Amy Braun's "Damnation's Door"

Title: Blood is Thicker than Water

Damnation’s Door by Amy Braun

Reviewed by K. Royce

10/31/16

9:00 p.m.

Connie and Dro are two sisters who are very close, well as close as people can get when one of them is the offspring of an angel and demon. After opening the gates of both Heaven and Hell it is up to these two sisters and their band of misfits, to fight both Lucifer and Michael, the archangel, all while trying to close the gates and keep Lucifer away from his daughter, Dro. Not to mention, Dro has major internal struggles and Connie…well, she is constantly trying to be the tough older sister who refuses to let anyone get emotionally close to her. But can Connie protect Dro from herself? And how can anyone stop the devil from taking what he believes belongs to him, his daughter?

Damnation’s Door has a cyclic story that follows closely to the plots of the first two novels in the series. The story is written in first person narration told by Connie, so the readers get insights into her thinking and justifications of her actions. She is over protective, and the reader is reminded countless times every chapter. The writing is quite repetitive, almost a quarter of the book is descriptions of fight scenes, which are very descriptive and shows the authors strengthens. However, part of the downfall is there needs to be new scenes to write about and an expansion of the character’s personalities.

Amy Braun created a world that brings together the supernatural realm of heaven and hell in an epic battle. Damnation’s Door is interesting enough to captivate readers who are looking for a good quick read.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Enjoy!

K. Royce

J.J. Angel's "Legends of Potentia

Title: Thrilling Adventure in Need of Editing 

“Legends of Potentia: Prefero” by J.J. Angel

Reviewed by M. Windholtz

10/17/16

7:00 a.m.

Following the events of “Legends of Potentia: Initus,” Rupert and Amare are on the run from the creature that killed Yaasha. The boys finally have a grasp on how to hone their powers of Potentia to perform magic tasks and read the Latin text magically inscribed inside the otherworldly book, Kinesi. Together, Rupert and Amare must attempt to rid the world of the alien forces that have overrun it and destroy the supernatural Shadow Soldiers that hunt them because of the Kinesi.

The story was a great science fiction read, with in depth science that captivates the reader without sounding falsified as well as fantastic world-building that connects the events of our planet to the others in the universe and the magic Rupert and Amare possess. The boys embark on a thrilling adventure to save planet Earth, encountering everything from mountain lions, to scientists, and to aliens.

Rupert and Amare have grown plenty surrounding the events of Yaasha’s death in the previous book. They still act like young teens, but they are much more aware of the purpose they serve to protect the planet from the forces beyond and the power they have received from the Potentia force. Rupert and Amare’s personal journeys of growth as people are some of the greatest highlights of this novel, and readers are sure to enjoy it.

However, like its predecessor, the many editing blunders of “Legends of Potentia: Prefero” make it difficult to fully engage with the writing. The mistakes are very similar ones to those made in the text of “Initus” and continue to throw the reader out of the story over and over again because of their frequency.

These unfortunate errors keep the book from a higher rating, yet it is still a novel worth reading for any reader who loves science fiction stories.

I give “Legends of Potentia: Prefero” 3 out of 5 stars.

Enjoy,

M. Windholtz

J.J. Angel's "Legends of Potentia: Initus"

Title: A Jarring Story

“Legends of Potentia: Initus” by J.J. Angel

Reviewed by M. Windholtz

10/10/16

7:00 a.m.

At the S.E.T.E. research center, scientists use a mysterious, non-earthly substance to carry out experiments on live animal subjects. After a violent break-in at S.E.T.E. leaves several scientists and guards dead, the researchers are forced by a strange, otherworldly shape-shifter named Setesh to help revive alien infants. Meanwhile, the alien Yaasha is aided by two young boys on his search for a missing alien book and necklaces that may be the only way to stop the destruction of Earth.

The two boys who aid Yaasha act and behave more like children than most young science fiction heroes tend to. They do not focus on their goals, rather preferring to watch television and live normal lives. While a refreshing take on main characters, they bring little to the plot and their dismissive attitude towards the potential destruction of their world is off-putting.

Overall, character motivation and actions are unexplained to the reader. Most prominently, Setesh speaks of wanting to change the world, yet his goals and means to accomplish this objective remain unclear. The boys have access to Potentia, a supernatural alien force, but the book does not explain how they came to be equipped with their powers or how their powers work.

Despite the novel’s interesting premise, it is sometimes difficult for the reader to get invested in the story. The continued use of feeling statements and the passive voice leaves readers removed from the action. The author relies on vague adverbs to support characters’ actions that add very little to the scenes.

Furthermore, the text felt wholly unedited at times. Words are misspelled and misused at a high frequency. There is a lack of proper punctuation at the end of nearly every spoken quotation that is quite jarring and pulls the reader out of the story. While the story of “Initus” was promising and engaging, the editing keeps it from being a better book.

I give “Legends of Potentia: Initus” 3 out of 5 stars.

Enjoy,

M. Windholtz

Kim Cormack's "Wild Thing"

A Teen Paranormal Romance With Some Kick

“Wild Thing” by Kim Cormack

Reviewed by Jessie D.

8/29/16

4:00 p.m.

Though only eleven years old, orphan Lexy has been forced to undergo unimaginable horrors and see things most adults would find difficult to stomach. Her experiences, however, have only served to make her fiercer and stronger than she ever imagined she could be. Kim Cormack’s Wild Thing tells Lexy’s story as she goes from forgotten foster care runaway to a fierce member of a partially immortal family called the Ankh.

After being shuffled from one foster home to the next, Lexy decides to make a run for it with a number of older kids in the system who share her desire for freedom. Once the makeshift gang of runaways experiences true hunger on the streets the situation begins to sour. The gang resorts to robbery and violence to fill their empty stomachs, and, when Lexy voices her opposition to their methods, she gets left behind. Lexy’s situation worsens when she is abducted by a man and taken to a farm where she experiences the horrors and atrocities that harden her into the ferocious dragon she was always meant to become.

Soon after she escapes the farm, Lexy meets Grey, her savior, who introduces her to the Ankh, and Lexy discovers that she finally has a place in the world.

Though the beginning of the novel is extremely graphic and violent, the overarching story is compelling and demands the reader’s full attention. Lexy is a heroine worth rooting for as she discovers her true self and what it means to be a Child of the Ankh.

This young adult paranormal romance is mature enough to be enjoyed by older readers yet still maintains an element of youthful humor. A thrilling story with plenty of excitement and action mixed in with a little romance, Wild Thing takes the reader on a captivating ride not soon forgotten.

I give “Wild Thing” 4 out of 5 stars.

Stay Fresh

Jessie D. 

Amy Braun's "Midnight Sky"

Title: Exhilarating & Riveting

“Midnight Sky” by Amy Braun

Reviewed by T’s Blogging

8/8/16

7:00 a.m.

Readers have been waiting for the much anticipated book of the year, “Midnight Sky.” It is always invigorating to jump back into a series and the author knows exactly how to refresh the memories of their followers, and attract new readers without losing them in the story.

Amy Braun’s newly released book, “Midnight Sky,” starts off with round-house kicks and rib punches from our favorite gang of bandits, who’d promised to close the breech before the hellions return. With the complicated relationship between Claire and Sawyer, readers find themselves in a love triangle as the newest member, Riley, makes his feelings known to Claire. However, Sawyer is under the impression that Riley has secrets which will doom them all. Yet, is Sawyer’s mistrusting feelings due to the unspeakable feelings he has for Claire, or is Sawyer really on to something?

As the story unfolds readers get a peek into Nash and Riley’s past, which masterfully pieces the story together; as well as the truth behind the invasion of the hellions. What had the explorers really done to cause the attack on the humans? Can Claire and her friends really save the world after learning the truth? And, what does the Vesper really want? Braun uses the answers to these questions as the walls to continue building an amazing young adult series that readers cannot get enough of.

This is an exhilarating, riveting read. Similar to Braun’s other novels, she moves through the story with a steady pace. Staying true to her strong, memorable female characters, action packed brawls, and sticky situations which has readers unable to put any of her books down.

I invite you to become entangled in the webs created by Braun and watch how easy you will become a fan. This is a must read!  

I give Midnight Sky 4 ½ out of 5 stars  

Happy Reading,

T’s Blogging

Heather Couch's "Reciprocal"

Title: First Draft

Reciprocal by Heather Couch

Reviewed by S. Davis

November 27, 2015

9:30 p.m.

Reciprocal by Heather Couch is a young adult novel about a high school student, Alicia, and the whirlwind she is thrown into when an alien race, Peregrinus, crash lands into her hometown. She falls in love with Stephen, a member of the Peregrinus, just when a war breaks out amongst the humans and the aliens. Reciprocal is a typical modern science-fiction novel set in an alternate universe that has become so popular within the last decade.

The idea for the novel is original and promising. However, the version of the novel I read was not worthy of anything but a first draft. There were multiple grammatical mistakes, words missing, and run-on sentences. The author also pulled definitions in the foreword of the novel from Wikipedia, which is extremely unprofessional. The novel was not yet ready to be published by any means.

There were also a lot of events happening within the novel that made it hard for the reader to distinguish what was happening, when, and to which characters. Too many overarching themes were crammed into one novel that made the content seem more cliché than clever. There was no linear plot that the reader could follow because the novel jumped around from one event, character, or timeframe without warning. The characters themselves were tremendously inconsistent as if they were not yet fully developed by Couch. The author also does a lot of “telling” rather than “showing;” she takes the time to explain every little detail rather than letting the actions of the characters explain itself.  

Once again, Couch has a really good start for a novel, but the action needs to be spread over multiple books so that the reader doesn’t feel rushed while reading. Couch also needs to go back and line-edit every sentence she wrote in the book and try publishing again.

This version of Reciprocal was a good first draft of the novel, but it definitely needs to be worked with more in order to be taken seriously.

I give Reciprocal 1 out of 5 stars.

Until next time,

S. Davis

Yza-Dora's "Secrets of Ravenstone"

Title: Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires, Oh My!

“Secrets of Ravenstone” by Yza-Dora

Reviewed by R.E. Views

07/21/2015

9:30 p.m.

When Yzavela escapes The Great City of London with her witch-mom, the last place she expects to end up is the beautiful castle of Ravenstone. She is even more surprised to find that the castle houses werewolves, witches, and vampires, all living together in harmony under the care and guidance of Marxus, the Keeper of Secrets. Destined to be Marxus’ heir, Yzavela learns about vampire lore, werewolf mythology, and that dragons still exist! Follow Yzavela as she gets prepositions by werewolves, kidnapped by cannibals, and falls in love with a vampire.

Secrets of Ravenstone by Yza-Dora is a young adult novel filled with everything The Twilight Saga and The Vampire Diaries lovers could want. There is tension between the werewolves and vampires, romantic interests between mortals and immortals, and there are deep secrets to uncover. The dialogue is quick, funny, and encapsulates each character well though it is sometimes stiff and clunky. In some occasions, the humor or tone of the dialogue is unclear. Each character had different struggles, different personalities, and different wants. They feel real and relatable. The story moves quickly, flowing like Yzavela’s journal, getting deep into her own thoughts and desires.

Though this novel is in-depth and interesting, the writing is confusing at times. Yza-Dora switches from first person to third person to second person all within one page without any warning or explanation. The writing itself is repetitive and awkward in many places, giving details that aren’t needed. Where Yza-Dora shines is with characters’ emotions. Yza-Dora mesmerizes throughout action sequences, training sessions, or romantic moments. My favorite scenes were when Yzavela encountered Eric; Yza-Dora clearly loved their relationship dynamic and it comes out in the writing.

I give Secrets of Ravenstone 4 out of 5 stars.

Best Wishes,

R.E.Views