True Colors by Melissa Pearl

Title: True Colors

Author: Melissa Pearl

Series: The Mask Series (book #1)

Genre: YA, Ability, Romance

Source: Kindle

Pages: 370

Rating: 2.5 stars

Available at:

Amazon(.ca) • Goodreads • Amazon(.com)

Blurb: (via Goodreads)

Caitlyn Davis always cruised through life, not being the type to ruffle feathers or involve herself in high school drama. That is, until a chance encounter with a strange, homeless man changes everything.

Suddenly, Caitlyn has the ability to see behind people's masks. She discovers that her life isn’t as simple as she imagined and high school is filled with secrets...some very sinister ones.

Unable to ignore her new gift, Caitlyn embarks on a mission to learn why one of her friends suddenly appears terrified, but masks her fear with a bright, smiling veneer. Will Caitlyn's new ability lead her into hot water? Or is her newfound vision a blessing that will expose her friends' true colors?

Her quest will lead Caitlyn to lose friends, stand up for those in need, and even find love.

At Palisades High School every face tells a story...

My Review:

I have been on a reading hiatus, and I am SO happy to be reading again! Not so happy that this was the first book I read of my Summer Reading List. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t BAD per se, but it wasn’t particularly good either. It was very much caught in the middle of the two.

The first thing the novel had against it was how generic it was. It’s about a friendly girl who is apart of the ‘in crowd’, only to find out that her group of friends aren’t that great. She discovers this via her new superpower to read people true emotions through their eyes and was granted this gift through a homeless man whom she showed a bit of kindness too. She falls for the boy next door, he falls for her, OH, and the conflict! There is a cheating scam at school and only she can figure it out with the help of some new friends and her new boyfriend. It doesn’t sound that bad overall, it has just been done so many times it’s ridiculous. However, I didn’t really take off points for generity (is that a word?... I am making it a word.)

Dislikes:

The first thing I took point off for was how easy it was to guess what was going to happen with the conflict. Unfortunately, the author lacked the ability to make subtle clues to give to the reader and basically just put a neon sign reading “CHEATING SCAM!” I did almost think it was drugs, because of the level of violence involved with the ringleaders seemed a bit too extreme for a cheating scam, but drugs didn’t make any sense.

The second thing I took points off for was the romantic aspect. The relationship between Eric and Caity happened really fast, in my opinion, and had no real conflict. A great potential conflict was presented, but was never used. I also would have liked to see Stella (Caity’s [ex] best friend) find out about the relationship. Considering she had major hots for Eric, the blow out would have created some much needed tension. On that note, I also didn’t like how Stella and Caity’s friendship just ceased to be. It also wasn’t given the drama it deserved and had no real fallout.

The last thing I want to address in the con side of things was how easily her superpower was controlled. After gaining this new power the reader is given maybe half a chapter of the main character freaking out and trying to control it before she suddenly learns how to master it. It was yet another area the author could have taken liberties to create sub conflicts or some tension, but it wasn’t really utilized that effectively.

LIKES!!!

Ok, just so you know, I didn’t hate this book. I mean, when I post this review on Goodreads and Amazon, I’ll round it up to 3 stars. It did have some great points!

First, the character development was a major savior. Caity doesn’t just save the day in this book; she discovers who she is and who she wants to be. She realizes that she doesn’t want to continue to be this naïve follower that she starts off as at the beginning of the book, and as she develops her power, she finds a new group of friends (and a boyfriend) that she can be herself around and who she enjoys to be around. I felt the author did an AMAZING job developing her and it was something that happened fairly gradually and realistically.

                                            

Minor bonus points were given for not making the conflict about drugs; the overdone factor would have made me stop reading half way through it. Minor points were also given for the GORGEOUS book cover. I am a huge “judge a book by its cover” kind of reader, it’s what draws me into a book and makes me read the blurb on the back, and True Colors had that going for it in spades! Probably one of the main reasons I bought it actually. *Yoda voice* Good sales technique it was!

Although it was definitely a book that has been done before, it reminded me a lot of The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting and the Clarity series by Kim Harrington. It wasn’t executed nearly as well as either series, but it definitely was in the right direction. I think the biggest difference between the two above and this series is that the main characters of both Derting’s and Harrington’s novels knew when the police needed to be contacted. In True Colors, contacting the police was an obvious step that was taken way too late and probably would have helped the book more if it were added earlier.

Overall, this was a simple read. It wasn’t anything extraordinary in my opinion, but I didn’t hate it. It wasn’t something that memorable, and I probably won’t read the sequels, but I’ll have to keep an eye out for the author. I think she has a lot of potential that has yet to be utilized!

The Legend of Finndragon's Curse by Richie Earl

Title: The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse

Author: Richie Earl

Series: Tales of Finndragon

Genre: Children’s novel, fantasy, adventure

Source: ARC

Pages:264

Rating: N/A

Available at:

Goodreads • Amazon.com

Blurb: (via Goodreads)

Three children racing against time, desperately searching for their missing father.

A medieval kingdom cursed by an evil wizard.

An ancient legend beneath our very feet.

The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is the first book in a unique, two book fantasy adventure series and is a fast paced, engaging and thrilling page turner. The story races along with plenty of twists and turns as it heads for the prophesized confrontation between the children and the evil Finndragon himself.

Combining wizardry and magic with modern technology and containing magical animals and terrible demons, The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is a rollercoaster of emotions that will make you laugh out loud and then fight to hold back the tears, as the children race against time to rescue their father. In doing so they have to kill Finndragon and put an end to the dreadful curse.

My Review:

You may have noticed that there is no rating for this book. Before I get into my review, I would like to explain why. The Legend of Finndragons's Curse is very clearly a children's novel. The author is a fellow book blogger that I highly respect so I jumped at the chance to read his book, not fully realizing it was a book for a younger child. If I had given this book a rating by my usual standards that are adapted to YA and adult fiction, it wouldn't be quite fair because it isn't that find of book. This time I ask you read my review, read the book, and judge for yourself.

Let's start off with my favourite topics, characters and development. The characters were well written and had a lot of detail written about them. I clearly saw in each character in my mind and Richie Earl did a great job of painting that picture. I did think that they could have used more depth to who they were, but remembering that this is a children' book, sometimes the characters don't gave that much depth. The children are put in a position where they have to set off on an adventure to save their father from Finndragon's curse, and through this you get to see how each of the three children (Emma, Megan and Scott) push past their own limitations and fears to go on this quest and complete its challenges. Saying that, I felt that the development was pretty standard for a first book in the series. It was just starting to really happen, but a lot more can be used in the following books of the series.

The book's plot had a lot of potential. It was something interesting and fun and full of fantastical elements and legends dating back to Arthurian times. I do feel that the plot was belittled a bit by the writing style choice though. Problems often had quick and easy solutions and the reader didn't have to do much thinking or discovering for themselves. Most answers were given right to you and there was a lot of telling instead of showing, if you know what I mean. Again, saying that, I can still see my younger self who didn't like reading all that much actually liking this book. Difficult plots aren't always the best choice for younger audiences, I know it wasn't my style choice back then! I think the author could have definitely done a lot more with the plot, but what he did wasn't bad, just very simplistic and obvious.

Overall, it was a fun read. It brought out the child in me, although the adult in me screamed that it could have been more. I would definitely recommend the book for the younger ages... 7-11 year olds. This would definitely be a fun book to read to your kids at bed time! I challenge my younger readers to give it a try and tell me what you think.

Tales of Finndragon Kindle Countdown Tour

Hey everyone! Make sure you stop by my blog on Friday April 18th to read my review of The Legend of Finndargon's Curse for Richie Earl's Countdown tour! Below is a chance to win a copy of his book as well as a little blurb :)

Blurb: 

Three children racing against time, desperately searching for their missing father. 

A medieval kingdom cursed by an evil wizard. 

An ancient legend beneath our very feet. 

The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is the first book in a unique, two book fantasy adventure series and is a fast paced, engaging and thrilling page turner. The story races along with plenty of twists and turns as it heads for the prophesized confrontation between the children and the evil Finndragon himself. 

Combining wizardry and magic with modern technology and containing magical animals and terrible demons, The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is a rollercoaster of emotions that will make you laugh out loud and then fight to hold back the tears, as the children race against time to rescue their father. In doing so they have to kill Finndragon and put an end to the dreadful curse. 

A young adult adventure that is sure to be enjoyed by all ages.

Richie Earl's Blog: http://onethousandworlds.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/finndragonscurse

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6523833.Richie_Earl

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Wind Rider by Patrick Bran

Title: Wind Rider     

Author: Patrick Bran

Series: Prophets of the Smoke #1

Genre: YA, fantasy

Source: ARC 

Pages: 271

Rating: 3.5 stars

Available at:

Amazon.ca • Goodreads • Amazon.com

Blurb: (via Goodreads)

The people on the Great Canyon’s floor live a simple life. They have little to fear save for the falling debris that comes with the tremors. For this reason most stay clear of the daunting cliffs. Most never even look up and wonder what lies beyond them. Dareth is different.

When an earthquake threatens the life of his mother, Dareth must follow the advice of a mad hermit and brave the cliffs to find help from outside. He seeks the aid of the mysterious Wind Riders who sail the updrafts over a vast network of fissures, which crisscross the cracked and broken land. The Wind Riders hold the secret to the future. If Dareth can handle the depths of the fissures and the red smoke that carries visions up from the bowels of the earth, he could do more than save his mother’s life. He could get a lesson in the meaning of destiny.

Not all would see Dareth succeed in his task. The future revealed by the smoke is hazy. Dareth’s face hovers in the forefront. Whether the omen portends good or ill is an argument some might kill to win.

My Review:

So, first let me start of by saying that Patrick contacted me asking about another book I had blogged about and asking for some advice as to whether or not he should read it. Major bonus points and totally made my day. Of course, this could have all been a clever plan to butter me up before asking if I would review his book. It shouldn’t come as a surprise when I said I would.

Lets start off with what I loved the most about the book: the characters. I absolutely loved the characters in this book! Although Dareth was basically infallible and didn’t really develop as much as I would have liked, I am going to cut the author a break because Wind Rider IS the first book of the Prophets of the Smoke series. A certain amount of leeway can be given here. Saying that, I still loved Dareth’s character. I loved his story, and discovering who he really was, and slowly learning the role he was being set up for in the rest of the series. I loved the “hermit”, who I think was the real star of the novel. He changed and developed so much, and his parts were always so interesting. I was never mad when the plot line briefly stopped to look back at what was going on with him back home. He was my favorite character hands down.

The plot was my second favorite part of the story. In my opinion, it was pretty original. I personally had not read anything like it before and I found myself at a loss when it came to guess what would happen next plot wise. I have this little cork when I read a good book. I am extremely empathetic when it comes to stories (I have to fast forward through parts of movies when the main character goes through something embarrassing), so when a book is fast paced and thrilling, and I am at the edge of my seat, I have to get up. Literally. I have to put the book down and walk off some of that excitement. Don’t judge. Anyways, I found myself getting up pretty frequently while reading this book. Patrick Bran created a bunch of pieces, and he slowly put them together to create such a creative and interesting world. I was impressed.

Now for the parts that I didn’t really like: the first four or five chapters of the book where pretty slow. It was a lot of travelling and description and, I don’t know, it just wasn’t catching my attention.  I had serious doubts about the book getting into it, but I am glad I stuck through it. I promise, it did get better.  The second aspect I wasn’t particularly fond of was the lack of romance for the main character. The author introduces us to a possibility of romance at the beginning, but that is quickly squashed early in the novel. In fact, I didn’t find any particular use for Kadnee (the brief romantic interest). If you took her out of the book, it wouldn’t have affected much. I do hope to see some hope of a love interest in the second book however. Considering how badass Dareth is, I can’t see him not catching the eyes of the ladies.

The last thing I had a problem with, and the thing I had the biggest problem with, was the lack of character development in the story. The hermit had some development and Versi had some development at the end there, but overall, the characters stayed pretty true to who they were at the beginning of the novel. While Dareth learns about this whole new world outside of his Canyon, and yes that knowledge (and the red smoke) do change his views of the world, but who he was made out to be at the most fundamental level remained the same. I truly hope that we get to see more development in the next installment of the series.

Despite it’s shortcomings, Wind Rider was still a great read. It was something different, and new, and had tons of twists and turns to keep your brain distracted from the fact that the characters weren’t developing all that much. If you liked learning about Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun, back in your Greek Mythology lessons, you might get a kick out of this. You get to see people who learn to fly with the help of man-made wings, crazy visions that can drive you mad, some badass red smoke that has a secret badass origin, and a badass main character who kicks major… well ass. There is a lot of badassery in the book! I say it is definitely worth the try if you can get past the first few chapters!

Almost Adept by Olga Godim

Title: Almost Adept

Author: Olga Godim

Series: N/A

Genre: Medieval, Magical, YA

Source: ARC

Pages: 275

Rating: 4 stars

Available at:

Amazon.ca • Goodreads • Amazon.com

Blurb: (via Goodreads)

To prove her Adept potential, seventeen-year-old mage Eriale embarks on her first magical quest. She expects a glittering foreign escapade but ends up in Grumesh, the land rife with poverty and violence, where local courier Kealan becomes her only friend and ally. Together, they survive an explosion, a treacherous incarceration, and a daring escape. Sparks of interest ignite between them, but before Eriale can explore her attraction to Kealan, she discovers blood magic running amok in the city. Her priorities must change. As an aspiring Adept, she is duty-bound to find and eliminate the blood mage of Grumesh, or the blood magic will taint the entire land. No matter the cost—her life or her heart—she can’t let the vile mage win

My Review:

I do a lot of reading books from authors in exchange for an honest review. This is one of those cases. Most of these books I read are on one side of the fence or the other. I either love them, or I believe they still need a lot of work. I am not really sure how to describe how I felt about Almost Adept, but I am going to try.

Starting the story off, we have an extremely strong female lead, Eriale. We also find out she is an extremely strong magician who will become stronger once she loses her virginity. What I really enjoyed in this novel was how consistent Eri remained throughout the story. She was strong willed, and stubborn, yes, but she also had vulnerabilities. What made her such an amazing main character is that she didn’t let her insecurities and doubts get in the way of what needed to be done. There was very little room for whining, and even when things got tough, she didn’t lose her cool. This is something we don’t see very often in novels, especially with a female POV… and a teenager at that.

I also felt that the way she reacts to the situations she is put through was extremely believable and realistic considering what her personality is shown to be at the beginning of the book. While some situations felt a little far-fetched, I tried to keep in mind that it was a fantasy novel and the attitudes of the characters in the book may not reflect today’s societies attitudes, or even mine in certain situations.

My biggest problem with the book was the lack of good supporting characters. Yes, we see Kealan, who is probably the only decent supporting character, but the others that we see (the father, the mother, the landlord of the boarding house, etc.…) I felt were very flat. We see them in few scenes and they fail to play a huge role in Eri’s life/ adventure/ mission. This story was more about Eriale than anyone else, Kealan included. I would have liked to see more of the King and Queen (Eriale’s sister and brother-in-law). They play an important part, but we never actually see them. I would have liked to maybe see flashbacks or visions of them, maybe even them in the flesh, to get a better sense of them and what role they play in Eri’s life. I was also not very fond of how things turned out with Kealan and Eri… I understood it, but I didn’t like it.

All in all, this story was more of an adventure than anything else. While it had romance, it was not about romance. The story was about Eri venturing off to prove herself, and she accomplishes that to the T, but I felt like very little else was important in the story. If you took out all the supporting characters and just had the story be about Eri and the antagonist, I feel that very little would have changed (with the exception of Eri needing to lose her virginity).

To sum it up, the story was pretty good. Strong female lead, great action, a believable plot, an interesting fantastical world, and a fun adventure. It was a great easy read, and definitely worth a try if you are okay with a little slack in the romance department. I hope this book has a sequel, because I would love too see this world Olga has created expand and grow into its potential.