‘Full Of Mystery And Imagination.’ Robbie Reviews #Ya #Fantasy Bloodstone by @Marjorie_Mallon #TuesdayBookBlog

Today’s team review is from Robbie. She blogs here https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Robbie has been reading Bloodstone by MJ Mallon

Bloodstone is a fascinating book, beautifully written and full of mystery and imagination.

Amelina is a sixteen year old girl who is caught in a cycle of unhappiness. Her happy family life changed on her thirteen birthday. She can’t remember the details but “[her] mind, resurrecting buried memories from [her] thirteenth birthday: an imprint on glass, a charades card, and a young man’s beguiling voice bewitching [her].” Since that dreadful night when her father disappeared and returned months later an altered man, whose youth had been stolen, Amelina has been sad. Her mother changed on that day and became a harridan who works all the time and who cannot ever be pleased.

Amelina’s only ‘friends’ in her own home are self-harming Esme, an ex-school colleague who seemed to have the perfect life but is now trapped behind the mirrors in Amalina’s family home, and Shadow, her creepy black cat. Amelina does have some strong friendships outside of her home which are her saving grace.

The story starts with Amelina receiving a strange invitation to visit the mythical Crystal Cottage. On the same day, while out for a walk to think about this unusual invitation, she meets the mysterious and handsome Ryder to whom she is instantly attracted.

These two events trigger an unusual adventure where Amelina must take certain actions in order to save her father and restore the happiness of her family.

I enjoyed the character of Amelina. She had a troubled and difficult life with her disapproving mother and elderly and convalescent father. She just want’s her life to return to how it was before and she knows that her lot in life is poor compared to her best friends. I admired Amelina for being sensible and seeing the reality of her relationship with Ryder, despite her anguished state of mind and intense attraction to the man. I think this shows great strength of character and sends an excellent message to YA female readers of this book. I also liked the fact that Amelina looked for solutions to her problems and actively sought happiness. These are all positive characteristics.

Amelina has a gift for art and is given a magic art set by her aunt. The scenes involving Amelina painting with this gift are among my favorite in the book.

The following extract demonstrates the energy and mystery of the painting:

“As I dipped the brush into the paint, a gripping sensation overcame me. I painted in haste with a multitude of dissolving crystal paint flecks staring back at me from the canvas. A dark grey, bluish black, sinister tinge blemished the artwork. Shares of varying hues moved across the painting, competing for supremacy in a powerful duality of light and darkness.”

Ryder was a dark character and that was evident form his first encounter with Amelina. It was satisfyingly for me that Amelina did not succumb to his charms in a completely thoughtless and silly way. She kept her head and assessed Ryder’s behaviour even though it hurt her to do so.

The self harm references could be a trigger for some young readers, but they are skillfully and carefully handled so I think it is unlikely to cause distress. They are more likely to provide comfort, but that is just my opinion and I haven’t had any dealings with the victims of self harming.

An excellent and engrossing read and one I recommend to young adult and adult readers alike. 

I didn’t think my life could get weirder, but I was wrong…

Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who is imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house.

When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden path where she encounters Ryder: a charismatic, perplexing stranger.

With the help of a magical paint set and some crystal wizard stones, can Amelina discover the truth about her family?

A unique, imaginative mystery full of magic-wielding and dark elements, Bloodstone is a riveting adventure for anyone interested in fantasy, mythology or the world of the paranormal.

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Ya #Fantasy The Trickster’s Sister by R. Chris Reeder

Today’s team review is from Barb. She blogs here https://barbtaub.com/

Barb has been reading The Trickster’s Sister by R Chris Reeder

Epic fantasy is an ambitious genre to take on. After Lord of the Rings defined it, great series from the Belgariad to Harry Potter refined it, and Star Wars took it into space, it’s got to be a challenge to extend the tropes into new territory, especially for the middle book of a series.

I started with a disadvantage because I haven’t read The Changeling’s Daughter, Book 1 in the Coblyn Chronicles series. And while author R. Chris Reeder does an excellent job of slipping in the important details as his story moves forward, the usual middle-book issue of introducing an ever-increasing cast of supporting characters is compounded by the mortal sin of fantasy writers: loads of fantasy creatures with unpronounceable names containing too many or not enough vowels—”…he’d been interrupted by a family of gwyllion whose cavern had been vandalized by a band of pwca colts…”

This is compounded by long descriptions of magical spells and babbling that basically involves applied phlebotinum (a term supposedly coined by Buffy writer David Greenwalt to move a plot forward using a fictional material possessing made-up properties unknown in the real world.

Luckily for all of us, author R. Chris Reeder soon tires of this epic-soup, and turns to the coming-of-age stories of his two teenaged protagonists, Makayla and her goblin bestie, Brynn.

Their hometown, Jeffersonville Indianna, is being systematically destroyed by demonic changelings, while their actual family, friends, and fellow residents have been taken…somewhere. When Brynn’s parents disappear, leaving the girls to watch over Brynn’s baby sister, the two friends realize it’s up to them to babysit. And save the world.

There were standard epic tropes, nicely-subverted in most cases. For example, there is a dragon-pommeled sword, a gift from the most powerful warrior, and a tiny magic fairy nut which the girls faithfully haul around with them but which never seem to quite win the day.  There was a hobbit, at least he was hobbity most of the time. There was an ancient evil that could be killed but not, perhaps, defeated.

But oddly, none of those things were really what the book was about. Instead—and the parts I most enjoyed— it’s about friendship, and love, and being the outsider, and fitting in. It’s about growing up to acknowledge that you can’t win unless you celebrate what makes you different.

What I absolutely loved about the tale as it moves forward is that instead of being the Chosen One(s) prophesied to save the world (while mastering convenient new powers in the nick of time, of course), Makayla and Brynn instead are friends with issues. Makayla is suffering from PTSD after their last traumatic adventure, while Brynn is profoundly distrustful of her own newfound abilities. Brynn’s younger brother is conflicted about pretending to be human while denying his goblin nature. In addition, both girls are coming to terms with their sexuality and attraction to each other, although in Brynn’s case that’s a little more unusual:

 I mean, I’m a goblin,” Brynn said with a shrug. “But I still think of myself as a person So I like people…But I also see a goblin and go, hmm.’ And there was that hot horse person, the pwca, and I don’t know if…if that horse person…was a boy or a girl or what. So yeah, I like girls, But I don’t think that’s all I like. Is that okay?

So even though bad guys have a tendency to come back from the dead, and this episode ends in a seriously disturbing (think Sophie’s Choice) confrontation followed by a cliffhanger, and there are way too many pantheon-swapping supernatural creatures with annoyingly few vowels in their names, I ended up enjoying the ways The Trickster’s Sister used its high/low/epic/fairytale fantasy mashup to evoke and subvert fantasy genre tropes. And I especially liked the way two young women grow, and love, and learn to use their flaws and their idiosyncrasies as their advantages.

After getting kidnapped by a demigod and imprisoned in another dimension, Makayla was really hoping that her life would get back to normal. Or at least as normal as life could be when you had a goblin for a best friend.

But now her sleepy midwestern town is being invaded by shadows. Her neighbors are being stolen away and replaced by changelings. And when she tries to escape, her path threatens to take her to the one place she never wanted to return to: the mysterious and dangerous Land of Annwfyn.

In this sequel to The Changeling’s Daughter, Makayla and Brynn must confront their deepest fears and their worst enemies as their journey takes them to the farthest ends of the Earth and beyond.

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Ya #Fantasy The Mother We Share by Jennifer Soucy @bansheetales

Today’s team review is from Karen. She blogs here https://mytrainofthoughtson.wordpress.com

Karen has been reading The Mother We Share by Jennifer Soucy

This book introduces you to Evie Bonaventura who meets her dead(?!) twin sister; her friends believe her, her father wants her to see a therapist.

With “The Mother We Share”, Jennifer Soucy has created an intriguing story about a young woman stalked by her dead twin sister. She begins a journey to find out the truth and save the ones she loves. Most characters are complex, all are realistic with all virtues and flaws. The story comprises a variety of craftily elaborated characters with sufficient depth and interesting interactions until the last page. Jennifer Soucy introduces each character in a way that the reader automatically wants to read on – to get to know them better. I had a great time reading “The Mother We Share” – it is an intriguing read that led me right back to the country and places I truly miss. I was immediately drawn into the story, soon keeping my fingers crossed for two very special characters. For me, “The Mother We Share” is contemporary fiction told through the eyes and mind of a young American woman who is suddenly confronted with stuff that fairytales are made of; this viewpoint – not yet twenty, American with Irish ancestry – makes for a charming read. It is a story to read again.

This is for you if you like contemporary fiction with Irish mythology, a young determined heroine, food for thought, and if you are interested in seeing more myth than modern-day visitors normally see on a trip to Ireland.

She yearned for the mother she never knew, wishing for a whole family. Something heard and replied…

Evie Bonaventura is terrified when a strange girl breaks into her room, a creature with her dead mother’s eyes. Dad confesses Evie had a twin, but she died along with their mother who was unable to survive the devastating childbirth. Mom swore on her deathbed that her baby was kidnapped by fairies—a changeling, but that was impossible. Myths aren’t real.

Yet the otherworldly girl continues to stalk Evie before attacking their father and others. Beltane approaches, their 18th birthday and the night when fairy powers peak. Evie’s determined to protect her family, confident because heroes always win—don’t they?

Tragedy strikes, forcing Evie to act. She embarks on an adventurous rescue mission from Boston to Ireland, aided by an unlikely band of brave friends, legendary creatures, and a colorful coven of witches. Evie has a choice: destroy her twin sister or save her, in honor of the mother they once shared.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT THE PORTAL by Caren J Werlinger #YA #Fantasy #Irish

Today’s team review is from Barb, she blogs at http://barbtaub.com/

Barb has been reading The Portal by Caren J Werlinger

Like many ancient societies, early Ireland has a rich history of what we’d call magic and fantasy. From our modern viewpoint, we may find it hard to believe that so much of their society was influenced by the belief that supernatural forces controlled and influenced almost every aspect of their lives. Only…what if that was exactly what was happening? What if there were people with special gifts, trained and honed over a lifetime to wield tools we can’t understand? What happens when that supernaturally-based belief system crashes against the equally supernaturally-based system propagated by Christian missionaries?

This conflict forms the basis for Caren J. Werlinger’s Dragonmage series. Set in an ancient Ireland steeped in magic traditions, it tells the story of a young girl who is the one chosen to fill ancient prophecies while her entire world is crashing against the rapidly spreading new Christian beliefs.

This is the second book in the series, and —while the story arc can stand alone—to really understand the large cast of characters, it would be helpful to read Ash’s story in Book 1 first. Adopted by badgers (badgers!) as an infant after her village is destroyed by invaders, Ash survives because of her ability to communicate with animals. Although discovered and accepted as apprentice by mages, Ash and her new friends’ existence is threatened by the increasing influence of the Christianity introduced to Ireland by Saint Patrick in the fifth century.

Bonded with the baby dragon Péist, Ash receives her true name—Caymin—and discovers  her destiny as a dragonmage, one chosen to travel through a time Portal to save other mages and their dragons, prevent a horrific war, and keep the spreading Christians from destroying Ireland’s magic heritage. But Caymin is torn between accepting her role as the one chosen to save her world, and the certainty that doing so will cost everything she holds most dear.

In a way, it’s like reading stories about the Titanic, because we already know how the tragedy plays out. But author Caren Werlinger continues to balance delicately  between the magic lore taught and practiced by her fictional mages and the reality that we know the Christians were eventually successful.

As with Book One, the world building is wonderful. Not only do we get the strong sense of the realities of everyday life, but we also see the lure of the “what if”. Caymin and Péist each must consider whether their task really justifies the personal toll. This plays out in a very real sense, as Caymin is offered the ultimate “what if”—the chance to grow up with her family, to see them alive and happy instead of murdered when she was a baby. But everything comes at a price, and the cost for that one is a life lived without the magic and the defining bond with her dragon. Both the young mage and her dragon face trials as this version of the classic hero’s quest sets their coming of age crucibles against a backdrop of a world we as readers know will change despite them.

It’s always tough to create a believable middle book in a series arc, but Caren Werlinger succeeds brilliantly. The story arc takes Caymin and Péist both through adventures and through moral dilemmas, resolving them while still leaving enough threads open and a developing crisis to take us to the next book. I enjoyed the way Caymin’s character develops and grows, even as the slightly more alien dragon also tries to find his path as he matures. Caymin’s confusion about her attraction to another girl is sensitively and beautifully handled, fitting well into the context of the strong women who have guided her.

I wouldn’t hesitate to give The Portal five stars, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy, adventure, and coming of age stories. And I can’t wait for the next book in this terrific series.

Book Description

The Dragonmage Saga continues as Caymin and Péist return to Ireland. Together, mage and dragon seek allies to try and stop a pending war with a fanatical monk determined to rid Éire of magic. But the spreading tide of Christianity isn’t the only threat. An ancient evil – one that dates back to the last dragon war a thousand winters ago – threatens the present. The Portal into the otherworld is the only way to the past, but the otherworld is the realm of the gods and goddesses and other creatures of the old stories, and it is not forgiving to those who do not belong. Caymin and Péist soon learn that, in the otherworld, the deepest desires of their hearts become traps. While there, the young dragonmage and her dragon realize they are pawns in a struggle for power that was set in motion long before they were born. Even those they trust have been using them. Only through their bond with each other can they hope to survive to the trials awaiting them and find their way back through the Portal to this realm. But returning may not be an option if they have to sacrifice all to bring peace to a world that no longer holds a place for dragons and mages. Book Two in The Dragonmage Saga

About the author

From the author’s website: I was raised in Ohio, the oldest of four children. Much of my childhood was spent reading everything I could get my hands on, and writing my own variations on many of those stories where I could play the hero, rescuing the girl and winning her love. Then I grew up and went to college where I completed a degree in foreign languages and later another in physical therapy where for many years, my only writing was research-based, including a very dry therapeutic exercise textbook. 

In the mid-nineties, I began writing creatively again and re-discovered how much fun it is. My first novel, Looking Through Windows, was published in 2008 and won a GCLS award for Debut Author. In 2012, I decided to begin publishing my own books under my imprint, Corgyn Publishing. Corgyn’s first release, Miserere, followed in late 2012 to excellent reviews.

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT THE MAGICIAN’S WORKSHOP by @HansenFehr #YA #Fantasy

Today’s Team review is from Jessie, she blogs at http://behindthewillows.com

Jessie has been reading The Magician’s Workshop by Christopher Hansen and J.R Fehr.

Having loved fantasy for many years I’m often startled by people who complain about books that dump them into a new world without explaining things. Personally, jumping headfirst into a new mysterious world is one of my favorite ways to start a book.  But the authors of The Magician’s Workshop understand that not everyone (particularly young readers) may enjoy such a thing.  So they start with a bit of a disclaimer as the preface, likening trying a new book to starting summer camp. It might seem scary and uncertain, and you might not know if you’ll like it but you should try it because chances are good you will love it!

Sadly, no doubt because Mom suggested she read it, it didn’t sway my daughter.

Which is too bad because, for a young girl who likes reading books with magic in them, I still think she’d like this one.

The Magician’s Workshop dumps you straight into a pile of characters living in their crazy island world where everyone can work magic. And as the characters go about life projecting magic images, flavors and smells, the authors slowly start to introduce some of the difficulties that come in such a fantastical world. What do you think? Would you bother eating real fruit if you could eat something that tasted like fruit instead?

Would I recommend it? For a magic loving pre-teen/teen audience these books could be just the ticket. And, although I have no credentials to back it up, (remember me? I’m a woman with three daughters) I think that boys would really like these books too.  Fair warning, as it says in the beginning, this is the first of a series of books that is more like a television series. Which is true, at the end there is no real conclusion or even a cliff hanger, just a fade out until you start the next book (which is okay because volume two is available on Amazon already!).

Book Description

Everyone in the islands of O’Ceea has a magical ability: whatever they imagine can be brought into existence. Whoever becomes a master over these powers is granted the title of magician and is given fame, power, riches, and glory. This volume of books follows the journey of a group of kids as they strive to rise to the top and become members of the Magician’s Workshop. 

Layauna desperately wants to create beautiful things with her magical powers, but all she can seem to do is make horrible, savage monsters. For years she has tried to hide her creations, but when her power is at last discovered by a great magician, she realizes that what she’s tried to hide might actually be of tremendous value.

Kai just wants to use his powers to have fun and play with his friends. Unfortunately, nearly everyone on his island sees him as a bad influence, so he’s forced to meet them in secret. When one of the creatures they create gets out of control and starts flinging fireballs at their town, Kai is tempted to believe that he is as nefarious as people say. However, his prospects change when two mysterious visitors arrive, praising his ability and making extraordinary promises about his future.

Follow the adventures of Kai, Layauna, and a boatload of other characters as they struggle to grow up well in this fantastical world.

About the authors

The first glimmering Chris Hansen had that there was far more to reality than he had ever imagined occurred six days after his ninth birthday. “Christopher!” cried a wise, old sage. “Life is full of deep magic. Miraculous things happen all the time and all around us, if you know where to look for them.” Full of expectation and childlike optimism, Chris began searching for this magic, prepared to be surprised and amazed by it. And he was: he found Wonder! Now he’s chosen to write stories about it.

When J.R. Fehr popped out of the womb, he knew there was more to the world than the four boring hospital walls that he was seeing. “Zango!” his newborn mind exclaimed as he saw people appear and disappear through a mysterious portal in the wall. As a child he found life wowtazzling, but as he grew older the cold water of reality hit him, and the magic he once knew vanished. After spending some wet and shivering years lost in a joyless wasteland, he once again began to see magic in the world. He writes because the Wonder of true life is far grander than anything he ever thought possible.

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Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Guardians Of The Dead by S.L. Wilson @ShelleyWilson72

Today’s book review comes from team member Barb, she blogs at http://barbtaub.com/

Barb chose to read and review Guardians Of The Dead by S.L. Wilson

My Review: 4  stars out of 5

Shelley Wilson, best-selling author of self-help/motivational titles such as How I Changed My Life In a Year: One Woman’s Mission To Lose Weight, Get Fit, Beat Her Demons, And Find Happiness …In Twelve Easy Steps! has just released her first novel, the YA fantasy, Guardians of the Dead (Book 1 in her Guardians series).

In this magical-girl coming-of-age story, Wilson pays often-loving tribute to almost every trope I associate with the genre:

• The Chosen One: Reluctant heroine sixteen-year-old Amber Noble inherits a destiny that is both an ancient inheritance and the result of her parents’ mysterious other traits.
• Turn Sixteen, Hello Hell: Like teen heroes from Harry to Buffy, when we meet her, Amber is a typical high-school girl with parent issues (her father is distant, and her stepmother is literally from hell). She stumbles along until she turns sixteen, when her powers are triggered by a magical encounter in a graveyard.
• Muggle Best Friend: Amber’s adorable best friend Tom has always been there for her. So when she tells him about her little problem with seeing graveyard demons killing and/or kidnapping her classmates, Tom introduces her to India, a Wiccan bookstore owner and practicing witch—and also to India’s sexy, half-fae nephew Connor. And that’s where things get weird. Tom disappears, Connor and Amber set out to rescue him from hell—or at least from Phelan, its really scary hellmouth equivalent. Phelan is ruled and guarded by the appropriately named Guardians of the Dead under the rule of villainous General Loso.
• Fairy tale elements. Every magical girl story from Bewitched to Buffy draws on a rich fairy and folk tale tradition. Author Shelley Wilson has done her homework, and she pretty much nails these:

1. Evil Stepmom (ESM): When Amber’s mother disappeared ten years earlier, her father lost no time in remarrying. Her new stepmother, Patricia, is just about the scariest ESM ever—“Her perfectly groomed hair was scooped into a flamboyant updo; she wore a pink Juicy Couture tracksuit with matching manicure and pedicure, and was smirking.” Not content with the despicable matching mani/pedi, Patricia has arranged the modern equivalent of dumping Amber in the woods near the witch’s cottage: a summer job at a local beauty spa. Truly, her evil knows no bounds.
2. Fairy Godmother: Amber discovers that she has an ancestor who shows up to provide answers and support at key moments. In true fairy tale mode, those answers usually boil down to “the magic is in you”, allowing Amber to tap into various lifesaving magic tools just when she needs them the most.
3. Fairy Companion: Here’s where things get interesting. Phelan has some seriously scary occupants, but overall it seems surprisingly beautiful—especially, when they meet gorgeous teenaged fae prince Redka.

• Magical Plot Coupon: Amber and her friends will have to acquire a magical item from General Losa which will allow them to return home, and rescue…well, everyone. That’s the easy part. The hard part is dealing with her attraction to both Connor and Redka. Sometimes it’s just so hard to be a gorgeous, sixteen-year-old chosen nonhuman heroine with hormones and parental issues.

Guardians of the Dead is a fast-paced, breezy read. Amber is an occasionally snarky but (also occasionally) kickass heroine. It’s completely unlike me to say this, but I’d like to have seen it go a bit darker and lots longer. There are hints that aren’t developed. For example, General Losa has imprisoned Redka’s mother, a beautiful fairy queen. At first it’s just because he wants her to make him immortal, but we’re told that he falls in love with her. I’d like to have seen some evidence of that, some inner conflict that is perhaps a step away from the black-and-white of good vs evil. Also, there just isn’t time to develop the emotional side of the love triangle, so we have to accept Amber’s word for her overwhelming attraction to both Connor and Redka.

A big part of every girl’s story is her relationship with her mother. But Amber never seems more than slightly annoyed about being abandoned by a mother who seems perfectly willing to consider others’ needs as more important than those of her own daughter. Finally, for a coming-of-age story, there isn’t much character development or growth. Amber does change a bit, mostly through the acquisition of conveniently useful magical gifts. Tom shows signs of stepping up his role from adorable to kickass wannabe sidekick, as does Connor. Sadly, Redka remains cardboard thin, as do the fairy queen and assorted parents.

BUT (and this is what brings this story up from three to four stars) Wilson does a very good job of giving this story arc its own ending, while still leaving plenty of loose threads to tie up in future instalments. I’d give this little book an enthusiastic four stars, and say that I’m looking forward to seeing growth in future volumes.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Deceived by L.A Starkey

Deceived, by L.A. Starkey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deceived is a YA fantasy and the first book in a series. Sam and Julie are best friends and live in Manchester, New Hampshire. They are Juniors at High School. The book opens with a very vivid dream scene for Sam, she’s in a dream meeting a boy she has met in many of her life-times, yet she doesn’t remember him. He has to suffer the pain of her leaving him once more. Yet Sam hears another voice calling her too.

Sam and Julie are both adopted, they were at the same orphanage and became firm friends and stayed friends after their separate adoptions. At school Sam is very athletic, not usually one to chase the boys, she can’t help it when her hormones are attracted to Ken, although her head knows he can be a serial player, her heart wants some fun. A history project on the ancient Greeks has Sam borrowing a strange book from the library called “The Soul Keeper”.

Nick and Marcus are brothers, Grandsons of Zeus, to them Sam is their Dream-catcher and they vie for her attention in her dreams. Yet they are all destined to be players in a much larger fight. A prophecy is about to be opened by the Time Guardian, Nick and Marcus have been waiting for their destiny to unfold for hundred of years.

I read this book in one day because it kept me so engaged with the story that I didn’t want to put it down. There’s lots going on in the story, but it all flows really well and I like books with the ancient Gods and mythology of any nation. I would definitely pick up the next book in the series, I am dying to know what happens to them all.

They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principle, the actuating cause of an individual life.

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?

The soul mate principle states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.

But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose?

What if your choices had eternal ramification?

Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what’s to come.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Crystin reviews The Unicorn Girl by M.L.LeGette

Today we have a review from Book Review Team Member Crystin, she blogs at http://crystinlgoodwin.wordpress.com/book-reviews/

Crystin chose to read and review The Unicorn Girl by M.L. LeGette.

Here is Crystin’s review.

Title: The Unicorn Girl by M. L. Legette

• Genre: YA Fantasy

 

Leah Vindral isn’t like other girls. She can’t sew, pour tea, or dance – but she can ride like the wind. She doesn’t look like a lady either with her pale skin, dark hair, and large green eyes. But after magic saves her from death, all of that changes. Suddenly she’s beautiful – eerily so. The magic that cured her leaves an obvious mark – and now people she’s known her entire life, the people she loves most, are afraid of her. Then there are the rumors that say her sudden recovery has something to do with unicorns …

The Unicorn Girl is a lovely coming of age fantasy. In addition to the spunky Leah, the novel is full of intriguing characters, including Leah’s father and Lorna – a witch who used to know her mother. There are lords and ladies, kings and princes, elves and unicorns … really, what more could you possibly need in a fantasy?!

The story itself gently and slowly draws you in – then the urgency of the story explodes in your face. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, in fact it’s absolutely wonderful! I love it when I get sucked into a new world – I just want to warn you to start this book with plenty of time left in your day, because otherwise you’ll find it’s already two o’clock in the morning – but you can’t stop yet because you need to know what happens next. At least, that’s what happened to me.

I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially if you’re a fan of unicorns or horses. If you tend to like young adult novels, then even better!

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Karen reviews The Unicorn Girl by M.L. LeGette

Today we have a review from Book Review Team member Karen, she blogs at http://mytrainofthoughtson.wordpress.com/

Karen chose to read The Unicorn Girl by M.L. LeGette

Here is Karen’s review.

The book introduces you to Leah Vindral, growing up motherless at Willow Manor. Her days are filled with learning – thanks to her demanding governess, Miss Perish. Her daily highlight is mounting her mare Iris. After recovering from an illness, everything is different, and she decides to flee. I will not tell you more about the story than shown in the Goodreads plot description. This would spoil the fun of reading this book yourself.

With The Unicorn Girl, M.L. LeGette has created a wonderful YA fantasy and/or coming of age story. Throughout her endeavour, you can ‘watch’ Leah develop from a whiny little girl to a young woman who makes her own decisions. The Unicorn Girl is a really entertaining and fast-paced read. I was drawn into the story right away. I felt quite close to the characters and their experiences. All characters were believable, still leaving room for the readers’ imagination. The Unicorn Girl is a great story not only for YA fantasy lovers – a truly enjoyable read.

This is a book to read again.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT – Dani reviews The Unicorn Girl by ML LeGette

Rosie’s Book Review Team reviewer Dani brings us today’s review. She blogs at http://onlybooksandhorses.wordpress.com

Dani chose “The Unicorn Girl” by M.L. LeGette

Here is Dani’s review.

This YA fantasy novel follows the story of Leah, who is marked by the very magic that everyone fears. It saves her life, but sparks a series of events that are far out of her control and even further out of her comfort zone.

It’s got such a fantastic plot; the book is exciting and relentless in its pacing. The visual story-telling just begs for a film adaptation (which I would be the first in line to go and see, by the way.) The simplicity and action orientation means that this book is perfect for a young person just getting into reading; I’ll definitely be recommending it to any friends that have yet to fully experience the magic of books.

My only complaints about the book were requests for more; some huge decisions were perhaps a little rushed, and left with gaps in the explanations; there was a lack of non-action-based conversation (I’d have loved to see Lavena and Leah bond more); and I’d have really liked to see more of the unicorns.

That said, I loved pretty much everything that was put in – Ms LeGette creates some adorable characters (yes you, Ian), and she injects the story with flashes of humour and wisdom. Leah is a great protagonist: relateable, well-developed and a real pleasure to read about.

The plot was at times cliche and a little predictable, but I felt that these things were forgivable because it gave the story the feel of a fairy-tale.

In all, this book was fast-paced, clean and magical with a genuinely enjoyable story-line and the perfect premise to appeal to young readers (myself included).

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com