I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.School Spiritson May 14, 2013 and has 297 pages.Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon First in the School Spirits urban fantasy series for Young Adults — a spin-off series from Hawkins’ Hex Hall series — and revolving around Izzy Brannick, the youngest and one of the last of the family. The majority of this story takes place in Alabama. My Take This is one of those books that makes you want to curl up in a comfy armchair. It’s cute with a unique twist on teenage monster-hunting even if it is a bit simplistic with a cozy troupe of outcast characters. Hawkins was clever with Romy’s arguments as to why the PMS club deserves to be a school club. Hawkins gets even more clever in her setting Izzy up with a need to prove herself, although it got old rather quickly. And Izzy tends to jump too quickly to conclusions. It’s not right to condemn someone on conjecture alone without actual proof. I’m curious as to why or how the Brannicks have been […]

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Questions of Travelon May 14, 2013 and has 480 pages.Explore it on Goodreads A fictional tale of two completely different people with their completely different lives that finally, eventually, join towards the end. Briefly. The time span ranges from the 1960s to the 2000s. I don’t know why, but it seems that literary prize-winning books always get a low score from me. Hmmm, what does that say about my tastes, lol? In 2014, Questions of Travel was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. In 2013, it won the Miles Franklin Literary Award and was nominated for The Stella Prize Shortlist. My Take I have absolutely no idea what the point of this story was. It’s just pages and pages and pages of pointless background with pages and pages and pages of us following Laura’s stream of consciousness as she picks up odd jobs here and there, slowly finding her niche in the working world. Ravi’s story is more interesting but just as lacking in any depth. No, I’m not disrespecting Malini […]

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Sorryin Hardcover edition on September 20, 2011 and has 320 pages.Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon Drvenkar claims this is a thriller; in my book, this was more of a horror story! My Take This was godawful horrible. I’ll give Sorry a “5” for the concept behind it and for the mechanics of the writing which was very good as well as the high level of horror, but Drvenkar kept it all so vague that I was never sure what was happening — a “2” in my book which averages out to a “3.5”. I suspect the vagueness is necessary for part of the story — the part that holds back the identity of the murderer. But it goes too far in holding back everything in this mysterious plane of perplexity. And I do mean everything. Wolf and Erin’s time together, the part between Wolf first mentioning her through the meandering of his thoughts to the end is baffling. Meybach’s apartment, or is that apartments? The flashbacks that I have to decipher as […]

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.TurncoatIt is part of the Renegades of the Revolution series and is a in Paperback edition on March 5, 2013 and has 395 pages.Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon I’m guessing it’s the first in the Renegades of the Revolution historical fiction series revolving around a female spy and a noble British major. (Thorland appears to be promoting this as if it were part of a series, but I can’t find any other information about it…) My Take This was just excellent. And interesting to read right after C.C. Humphreys’ Jack Absolute (Jack Absolute, 1) revolving around the exact same time period, place, and those characters who were not fictional! Do read Jack Absolute and then The Turncoat if only for Humphreys’ read on Benedict Arnold’s character. It’s not a deep story, but well filled with drama and tension and no little wit… “André says you would make a fine Kate,” Peggy offered… “My parents are no longer taking suggestions on the subject of my name, Captain André.” The unexpected start is of […]