Expiration Date by Kristin Coley Review

Expiration Date

By Kristin Coley

4/5 stars

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Expiration Date is a fascinating story about Hope Lancaster, a girl who knows the exact time of everyone's death, including her own, by reading a countdown on them that only she can see. Knowing her death is coming quickly, Hope keeps her distance from other people and doesn't form close relationships. The closest anyone comes is her dad and her best friend Amber, both are also kept at a fair distance as she doesn't want to leave anyone to mourn after she's gone. Then things change when the cute new guy comes to town. Hope cannot see his expiration date and is instantly curious about him. This has never happened before. When Hope finds out seven people from her school are going to face an earlier death then they are supposed to she decides to try and stop it. With the help of the new guy, Hope successfully saves the seven people. However, when one thing leads to another Hope soon sees the consequences of preventing death and the cost that comes with it.

This is such an intense book. The characters are intense, the story is intense. I loved it! This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. It is told in multiple person point of view, giving more dimension to Hope's story. There are a few quirky lines in here that didn't seem to fit but I do not feel as though the story suffered because of them. It was still well written and great to read. This book was a great idea executed wonderfully.

Heroes A2Z #1: Alien Ice Cream by David Anthony Review

Heroes A2Z #1: Alien Ice Cream

By David Anthony

4/5 stars

Who doesn't love ice cream? One super hot day in Traverse City, the citizens get excited when an ice cream truck shows up with delicious frozen treats. Everyone wants some ice cream, including our 3 heroes. Abigail and Andrew, the twins, and Zoe, the baby. They soon find out that this isn't just ordinary ice cream, but alien ice cream that will help enslave humanity! I dont want to give away the ending, so I will just say it's great to find out how our heroes save the day... and the world.

This is such a cute book. I read this book to my very young daughter who seemed to really enjoy it. The characters are great and enjoyable. Their superpowers are fun and fit the characters well. The story itself was simple and enjoyable. The pictures in the book were adorable and really add to the book. I think it was a fantastic first book to the series and I look forward to continuing to read these books with my daughter. I think if these books had of been around when my son was younger it would of made his reading time so much easier. I recommend this book for anyone with younger children who like to be read to or early readers, around grades 1 - 4.

The House Of Twelve by Sean Davies Review

The House Of Twelve

By Sean Davies

5/5 Stars

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Voracious Readers Only. Any thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

In The House of Twelve, 12 strangers wake up in a house together with no memory of how or why they are there. They also have no memory of who they are, aside from their name. When they wake up they find the "House Rules" which they have to follow. 

The rules are simple:
1. No escape
2. Make what you have last
3. When the music stops, someone must die
4. Only one person can die per day and only during 11-Midnight

They must also remember "redemption is key". As each day goes on the twelve strangers become even more afraid as each one wonders if today will be their last. Alliances are formed, the next victim is picked, and the days inside the house continue. 

The author left out a lot of information about the characters that could of made them seem more human and less like a body waiting to die. However, I find that in the context of the story it really worked. The lack of information about the characters made the story more interesting in the way that the reader doesn't know more about the characters than the characters do, since none of them know anything about themselves until later in the book. I feel like finding the background of all the characters would have just been filler, especially the ones who died off earlier in the book. It felt as though the information was given on a need-to-know basis. 


This was such a great read! I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it at first but within a few pages I was hooked! The author has a new twist coming every time you think it's figured out. This book is creepy and will keep you on the edge of your seat until it's finished. I definitely recommend reading this book.

Minno By James Barlog Review

Minno

By James Barlog

2/5 stars

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Booksprout.Co. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

Minno is a 13-year-old girl who is being raised by her grandfather after the death of her parents. When the story begins Minno is starting a new school year in a new school when she makes a friend name Hailey. The two new friends have a sleepover to celebrate their new friendship, but when it takes an unexpected turn, they find out Minno's parents are actually alive and need her help. The two friends are soon off on an adventure to a strange, magical world where they meet new friends and face great challenges along the way. 

I have to start by saying this was not a bad book, it just wasn't for me. I did not enjoy this book and ended up having to really push myself to finish it. I couldn't connect with the characters and found them to be annoying throughout most of the book. I found Minno and Hailey to be quite rude to basically everybody. By the time I finished this book, I was glad it was over. 

So what was good about it? This book had a lot of action and adventure. There was always something happening. It had everything from an evil ruler to dragons and trolls to mean fighting fish and bunnies. The writing itself is good and the author gives good descriptions throughout the book. 

Had I of read this book when I was in its targeted age group I think I would have enjoyed it more. I would recommend this book to 10-14 year olds and those who love fantasy novels.

Tag By A.J. Everheart Review

Tag

By A.J. Everheart

4/5 stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Tag is a story about Mia, Alex, and their life after the zombie apocalypse. As we read we find out how they survive and fall in love when life is at it's worst. When the book begins, Mia and Alex are strangers. They meet when Alex and his friends raid Mia's hideout for supplies. There is an instant draw between the two and together they face all the trials, secrets and lies the end of the world has brought them.

The book itself has a great story. It was well written and very hard to put down. The only thing I did not like about this book is it could of been longer. The ending felt rushed and I felt like there could of been more zombie action filler.

I struggled with what I should rate this book. It came down to the content I felt it was missing versus how good the content it did have was written. In the end I went with 4 stars because I thought it was a really good read. As a zombie fan, I really enjoyed it. 

Overall, I do recommend reading this book if you are fans of zombies and/or dystopian books.

Four Nails by G.J. Berger Review

Four Nails

By G. J. Berger

4/5 stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review through Voracious Readers Only.

Four Nails is the captivating story of a young elephant trainer forced into slavery to help his family. Set in Ancient India, it is a beautiful story about Ashoka, Four Nails and the bond between them. Ashoka is a young elephant trainer, only 11 years old. Four Nails is the largest elephant the people have ever seen. In the beginning of the story Ashoka is very naive due to his young age. It isn't until an old woman is beheaded as a lesson and her head use as a deterrence that Ashoka begins to understand the changes he is about to face in his young life. With Four Nails marked for death and Ashoka trying to make himself worthy of a master, the two develop an unlikely bond of trust. During Ashoka's enslavement he finds himself training elephants, including Four Nails, for Hannibal's army only to end up marching the elephants with the army to war against the Romans. We watch Ashoka grow a lot as his journey with Four Nails and Hannibal's army unfolds.

The characters in this book are well thought out and written. The story itself was amazing. I really enjoyed this book and found it to be engaging from the beginning. It pulls at your heart strings evoking lots of emotions. This book made me happy at times and broke my heart during others. I loved this book and am glad to have gotten to read it. Overall, I do recommend reading this book, especially for elephant lovers.

Farfel and Bob's My Favorite Kitty by Kendra Carmichael Review

Farfel and Bob's My Favorite Kitty

(Best Cat Friends For Life Book 5)

By Kendra Carmichael

4/5 stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was a quick read and was able to get through it in approximately an hour. It was a cute story about two cats named Farfel and Bob.They are both cute and lovable characters. Bob reminds me a little of Garfield with his "must love only me" attitude. Join Farfel, Bob and their friend Rooster as they try to protect tulips, deal with foxes and help Bob become a bad kitty to make sure he stays the only kitty.

Overall, it was a fun read. The comic pictures inside give it a fun touch. I would read more of the Best Cat Friends For Life books. I recommend these books for any and all cat lovers. 

Blue Rabbit By Jimena Novaro Review

Blue Rabbit

By Jimena Novaro

4/5 stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Blue Rabbit is an urban fantasy novel that focuses on the adventures of 5 friends; Haley, Erika, Sandra, Nathan and Dorian.The relationship portrayed between the five friends shows a strong bond through hard times and difficult trials. When the book opens the friends have already found a magical land within the forest filled with creatures of its own. The friends have visited this magical land multiple times,when one night they are followed by a classmate named Mike. Mike is kidnapped by the creatures in the magical land and held captive there. The last time Mike was seen in his world was with the five friends, now everyone they know are blaming them for Mike's murder. The story opens with the friends devising a plan to get Mike back and clear their name. Their plan soon falls apart however, as they find out the creatures are after Erika who they believe is a "dark human". The book takes you through their adventure to find out if they can save Mike and clear their names. And if they can, how?

I was able to get through this book rather quickly as it was quite interesting and easy to gobble up. It was easy to enjoy the characters and watch the story unfold. There's lots of twists turns and emotional tugs to keep this story going until the last page. A great debut novel by the author. I look forward to reading other works by Jimena Novaro in the future.

Shakespeare's Witch: Pages of Darkness Book One Review

Shakespeare's Witch: Pages of Darkness Book One

By Samantha Grosser

5/5 Stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review through Booksprout.co.

This book was definitely not what I expected. It had both good and bad points but I think the good outweighed the bad for me.

The bad:

Sarah and Tom are half brother and sister and their relationship made me uncomfortable at most times. In the early chapters there are references to sexual feelings between them. Things escalate and end up becoming intimate between the two. There is a fair amount of disturbing sexual content laced throughout the book that I wasn't expecting. However, after finishing the book, I do think this content is necessary in order to portray the strong character of Tom and to set the appropriate mood for the book. The story would have most likely not been as good had the author of left it out. The synopsis should include a sexual content warning for those who are uncomfortable with such content.

The good:

This book is well written, has well developed characters and, aside from the creepy brother and sister sexual content, it is a real page turner with magic, witches, and lots of suspense. The storyline is well thought out and developed. Well written and engaging.

Overall, it's a good read if you can get past the sexual content. I would definitely recommend this book to anywho with an interest in the beliefs of magic and witchcraft of the past. 

Wormwood by D.H. Nevins Review

Wormwood

By D.H. Nevins

5/5 Stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review through Voracious Readers Only.

I found this book to be quite interesting with enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. While Wormwood is based on the Christian views of the end of days it is not over bearing or in your face with Christianity and/or religion. I think D.H. Nevins had the perfect balance of religious references for the intended purpose of the novel.

Kali is the main protagonist. She is very likeable and well developed. Her only flaw, in my opinion, was her weakness towards Tiamat in all situations. No matter what horrible thing he did to her, or in front of her, she was too much in love with him to stop him. Her greatest strength was her determination to survive despite everything. Tiamat is the other protagonist in this story . He is half angel  and half human. While his character is well developed I didn't find him likeable, in fact I found him to be simply awful. However, once his motives became  clear I found myself sympathetic of his past and rooting for his future.

This book was a rollercoaster in the best way with lots of twists, turns and excitement. I really enjoyed this book and felt the set up for the next book was great and left me excited to read it. I will definitely be reading the second book, Angel Of Shadow, in the near future.