Category Archives: Ya Fantasy

Poison Study
(Study, #1)
By: Maria V. Snyder
Publisher: Mira
Published: Nov. 18, 2008
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating:

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About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can’t control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear…

Yelena is charged with murder and is awaiting noose. When a guard comes and leads her to the chief of security’s office, she is expecting the end. What she doesn’t expect is for Valek to offer her a job instead. If she accepts his offer, she will be the food taster for the commander making sure that his food isn’t poisoned, and if it is identifying it in time so that Valek can find the culprit. For her “services” her life will be spared from the noose and she will live a rather comfortable life in comparison.

I really enjoyed this story and the magical world the the author has created. There are magician, spies and Valek… someone whom cannot be effected by magic. I liked the addition of the secondary characters and the author did a great job keeping them interactive throughout the duration of the story.

Another aspect of the story that I really enjoyed was the connection between Yelena and Valek. They don’t start off on good terms. In fact, he is very cold and distant to her. Which is understandable since she is someone who he pulled from deathrow only to be the food tester for the Commander. So her chance of survival is pretty low. As the story progresses though you start to notice Valek softening around Yelena but when he is around her he tries to maintain an uninterested demeanor. Their relationship was definitely a slow building interesting one. There is no insta-love. This was definitely an interesting story.

“Yelena, you’ve driven me crazy. You’ve caused me considerable trouble and I’ve contemplated ending your life twice since I’ve known you. But you’ve slipped under my skin, invaded my blood and seized my heart.” -Valek

Graceling
(Graceling Realm #1)
By: Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Harcourt
Published: Oct. 1, 2008
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating:

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Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight – she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po’s friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace – or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…

Katsa is a Graceling. She was born with a special gift that allows her to fight with extreme skill. She always wins when facing an opponent. She’s been her Uncle’s mercenary since she was young and she’s had enough. When another Graceling comes into the picture, she decides to leave her uncle and take off with the other Graceling on his quest. They come across some enemies along the way who have special gifts of their own.

The world that Kristin creates is amazing. This really didn’t read like a debut novel. She wrote such a great fantasy with strong characters. You won’t find any timid, self-conscious females here. Oh no, Katsa is as rough as they come. She’s not afraid of anything and she’s not looking to get married and have babies. Even Bitterblue (Po’s cousin) is a strong willed 10 year old girl who is wise beyond her years. She doesn’t take things at face value but she doesn’t voice her opinion, instead she seems to observe and take in everything. I really did enjoy all the characters in the story.

The author also does an amazing job with the plot and pacing. There wasn’t a lot of lag time where I was left skimming over pages. There was always something going on whether it was Katsa and her gift, Po and his gift, their journey to save Bitterblue or simply, what it’s like to live during those times. Everything flowed together nicely and I really did enjoy the story. I will definitely be reading Fire.

“If there’s anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I’ll hit him in the face.”

Going Down in Flames
By: Chris Cannon
Published: June 30, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance YA
Rating:

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If her love life is going down in flames, she might as well spark a revolution.

Finding out on your sixteenth birthday you’re a shape-shifting dragon is tough to swallow. Being hauled off to an elite boarding school is enough to choke on.

Since Bryn is the only crossbreed at the Institute for Excellence, all eyes are on her, but it’s a particular black dragon, Zavien, who catches her attention.

Zavien is tired of the Council’s rules. Segregated clans, being told who to love, and close-minded leaders make freedom of choice almost impossible. The new girl with the striped hair is a breath of fresh air, and with Bryn’s help, they may be able to change the rules.

At the Institute, old grudges, new crushes, and death threats are all part of a normal day for Bryn. She’ll need to learn to control her dragon powers if she wants to make it through her first year at school. But even focusing on staying alive is difficult when you’re falling for someone you can’t have.

Not only did Bryn not know she was a dragon shifter, but she’s also a mutant that shouldn’t exist. Her parents are from different clans and weren’t supposed to be able to breed. Apparently, they were wrong because a fire dragon and an ice dragon can apparently create a hybrid. Bryn is not only able to use both elements but she’s also able to change her appearance by willing it. Her “coming of age” draws the councils attention and soon she finds herself shipped off to an institute for dragon kids. Not only does the fact that her parent’s ran away breaking the law cause her to be an outcast, but she’s faster and have more abilities than even the more skilled dragons. Yup, there’s a lot in store for Bryn.

This was a good paranormal young adult story. There was a little bit of romance sprinkled in but it wasn’t what stole the show. The author has a great way of giving the readers details on what’s going on without overloading them with information. I liked that we were talked through the transformation instead of getting the usual smoke and mirrors that so many paranormal books throw our way.

There wasn’t anything overly surprising in this story. However, I enjoyed it a lot. I like that the dragon clans are kind of set in their old ways. The council determines whether a dragon is eligible for marriage and if so they are designated a mate. If they aren’t approved for marriage, they are left to find a “benefactor” to whom they become the mistress of. Considering dragons are an old species that date back thousands of years ago, it would make sense that their ways would be a bit outdated.

The author did manage to throw some twists into the story to keep it interesting. I was never bored with where things were going. There was always something going on between attacks on Bryn, her non-existent romantic life, and the fact that she’s still learning about what being a dragon means.

The ending is a bit abrupt and left a lot of loose ends. I’m hoping that there is another book in the works and that this wasn’t a stand alone novel. Otherwise, there’s going to be a lot of frustrated readers.

Every time I’m reading a romance novel the Mr. always leans over to my side of the couch to see what I’m reading. He even likes to narrate the book for me in funny accents. This interaction between Bryn and Zavien is pretty close to what we go through.

Zavien: “What’re you trying to hide?” His longer reach almost allowed him to pull the book from her grasp.

“It’s about rival dragons falling in love and ending a war.”

“Why are they half naked?”

“It takes place in a desert.”

“Isn’t that a forest behind them?

“They travel.”

Tiger Lily
By: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: July 3, 2012
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating:

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Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she’s ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland’s inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she’s always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it’s the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who’s everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

This is a great retelling of Peter Pan. Well, actually it’s not really Peter’s story. Tiger Lily is the main focus in the story. Tinker Bell is a faerie who has taken an interest in Tiger Lily’s life. Tiger Lily is unlike any of the other females from her tribe. It’s also known that Tiger Lily has cursed people who have crossed her. Leaving everyone wearing around Tiger Lily. The story is told in Tinker Bell’s point of view as she recounts her observations.

I will be honest that it took a little bit for me to get used to the narration. It’s in first person (Tink) but she focuses so much on the other characters that it’s almost like third person as well. It was very interesting and I have to give the author major props for pulling it off. After I got used to I could just imagine everything playing out.

I liked that the author showed a different side to Peter and even Wendy (who makes an appearance in the book). The only thing I have to go off of is Disney’s version of Peter Pan. So this was a very interesting retelling of a classic. The author added in so much that the only things that seemed the same in the story were the names. She really did a great job in taking a classic story and making it her own.

One thing I have to take a step back and applaud is how gritty the story was. For a YA the author touched on some interesting things. I don’t want to go into too much detail but there’s arranged marriages, village rapes, jealousy that causes malicious acts, and suicide. She doesn’t go into detail over the situations but she definitely eludes to these things happening. There were times that I was reading and my heart just felt like it stopped beating because things were so intense. I stayed up way later than I should have for a work night just so that I could finish it. And there is where my major complaint is… the end. It literally ends and goes into the acknowledgements. I seriously checked the pages to see if my library copy was missing one but nope. Maybe I need to watch Peter Pan again and the missing link will be there and everyone who’s a Pan fan will be like, “Oooooh, she’s so clever to incorporate that in her story.”, but I’m just thoroughly lost.

“Sometimes I think that maybe we are just stories. Like we may as well just be words on a page, because we’re only what we’ve done and what we are going to do.”

Significance
(Significance, #1)
Shelly Crane
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: June 12, 2011
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Rating:

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Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who’s had a bad year. She was smart and on track, but then her mom left, her dad is depressed, she’s graduating – barely – and her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football scholarship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is gripping tight with everything she has.

Then she saves the life of Caleb and instantly knows there’s something about him that’s intriguing. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally.

They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing supernatural changes unlike anything she’s ever felt before and she needs the touch of his skin to survive.

Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a pain as well, but Caleb’s enemies know he’s imprinted and are after Maggie to stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him.

Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just finding one another?

This book reminded me a lot of Twilight. You had the boy sneaking in her bedroom window, the main character’s parents are divorced and she’s living with her father, the girl meeting the boys family and everyone instantly loving her, people of his kind attacking her to get to him, her friend becoming possessive and challenging her boyfriend at every turn, her needing to prepare herself to leave her father to make a life with the boy because humans can’t know about their kind, therefore she must disappear… oh and there is even a Bella and Alice in this one. All the Twilight flags were flying even before the author felt the need to add that one of the characters love Twilight. For me… this kind of took away from the book. There were so many similarities to the Twilight saga that I kind of didn’t feel like I was reading a new book but rather fan-fiction.

What I did like about this book was that the author thought outside the box about this imprinting thing. I mean, whatever Caleb is (I never did fully grasp it), they don’t imprint on humans. Actually they haven’t been imprinting in years and there is a huge rule about dating and procreating outside of imprinting. Imagine how messy things could get if after 20 years of marriage and two kids, your husband shakes the hand of your new neighbor who just moved in and #BAM# he’s all of a sudden obsessed with them. Yeah, that’s kind of how the imprinting work. So the whole no dating rule made sense. I even liked that when you imprint you come into a certain power. That power then helps keep your clan (family) safe from other clans.

Like I said there were things I liked about the book and disliked. I also felt that the book was quite winded in some parts and found myself skimming through certain areas. I think the book could use a good polishing but the base story was good. However, I don’t think I will be continuing on with this series.

“You don’t love people for what they can give you. You don’t love them because of what they do for you or how good you make them look.”

Becoming Alpha
(Alpha Girl, #1)
By: Aileen Erin
Publisher: Ink Monster
Published: Dec. 17, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Rating:

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Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind.

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves.

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.

When vampires attack St. Alibe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems.

Tessa’s life has not been easy. Ever since she was little she’d get visions/memories from a person when she made skin-skin contact with them. So suffice to say, she doesn’t have any friends. When her father gets a job in Texas, resulting in their move, she finds herself starting over. No one knows about her freakish ability or why she wears gloves. So she’s now making friends and hiding her abilities pretty well. But when a boy from the local St. Alibe’s school kisses her a little to roughly, she finds herself the outcast again. That’s not the worst part though. She’s sent away to St. Alibe’s which is a school for werewolves. Which is exactly what Tessa is now. Like she didn’t already have enough on her plate as it was.

Tessa’s had a very lonely life. So when everything goes down and she finds herself in St. Alibe’s, she starts to make friends. She isn’t the weird one anymore. However, it does take her sometime to get used to the school and there are a couple of times where she tries to run away. Which is where the cover comes in. There’s a scene where she’s running through the woods being chased by Dastien and other wolves to stop her from running away. (I just love when a cover connects with the story)

Dastien wasn’t my favorite as far as “heroes” go. He would be strong and stoic one minute and then turn tail abandon Tessa and run the next. Oh and the whole thing with him hanging out with his ex-girlfriend/best friend or whatever the heck they were was not okay. I liked Tessa’s character so much more for not only standing up to Dastien but to the girl as well. She showed a lot of backbone and she got a lot of respect from me for it.

Aileen’s debut novel is pretty awesome. The world building is stellar and the characters, whether likable or not, really shone through. I’m interested to see what comes next for Tessa, Dastien and the gang. This is a great addition to the young adult paranormal romance genre.

“My face was intently hot as he laughed. Holy Freudian slip, Batman. Leave it to me to tell the hottest guy ever that one of my favorite song’s chorus was a guy yelling about how he wants to fu– ‘do’ them like an animal.”

Betwixt
(Betwixt, #1)
By: Melissa Pearl
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Nov. 5, 2012
Genre: Paranormal YA
Rating:

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Beautiful, wild-child Nicole Tepper is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well.

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it’s too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car, beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?

When walking home from a party one night, Nicole is hit by a car and left for dead in the middle of nowhere. She finds herself having out of body experiences where no one can hear her except for Dale, the guy who she humiliated 4 months ago. He’s the last guy that would want to help her but he’s her only chance at getting help before it’s too late.

This was definitely an interesting story that balanced between paranormal, romance and thriller. You have Nicole who’s essentially a ghost, the awkward attraction between Dale and Nicole and the fact that when Nicole wakes up in her body, there are people looking to kill her so that she can’t tell the authorities what happened. It was a nice combination of the three.

However, I couldn’t really connect with Nicole. She was so ridiculously bitchy. She was mean to everyone, even Dale who was trying to help her. She was very insensitive and stuck her nose up at everything, even if it meant saving herself. I understand that something bad happened to her to make her lose control but her personality was not one that I enjoyed reading. I sort of felt bad for Dale who was being haunted by her. I’d have totally understood if this were a short story ending with him just ignoring her.

Dale however was the saving grace for me. Even though Nicole humiliated him and started his new nickname “Scarface”, he still decides to help her. Since call him Scarface, everyone in the school calls him that, which leaves him with very few friends in the school. So again, I wouldn’t have faulted him if he’d just pretended like he couldn’t hear Nicole when she came calling for help. But he was the bigger person and did everything he could to try to save her, even if she continued to insult him while he was doing so.

This was definitely a fun read. I liked that even though I didn’t like the main character at the beginning, or even through the majority of it, she starts to come down from her pedestal and starts to see what her actions have been causing. She realizes she has a lot going for her and that she was throwing it away. After a while she starts to come around full circle and isn’t such an annoyance to read.

I wouldn’t say that I was surprised by who the driver was but I was a little surprised by the ending. I felt like it was a tiny bit rushed. I mean we build up to this one moment and then when everything is all said and done, they are walking around acting like they’ve nothing to worry about because nothing happened. I don’t know, I just felt like it needed a little more oomph at the end.

“I hope no one can see him. What kind of moron randomly opens their front door, shirtless, and waves to the air?”

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan… not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. “Best. Year. Ever!!” She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has produced four more books and has a YA fantasy trilogy coming out this year. Unknown and Unseen (The Elements Trilogy) out now!

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Betwixt
Beautiful, wild-child, Nicole Tepper, is hit by a car and left for dead. But when she wakes the next morning, Nicole finds herself in bed without a scratch. Perhaps she was more intoxicated than usual, as her mother is giving her the silent treatment and her friends are ignoring her as well.

Things take a turn for the weird when Nicole soon discovers she is actually hovering between life and death. Her body is lying in the forest while her spirit is searching for anyone who can hear her. Unfortunately the only person who can is Dale Finnigan, the guy she publicly humiliated with a sharp-tongued insult that has left him branded.

Desperate, Nicole has no choice but to haunt Dale and convince the freaked-out senior to help her. Will he find her body before it’s too late? Or will the guy who tried to kill her with his car, beat him there and finish her off before anyone finds out?

Before
In this prequel to Betwixt, find out who Dale Finnigan was before he became known as“scar-face”—the unassuming hero everyone underestimates.

Beyond
In this sequel to Betwixt, find out how Nicole Tepper proves to Dale that she loves him beyond all common sense.

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Kiss of Frost
(Mythos Academy, #2)
By: Jennifer Estep
Publisher: K-Teen
Published: Nov. 29, 2011
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology YA
Rating:

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I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword…

In the second installment of Mythos Academy we pick up shortly after Touch of Frost left off. The kids are getting ready to go to the yearly winter festival at a ski lodge and Gwen is convinced that there is another Reaper after her. Of course, going to the fesitval doesn’t really help matters. The Reaper has seemed to follow her and has pulled a bunch of tricks in order to kill her. However, Gwen’s learned a trick of her own to help her survive.

I was really hoping that once the the first book was out of the way and the ball was rolling that this one would start off with a bang, but that’s not the case. The author does a lot of reviewing about not only what took place in the last book, but about the characters themselves and the world that she created. I found myself skimming over a bit of the book to get to the story. Maybe if I hadn’t jumped from the first book straight to this one, the reviewing of everything wouldn’t have bothered me as much but I felt like I was reading the first in a series all over again.

I liked that the author added in more characters to the forefront. We get more interaction with Logan’s Spartan friends. They actually start training Gwen with weapons and self-defense. Plus there is a change of scenery since the students go away for the annual Winter Carnival at a ski lodge. And there is a potential new love interest for Gwen, who just might help her get her mind off of Logan and the fact that he’s moving on with another girl.

But… it felt very much like Frostbite to me. I know in my last review I said fans of Vampire Academy would enjoy this and they would. There are similarities between the two books that almost feel like it’s a re-telling of the story with a few variations mixed in.

I really enjoy the mythology in this story. I like the characters and the world that the author has created. I even like that it reminds me of VA since that is my favorite series. I will definitely continue with the series.

“Since coming to Mythos, I’d almost been run through with a sword and mauled to death by a killer kitty cat. Dirty looks didn’t faze me anymore.”

Previous reviews from Mythos Academy
Touch of Frost