ARC Review: Magic Academy

Tags

fantasy, new adult, under 1000 ratings

Out of a young woman’s ambition comes a love triangle that could destroy more than her heart.

Firia has always wanted to be a witch, but even though she’s a natural in magic, there’s a problem: She’s human.

Considered by the elven elite to be inferior, Firia needs an edge to be accepted into the Magic Academy. Out of sheer desperation, she summons the demon Varuj, a terrifyingly gorgeous spirit who helps her win the entrance competition. But at what price?

As the commanding demon does everything he can to penetrate every aspect of her innocent life, Firia still finds herself drawn to her study partner, Mae’lin. Not only is the sweet elf completely different from the powerful Varuj, but their relationship is forbidden.

How is she supposed to choose between the demon she owes her life to and the innocent elf who makes her a better person?

This thrilling new adult romance is from fantasy author, Jillian Keep.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure about this novel when I first started it. I felt a little disjointed and bland. But as I got into it, these feeling ebbed away and left me with a well rounded book.

I still did feel it was a little lacking in oomph but it was a pleasant read. The characters were pleasant, but there wasn’t as much distinction between the good characters and the bad characters as I would have liked.

The magic elements were well expressed and exciting. I particularly enjoyed her test to get into the Academy. Although I found the main character a little annoying, she got too easily wound up and angry and then was subdued with a word from the demon.

There was not enough description of the surroundings and the world for my liking, it was very character centric which was not always a good thing.

3 out of 5 stars

 

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Review: Fallen Crest High

Mason and Logan Kade are two brothers who did their own thing. They were rich and expected to attend her school, Fallen Crest Academy. They chose public school and now Samantha has to live with them. The problem is that she doesn’t care at all: about them, about her friends, about her cheating boyfriend, or even about her parent’s divorce. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe change is a good thing.

This is not my usual type of book but since it was free I decided to give it a go. Well I am so glad I did. Maybe I fool myself into thinking I like paranormal YA because I love fantasy, but maybe it’s the YA part I like too. The romance part was really good, very different.

There was drama from the word go. It was exciting. Without giving much away there was just emotional blow after blow and a even a few literal ones on this poor girl, Sam. Although some of it was her fault. Her mother was almost too horrible to believe. She should not be allowed to have more children.

Sometimes Sam’s reactions were too tame, she just seemed to accept her life crumbling away with no problems. With all the things that went wrong I would have been crying in a corner.

There was a lot of grammatical and spelling errors, needed a lot of editing. It was sometimes hard to tell who was being referenced.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I will read the next one.

Four out of five stars.

Review: Tick to the Tock

Tick to the Tock is a Contemporary New Adult Novel about Dante coming-of-age during turbulent times. A story inspired by love, but with the gritty realities of regret, missed opportunity, and understanding life’s meaning under dire circumstance. But a single mind isn’t affected on this journey, as an eclectic group comes to terms with the past, present, and what lies ahead.

Dante must confront and accept his fate, but can he let go of Danni: his lost love and kindred dreamer? With his rationally stubborn cousin, and eccentric best friend, Dante witnesses a life of dream and wonder: embarking across Europe, tackling Tibet, travelling Australia, and defeating each lifelong wish one-by-one.

Follow this coming-of-age roller coaster as four lives change forever. We’re only given one, but it’s never too late to understand faith, discover acceptance, and uncover the true meaning of love and happiness. Dante will die, but not before Danii, Ethan, Wilbur and he undertake an intense and heartfelt journey.

Smile… Cry… Ask yourself what you would do with three months left… Because Love & Living Begins Now.

I received a free copy of this book from the author via the goodreads group YA and NA romance in exchange for an honest review.

This book hit close to home with me as I a family member died of a brain tumor. At first I felt sorry for Dante and wished that a miracle would happen, but after a while I began to despise him, I found it hard to carry on. I found the story dragged, but I think this is probably it’s just not for me, I do not often read this sort of thing although I usually enjoy them. This one just went on too much for and since I did not connect with the characters, I struggled.

It was well written and the writing was flowery and beautiful. The romance side is what I probably struggled with, I need something to take my mind off that I am reading romance and I thought the drama of his illness would do it. Unfortunately for me it did not.

This book was just not for me, but I can see why people really enjoyed it.

3 stars out of 5.

ARC Review: The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen by Alan Albertson

Five years ago, Cambridge Ballet’s Sugar Plum Fairy vanished after performing The Nutcracker. Despite extensive city and statewide searches, no traces of her, besides her ballet slippers, were ever found. Every year since, another member of the cast has gone missing after closing night: a Spanish Hot Chocolate, an Arabian Dancer, The Dew Drop Fairy, a Flower. Nieves Alba, who as a thirteen-year-old played Clara in the first ill-fated performance, is now cast as the Snow Queen. On closing night, every police officer in Boston surrounds the theater, determined to catch the perpetrator whom they’ve dubbed “The Nutcracker.” Can Nieves break the curse or will she be the next victim of America’s favorite ballet? (Synopsis from Goodreads).

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.

General Overview (No Spoilers)

It was only 54 pages long so it was fast paced yet not rushed. The story flowed well, it was exciting and full of mystery and love, wrong choices and loyalty with an air of magic. There were a few holes in the story for me, but easy to overlook. I like the characters. I had a little trouble with that it was not until it stated her age that I realised that Nieves was at the start only 13, then during the main part of the book 18, she seemed older, it was a little disconcerting.

4 out of 5 stars

Step by Step Overview (Spoilers)

0% – I have never seen any ballet but always wanted to, they are graceful and beautiful, will that come off in the book? I like the idea of the book. It’s short so should be able to read it very quickly.

10% –  Wow, the writing is tiny, had to get my glasses out. Nice mystery to start, a lovely writing style. Itching to know what happened to Sveta.

20% – Jumped five years, lets she what happened. So far five years in a row one member of the Nutcracker cast has disappeared. If it was me, I would not be preforming, but it’s their passion, so maybe it’s worth it to them?  The titles of of each chapter are titled like a play (ballet as well I assume). Acts and Scenes.

30% – It’s a nice touch putting names of real ballet dancers in (okay I had to google them check) but if you knew about them would give more realism to the book.

40% – Is Misha behind all the attacks? Is it a wannabe ballet dancer?

50% – Dis Misha drug her? He is getting really suspicious now.

60% – Ahh, I think I know what is going on, somehow Misha has managed to shrink each of the dancers and put them in the snow globes.

70% – I am hoping for a twist here, will she end up with tough but sweet Evan?

80% – He got rid of the other snow globe that looked like Sveta? Is that why she suddenly turned up?

“I’ll teach you how to please me” – No decent guy says that.

90% – Will her and Evan be trapped in there forever? There’s a snow globe council?

100% – How did no-one else notice that each of the girls Misha dated went missing? And if Evan knew why did he not go to the police? Or at least tell the police where he was going so when he was reported missing they would know where to look. I did not really understand how they were meant to get out, and why Misha could dance in the globe? I enjoyed it, it was a thrilling magical story, with only a few creases that need ironed out.

Who would I recommend this book to?

Anyone who likes light  NA, there is a few fairly descriptive sex scenes, I do not really read NA much, and they did not bother me, so if you like the sound of a book about ballet, this is for you.

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ARC Review: The Curse Keepers

The Curse Keepers (The Curse Keepers #1) by Denise Grover Swank.

The wall between our world and that of vengeful spirits has protected humanity for more than 400 years. It’s about to come crashing down.
Ellie Lancaster has lived her whole life by the site of the mysterious Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Virginia settlement that vanished without a trace around 1590. Only the descendants of the two men who banished the spirits of an enemy tribe from the material realm know what really happened to the colony. Ellie is one of those descendants—a Curse Keeper. Her father took pains to teach her what he knew of the curse and the responsibilities of its guardians. He taught her that if the two Curse Keepers ever meet, the curse will be lifted, the gate will open, and the raging Native American spirits will be unleashed to seek their revenge.

Despite her father’s seriousness, Ellie has always taken the legend for a harmless fairy tale. Until she meets the darkly handsome, but downright infuriating, Collin Dailey and realizes everything she was told is true. For when they meet, it’s like the air is sucked from the room. Collin’s presence is electrifying… and it’s not just attraction Ellie feels, but the inexorable pull toward her destiny. The prophecy is real, and now Ellie and Collin must battle supernatural forces and their loathing—and passion—for each other to set things right.

The Curse Keepers are all that stand between the world and its destruction.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

General Overview (No Spoilers).

I liked this book, I was worried that the romance would be too much, it was a little, it did get in the way of the fantasy at times, it did a little but not as much as I thought it would. I really enjoyed the story and the history behind it. The characters were good, but Ellie annoyed me a little, it took her so long to believe what her father had been trying to tell her, her whole life. Also when there was a world to be saved her and Collin just kept having sex when there was so much they could have been doing, I personally think she could have done more to save her friends. Still enjoyed it though. Looking forward to the next one.

4 out of 5 stars

Step by Step Overview (Spoilers).

0% – I am not usually a fan when a fantasy book is categorised as romance as well, but this book looks really good, just hoping the romance is not too mushy.

10% – A curse has been broken, not sure what curse yet. I am entirely intrigued by this curse that split worlds. Already enjoying it greatly.

20-70% –  So spirits have been set loose and they have a gate to close- could they have opened the gates to Hell? The storyline of the curse is intriguing and extremely enjoyable. The romance is not bothering me at all, I am actually quite enjoying the romance side. I would like a little more history on the curse but I am a fantasy not a fantasy romance geek, so they may need a different balance. I would not agree with some peoples classification of it being a YA book, it has a little too much swearing and dirty talk for it to by YA, but as NA it works well. The action scenes are good and I like that the curse is not the only thing getting in their way.

80% – So Collin does have a sweet side, a very sweet side. I like how the romance and the fantasy intermingle, i.e. a romantic gesture is putting salt across a doorway to keep evil spirits out. Collin is looking like he is up to something. Has he sided with the wrong Gods? He keeps wanting to prepare for the worst, does he know the gate won’t close?

90-100% – Was hoping for a little more on the curse at the end, wanted a little more action, but it was still good. It is also only the first one in the series, so there’s plenty of time for that and things to be explained properly. I am looking forward to the second one in the series.

Who would I recommend this book to?

Anyone who likes fantasy, romance or NA. It is a nice read that is full or love, sex, betrayal, and best of all a curse that released spirits upon the world.

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Breathe by Elena Dillon

I got this book free as a read for honest review, here is the decrisption from amazon:

Jasmine’s life wasn’t normal for a 16 year old girl. It hadn’t been normal since the murder of her older sister, Daisy, two years ago. Her life had been changed forever. The monster that murdered Daisy was never caught. That was the reason her family decided to move away from their hometown in Southern California, to start over. Hopefully in a place where the last name Rourke wouldn’t bring on staring or judgment or morbid curiosity.

In Lafayette, Louisiana things are quite a bit different but in a good way. Good manners, Cajun accents and a whole lot of Southern Hospitality all make her think things are going in the right direction. On top of that the most gorgeous boy she has ever met is interested in her. Her new friends are better than she could have hoped for even if she is worried about what they might think when they find out who she is. Life would be perfect if odd things didn’t keep happening. Creepy phone calls, texts, and flowers in her locker start adding up quickly to something terrifying. Could the Monster have followed them to Lafayette? Was he coming after her this time? Maybe she was just worrying unnecessarily…or not.

Okay, so not my usual type of book, I normally only read young adult books or new adult if it has some sort of fantasy element in it. But none the less I decided to give this books a try and I was not disappointed. It has all the intrigue and suspense of a good crime or thiller novel, with the thrill of a blossoming romance and all wrapped up with the easy reading of a young adult novel. I liked the characters and the fact that it deals with an actual issue rather than high school issues.

One of the best parts was that it had all the emotional side of what happens when someone is murdered but did not have much in blood and guts. It a fairly short read, just less than 200 pages but it really was not missing anything for me, the only reason I did not give it five stars is that I did manage to put it down, other than that it is great read.

When I was reading this book I was always wanting more, to find out exactly what happened to make Jasmine and her family move across country and have Jasmine  scared out of her wits.

Here is where I normally put the links of other bloggers that have reviewed the book in question well today it seems that there are not any other people that have blogged about it. So you will have to make do with my words of wisdom.

Looking forward to next time, which will be a review of the second book in the Hex Hall series. Night Bookworms.

Emma