Rewrite Redemption by J.H. Walker

Blurb

She’s sixteen. He’s seventeen. They don’t know each other…at least not yet.

She has a secret and her whole life revolves around keeping it. Every few months and with little warning, she simply disappears, pulled into the past for hours or even days. She’s terrified it will happen in front of someone, changing her life forever. So far, the only witnesses have been her parents, and that didn’t end well. She has no control over it and no idea why it happens to her.

She wants answers.

He has answers—at least he understands what’s going on. He has a secret, too. He’s part of an organization that goes back in time to rewrite reality. But he also has a problem. He broke the organization’s number-one rule by altering his own timeline. As punishment, he’s been blocked from time travel, which is most unfortunate. Because the changes he made to his timeline, accidentally resulted in disaster for his family. A disaster he’s now prevented from repairing. No one can travel beneath the organization’s radar except a Shadow. But they’re rare, so rare he’s never even met one.

Then he moves to her town.

My Perspective

This is the twentieth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Rewrite Redemption by J.H. Walker at Ramblings In The Skye. You can read their thoughts on the book here.

Rewrite Redemption is mainly about A.J., a sixteen year old girl who is able to travel back in time. However not by her own will, it happens randomly and not always at the best of times. Struggling to survive high school without her secret becoming known, A.J. hides behind dark glasses and a large hoodie, her only friends being Lex and iPod. However one day that all changes when a new boy moves into town, he too having her ability.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise of time travel has always interested me so i like to read books that explore it. This was a completely different take on it, which i appreciated it and it reminded me slightly of the ISOs in Tron: Legacy.

A.J. is easy to like and root for. My heart really went out to her because of what happened with her parents and you really want everything to work out for her. Lex and iPod were great best friends and you couldn’t help but like them too. Constantine on the other hand had me in two different minds. He was a great guy who was easy to like however he also annoyed me and i didn’t like everything about him and his attitude. However in a way it was good because it meant he wasn’t perfect.

Obviously as the premise of the book is time travel, you kind of get the obvious that everything is probably going to work out well because they can just go back in time and “fix” things. However the journey on how and what the end result will be was not what i expected. I had some inklings about things however didn’t know if the author was going to go there or not and I’m really glad that they did.

As it is a young adults book, there is teenage romance throughout, which didn’t have me rolling my eyes as much as i thought. It was very present however i enjoyed it more than i thought i would. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of eye rolling, corny moments – however the story was interesting enough that it was able to carry them without it losing my attention.

The explanations and science behind everything was a little far fetched however explained it quite well and was to some extent plausible. Obviously you have to suspend some belief when it comes to time travel however this was a good example of it not being ridiculously impossible.

I did find that some of the book may have been a bit unnecessary. I found that the story got a bit bogged down by the amount of inner dialogue. I felt it would have been a bit more interesting had some of that been trimmed down and that it would have flowed a bit faster.

Overall it was a really enjoyable book that i would definitely recommend if you like young adult science fiction.

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Draekora (The Medoran Chronicles #3) by Lynette Noni

Blurb

“I swear by the stars that you and the others slain tonight will be the first of many. Of that you have my word.”

With Aven Dalmarta now hiding in the shadows of Meya, Alex is desperate to save Jordan and keep the Rebel Prince from taking more lives. Training day and night to master the enhanced immortal blood in her veins, Alex undertakes a dangerous Meyarin warrior trial that separates her from those she loves and leaves her stranded in a place where nothing is as it should be. As friends become enemies and enemies become friends, Alex must decide who to trust as powerful new allies—and adversaries—push her towards a future of either light… or darkness. One way or another, the world will change…

My Perspective

I was hanging out for the release of this on April 1! I bought it as soon as it was available and i couldn’t put it down.

Draekora follows Alex as she begins her training in Meya, specifically the Varranguard, to test her abilities and where her strengths and weaknesses lie. However fate has a different course of action for her and Alex soon finds herself caught in something she never could have imagined.

Draekora is the sequel to Raelia and is the third instalment in The Medoran Chronicles. I was slightly disappointed in Raelia however i can say for sure i did not feel the same about Draekora!

The story continues on pretty much from the end of Raelia. It jumps right into the action and i was almost immediately immersed in the story. It is fairly even paced yet still keeps you on your toes.

I liked Alex again in Draekora however i still find her a bit naive. I feel like some things are so obvious and she takes forever to “get them”. I enjoyed meeting the new characters, who were really likeable and also getting to know familiar characters even more. It was also interesting to get to know them in a different way. You certainly feel a bit torn by the end of the story.

I have to say that the main plot of the story was super predictable however all the smaller storylines throughout weren’t and despite knowing where it was all leading, i still really, really enjoyed reading the book. Like I’ve mentioned before, although it’s not a Nobel Prize winning novel, i love reading them. They are interesting, hold my attention and i can’t wait for the next one to be released. Also i definitely noticed a significant improvement in the author’s writing throughout Draekora.

Without spoiling the ending…it really tears you apart. Even though i knew what was going to happen, the way that it happened was heartbreaking. WHY IS IT ANOTHER WHOLE YEAR FOR THE NEXT BOOK TO COME OUT?

Overall i would definitely recommend this series to those who like YA fantasy, however you obviously should start at the beginning with Akarnae.

October Baby by Eric Wilson and Theresa Preston

Blurb

Not long after Hannah, a college student, experiences increasing anxiety and a sudden collapse, all signs point to the surprising circumstances of her birth. Hannah soon learns from her parents that she was adopted and is the survivor of a failed abortion attempt.

Bewildered, angry, and confused, she turns to her oldest friend, Jason, for support. Encouraged by his adventurous spirit, Hannah joins his friends on a road trip, embarking on a journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for the unknown future.

Along the way, Hannah finds that every life is beautiful, and that life itself can be so much more than what we might have planned.

Based on the popular movie of the same name, October Baby brings to life powerful themes of hope, love, forgiveness, and redemption.

My Perspective

October Baby is the novel version of the movie, October Baby, which is about a college student named Hannah who collapses on stage during a performance due to medical issues related to her birth. Her world as she knows it falls apart with the knowledge of what really happened when she was born – that she was the product of a failed abortion and her parents adopted her. She joins a group of friends on their Spring Break trip to visit the place where she was born – and hopefully find some answers.

Last year we watched the movie version of October Baby at the youth group we run. The theme for the term was forgiveness and this story really explored that concept well. I was curious to read the novel version of it especially if any of our youth wanted to read it too.

At first I found it hard to get into the book as it started out when Hannah was a child and i found the reading a bit immature. I had to remind myself that I am not the target audience for the book and so i got into a bit more plus Hannah soon became a college student so things matured.

Hannah is a likeable and realistic character. She bugged me a little bit because she reminded me of myself with the acting – a little bit up herself. Plus I couldn’t get over how much she let her parents dictate her life even though she was an adult. I can understand she was living under their roof so it was their rules etc. but I felt like she acted like a young teenager! I liked Jason except I couldn’t really understand his relationship with Alanna. I found it hard to like her Dad because he was so controlling. I understood he wanted the best for her however he went about things all the wrong way! I really liked her mother.

The story really explores the concept of what abortion looks like when it fails and how the product of that is much more than just a fetus. I’d rather not get into a political debate about abortion in a book review however I think this book is a great way to start a discussion.

The story has a small element of Christianity throughout however it’s very subtle and doesn’t shove any agendas in your face. It mainly just focuses on the power of forgiveness, which I think is great.

The story flowed fairly well and although it was a bit sappy in places, it was an enjoyable read.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to those who like a fairly lighthearted book with deep messages and themes.

Raelia (The Medoran Chronicles #2) by Lynette Noni

Blurb

“Life is full of crossroads, Alex. Full of choices.”

Returning for a second year at Akarnae Academy with her gifted friends, Alexandra Jennings steps back through a doorway into Medora, the fantasy world that is full of impossibilities.

Despite the magical wonder of Medora, Alex’s life remains threatened by Aven Dalmarta, the banished prince from the Lost City of Meya who is out for her blood.

To protect the Medorans from Aven’s quest to reclaim his birthright, Alex and her friends seek out the Meyarin city and what remains of its ancient race.

Not sure who—or perhaps what—she is anymore, all Alex knows is that if she fails to keep Aven from reaching Meya, the lives of countless Medorans will be in danger. Can she protect them, or will all be lost?

My Perspective

Raelia sees Alex back at the Academy for another year and this time she’s got a lot more experience under her belt. However it’s no where near enough to protect herself against Aven Dalmarta, the disinherited Elven Prince of Meya. Too much trouble comes looking for Alex so with a promise to the headmaster, Alex must find The Lost City of Meya, home of the Elves, to seek their help and to warn them of Aven’s plans.

Raelia is the sequel to Akarnae and follows on about two to three months after the end of Akarnae, starting at the beginning of the new school year.

There was a lot of fill in story at the beginning to tie the two books together, which I could see was necessary to some extent however there was quite a lot of information and it was a bit of a case where the author needed to “show and not tell”. I also found it quite hard to believe that Alex’s parents would have reacted the way they did. Certainly mine wouldn’t have!

I enjoyed getting to know the familiar characters a bit more and meeting the new characters. I didn’t find Alex as likeable as before though, and the brotherly affection she seems to have with almost every single male character started to irk me a bit. Also there’s a bit more sexual tension in this book and I’m sure it would appeal to YA female readers however it made me roll my eyes.

There was more adventure in this book and it really kept you on edge with the perilous situations they found themselves in. It was lighthearted and comedic however with a dark twist, and like the previous book, isn’t an epic – albeit still very interesting and full of fantasy adventure.

I found that I didn’t enjoy Raelia as much as I did Akarnae. There were quite a few corny moments however I understand it’s aimed at YA so I will let that slide. It was more that I found I had to suspend my disbelief even more than the previous book and without spoiling it, some things were just a bit too easy.

I have to say though that it kept me interested and I couldn’t put it down! Also I totally didn’t see the ending coming (I did before it happened but not like half way through or anything). I was quite surprised. I did feel like a part of the way the ending happened was so obvious and I was cringing the entire time however I didn’t see the twist that went with it.

Again, although it’s not the best written novel, it certainly takes you captive and I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in the series. This time I have to wait a bit longer though!

 

Akarnae (The Medoran Chronicles #1) by Lynette Noni

Blurb

With just one step, sixteen-year-old Alexandra Jennings’s world changes—literally.

Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities.

Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her… but he’s missing.

While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora’s boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can’t ignore her fear that something unexpected… something sinister… is looming.

An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex’s shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race’s survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home?

Will Alex risk her entire world—and maybe even her life—to save Medora?

My Perspective

I follow Lynette Noni’s blog and I’ve been wanting to read her debut novel for some time now. I got my hands on a copy and I’ve finally been able to read it!

Akarnae follows Alexandra (Alex) Jennings as she is transported to another world, Medora and the Akarnae Academy for the gifted. Much to her surprise, her arrival is expected and the only person who can help her get home again is Akarnae’s headmaster – who happens to be absent. In the meantime, she is enrolled into the academy, makes two best friends, and is discovering all that this new world has to offer.

A common description for this book is a mix of Harry Potter, Narnia, and The X-Men. While that may make it unoriginal, to me if you enjoyed the story and can’t wait to read the next book, well the author has done her job.

At first the writing felt unnatural, like the author was trying too hard however it soon started to flow a lot better and settled in to a great YA story.

Alex was easy to like. She was down to earth, a bit of a klutz and really put a solid effort in. Her acceptance of being thrown into another world was a little bit unbelievable however the overall tone of the book feels more lighthearted and fun than major epic so I’m not sure whether the author is going for that so isn’t too concerned about it being too believable (this goes for all the technology too, which wasn’t so much far fetched – just the way it was explained was a bit simplistic). The other characters were fun and likeable – Jordan and Bear are definitely the kind of guys a teenage girl wants as her best friends. The villain wasn’t as strong as he could have been, he was the only character who I was disappointed in. He fell a bit flat. In turn, the whole “complication” of the story fell a bit flat. That was probably my only major qualm with the story.

The story is interesting, holds mystery and adventure, is super fun and really goes all out with the imagination. I really loved that even though Alex obviously is attracted to some of the fellows in the book, it’s completely not a focus at all. That part felt very realistic and gains a huge thumbs up for me (so many YA are bogged down in ridiculous romance).

Overall I really enjoyed the story and I found it hard to put down. I was pulled into Medora along with Alex and although it’s not the most original text, it’s fun and lighthearted and full of adventure. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series – Raelia – it comes out on March 23rd!

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

Blurb

As Seraphina travels the Southlands in search of the other half-breeds to help in the war effort, the dragon General Comonot and his Loyalists fight against the upstart Old Guard – with the fate of Goredd and the other human countries hanging in the balance.

My Perspective

Shadow Scale is the sequel to Seraphina and follows Seraphina as she makes her way to Ninys, Samsam, and Porphyry to find her fellow ityasaari and convince them to come back to Goredd to help in the war effort. However she soon attracts the attention of someone else wanting to use the ityasaari and things begin spiraling out of Seraphina’s control.

The story pretty much seamlessly flows on from the previous one and there are little tidbits of information throughout that help you remember any of the important details you may have forgotten.

Seraphina seemed to have lost some of her nerve in this book and I found her attitude a bit galling. She wasn’t as brave and she harboured so much guilt over Jannoula and what had been done to her (even though she had nothing to do with it) that I felt she was a bit submissive in regards to Jannoula’s actions. I really liked Abdo and I enjoyed getting to know him a bit more. I absolutely abhorred Jannoula and was like, please, someone kill her already! What she went through was horrific however instead of turning her life around, the way she dealt with it was so cruel and manipulative. It was fun to meet all the other ityasaari.

The story was interesting and kept you on your toes and I enjoyed reading about the different places that they traveled to.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the ending though. I found it a tad lame.

Overall the book was enjoyable and a must read if you’ve read Seraphina to complete the story however it definitely wasn’t as good as the first book.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Blurb

The kingdom of Goredd is populated by humans and by dragons who fold themselves into a human form. Though they live alongside each other, the peace between them is uneasy.

But when a member of the royal family is murdered, and the crime appears to have been committed by a dragon the peace and treaty between both worlds is seriously threatened . . .

Into this comes Seraphina, a gifted musician who joins the royal court as the assistant to the court composer. She is soon drawn into the murder investigation and, as she uncovers hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace in Goredd for good, finds herself caught desperately in the middle of the tension.

For Seraphina hides a secret – the secret behind her musical gift – and if she is found out, her life is in serious danger . . .

My Perspective

This is the fifteenth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Seraphina by Rachel Hartman from Sarah at The Last Book I Read. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

Seraphina is about Seraphina Dombegh, assistant to Viridius, court composer for Castle Goredd. Seraphina is busy preparing for the fortieth anniversary of the peace treaty between Goreddi and dragons. Relations between humans and dragons have become somewhat tensioned though due to the murder of Prince Rufus. Through Orma, Seraphina’s tutor who is also a dragon, Seraphina becomes involved in matters and sets in motion things that cannot be undone.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found the concept really fresh and interesting. It was well written and kept me on my toes. It was medium paced with a good balance of both action and character building. One thing I think would have made it even better was if the author had spent a little more time on “world building”. I found it a bit simplistic and unoriginal.

Seraphina was easy to like although not super easy to relate to. This didn’t stop me from caring for her and rooting for her. She was smart, brave and extremely talented. I really liked Kiggs and Selda, which made a certain circumstance really hard and I was so torn. Orma was thoroughly likeable despite his quirks.

I found it so refreshing that the romance in the book was quite muted and didn’t take away from the overall story.

I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Blurb

Things happen when people touch Juliette. Strange things. Bad things. Dead things.

No one knows why her touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.

But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, without love, she’s finally discovering her strength – and maybe even a future with the one boy she thought she’d lost forever.

My Perspective

This is the fourteenth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi from Lynette at Lynette Noni. You can read her thoughts on the book here.

Shatter Me is the first book in the Shatter Me series. It is about a seventeen year old girl named Juliette who possesses a very unique trait – if you touch her you will die. After a terrible accident occurs involving Juliette, she is abandoned by her parents, shunned by society and locked up in an asylum. However someone has their eye on her.

I really wanted to love this novel. Its style was so unique and the beginning captured me instantly. It didn’t hold me though and I’m actually quite disappointed with how the rest of the story panned out. A lot of people have trouble with this book because of the writing style (the use of purple prose) however that was not my qualm at all. I couldn’t stomach the romantic aspect to it. I found it so ridiculous and immature and boring. It completely took away from the dystopian part of it. It was filled with so much, well basically sexual content, albeit PG, which is NOT how the book is marketed.

Juliette is really easy to like and root for. Despite how she’s been treated, she’s not bitter, she still wants to do good. She’s brave and stubborn. She’s also not perfect, which makes her easier to relate to. She lacks self confidence (no wonder) and finds it hard to believe she’s not a monster. Adam, is of course, practically perfect. Strong. Sexy. Inherently good. What every teenage girl dreams of. It would have been nice if he had some imperfections to actually make him realistic.

The writing style was really intriguing. I’ve never come across purple prose before and i really enjoyed the style – some of the descriptions were fantastic. I did find that it petered off though, which was disappointing.

The dystopian premise was interesting however not super unique with the saturation of dystopian novels on the market at the moment. However Juliette and her predicament was definitely unique and really gave it a fresh twist. I really wish that this story hadn’t become so bogged down in kissing scenes.

There are two more novels in the series however I probably won’t read them. I can understand how teenage girls would probably love this book however if you like a bit more depth to your stories, I would probably look elsewhere. This book could have been so great and I’m really sad that it’s not.

Overall I can only really recommend this book to those into reading YA dystopian novels that mainly revolve around kissing scenes…

Splintered by A. G. Howard

Blurb

Alyssa Gardner hears the thoughts of plants and animals. She hides her delusions for now, but she knows her fate: she will end up like her mother, in an institution. Madness has run in her family ever since her great-great-great-grandmother Alice Liddell told Lewis Carroll her strange dreams, inspiring his classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

But perhaps she’s not mad.  And perhaps Carroll’s stories aren’t as whimsical as they first seem.

To break the curse of insanity, Alyssa must go down the rabbit hole and right the wrongs of Wonderland, a place full of strange beings with dark agendas. Alyssa brings her real-world crush – the protective Jeb – with her, but once her journey begins, she’s torn between his solidity and the enchanting, dangerous magic of Morpheus, her guide to Wonderland.

But no one in Wonderland is who they seem to be – not even Alyssa herself…

My Perspective

This is the thirteenth book I read from my post Credit Where Credit’s Due. I read about Splintered by A. G. Howard from Bradley at The Recommenders. You can read his thoughts on the book here.

Splintered is about Alyssa, a descendant of Alice Liddell, the famed Alice of Alice in Wonderland. All the women in Alyssa’s family have suffered from mental illness – mental illness that always manifests as something to do with Alice in Wonderland. However are all the women actually mad? Alyssa starts to wonder when she starts hearing and seeing things for herself. Then she falls down the rabbit hole and enters Wonderland for herself, validating that it is in fact, real. However the Lewis Carroll version is much nicer than the real one…

I quite enjoyed this book. It was a great twist on a classic story. The author really made sure that it flowed seamlessly with the original Alice in Wonderland story. It also made you think twice about the original story and what was real.

Alyssa was easy to like although I did find her a bit childish at some points throughout the book. Jeb was also easy to like however a bit too over protective. Despite Morpheous’ nature, I actually really liked him.

As a said, the story was well written and interesting. I also enjoyed the underlying steam punk theme to the whole thing. It was also really descriptive – the language was extremely visual.

The only thing that I wasn’t so fond of was the romantic content and love triangle. It was a bit too unrealistic and over the top and I found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit throughout those parts.

Overall though I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it if you like twists on classic stories.

Into The West by J.A. Campbell

Blurb

Tina Harker is a typical teenager. She loves hanging with her friends at the mall, buying shoes, and getting manicures. Most of all, she loves horses. Her life is everything she wants until her father drags their family to Arizona. Now she’s living in a virtual ghost town in the middle of the desert, millions of miles from the nearest shopping center.

The one small highlight in the dreadful situation is the local ranch. They have a horse Tina can ride anytime she wants. Trying to make the best of her situation, Tina goes on her first cattle drive and gets a lot more adventure than she expected.

Bandits, cattle thieves, and a really cute cowboy are only the beginning as she finds out the ranch she is coming to love is in grave danger. Can Tina find the strength to travel back in time and save the ranch when her very life is on the line? It’s no simple trip to the mall, but with a little help from her cowboy, she might just save the day.

My Perspective

Into The West follows Tina as she is uprooted by her parents from her city life in New Jersey and moved to live out in the desert in Arizona. At first she’s extremely unhappy however the prospect of being able to ride at the local ranch whenever she wants in return for work makes the move a little easier. However soon she is involved in an exciting adventure, nothing of which she could have ever had back home, with a cute cowboy to boot.

This book is aimed at ages thirteen and up and is a light adventure/fantasy romance. Even though I still enjoyed it, there were moments I was rolling my eyes. However thinking back to when I was a teenager, I would have lapped this kind of story right up.

It was written well, the pace was steady and it kept your interest throughout. There was a lot of excitement and adventure and the romance was G rated, which was refreshing and I would be comfortable letting my teenager read.

Tina was relatable and easy to like. She really grew and matured throughout the book and the person she became was definitely a positive role model for teenage girls. Rowe was a sweetheart and it was very easy to like him.

Overall it was an enjoyable, light read that held my interest. There were some parts that were slightly unbelievable however what fantasy isn’t? I would definitely recommend this for teenage girls or even older females who like young, innocent romances.

This review is based on a digital ARC provided by the publisher.