A Faerie's Curse (Creepy Hollow 6) by Rachel Morgan

A witch’s curse. A world-ending prophecy. A daring rescue mission. Don’t miss the heart-pounding finale to Calla’s story! 
On the run from the Guild of Guardians, Calla Larkenwood and her team of fellow outlaws plan a daring rescue operation into the Seelie Court itself. As if that isn’t enough to keep them busy, the power-hungry Princess Angelica has begun preparations for a horrifying prophesied spell that will forever change both the magic and non-magic realms. 

When Calla is blindsided by an unspeakable tragedy before the rescue can be carried out, she struggles to remain focused on her mission. She believes she’s reached her lowest point—until a witch reveals the final blow: she has cursed Calla’s magic. With time running out, can Calla save the one she loves and stop the prophecy from being carried out before the curse claims her life? 

Perfect for fans of The Mortal Instruments,Unenchanted, and Graceling. 

A Faerie's Curse is a gripping tale of good versus evil. The problem? The lines are so blurred that the "villians" become the new heroes.  

Calla's life is on the line as she desperately puts herself in danger time and again to rescue Chase from imminent death by the hands of the Seelie Queen.  It's a gripping tale of good versus evil.  The problem? The lines are so blurred that the villains become the new heroes. This tale is perhaps the darkest ever written by Rachel Morgan and I expect more to come for this series as there seems to be a lot of open ended questions surrounding the future of our protoganists. It is, however, the last Creepy Hollow book from Calla's point of view.  With magic, mystery, and romance, A Faerie's Curse is a must read for all age groups!

With a pleasant mixture of magic, mystery, and romance, you don't want to miss it! 

The Ice Queen (The Dark Queens 3) by Jovee Winters

Description

Long ago, tragedy struck and turned a young woman into the ice queen of legend… 

Evil has come to Luminesa's forest. The Goblin has stolen three innocents and thrust them into a violent and terrible time loop - in her own lands. And the only way to save them is to go to them herself. But there's a problem, because the moment Luminesa steps foot inside that magicked place she too will get sucked into the Goblin's nefarious scheme. Freedom can only be had if she can figure out the riddle of the key, and she only has one month to try. Failure means death for them all. 

There is absolutely no time or room for romance, but that's exactly what happens when she first sets eyes on the centaur male, Alador. Luminesa's been burned in love before, nearly losing her life to the hands of a crazed male she'd once thought a friend. Since that night she's hated men, all men, no matter what form they come in. But Alador is different, kind, gentle...with soulful green eyes that seem to peer through the icy veil of her legend to see the real woman beneath. His touch makes her burn, and his kisses make her feel alive again. 

Luminesa will do everything in her power, to make sure they all leave there alive. Even if that means killing anything that stands in her way... 


REVIEW 

I absolutely adored the Ice Queens ' story. In truth I've been waiting to read it for some time now. The first portion of her tale can be found in the early pages of "Her One Wish" by Marie Hall, which is another fantastic book.

The Ice Queen is intriguing, sexy, and emotionally riveting.  The characters are ridiculously sweet and vulnerable. They stay true to their essence throughout the entire story. Then comes the moment of 'Aha! I see where this is going now!' Total plot twist bliss! I can't get enough of this author's creativity or her endearing characters.

5 Stars!

Mind Readers by Lori Brighton

Product Description

#Free on Amazon

Cameron Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows the truth …that Cameron can read minds. For years Cameron has hidden behind a facade of normalcy, warned that there are those who would do her harm. When gorgeous and mysterious Lewis Douglas arrives he destroys everything Cameron has ever believed and tempts her with possibilities of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a secret haven with Lewis; a place where she meets others like her, Mind Readers. 

But as Cameron soon finds out some things are too good to be true. When the Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to use her powers for their own needs. Cameron suddenly finds herself involved in a war in which her idea of what is right and wrong is greatly tested. In the end she’ll be forced to make a choice that will not only threaten her relationship with Lewis, but her very life. 

Best for ages 14 and over.

REVIEW:

I am currently stuck in bookie limbo. Should I take a chance on the second installment or no?

 I am a huge of the YA Paranormal/Fantasy genre, but finding the perfect series sometimes means reading an imperfect debut to the series. I've read several slow starter books and I've read books where the author doesn't take time to finely tune her talents. I'm not sure which this will be.

Minder Readers does have something of an X-Men vibe, which of course is awesome, and I did enjoy the snippets of romance. The repetitious innermonologue is what gave me a lot of long pauses. The primary protagonists choice of running scared whenever she was faced with controversial or frightening situations can be excused. She'd been taught that behavior and punished her entire life if she even thought of taking a different route. So, I don't actually see that particular aspect of her character underdeveloped. It's not terribly intriguing to read in an Era of strong heroines, but if she had suddenly grown a backbone over night, then yes, THAT would be considered a character flaw.

(I may have read a reviews that mentioned this in particular. No worries, I can agree to disagree.)

As for the male protagonist, I'm honestly not a fan of his. In the beginning he appeared more mysterious and charming.  Toward the end he was something of a bipolar jerk. Teen angst?

Also, too many scenes were predictable. The saving grace, however, is there are a few plot twists I rather enjoyed. They weren't explosive, but I do tend to be a picky reader. I actually enjoyed the ending, but realized that throughout the entire story close to nothing had actually been solved and the big secret at the end was rather obvious.  If I had read this when I waa around 10 years old I probably would have enjoyed it more. It is a YA book after all.

2 Stars

Skypunch: Ascenders 2 by CL Gaber

Description

"Supernatural angst like you've never seen it before." - MTV.com 

C.L. Gaber continues the epic story of Walker Callaghan, afterlife's avenging angel. 

In the Midst—a place for those who die young—there are no rules except one. 

And Walker Callaghan, dead at seventeen, just broke it. She briefly revisited her earthly life . . . and the punishment is devastating. 

Longing for her rebel love interest, Daniel Reid, Walker finds an ally in Cass, whose attraction to her is as alive as he is. “Life is short,” he tells her. “I’m banking on eternity. With you.” 

In the second book of the Ascenders Saga, a proposed realm-jumping journey will take Walker and Daniel back to life again to search for something buried in history. They team with students from several other schools in the middle realm including a place for teens born with oddities. It’s home to the Claires . . . beautiful, ruthless, and quite dead seventeen-year-old quads who each have a different clairvoyant gift. 

Can Walker survive another adventure of an afterlife-time—or will she find herself on the downside of eternity?

REVIEW:

Ascenders 2 is a fun, YA Fantasy romance novel with dark twists that haunt and enthrall! In the second installment there is an abundance of romance scenes between Callaghan and Daniel. I adore their characters. Throw in a delicious plot twist or five to satiate an avid reader's expectations and we have a 5 star novel! I look forward to book 3 in this compelling series.