely on “dark” to hype their readers. Yes, there was an enormous amount of angst, but the drug abuse and absent parents (which seem to be a standard now) were surprisingly switched with doting, overprotective, no-sex-til-marriage types. (Refreshing if you ask me.) The character development was good, which saved the initial drag, and the last 4 chapters are almost enough to make you forget them all together. (Can you say Fire?)

In the end “Halo” turned out to be an average read, with slightly better than average writing. (What would that be in teenage slang? “Eh… it’s was ok”)

If you enjoy books like “If I Stay,” “Hush, Hush” or “Angel Star” this one is right down your alley, and I dare to say you won’t be disappointed. (if you are, well… send me a bill) For everyone else… spend your money on something else like… the GAME Halo, at least it’s not boring, and you get to carry around a wicked big gun.

Oh! Did I mention it ended in a cliffhanger? Yeah… that’s right people… another series. (Damn it)

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Never let an Archangel fool you with his endearing pancake making abilities… he’s still a bad ass, and he can still smite you.

For a complete book description click image.

***~~ (3/5)

This was a book I pre-ordered a few months ago and I’m glad I did.  I have been so wound up in request lately that I have barley had time to read anything of my own, and when I finally find the time to indulge myself,  I devour it in just a few hours.

There are aspects of “Whisper” that were original, and some that were a tad bit copy cattish, but thankfully, the mixture of the two made for an original plot.

Joy has a gift… she can hear everyone’s thoughts. Taking the advice of her mother (who is also a Hearer) she decides to make the world a happier place by granting peoples wishes (Have a sudden urge for chocolate? No problem 1 Snickers bar coming up), but after a knock down drag out with her clunky boot wearing, black pants sporting sister, and a migraine headache that makes the apocalypse sound like a good idea, Joy’s little gift suddenly flip flops from “Positive” to “Negative.” What happens when you suddenly realize no one likes you? What happens when your sister decides to take your advice and runaway? And more importantly what is up with that weird loaner boy from school?

As good as this book ended (in all honesty) it started off in a funk.  I almost tapped out after a few chapters because of its lack of originality, and the fact that the main character just plan annoyed me with her constant need to overanalyze and whine, but thankfully, once “Phoebe Kitanidis” got past her boring setup (the “Positive”) and got to the plot (the “Negative”) the book became action packed (Yes… there were bouts of grand theft auto) and enjoyable.  The writing was average, leaving me nothing to really rant about in either direction, and like I said before, once the plot was established it was clean and smooth. The character development was equal all the way around and the ending was rounded off nicely.

Overall? This is probably one of the most boring reviews I’ve ever written. Why? Because the book was good.  Not great, not horrible, their were no major editing or writing flaws, and the length was just right.  Whoever knew I could be so average about a book.

There were funeral home lilies, oblivious Dads, bathroom brawls, a wasted cup of coffee, drug dealers, dread-lock induced fires, and 1 very revealing drive to Seattle.

I think it’s worth the time and the cash so…Get it, Live it, Love it and pass it on.

Happy Reading my fellow Wave-riders and remember: When in doubt, ask your crazy aunt… even if she’s wrong at least she’ll be entertaining.

For a Complete Book Description Click Image

***½~ (3.5/5)

I have wanted to read “Need” for a few months now, but much to my disappointment there was no Kindle release for it.  Now, I’m not sure what made the publishers change their minds…maybe they finally came to their senses and realized that ebooks had a prominent place in society now and that they were missing the boat, or maybe it was because they just couldn’t wait to hear my always captivating take on things, regardless of the reasons, the end result (of course) was that I finally got to read it…and I was more than pleased with what I found.

“Need” is the story of Zara, an everyday high school girl who feels “hollow” after the loss of her step-dad. Her mother, seeing the funk that she has uncharacteristically slipped into decides that she needs a change of scenery and ships her off to the very unpleasant arctic woods of Maine to live with her grandma.  After a bit of a rough start (being cut off while trying to get to school and finding it hard to maneuver on ice) she meets a group of kids that soon become her best friends in the world. Zara, thinking that everything will be OK if she can just stick in out and suck it up decides to make the best of her new situation, its just to bad the town isn’t quite as sleepy and slow as she had originally thought. 2 boys go missing while another 2 start to fight over her, and in the end the world in not exactly what she thought it was.  She quickly learns that some people are “literally” more than they seem and her love for animals is going to be tested in a whole new way.

“Carrie Jones” did exactly what every YA author should, she set up the scene, she explained the characters and just when you thought you finally got it all straight, she proves you wrong and everything changes.  Flip!  The awkward moments were masterfully executed and the “moment of truth” was spun out into a beautiful web of emotional acceptance and the inability to give up on your beliefs.

There were moments of anger management issues resulting in a trashed house, an injured puppy, a hyper boy in a wheelchair, a smart mouthed grandma, 2 very cold moments in a ditch thanks to some irresponsible driving, hundred of pointy teeth, gold dust, and 1 very VERY pissed off daddy who is tired of waiting.

Get it, Live it, Love it and pass it on….this one is a good one kiddos.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: If it walks like and duck and talks like a duck…chances are his name is Daffy.

For a Complete Book Description Click Image

****~ (4/5)

2010 Preview

* The Line *

Release 3.4.10

Product Description

An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and super humans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.

Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.

Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

* The Dead-Tossed Waves *

(The Forest of Hands and Teeth Book 2)

Release 3.9.10

Product Description

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

* The Body Finder *

Release 3.16.10

Product Description

Violet Ambrose is starting her junior year in high school and faces problems shared by many teens. She is madly in love with Jay Heaton, her best friend since first grade, but does not know if he feels the same. She is trying to do well at school, but classes do not always hold her interest. Unlike others, however, Violet has the ability—or perhaps the curse—of sensing violent deaths around her. Every demise leaves a hint screaming to be discovered: sometimes a sheen of colors, other times a chorus of bells or even a specific smell. When Violet was eight, she discovered a girl’s body in the woods behind her house. This same killer is now striking her community again, kidnapping and murdering teenage girls. He even seems to be getting closer to Violet with every kill. She must deal with her emotions for Jay at the same time as she tries to stop this vicious murderer before it is too late for both. Derting’s first novel provides the reader with both Violet’s and the killer’s perspectives. Violet’s fear is palpable and rises as her attempt to find the murderer leads her close to death and as she confronts her feelings for Jay. The explicit and unsettlingly candid tone of the killer reminds one of Robert Cormier’s Tenderness (Delacorte, 1997), while several twists and turns keep the pages flipping. Older readers will quickly find themselves pulled into Derting’s neighborhood. Reviewer: Etiene Vallee

* Sleepless *

Release 7.13.10

Product Description

Eron DeMarchelle isn’t supposed to feel this connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce his human charges to sleep. Though he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn’t encouraged to do so. After all, becoming too involved in one human’s life could prevent him from helping others get their needed rest.

But he can’t deny that he feels something for Julia, a lonely girl with fiery red hair and sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. In the past, Eron has broken rules to protect Julia, but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can’t reach her. Eron’s time as a Sandman is coming to a close, and his replacement doesn’t seem to care about his charges. Worse, Julia is facing dangers she doesn’t recognize, and Eron, as he transitions back to being human, may be the only one who can save her. . . .

Even once they’ve become human again, Sandmen are forbidden to communicate with their charges. But Eron knows he won’t be able to forget Julia. Will he risk everything for a chance to be with the girl he loves?

Cyn Balog’s follow-up to Fairy Tale has more wit, more supernatural delights, and more star-crossed romance! Teen girls will love this story of a Sandman who falls in love with his human charge.

* Light Beneath Ferns *

Release 1.31.10

Product Description

I have this strange sense that my silence is preparing me for something I can’t name . . .

Elizah Rayne is nothing like other fourteen-year-old girls. More interested in bird bones than people, she wraps herself in silence. Trying to escape the shadow of her gambler father, Elizah and her mother move into an old house that borders a cemetery. All her mother wants is for them to have “normal” lives. But that becomes impossible for Elizah when she finds a human jawbone by the river and meets Nathaniel, a strangely hypnotic boy who draws Elizah into his dreamlike and mysterious world.

Only by forgetting everything she knows can Elizah understand the truth about Nathaniel—and discover an unimaginable secret.

* Folly *

Release 5.11.10

Product Description

Three fates intertwine in this moving and passionate love story set in Victorian London.

Mary Finn: country girl, maid to a lord in London

Caden Tucker: liar, scoundrel, and heart’s delight

James Nelligan: age six, tossed into a herd of boys

When Mary Finn falls into the arms of handsome Caden Tucker, their frolic changes the course of her life. What possesses her? She’s been a girl of common sense until now. Mary’s tale alternates with that of young James Nelligan, a new boy in an enormous foundling home.

In Folly, Marthe Jocelyn’s breathtaking command of language, detail, and character brings Victorian London to life on every page, while the deep emotions that illuminate this fascinating novel about life-changing moments are as current as today’s news.

* Linger *

(Shiver Book 2)

Release 7.20.10

Product Description

* Glimmerglass *

Release 5.25.10

Product Description

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her mother, an alcoholic, shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with playing the role of her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and travels to see her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. Dana is a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds. She has always known that her father is a big-deal Fae, but what she doesn’t realize is that she could be the key to his rise in power. When she arrives in Avalon, Dana finds herself a pawn in the game of magical politics. Avalon is a place where both magic and technology work, and humans and Fae coexist in something resembling peace. How can she change the winds of fate, find a boyfriend, and make new friends when she’s not sure who, if anyone, can be trusted?

* The Evil Within *

Release 6.10.10

Product Description

POSSESSIONS: A haunted, super-exclusive boarding school high in the mountains of Northern California…faces in mirrors, statues that move…and Lindsay, who’s had a nervous breakdown, fighting for her sanity, her life…and her soul.