Review: Dangerous Reflections - Shay West

Alexis Davenport begins seeing other faces in the mirror, faces that are not her own. When she inadvertently bets transported to Medieval Ireland and averts a small disaster, she quickly realises that she has the power to travel back in time. Her life is already complicated, and now her new home and boy drama are conflicting badly with her new-found gift. That's not even mentioning the shady, evil character who is meddling with time, and it seems like Alex is the only one who can stop him.

This book flew by in a blur for me. It had so much packed into it, everything to make it the ultimate teen read; magic, boys, confusion, parent issues, good friendships and a flowing, fast-paced narrative. I loved the massive amount of drama in this book - not only the brushes with history, which were great - but also those to do with moving to a new place, bullies and boys.

As characters go, not too many stood out for me apart from Alexis and her small group of friends. Even then, it was Alex that took centre-stage and only a couple of others stood out. I would have liked to see more of her friends in this book and have them explored a bit more thoroughly. Maybe this is done in the second book. Alex is not without her faults; she's selfish, easily jealous and unthinking when it comes to other's feelings. However, this doesn't make me like her any less. Let's face it, at her age, we are all like that; we all don't understand why our parents would act the way they do, we think everything is unfair and our hormones are going so crazy that our emotions flit from one to another like bees around flowers. In that way, the author has built a character we can all empathise with, who has a good heart and who quickly realises her mistakes. I loved the way she gained confidence and the ability to deal well with difficult situations - her character arc is subtle, and yet it really hits home after you read it.

The time travel element is fascinating and I loved the way it worked. Thankfully there were no loose ends in the explanation, but there was a hint of something more to come as Alex's powers develop. I loved the situations Alex found herself in and the amazing way she dealt with them, using her knowledge of history to ensure the timeline stays the same. You get the feeling that a lot of research has gone into these parts as you are truly transported to each of the times and places.

There was one thing that I did not like, and I am sure most people will agree with me here, the absolutely major cliffhanger ending. I turned the page, fully expecting there to be more story, only to be greeted with more titles from Shay West. My mouth must have fallen open and I just sat there a little bit confused. It honestly seemed like half the book had just been ripped away from me! OK, so this really makes me want to read the second book (Twisted Reflections) but most of the time I like the story to round its-self off as a whole instead of leaving the entire thing gaping like a wound.

Despite the ending, this was a great read. It's fast, shows a teenage viewpoint beautifully and it has just the right mixture of action, angst and fun. I need the second book right now.

Dangerous Reflections on Goodreads
Dangerous Reflections on Amazon.com
Dangerous Reflections on Amazon.co.uk

Thank you to Pamela Labbe at Booktrope Publishing for the review request and to Shay West for writing this great piece of fiction. This has not affected my rating.

Kyra_x

Book Blitz: Handpicked - Dani Oden + Giveaway

Handpicked by Dani Oden 

Publication date: August 2014

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:

College freshman Jill Holloway takes one look at the stuck-up girls going through sorority rush and nearly returns her borrowed dress and heels. Against her best judgment, she ends up falling for the prestige and parties, and snagging a bid from a top house. After moving in, she quickly grows skeptical of her too-perfect sorority sisters. She tries to ask questions, though no one will take time from their busy social calendar to give her any real answers.

Jill wastes no time digging for everything she’s not supposed to find, and soon comes face-to-face with a big and bloody secret hidden in her sorority’s basement. She knows she’s in over her head, but taking off so soon would raise the perfectly-plucked eyebrows of her suspicious new sisters. She’s stuck until she can make a smooth exit.

But the closer she gets to leaving, the more it becomes clear that it won’t be as simple as she hoped. A tempting fraternity guy, a best friend who needs her, and new details about what has really been happening in the basement have her questioning what her next move should be, and whether or not it’ll be worth the risks.

Handpicked is a New Adult coming of age, with elements of suspense and romance.

Handpicked on Goodreads

Purchase:

Handpicked on Amazon.com
Handpicked on Barnes and Noble.

Interview with Dani Oden on Handpicked:

Is Handpicked based on events in your own life?

Yes and no. I had a sorority experience of my own in college, though it was nothing like what our main character goes through. She’s suspicious and skeptical and constantly questioning things, with good reason to. Though, I did tap into my memories of things like rush and pledge education and bid day to bring some realism to the story.

How did you come up with the title of your book or series?

I wanted to play off the exclusivity stereotype in sororities and - spoiler alert! -there is a pretty big plot point involving a hand, so it was a natural choice.

Who is your favorite character from your book and why?

I feel closest to our narrator Jill, since we see everything through her eyes. But, I have to admit I liked writing Hannah, with all her f-bombs, snark, and fraternity connections.

If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why?

I would have loved to have introduced more of the members of Jill’s sorority. I had to really hold back in that area since most weren’t necessary for this particular story, but I’m excited to explore more of their personalities in future books.

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:

Hmm, let’s see. The girls are part of the Alpha Gamma chapter of Iota Beta, and each of those are Greek letters that stands for something important to me. I, B, A, G. That’s the fun part about using the Greek system as a setting, there’s lots of room for symbols and hidden meetings…

Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

I can say that Jill is still our narrator, and the story picks up just a few months after Handpicked ends, still in her freshman year of college. And, she has more responsibilities now so the stakes are much higher. I’m going to leave it at that! I’m also working on a prequel, which I’m pretty excited about. Readers will see that Jill mentions that she used to be a camp counselor, so I’m going to release some stories from that part of her life.

Anything else you want to add?

Thank you very much for having me!

Author Links: 

Twitter: @MsDaniOden
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8390838.Dani_Oden
Blog: www.trapperkept.com (blog on pop culture & nostalgia)

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Tour Stop (Review): Not Quite Dead - Lyla Payne

Not Quite Dead by Lyla Payne 
(A Lowcountry Ghost Story) 
Publication date: April 1st 2014
Genres: Mystery, New Adult, Paranormal

Synopsis:

A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status.

When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.

Her brand new “I don’t give a crap” attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.

If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.

Not Quite Dead on Goodreads

Purchase:

Not Quite Dead on Amazon.com

Not Quite Dead on Barnes and Noble

My Review:

Not Quite Dead had me instantly hooked. It took me a single page to get into the very easy contemporary writing style. Maybe Graciela Harper spoke to me in a way that not many characters do; she's around my age, she has a major attitude and I can totally relate to her emotional state. Ok, not the drinking, but some of the rest of it.

I went into this read with some trepidation. From the blurb I was convinced that the heroine would be unlikeable and boring, after all, she is running away from a broken engagement. I admit, at first, she seems immature and scared, but not long after you realise this one can stand up for herself and she's just avoiding the awkwardness. Again, I can relate. Also, this is a ghost story. I'm not too good with that stuff, but I figured this for a book a bit more about reality than scaring you senseless. I was totally right! This book is more of a mystery, a romance and a drama with just a sprinkling of the paranormal. It is very emotional with a lot going on. There's not just ghosts for Gracie to traverse, there are broken friendships, unkind old ladies, alcoholism, ailing grandfathers, charming mayors and hostility from all sides. The story is really very complex.

So let's get into the characters. Gracie was a great heroine. She was strong, emotive, amusing, interesting and you can really understand her motives. Even though she has flaws (a bad attitude, self-centredness) we still like her and she never gets annoying when she feels sorry for herself. There was one thing about the characters though; the bad guy is given away so easily simply by the name and therefore it was very easy to puzzle things out. I found myself waiting an awfully long time for our heroine to put things together and I wish it hadn't been so obvious to me. As for our ghost, the inclusion of Anne Bonny the pirate was pure awesomeness. Her view of things was interesting and I loved the mystery surrounding her. I also loved the fact that everything about Anne Bonny eventually ties up really well into Gracie's life. The planning that has gone into the novel is very good and quite clever.

The end was exhilarating; the pace that was perfect through the whole book stepped up a notch. It was a little bit bloody and much more human than expected of a ghost story. This book touches on such a lot of issues and it's incredible that they have all been fitted in; alcoholism, death, lost friendship, domestic abuse, kidnapping and breaking the law. I was very impressed.

There is still so much to find out, as the ending seems to hint, and I will be not-so-patiently waiting for the second book to be published. So enjoyable, even if some parts did get screamingly obvious. I recommend to anyone who likes a bit of drama and sullen pirate ghosts.

Author Bio

Lyla Payne has been publishing New Adult romance novels for a little over a year, starting with Broken at Love and continuing with the rest of the Whitman University series. She loves telling stories, discovering the little reasons people fall in love, and uncovering hidden truths in the world around us - past and present. In her spare time she cuddles her two dogs, pretends to enjoy exercising so that she can eat as much Chipotle as she wants, and harbors a deep and abiding hope that Zac Efron likes older women. She loves reading, of course, along with movies, traveling, and Irish whiskey. Lyla's hard at work, ALWAYS, and hopes to bring you more Whitman University antics and at least one more Lowcountry ghost tale before the end of the year.

Lyla Payne is represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

If you want to know more, please visit her at http://lylapayne.com

If you're a fan of Young Adult fiction--science fiction or otherwise--please check out her work that's published under the name Trisha Leigh. http://trishaleigh.com

Author links:

Lyla Payne on Facebook

Lyla Payne on Twitter
Lyla Payne on Goodreads

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Tour Stop (Review): The Artful - Wilbert Stanton

The Artful by Wilbert Stanton 

(Shadows of the City #1) 

Published by: Curiosity Quills Press

Publication date: May 27th 2014

Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult

Synopsis:

New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.

Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels – their playground. They aren’t heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.

On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world.

The Artful on Goodreads

Purchase: 

The Artful on Amazon.com

The Artful on Barnes and Noble

My Review

In a ruined Manhattan, there are two types of people; the Tower Babies - privileged, with enough money to have constant parties and access to the drugs that will save them from the suns harmful rays, and the street gangs - the ones who have to fight to survive. Twist and Dodger are Gutter Punks, who steal meds from Tower Babies to help those less fortunate. When a raid goes wrong, they find themselves adrift on the surface in Times Square, hiding from police and saving a girl from that advances of an older man. Then it all starts to get very complicated when Dodger is infected with a virus, and the only cure is sitting at the end of a quest into the most dangerous part of the city, for something they didn't even steal.

A thrilling and engrossing read, The Artful completely rewrites the classic tale of Oliver Twist and turns it into and exciting coming-of-age story with a lot more punch than you bargained for.

The setting is one of the things that really makes this book. New York is one of the most well-known places on earth, and even if you haven't been there, images of it circulate so often that everyone gets the idea. The author really utilised this setting, making the city a dark, sinister place but also including elements such as Times Square and the Empire State Building to keep the audience with them. You can easily imagine a crumbling, broken version of the city, crawling with gangs. as the story changes, the reach extends from lower Manhattan to a religious-nut-infested uptown and a deeply dangerous Brooklyn. Yes, much more dangerous than normal, trust me on this.

I'll admit, it was a little bit difficult to place the Oliver Twist elements in this book, but maybe that was because really The Artful stands out on its own, rather than being a cheap YA copy of its Dickensian origin. Perhaps the original story may show some more of its-self and its characters in the next book, but I'm willing to bet that the story keeps growing and goes off into a tangent from the story that simply can't be guessed at.

Speaking of which, the twists in this novel were great! One of them you may see coming for a tiny while before it was confirmed, but the second was pure genius, and quite amusing, too. The final twist is something I completely didn't see coming. Forget Oliver Twist, because honestly the departure from the original plot makes this book amazing - it gives way for more fantastic and shocking things to happen, and it sounds like there's much more to come.

The one and only downside was the characters. Although Twist had a great character arc and Dodger and Gia were very likeable, I never truly felt too much for them. I did read this in one day, so perhaps its just my binge-reading that's the issue here as I didn't have time to mull each of them over, but hey, that's just my opinion.

Anyway, this was a great read and I am now desperate to read about what happens next.

Author Bio

Wilbert Stanton was born and raised in New York City. From an early age, Wilbert decided he would either write books or take over the world; everything else was just a precursor to his end game.

Along the way, he has studied Psychology, English, and Computer Science. He’s held jobs in a wide range of fields and met people from all walks of life. Wilbert is constantly learning and growing as a person, in order to solidify his dreams.

In the end world domination was a bit tedious, so he decided to focus on writing books.

Author links: 

https://www.facebook.com/authorwilbertstanton

https://twitter.com/Wilbert_stanton

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7857459.Wilbert_Stanton

This is the tour-wide International giveaway for one signed copy of The Artful.

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(Early) Wednesday Wishlist #16

This weeks wishlist is going for the sci-fi theme:

These Broken Stars - Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
I've heard such good things about this book and I think I will love it. It's got a love story in space! What's not to like? In my mind it's almost a Titanic kind of story, only Jack gets stranded along with Rose in a galaxy far, far away. Also, the cover is breathtaking.

These Broken Stars on Goodreads

Across The Universe Series - Beth Revis
A creepy thriller-like read, again set in space, this time on a spaceship that wakes its inhabitants up fifty years too soon and there's a would-be killer on board. Oh, and of course there's a love story. Life just wouldn't be the same without a bit of romance. The cover to this is also beautiful.

Across The Universe on Goodreads

Virtual Immortality, Division Zero: Lex De Mortuis - Matthew S. Cox

After reading Division Zero for the first time, I loved the idea of a policewoman who could fight malevolent spirits in a high-tech future, and so I really want to know what happens next with her. I also wanted to find out more about the world and wondered if I might be able to understand it better if I read Matthew S.Cox's other book based in the same place, Virtual Immortality. Lets hope I get engrossed just as much as I was in the first one!

Virtual Immortality on Goodreads
Division Zero Series on Goodreads

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