Lure by Stephanie Jenkins

Title: Lure
Author: Stephanie Jenkins
Source: Ebook
Kindle Edition
Published March 29th 2011
Series: Siren's Lure

Plot:

Charlotte Brewer is sure she's crazy when she hears singing drifting from the ocean-normal people don't have arias playing on repeat in their head. When she gets wasted at a party and investigates the ethereal tune, she almost drowns. Charlotte comes to with an overwhelming thirst for salt water, a new desire to eat fish, and a heartbeat of only seven beats a minute. She wakes up by the sea almost every day and dead men wash up hours later.


But then Charlotte meets Lorelei, a siren. Lorelei reveals she saved her from drowning with the "Siren's Kiss"-a curse that made Charlotte a soulless immortal. Her role as a siren is simple: guide the souls of the dead at sea. Too bad taking care of the dead means being stuck in the middle of a war between a fertility goddess and the sirens . . . and losing her soul. If Charlotte wants to regain her mortality, she must find love with a mortal. And if she fails to secure it, she risks becoming a puppet to the gods.

My Thoughts:

I've read a ton of books, and I have to say Lure surpasses a lot of the books I've read lately. Charlotte  makes you root for her. Her story is so addictive. I literally couldn't put it down. The voice in the first paragraph hooked me right away and told me this was a girl I could totally be friends with. She isn't afraid to call someone out on their crap, which in my eyes makes for an awesome female lead character. She will keep you on your toes.


I was captivated by the first chapter. I just had to find out what/who was singing and putting Charlotte in a trace where time would literally be sucked away from her. The Siren's song that calls to her hypnotizes her and causes her to do some crazy things.

The other characters in the novel were also well written. It's so hard to make secondary characters lovable, but Jenkins has done an awesome job of making me care for them and interested in their stories as well.

If you want romance in a YA novel, this one is for you. Wyatt sizzles and I can see why Charlotte is attracted to him. Hooray for hot boys in YA!! LOL This really kept the read going too. I wanted to know more about him and I rooted for him and Charlotte to hook up.

There is plenty of mystery and suspense in this novel, so if your looking for a YA fantasy novel to read that rocks and still doesn't break the bank, give LURE a shot!! I love, love, loved it and would totally recommend!!

Get it Here for only 99cents!!!:

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready Review

Shift by Jeri Smith-Redi

4 out of 5 stars

Expected Publication Date: May 3rd, 2011 by Simon Pulse

My thoughts:

For all of you waiting to continue the journey with Aura, Logan and Zachary, have no fear! Your wait is almost over and well worth it! The sequel was simply awesome! I could not put this book down.

Favorite Quote from the novel:

Even as my cheeks flooded and my chest ached at the unfairness of it all, part of me wondered:

Had Zachary seen a ghost? Had the Shift made our parents sick?

Could a kiss really change the world?

Non-stop from beginning to end. This sequel filled in just as much information as it opened new avenues to explore. Such an eye opener to the real workings of the DMP. More revelations on the connection between the Last and the First as well as Aura's parentage.

I will say that the threesome love triangles popular in novels today has begun to wear pretty thin. The heroines are full of angst as they try to decide between love interests. This story takes that question to a whole different level with quite a new spin. So, hang on for an intoxicating ride!

Plus, an amazing CLIFF HANGAR!!!! I am so anxious for the next book!

Plot:

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

Review By Michele

Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut - Review

Quick Review:

Paperback, 174 pages

Expected publication: June 28th 2011 by Twilight Times Books
http://www.darbykarchut.com/
Setting: High Springs, Colorado, 2011

Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My Thoughts:




This novel really grew on me. I've read a lot of angel books this year, but GRIFFIN RISING was unlike any of the other angel YA novels I've read lately. The main character suffered throughout a lot of abuse from his first mentor Nicopolis in the beginning of the novel. Basil couldn't have come into the picture soon enough and saved Griffin from his current situation. It kind of reminded me of the 3rd Karate Kid movie for some reason, where the mentor was out to purposely hurt his pupil and the good mentor comes in and saves the kid.

The love story between Kate and Griffin was totally sweet. Romance makes or breaks a book for me and this adventurous story had just the right balance for this plot. The moments between Kate and Griffin were some of my favorite in the whole book.

The other thing I enjoyed about this novel was the presents of parents, which rarely happens in young adult stories. Most of the time the parents are non-existent.

Read this one if you want an angel book with a different spin.


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Plot:
 
For Griffin, it's time to angel up.


For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger.

But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever. It is their father-and-son relationship, sometimes turbulent, often hilarious, always affectionate, that sings through the story like a pure note.

Masquerading as the average teen next door, Griffin struggles to learn his trade, navigate the ups and downs of modern life among humans (including falling in love with the girl next door), and prepare for the ancient trial-by-combat every apprentice must pass at sixteen or be forced to become mortal.

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman - Review

Quick Review:

Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country by Allan Richard Shickman


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the second novel in the ZAN-GAH Series. It picks up about three years after the first story, which means our characters are a little more mature in this one. I really liked the character growth in this one. It was much darker than the first book and geared toward, what I felt, was a higher audience. The emotional baggage the characters have resulting from the struggles they went through in book one and during the next three years really drew me into this book.

If you are looking for a quick read, be sure and pick up this prehistoric adventure.

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Plot:
The prehistoric saga continues in Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country, the sequel to the award winning Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure. In this story, Zan s troubled twin brother, Dael, having suffered greatly during his earlier captivity, receives a ruinous new shock when his wife suddenly dies. Disturbed and traumatized, all of his manic energies explode into acts of hostility and bloodshed. His obsession is the destruction of the wasp men, his first captors, who dwell in the Beautiful Country. When he, Zan-Gah, and a band of adventurers trek to their bountiful home, they find that all of the wasp people have died in war or of disease. The Beautiful Country is empty for the taking, and Zan s people, the Ba-Coro, decide to migrate and resettle there. But the Noi, Dael s cruelest enemies and former tormentors, make the same migration from their desert home, and the possibility develops of contention and war over this rich and lovely new land.

Zan-Gah by Allan Richard Shickman - Review

Quick Review:

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fast paced read set in a prehistoric setting. This isn't the typical book I like to read, but I was surprised at how much I liked it. It kept me hooked. I put this one off for a while because, honestly I thought I wouldn't like it at all, but I'm glad I finally gave it a try. When I sat down with an open mind I flew through this book in about four hours. I would recommend this one to the younger YA audience, though--ages of 9-12. So if you are in the market for a fast read that is truly different from everything else out there in the YA market, give this novel a try.




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Plot:

Zan-Gah, seeking his lost twin brother in a savage prehistoric world, encounters adventure, suffering, conflict, captivity, and final victory. In three years hero passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a position of leadership among his people. Themes include survival, brotherhood, cultures, gender roles, psychological trauma, and nature's wonders and terrors. This is the electronic version of Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure, which has been awarded Mom's Choice Gold Medal for Series, the Eric Hoffer Notable Book Award, and was a finalist for ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year.