Tag: Feiwel and Friends

Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.

Posted July 10, 2012 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments


Rowena’s review of Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.

Main Character: Emma
Love Interest: Galen
Series: Of Poseidon #1
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen’s not fully convinced that Emma’s the one he’s been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help—no matter what the risk.

I’ve never read a book about mermaids before. I’ve never really felt compelled to either but I’m glad that I decided to read this one. Even though this book threw me for a loop and made me want to smack someone from time to time, I enjoyed it. It was a good story with an ending that kicked me in the rear but overall, I enjoyed it.

This story follows the protagonist, Emma as she learns for the first time about being Syrena. Syrena are what humans call mermaids and Emma has a special bond with sea animals. When she stumbles into Galen (Prince Galen of Triton to the Syrena), she makes it onto his radar because he senses her abilities and is curious about her. He’s also attracted as all get out to her too. Not knowing enough about her after their first interaction, Galen gives up his fins for a bit until he can find out more about this Syrena girl who didn’t turn into a Syrena to save her friend from a shark.

The sparks fly between Galen and Emma all throughout this book. Galen’s attraction to Emma is complicated because if she’s who he thinks she is then he might have to stand back while his brother, Gromm takes Emma as his mate because of traditions and customs (and what not). Galen is pretty torn up about it since he’s pretty possessive over Emma and really wants her for himself and because of this, he keeps a part of him from Emma and it plays with her emotions. This is where I thought Galen would have been better off being honest with Emma right from the start (of their budding romance). It drove me a little crazy that he kept letting himself get caught up in moments that built one on top of the other, forging bonds with Emma that he couldn’t really act on because of his loyalty to his family and kingdom. But really, alls well that ends well and I was glad with the way that things worked out for them.

Emma’s personality was hard to take at times. She’s very stubborn and hardheaded and while it was cute to Galen…for me, all it did was make me want to punch her in the nose. He’s worried about her safety so he tells her not to go in the water while he’s away and what does she do? She goes in the water because she’s a tough girl and she can do what she wants. And then she senses an unfamiliar pulse in the water and gets scared and thinks, “So maybe Galen was right and I shouldn’t be in the water while he’s not here to protect me.”

Ugh, every time she disobeyed Galen, I wanted to smack her upside her head.

I will say that this book has a whole lot of things going on to keep it interesting. I wasn’t ever bored while reading this book but there were times when I had to put the book down because Emma was getting on my nerves or Rayna was getting on my nerves. Hell, even Galen got on my nerves but the one person that didn’t ride my nerves was Toraf. I adored him. I adored his love for Rayna, his persistence in chasing Rayna and his dogged determination to win her over. I totally adored him.

One thing that was a bit of a downer with this book was how easy it was for me to decipher who was who and what was going on and all that. I mean, I knew what was going to happen long before it actually comes to light in the story and while it wasn’t a big deal, what made it disappointing was the abrupt way the book ends. You’ll have to read it to understand what I mean but the way that this book ends made me narrow my eyes and think, “WTF kind of ending is that?” but aside from that, this book was a good read and I’m definitely interested in continuing with this story.

..and that’s your scoop!

This book is available from Feiwel and Friends.
Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com


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Guest Review: Don’t Stop Now by Julie Halpern

Posted September 7, 2011 by Ames in Reviews | 4 Comments


Main Character
: Lillian, aka Lil
Love Interest: Josh
Series: n/a
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

On the first day of Lillian’s summer-before-college, she gets a message on her cell from her sort-of friend, Penny. Not only has Penny faked her own kidnapping, but Lil is the only one who figures it out. She knows that Penny’s home life has been rough, and that her boyfriend may be abusive. Soon, Penny’s family, the local police, and even the FBI are grilling Lil, and she decides to head out to Oregon, where Penny has mentioned an acquaintance. And who better to road-trip across the country with than Lil’s BFF, Josh. But here’s the thing: Lil loves Josh. And Josh doesn’t want to “ruin” their amazing friendship.Josh has a car and his dad’s credit card. Lil has her cellphone and a hunch about where Penny is hiding. There’s something else she needs to find: Are she and Josh meant to be together?

I forgot where I saw a review of this book but that review contained the magical word – road trip. I love road trip themed books!! Ever since Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, I’ve been craving a road trip book something fierce! And for the double win, we have best friends falling for each other. Is there anything better?

Lillian, Josh and Penny have just graduated high school. Lillian is going to goof off all summer because she knows she’s going to have to buckle down in college. Josh is despondent a bit because his absent father has demanded he get a job, and this coming from a man who’s never had any input on Josh’s life before. And Penny…Penny has faked her own kidnapping in order to get away from her life. When the police and eventually the FBI question Lil about Penny, Lil decides on the spur of the moment to go to where she thinks Penny is, all the way across the country. Josh is the means to that end because he has a car. Also, Lil has loved Josh since freshman year. They’re best buds. So they cross the country, visiting every corny tourist destination they can think of while Lil slowly goes crazy with wanting Josh.

I could really get behind Lil’s character and her unrequited feelings for her best friend. I’ve been there, I hate to say it. LOL She’s also a bit of a bad friend towards Penny. She’s friends with her out of pity. Penny has a horrible boyfriend (it’s pretty obvious he’s physically abusive) and is kind of socially awkward and somehow Lil brings her under her wing. But Lil has a vague feeling of guilt over her friendship with Penny so she agrees to keep quiet when Penny disappears. But her guilt also drives her to go after Penny to make sure she really is ok. And she’s determined to use the trip to resolve her feelings about Josh.

Don’t Stop Now was very enjoyable. The road trip dynamic is written very well and I would get in a car with Lil and Josh any day. These were two cool cats and their friendship was solid. These two know each other so well. I enjoyed the characters and their adventures. There were definitely some fun times. Cheese castles and theme room hotels.

The whole Penny situation was a bit more deep than I was expecting from this novel and I didn’t feel that it was really resolved. I mean, Penny ran away rather than deal with her problem. That’s fine, a lot of people do it, but even at the end, she deals with one problem but the more important one, the abusive boyfriend, was kind of glossed over I felt. But other than that, I enjoyed this book. B+.

Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository|Kobo
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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Guest Review: Paradise by Jill S. Alexander

Posted August 31, 2011 by Ames in Reviews | 5 Comments

Main Character: Paisley

Love Interest: Paradise

Series: n/a

Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads


Paisley Tillery is the drummer for a country rock band. If they can make it to the stage at the Texapalooza music fest, then Paisley will be closer to her dream of a career in music and a ticket out of her small Texas town.

Drumming and music are what Paisley has always wanted. Until the band gets a new lead singer, the boy from Paradise, Texas. With Paradise in her life, what Paisley wants, and what she needs, complicate her dreams coming true.

I went into this book with absolutely no expectations and OMG did it ever grab me!! There was so much win going on in this book. I don’t even know where to start.

Paisley Tillery is the drummer for the Waylon Slider Band. She’s really good but she has to hide the fact from her mother. Her mother plays a very big role in Paisley’s life and kind of controls all of her actions. You see, Mrs. Tillery had big dreams but they all went down the drain when she got knocked up while still in high school and had to stay in their small hometown. She’s a bit bitter about it all. So she watches her two girls, Paisley and her older sister Lacey, with an eagle eye and steers them in the direction of their dreams. But Lacey doesn’t really want to be a singer and although she wears the purity ring her mother got her, she’s not so pure anymore. So Paisley hides the fact that she’s in a band from her mother, and that doesn’t just affect Paisley. Her father knows something’s up and he has her back, her uncle covers for her and all the members of her band cover for her too. Someone in the book said Paisley’s lies were like shotgun blast, they don’t just hit one person, and it’s so true. But for Paisley, she’s going to follow her dream and when the time is right, she’s going to tell her parents. But that time won’t come until after the Texapalooza – where her band is performing. If Paisley can just keep things together until then…but the band also needs a lead singer and so Paradise enters the story. Paradise is this oh-so-dreamy cowboy type who has crazy singing skills and can also rock the accordian. Yeah I said that right. LOL Paradise’s grandfather is a vallenato king. Colombian accordian king, and Paradise is a chip off the old block. Suddenly drumming isn’t the only thing Paisley focuses on. And Paradise can’t get over her purity ring, always bringing it up when they’re together.

There was so much going on that centered around Paisley and I was totally caught up in her story. Paisley is a very interesting character. She’s afraid of her mom, but not so much to not go after her dream. She’s wicked talented on the drums. She’s a great sister, covering for Lacey even when Lacey isn’t who she thought she was. This was a definitely a summer of growing up for Paisley. But what I absolutely loved about Paisley was her belief in herself. What am I talking about? Check it out:

He kissed me then whispered,” Paisley, I love that you’re fearless. You know what you want. Don’t let some fake, forced promise scare you.” His hands pressed around me. “This is between you and me. Don’t be afraid to say yes.”

“I’m not afraid to say yes to you.” A part of me wanted to. I held on to him. “But I’m also not afraid to say no.”

I love love love the fact that Paisley respects herself enough to say no to the guy she really really likes. She’s not ready and she stands up for herself. Not that Paradise forces her or anything, but he asks a question and she tells him no. Really, I loved that.

Another character that really stuck out for me was Paisley’s dad. He was going to be a big shot professional baseball player but he injured his shoulder before he could get there and he’s not bitter, he just does what he needs to do. All this in the face of his wife’s bitter disappointment over the way her life turned out.

Mother’s voice cracked. “This is not what we’ve worked for with the girls. I can’t turn Lacey loose with Levi Tucker. I won’t do it. She’s got to stay focused on her own dreams and plans. I won’t have her toss it to the side and lose it all because of some boy.”

That comment set my teeth on edge. I could’ve bit through a saddle strap. Mother threw the “some boy” remark out more than I cared to hear. No one in the house was confused that who she was really talking about was Dad. I wanted to tell her that it took both of them to make their choices, that she should back off Dad.

Dad squeezed her tighter. Her remark had to torture him, but he always managed to push past the pain. He’d lose a battle but win a war.

“You’re going to have to trust me on this one,” he whispered to her. Dad had an impressive amount of patience and conviction. Watching him love my mother – day in and day out – almost made me believe there was really something to the whole one-life-one-love thing. They hadn’t settled for each other just to do the right thing. He loved her.

Awww, I loved Paisley’s dad! Even when it was hard for him, he backed his wife up when she had to make a tough decision for Paisley. He wants to support his daughter’s but he needs to respect his wife. This guy was just as swoon-worthy as Paradise. LOL

All right, I know I’m just going on and on but I really enjoyed this book. A lot. Everything worked for me. All the characters were interesting. Even one character that stayed pretty much in the background. The author made him pop by showcasing a few of his songs. His lyrics were kind of heart-breaking because his could have been an interesting story too. And even the ending was a bit of a shocker. But it was all good in the hood. I’m giving this book an A-. And I’ll leave you with one last thing:

In his arms, I slowly unfolded like a love note read in secret.

Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository|Kobo

Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

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