Review: The White (The Dragon Pearl Book 1)

The White (The Dragon Pearl Book 1)

T. L. Shreffler

Ever since The White appeared in our valley of Windridge, my people have lived in fear. But today that fear ends. Finally, the King has sent his most elite dragon hunters to kill The White, the last of the imperial dragons. 

Since the death of her father, Sienna Foxburn hasn’t felt safe. The White, a fire-breathing imperial dragon, terrorizes the Valley of Windridge with no end in sight. But Sienna isn’t satisfied hiding behind the walls of her keep. She is tired of fearing the dragon, but she can’t fight it alone. 

Then a mysterious sorceress and two elite dragon hunters arrive, claiming to be sent by the King. Thus begins the great hunt for The White. Sienna embarks on a dragon-hunting adventure through the exotic Valley of Windridge, all while uncovering secrets and conspiracies that could endanger the entire Kingdom….

****

4 Stars

I went into this book on the cautious side, I'm already a pretty big fan of this author and I know that just because I liked her other works didn't mean I would like them all. Thank goodness it stuck to the fantasy genre that I loved the most so I had a extremely easy time enjoying myself and regretting that fact that it ended knowing its the first in the series and I'll have to wait quite a bit before I can continue the story.

I was't really sure about Siennas character in the beginning, I really thought she was going to be one of those whinny characters for a bit. Thank goodness she wasn't and as the story progressed I found that she was really growing on me. She know her own faults and tried her hardest to work past them. There is also a couple of surprising things that happened that involved her that made everything more interesting and pulled me deeper into the story (sorry if that sounds vague, I try my hardest to give spoiler free reviews and don't want to give things away here.)

I'm still not sure how I feel about Darius. I'm not sure if I like him or if I am still wary of him. I feel like he will end up surprise me big time. He is really intriguing to me though. I want to know more about him and his past. Mainly how he came to be what he is now.

The plot itself seemed pretty simple at the get go but got more interesting as the story moved on. It stuck to its guns and you pretty much knew how things where going to go at one point but there was still things that would pop up to put you through a loop and keep you on your toes for a bit.

There is a touch ,a small one, of romance as well. If you are like me and you like to have a little bit of romance dashed in I'm sure you will like how it was handled. There is none of the hated intsa-love here. Shreffler has a knack for being able to add this touch to her stories without it being overbearing and having it more at a nice pace.

The world itself seemed very interesting. I would have liked to learn more about the different holds and how they were run. I also wanted to know more about the religion and how they were viewed and the deeper meanings. I can't forget the dragons either, there is some stuff told about them and the different kinds but I would have like to know more (I have a little soft spot for dragons). I can say I feel like this stuff will be explored more in the books to come and I could just be feeling greedy.

There aren't any lose ends laying around, and it ends in a way that is satisfying but makes you want to come back to read the next one. All in all it was a good start to what I know is coming to become another great series.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, if your a fan of fantasy I'm sure you will like this one.

Review: On The Verge

On The Verge

R.J. Jojola

WHEN THE WORLD OF LERIM BECOMES EVIL'S PLAYGROUND, NOTHING & NO ONE, ARE WHAT THEY SEEM... 
Within the confines of their homeland, Raelle Jowellia and her siblings were never allowed to travel outside their secluded valley. Having never come into contact with anyone outside of their immediate family, they had only one another to depend on. But after the mysterious and gruesome murder of her younger brother, Raelle suddenly finds herself stricken with grief and hopelessness. Lost within the inescapable nightmare of her trauma, Raelle is tormented with a relentless need for answers. 

But answers reveal much more than Raelle bargains for, when she discovers that the magical practices, daunting creatures, and menacing demons of her father’s bedtime tales are anything but fiction. As a dark force closes in, the shock of her family’s secret leaves her in shambles. Completely alone in the valley, she is left with only bits and pieces of the puzzle. Lost in a world that is on the verge of collapse, she is faced with a formidable choice. Will Raelle be able to outrun her family’s sordid past, or will she allow it to devour her very soul? 

A meddlesome stranger may be her only hope or her demise ... 

**

2 Stars

I found myself extremely disappointed in this book. When I came across it late last night I remember actually saying out loud that it sounded really interesting. I couldn't wait to start getting into it and in the beginning was really enjoying myself.

Probably somewhere around a quarter of the way into the book I started to really lose interest in everything. More when Chrishtan came into the picture. In my opinion taking a look into Chrishtans past the way we did really took a lot away from the story. I can understand how it let us get to know him better but it started to make me feel that it was taking away from Raelles story that I was already invested in. I lost who was suppose to be the main character and who wasn't. Sometimes this can really work in a book but in this case it dragged on way to long and made me start to lose a lot of interest in everything. 

What really started to kill everything for me was when the first real "battle" happened. Not wanting to give anything away here but what I thought would be a real clash with something very powerful lasted little more then a few remarks made and a quick sword swing that left me very unsatisfied. 

There is also heavy religious tones in this book. It didn't really bother me to much but my eyes did tend to glaze over at times. 

The finally and deadliest stroke of this story was the way it ended. I can't even call it a cliffhanger cause it was so much worse. More like that feeling of when you are going down the stairs and you think there is one more and there really isn't. I can't even really get across how mad it made me for it to end the way it did, it felt like just when things were getting more interesting again and I when I  went to turn the next page Amazon was asking to review it instead. I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open and I back tracked a few pages to just make sure it was actually the end.

All in all I really ended up not liking a lot about this book, I couldn't get attached to any of the characters, the plot didn't interest me after a certain point and the "villain" was just the name of some guy that seemed to have caused problems.

To be on the fair side the writing itself was good, no grammar errors that I could notice (but its not something that really would stand out to me) and everything did flow smoothly. I was only thrown out of the story when I got disappointed in something that happened. That in and of itself is enough for me to not give it a flat one star. There is a lot of potential here, it just really fell flat for me, I can see with time and a little more polish this author coming out with something that I can really love.

On a side note I really loved the cover art,

Would I recommend this book? No, there are plenty of other books out there that are much more interesting than this one.

Storm Siren

Storm Siren

by: Mary Weber

In a world at war, a slave girl's lethal curse could become one kingdom's weapon of salvation. If the curse - and the girl - can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn't merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth - meaning, she shouldn't even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she's being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons. 

But what if she doesn't want to be the weapon they've all been waiting for? 

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

**

2 Stars

When I came across this book I remember turning to my husband and saying "wow this book sounds interesting and it has 50+ reviews and not one of them is below three stars, I'm sure its great." Well here I come to ruin it all.

Nym was not what I was expecting. For someone that has been a slave her whole life she is pretty non slave like. I can kinda understand her attitude, a little, but dang girl has been a slave for ever and her power has not been good to her I would think she would be a little more mellow in an attempt to not flare up or build I stronger wall around her emotions. The only time she was angry for any other reason than herself was in the very beginning, then everything is all about her and what she is going through. I also feel there should have been more information on her background as well. There are just snips and pieces thrown in every now and then.

The supporting characters didn't do much for me either. Breck seemed like she could have really added a lot to the story, and how she was used against Nym you would think they were so close they were practically sisters, but really there is barely any interaction between the two of them. I didn't really know what to make of Colin, he was interesting but played off as the good friend every hero/heroine makes that always has the most profound things to say at the perfect moments even if their personality is one of someone that seems to want to have fun all the time. I can say that the romance wasn't bad, enough time pasted that it didn't smack of insta-love, which did make me happy. Though I didn't particularly like the love interest at all.

The plot itself was alright. Interesting enough, until things started happening that made me feel like I missed out on something. There should have been a little more history on Draewulf. The most I got, unless I missed something which I don't think I did, was a quick story told in a common house. Also a little more explanation on the war and why Bron was attacking would have helped a lot, other than they were so interesting in the kingdoms past them. Honestly if I had been Faelen and another kingdom was attacking to get at the ones past my border and those kingdoms weren't helping me to defend them, well damn I would make a treaty with Bron and let them have at it.

I also would have liked more information on the different animals that are mentioned and showed up. Like where they came from and why they are around. More information the the plague would have helped as well, like why it was happening and what was going on with it. Why mention it if it doesn't have anything to do with the plot.

Over all this book just wasn't what I thought it would be and I was sorely disappointed. The only reason I read it to the end was that I refused the waste the money I spent on it.

Would I recommend this book? No, everything that I liked about it didn't last past the first few chapters.

The Cult of Sutek: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 1

The Cult of Sutek: The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel, Vol. 1

by Joshua P. Simon

His life has no purpose. She’s out to prove hers. An unlikely alliance forms. Their legend is born. 

Rondel, a once famous minstrel is crippled and rotting away in prison. He has nothing to live for until Andrasta, a mysterious warrior, gives his live meaning again. The pair escapes prison and in the aftermath, form a partnership they hope will lead to fame and fortune. Their journey is a long one, filled with peril, adventure, and even failure. 

The ancient Cult of Sutek grips the land of Iget. Framed by the cult for kidnapping and attempted murder, Rondel and Andrasta help a young noble rescue his sister in order to clear their name. 

The Cult of Sutek is the first volume in a planned series of standalone adventures in The Epic of Andrasta and Rondel.

****

4 stars

Honestly I really wasn't expecting much from this book. I downloaded it on a whim and when I finally pulled it up to read it was to kill a little time before I went to sleep. Well it ended up keeping me up all night because I couldn't bring myself to put it down.

The plot went in some many directions I didn't expect that I was really getting excited to see what would happen next. The world itself wasn't anything great at first to me, but somethings are added in that made it very interesting and everything got resolved very neatly in the end. No cliffhanger here.

The character were very interesting. Though in the beginning I wasn't to fond of Rondel but by the end he had really grown on me. Andrasta held my attention right from the get go, and it will seem like she is the same as she was in the beginning if you don't pay care attention to her thoughts, cause she does grow just not as obviously as Rondel and the other characters do. The one thing I wanted more was to find out more on her background.

I really enjoyed this read and it always makes me happy when I get more than what I thought I would. Once I'm done here I'll be moving on to the next book. I really want to find out more about Andrasta and Rondel and see what new adventure they will go on.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, like I mentioned earlier this was a surprisingly good read.

Sky Warriors: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1)

Sky Warrior's: Poleuthan's Thief (Sky Warriors Saga Book 1)

by: Nicole Pendragon

Ange is a young thief in the cruel and corrupt city of Cyridell. And dragons are but a myth to the people of Domus. 
Born and orphaned on the eve of a rare Five Full Moon night, Ange has nothing to show of her origins but a strange blue mark upon her chest. Left out on the streets at the age of seven without even a name, what other choice does she have but to steal to survive? Then one night she finds another orphaned child, her now best friend Daren and together they came under the eye of the most notorious thieves’ guild in the city, the Black Owls. 
Now ten years later, she is excited and eager to become a full member of her shifty family. Until her best friend, Daren, reveals a shocking secret that threatens to shatter her entire world. What will she do when stealing goes awry, honesty and trust are lost, and she is pulled into a world of fantasy and adventure by the likes of a mysterious young man? Will she let go of the past ten years of honing her skills as a thief to save the world from destruction? Or will her selfishness take precedence over the needs of the many?

****

4 stars

This book was very different than anything I had read in quite a long time. Though I really enjoyed reading it I also couldn't bring myself to really love it. But don't get me wrong I also didn't hate it. To make things easy I'm just going to say I'm sitting comfortably in the middle, though I am leaning more towards love.

The plot in and of it self was very thought out and interesting. There was a point where I though of sure certain plot points would be forgotten and never explained but thankfully the got resolved. The book had a lot more to it than I first thought which was a nice surprise. It turned out to be one of those books that I thought for sure would be ending soon only to see that I was only at the 67% mark.

Ange was interesting, a lot of her personality made sense and I liked the growth she went though in the book. Though I can say the one thing that drove me a little batty about her is how she was snarling all the time, I got pretty tired of reading that word.

I wasn't sure how to handle Showl, I think I wanted something else from him but kept getting someone that would turn all meek when it came to Ange. But at the same time I knew why he tended to do that and I could understand it. But I also really liked his character, as you can see it bought out a lot of conflicting emotions in me, probably why I fell somewhere in between love and hate with this book and settled with a strong like, which in itself isn't a bad thing.

The supporting character turned out to be a lot more than I first thought, and I can say it got really confusing with trying to keep track of who was who. Especially when nicknames would be used one paragraph and the next it would be their full name. I eventually got a little used to it but I can say for a fact that there a few times that I couldn't recall someone when they would pop up again and it would confuse the heck out of me.

I liked the world that was laid out in front of me. It was a interesting and thought out setting. I can say I was surprised at the bits of steampunk thrown in, I didn't see it coming but was happy about it.  The histories kept my attention and I liked the way the magic was explained. On a side note I started to looked forward to seeing what new kind of conjoined animal would pop up next. 

Would I recommend this book? Yes, the author did a great job creating a new and unique world I am looking forward to seeing how things are going to turn out with Showl and Ange.

An Elfy on the Loose

An Elfy on the Loose

by Barb Caffrey

One Elfy for an entire planet? 

He's supposed to be the Watcher for his people, the representative on Earth from his dimension, but the small being known to his enemies as "Jonny-Wonny" wakes up to big trouble -- trapped in a bizarre house in Knightsville, California with humans straight out of reality TV. Jon knows that something has gone dreadfully wrong -- he's starving, lonely and dressed in funny clothes. 

Enter the couple's ten-year-old diminutive daughter, who is "Not Daisy!" but is brilliant, sweet...and using high level magic with ease. She's also desperately in need of a friend. 

Insisting her name is really Sarah, and christening him Bruno, his new friend asks him how they're going to get out of there. 

The only thing that comes to mind is for Bruno to ask his teacher, Roberto the Wise, for help. But Roberto's attempt at help only enmeshes all three of them further in a web of deceit and treachery. Bruno finds out that, unfortunately, most of what he thought he knew about himself was very wrong…and much of what Sarah knows about herself is also wrong, including her age. 

Worst of all, a Dark Elf is on the scene and is intent on corrupting the local Humans, including Sarah's parents. 

New names, new locations, a new mission--Bruno is going to get to the bottom of all the craziness, and Sarah will be there for him every step of the way. 

Watch out, universe--an Elfy is on the loose! 

***

3 Stars

This book was good but not particularly great. I liked the concept of it but I couldn't bring myself to love it.

The major problem I had was that it was bogged down with what seemed like useless conversation. Things would just circle and circle around and around to the point that I would start to kinda get glazed over. 

The plot itself was interesting enough for me to want to keep reading to see how things turned out and that in and of itself is what saved this book from a lower star rating. I like a good mystery and this kept me really wondering how things where going to turn out.

If I had one thing to ask of the author it would be to cut back on the conversation a little more and add in more descriptions of things.

Would I recommend this book? To certain people yes and others no. It wasn't bad to me but it also wasn't great. I can say it would be a good way to kill some time if you needed it.

I might be back. . .

It has been a while.

A really really really long while. . .lots and lots of things have been going on.

Mainly I started working about for the first time in about six years. I just don't have the kind of free time that I used to because of this.

Then when I was starting to feel like I might be able to come back my husband came up to me and bought up the idea of trying to buy a house. Now this is something that had been bought of many times in the past so I didn't really take it seriously at first. But well things actually went really great for us and we poured all we had into getting our first house. . .go us!

So when I thought lets start reading and reviewing again I noticed that I had been away for so long that it wasn't as easy as I thought to get back into it. At some point my brain told me it was work to read and review all these books and I just didn't want to. I even stopped reading as much as I used to.

But well I'm kinda back to the way I was. . .I just couldn't stay away from reading for long. I'm going to take this slow now. I won't suddenly be putting reviews up all the time. Things are still really busy for me and I don't want it to feel like work to me again.

I'll hopefully be putting a review up here sometime in the next week.