Tag: Razorbill

Guest Review: A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes

Posted September 8, 2015 by Whitley B in Reviews | 1 Comment

4Whitley’s review of A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes

Modern-day sisters discover deadly ancient magic in book 1 of this Falling Kingdoms spin-off series!

Worlds collide in this suspenseful, page-turning Falling Kingdoms spin-off series, which explores a whole new side of Mytica—and an even darker version of its magic.

Crystal Hatcher, Modern-day Toronto: It’s a normal afternoon in her mother’s antique bookshop when Crys witnesses the unthinkable: her little sister Becca collapses into a coma after becoming mesmerized by a mysterious book written in an unrecognizable language.

Maddox Corso, Ancient Mytica: Maddox Corso doesn’t think much of it when he spots an unfamiliar girl in his small village. Until, that is, he realizes that she is a spirit, and he is the only one who can see or hear her. Her name is Becca Hatcher, and she needs Maddox to help get her home.

Farrell Grayson, Modern-day Toronto: Rich and aimless Farrell Grayson is thrilled when the mysterious leader of the ultra-secret Hawkspear Society invites him into the fold. But when he learns exactly what he has to do to prove himself, Farrell starts to question everything he thought he knew about family, loyalty, and himself….

Fate has brought these young people together, but ancient magic threatens to rip them apart.

This book was unfortunate enough to piss me off in the first few pages, then didn’t change my mind. It probably would have been just a neutral sort of book, not really terrible but not really stellar, if only it hadn’t hit that one note right out the gate. It just soured the entire experience for me. That sour note was, of course, Farrell and his horrendous introduction.

Actually, I’m not sure it would have been a great book even without Farrell’s “using an unconscious woman as a prop to show off I (supposedly) have a good heart despite being a misogynistic pig” introduction. First of all, the story is split between three character POVs in three different places. Now, a multiple POV is not a bad thing, but when you’ve got multiple storylines to go with it? Still fine, so long as you’re writing a doorstopper. Because now you’ve got three arcs to go through, three intros, three rising actions, three conclusions, the whole shebang. Yes, two of those stories intersected, but not thoroughly enough to skimp on structure. Basically this book should have been three times longer than a normal one, but it wasn’t. Which means instead we got three very short and sparse stories in one book. Very little actually happened, and it felt even slower than it was because of having to read through, basically, the same part of a story three times over. It might be technically be new set-up when we switch from one character to another, but it’s still set-up, and we still feel it.

With that kind of structure, it was very hard to get sucked into any part of the story. Nothing was fleshed out enough to suck me in. There was potential for interesting shenanigans. Lord knows I love me some evil secret societies, and the Goddess in Maddox’s world was a fun villain. Well, she was kind of stock by herself, but her effect on the culture was kind of cool, especially with knowing how it all turns out since I read the other series. The characters were alright, although the love stories were…eh, the stockiest of stock YA, to be frank. There just wasn’t enough substance to anything for me to get excited about it. They were just ideas; fun to think about but that’s about it.

But let’s talk about Farrell. Or let’s not, because I don’t think there’s much to say besides I hate his face. I actually really liked his storyline. Under the mind control of a bad guy, doing bad things but thoroughly convinced he’s doing good. Because, ya know, mind control. That’s got to be fun to play with. But Farrell just made me want to punch his gonads every time he opened his mouth, because if you give a cool story to a buttface he’s still a buttface. He was like an amalgamation of every Bad Boy Trope I’ve ever seen, but with dialogue so clunky that at times it was painful to read. He was so pleased with his “charm,” and then I had to read what he thought was smooth talking and rolled my eyes so hard I thought I might burst a blood vessel.

So, yeah, good idea, but too little meat and Farrell needs to die. I won’t be continuing this series, though I will still be reading the Falling Kingdoms series.

Rating: 3 out of 5

This title is available from Razorbill.  You can purchase it here or here in e-format.


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Review: Natural Born Angel by Scott Speer

Posted April 10, 2013 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments


Rowena’s review of Natural Born Angel by Scott Speer.

Main Character: Maddy Montgomery-Godright
Love Interest: There’s two
Series: Immortal City #2
Author: Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

Life turned upside down for Maddy Montgomery when she found out she was half-Angel and was catapulted into the scene of flashbulbs, paparazzi, and the fervent adulation that comes with being in the celebrity Angel world. She’s trying to juggle her ordinary life—high school, family, friends—with the intense demands of being in the public eye as heartthrob Angel Jackson Godspeed’s girlfriend.

And now Maddy must face the most difficult choice of her life. She’s been offered the chance to become a Guardian. This means entering into dangerous and high stakes training, with no guarantee that she can succeed. But more than that, it would mean leaving her mortal life behind—forever—and allying with the Angels at a time when their relationship with humans is heading for war. . .

I’m not going to lie.  I requested this book for review because I heard that Scott Speer was Ashley Tisdale’s boyfriend.  I’m a fan of the High School Musical movies but I’m also a huge fan Ashley’s character, Maddy Fitz-something on Suite Life of Zack and Cody (from the Disney channel).  So when I heard that her boyfriend was a YA author, I was curious.

I’m glad that I was curious because I really enjoyed this book.  It reminded me of the X-Men movies with…angels.  Now, I didn’t read the first book in this series (though it was my plan when I first requested the book) but I charged right into this book anyway.

And I’m glad that I did because this book was good.

So, Maddy Montgomery is a half human-half angel girl who is dating the Jackson Godspeed, the it Guardian angel.  Angels in this world that Scott Speer has created are celebrities.  They’re followed by the paparazzi and they’re idolized and loved by everyone around the world.  Angels are guardian angels who save people’s lives…for those that can afford to pay for their services.  I thought this was a really interesting way to portray angels and it made falling into this story so easy because angels are always portrayed as being holy people who are religious and who always choose the right.

But these angels are just like humans.  They’re not perfect.  They have their own struggles and their own problems and that made it so much easier to connect with all of the characters in this book.  Maddie is only half-angel but when she makes the decision to train to become a Guardian and hopefully help save lives, she thought she’d be able to make a difference within the angel community.  Help bring about change to help even more people than the angels help right now.

When the book first begins, Maddy and Jacks are so close and so in love.  Maddy has made the decision to join Jacks as a Guardian and Jacks couldn’t be happier but over the course of the book, the trust they had in each other is tested and things start to unravel for the both of them.  Maddy has her own issues to deal with, living in this new angel world that is slowly overwhelming her and then Jackson is dealing with his new reality, after the big bang of whatever happened on the library tower in the previous book.  His angel wings haven’t healed and he can’t fly and if he can’t fly, he can’t save lives.  You see the stress of all of that start taking over their lives and driving the two of them apart.

Even though I didn’t read the first book, I thought Speer captured their struggles in a way that was easy for newcomers to relate to and connect with.  I will say that the way that this book ended, had me sitting up in bed cursing myself that I have such a long wait until the next book …and then I remembered that I still have to read the first book so I got all excited again and once payday gets here, my first purchase will be The Immortal City by Scott Speer.

So I think it’s safe to say that I enjoyed this book.  I enjoyed getting to know Maddy, learning all about the world that Scott Speer brought to life within this book and even though the love triangle in this book felt like it was thrown in there without much thought, I still enjoyed this book.  So yes, I definitely recommend this book.

…and that’s your scoop!

This book is available from Razorbill. This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://goodreads.com


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Review: Crush Control by Jennifer Jabaley.

Posted August 16, 2011 by Rowena in Reviews | 1 Comment


Main Character: Willow
Love Interest: Max
Series: None
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

Willow has spent most of her life as her mother’s sidekick in a popular Las Vegas hypnotism show. So when she and her mom move back to their sleepy southern hometown to start over, she thinks she’s in for a life of quiet normalcy. Except that her new life turns out to be anything but, when she kinda sorta hypnotizes Quinton, the hottest guy on the football team, to fall madly, deeply, head over heels in love with her. But what started out as an innocent way to make her best friend, Max, jealous soon gets way out of hand, and Willow begins to wonder if the mind – and more importantly, the heart – is something you can really control.

Friends to more than friends, I love this storyline and this book is all about the best friends becoming more than friends and I enjoyed it all immensely. Willow’s best friend is Max and they’ve been best friends since they were little kids and when Willow’s Mom announces that they’re moving across the country to Vegas so that she can host a hypnotist show on the strip, Willow goes because really, what choice does she have?

So before Willow moves to Vegas, leaving Max behind she tries her hand at hypnotizing Max into making sure that they stay best friends no matter what….and they do. Day after day, month after month, year after year, Willow and Max stay in touch and they stay best friends until one night Willow calls Max in tears of a recent heart break and Max comforts her. From that night on, Willow sees Max as more than just her best friend. When she gets the news that her Mom is moving them back to their hometown, Willow is over the moon because she’ll be closer to Max and she’ll finally get a chance to take her friendship with Max and make it something more.

Things are going swimmingly until she moves back home and finds out that Max has moved on. He’s got a girlfriend that he’s crazy about and Willow starts to question, well, everything. It sucks for her because she loves Max but she can’t be with Max because he’s happy with his girlfriend. When she first comes back to town, she runs into the hottest guy she’s ever seen before in her life and his name is Quinton. They flirt and when school starts up again, she runs into him again and is pleased when he remembers her and they share their little inside joke. Rumors fly about Willow’s Moms being a hypnotist and before Willow knows whats what, she’s being asked to do a hypnotist show at a party where all the popular people will be at and Max isn’t happy about it.

She’s not a professional, she could do some damage without meaning to and Max really doesn’t want her to do it but when she does it anyway, he’s supportive of her. It’s what best friends do. The drama that goes down in this book hits one after another after another. I couldn’t help but get annoyed each and every time Willow let herself get talked into doing things she shouldn’t have been doing in the first place. There were plenty of times when I wanted to wack her upside the head because she went about her business like it wasn’t a big deal when it was. The whole thing with Quinton and the spell she put him under had me cringing because I’m not a fan of mind control and that’s basically what she did to him.

Everything works out in the end (you’ll just have to find out how by reading it for yourself) and I honestly adored Max’s character so I ended up enjoying the book but my enjoyment didn’t come without some hiccups, Willow’s behavior being at the very top of that list. Jennifer Jabaley did a fabulous job of sucking me into this story and into the characters because I was wrapped up in their world the entire time that I was reading this book. I laughed with them, I was disappointed in them and I rejoiced with them.

Willow isn’t a bad person and I didn’t hate her at all, I just wanted her to listen to those around her more. She seriously messed with Quinton’s head and I didn’t feel like she was reprimanded enough for her actions and that’s really the reason that this book is getting a B instead of an A because outside of Willow’s behavior, I enjoyed everything else about this book so freaking much. Max, Max and Willow and even the friendships that blossomed between her and Georgia and even her and Mia. I really enjoyed getting to know both Georgia and Mia. Georgia cracked me up with her love of pop culture and Mia made me smile because she was such a people pleaser. But as much as I liked all of the characters in the book, it was Max that I loved the most. I loved that his relationship with Willow and I loved the person he grew up to be. Such a swoonworthy piece of boy and I ate him up!

If you’re looking for a contemporary YA book that will warm your heart and make you smile then this is the book for you. It did the trick for me and I’m sure it will for you too. =) Kudos to Jennifer Jabaley for writing a book worth reading.

..and that’s your scoop!

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


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Review: Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison.

Posted October 28, 2010 by Rowena in Reviews | 5 Comments


Main Characters: Leesie Hunt, Michael Walden
Series: Michael and Leesie’s series (I have no idea what it’s called), Book 1

Leesie Hunt has many rules: No kissing. No sex. No dating outside the Mormon faith.

When Michael Walden—a deep-sea diver who lost his parents in a violent hurricane—arrives in town, Leesie sees someone who needs her. They fall for one another, even though his dreams are tied to the depths of the ocean and hers to salvation above.

Will their intense chemistry be too strong to resist?

Leesie and Michael must make the hardest choice of their lives: whether to follow their beliefs or their hearts.

Readers will be swept away by this tale of forbidden romance told in online chats, Leesie’s chapbook poems, and Michael’s dive log. It’s as steamy as Twilight and just as clean.

I read this book a while ago but wanted to review it here because it was brought to my attention again since my niece Chaylene is reading this book. She started it and was wondering if the book was going to be preachy since Leesie is a goody good Mormon girl. I couldn’t remember much of it so I went ahead and re-read the entire book. Ha! I’m glad to see that it was still enjoyable this time around.

This story follows Michael Walden as he tries to move on with his life after the death of both of his parents. He now lives in his father’s old room with his grandmother and though he has to go to school, all he thinks about is diving. He’s a deep sea diver just like his parents but as much as he thinks about diving, he’s too scared to dive again since he lost his parents.

At school, he keeps to himself. Not wanting to make friends, not wanting to be there but having to go anyway. He forms a tremulous friendship with Leesie Hunt, the town’s goody good Mormon girl and soon that friendship turns into so much more and Leesie Hunt turns into so much more than a friend. Their blossoming romance is what kept me invested in this story. I adored it. It reminded me so much of the relationships I had growing up in a Mormon household.

The strict rules, the forbidden loves and all of that took me right back to my high school years, wanting to be with the non member at school but knowing that my parents would disapprove. All of those memories were wrapped up in Leesie and Michael’s story and I think that’s what I enjoyed most about the book. The story held true to Leesie’s beliefs but it wasn’t preachy. This book isn’t about the Mormon Church, it’s not trying to baptize the readers..it’s about a Mormon girl falling in love with a Non-Mormon boy and trying to find some middle ground between the two of them.

I really enjoyed getting to know both Michael and Leesie. My heart went out to Michael and I was so glad when Leesie finally came into his life because she was just what he needed. He needed someone to help him grieve for his parents and watching the both of them get closer and closer was too freaking sweet.

The story is well written and it’s easy to follow along. I loved the personal touches with Leesie’s poems and Michael’s dive log, it made their world seem so much more real to me and I totally ate everything up. This book is a good one and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a cute romantic YA story. Mothers out there, I recommend this book to all kids 13 and up.

..and that’s your scoop!

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


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