Grudging: Birth of Saints Book One by Michelle Hauck

Grudging: Birth of Saints Book OneGrudging: Birth of Saints Book One by Michelle Hauck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hauck has written a very well developed fantasy novel with this one. My son (11) and I took turns reading the book. Today he asked if we could get the audio-book so we could both listen to it on our trips. That tells me he really enjoys it and finds it intriguing and interesting. I like the world-building and character development a great deal. The plot is fascinating and quickly draws in the reader to a world they won’t want to leave any time soon. The pace is quick without skipping too fast ahead. Just enough information is provided in just the right places. I can easily recommend this to those who enjoy fantasy. While my son was able to read, understand, and enjoy this book I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for younger readers. I feel it’s best aimed at the YA audience. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.

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Every Little Thing: A Flat Vernacular Coloring Book by Payton Cosell

Every Little Thing: A Flat Vernacular Coloring BookEvery Little Thing: A Flat Vernacular Coloring Book by Payton Cosell Turner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I saw the chance to review an adult aimed coloring book I took the opportunity. I like that it has hand drawn images as opposed to something computer generated. If I wanted computer generated pages I could print them out myself. I like that it isn’t entirely images to color in, that there’s some white space so the colored images pop out more. I love that you can remove the cover and color in the inner (now the outer?) cover so it’s entirely your color scheme. I love that there’s no words to distract you. I love that it’s unique and admittedly odd in some respect on certain pages. That adds to the uniqueness of the book. It also lends to the title of being or containing every little thing. Overall I enjoyed flipping through the pages and can’t wait to get a set of colored pencils, although I might steal a few from my son’s art drawer. Also, even though this is aimed at adults, my son (11) says he would much prefer to color these pages over the ones he has to color at school. I received an ARC through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.

Othernaturals Book Two: Lucid by Christina Harlin

Othernaturals Book Two: LucidOthernaturals Book Two: Lucid by Christina Harlin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I struggled with my interest in the book. Granted it is written well and isn’t a difficult read to process. I found issue with the characters in that I don’t feel they were given the attention they needed to shine as individuals. While they had a few layers, it doesn’t feel as though as much thought went into who they were and how they should be portrayed. I feel that with some work on the characters this book would easily earn three or four stars. Overall it is an easy, fun read. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way has influenced my opinion, which may or may not mirror your own.

Dreamthief by Tamara Grantham

DreamthiefDreamthief by Tamara Grantham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My son (22) read this book and enjoyed it. He isn’t a man of many words until he gets to talking about something he is passionate about. At first it was difficult to get much out of him but over time he would bring up scenes and dialogue from the book. He thought some of the scenes were a bit over the top but not enough to knock stars from the rating. He says it’s well worth four stars and he really enjoyed reading about the primary characters and their adventures. He wasn’t so sure about the whole forgetting issue but it wasn’t a major issue. We received an ARC through Masquerade Mob in exchange for an honest review.

Stars Melt to Milk by Brittany Touris

Stars Melt to MilkStars Melt to Milk by Brittany Touris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a light read perfect for those who enjoy YA novels. There’s nothing too terribly deep to get wrapped up in yet it’s enough to draw in those who can connect with the characters. While I wasn’t able to connect with either character I could recognize that they were unique characters who had a story to tell. I found it a bit difficult to view them as a couple the way they were presented in the book. It’s as though something was left out, or implied but didn’t come through. I know couples who bicker back and forth a lot but even they have a type of bond you can see on some level. Other than this the book is easy to read and understand and is perfect for the more mature YA audience. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last WordEvery Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review by Ellen: “Everyone has secrets we want to keep hidden away from the rest of the world. Sometimes we land ourselves in the middle of the popular cast, other times it’s just as important that those we consider our friends never find out about our secrets. Friendship is a genuine thing but all to often it is applied to those who are not honestly our friends. Sometimes books we read touch a part of our core that resonates on a very deep level. This is one of those books. My heart was moved and I felt for the main character. This is a great book for all ages.” We received an e-ARC through the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman

Chivalrous (Valiant Hearts, #2)Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My son (22) read this one in the course of one weekend. He said there was a great deal of praying or discussion related to God and the scriptures that tipped towards a bit too much. There isn’t anything I’d worry about any of my kids reading when it comes to word choices, violence and sexual content. I can see this being very popular to the teen readers or those who enjoy YA novels. He likes that the female, Gwendolyn, remains strong and true to herself and others. The focus in this novel is on Gwendolyn but he hopes there is more about some of the other characters in the next books. Overall the read is intriguing, interesting and entertaining and well worth picking up to read. We received an ARC through Bethany House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced our opinions.

Langston’s Daughters by Juliette Harper

Langston's Daughters (The Lockwood Legacy, #1)Langston’s Daughters by Juliette Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a quick easy and enjoyable read. The content is both light and meaningful while not being heavy or overloaded. I like the various characters as they feel unique and well fleshed out and maintain their personalities throughout the book. It’s an interesting story with a little bit of twist although I don’t feel it lands squarely in a particular genre. It’s a touch sluggish getting started but don’t let that deter you. Overall it’s a good book and great for when you don’t have all day to read. I received an ARC through the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.

A Slice of Quietude by Sharon Cho

A Slice of Quietude (Woven Myths #1)A Slice of Quietude by Sharon Cho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My son (22) picked this book up from my to-be-read pile on his way through my library, er, I mean, the living room. When he returned it he said, “You really should review this one before all those others. I loved it. It’s really great.” He then launched into a near-speech about the main character and her powers, the various other primary characters, the adventures they went on and how hilarious parts were. He then asked for the next book in the series. While this may not seem like a huge deal at first, once you understand that this is not someone who enjoys reading, it really is a big deal. 95% of books he picks up are quickly tossed to the side or returned to the pile with a groan about how awful it was. Clearly this is a very well written book with engaging characters and an intriguing plot. I skimmed the first chapters and actually found myself chuckling and almost didn’t put it back down. So while I can’t say I read and reviewed it myself, I can say that it earned very high marks from a very picky reader and that’s enough for me to feel good about five stars. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion (or my son’s).

The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith

The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key, #1)The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I generally prefer my novels full of character creation, fleshing and development I actually didn’t find the lack of this nearly as bothersome as I thought I might. It’s not to say there isn’t any fleshing out or development, just that there isn’t a whole lot of that going on in this particular book. But then again this feels like a YA urban fantasy/paranormal type read with enough maturity to appeal to older minded readers. There’s just enough provided about the world they are in for the reader to know where and when. Griffith does a fine job with the action sequences making it easy to visualize everything in my head, which I appreciate since this isn’t a heavy read. Overall this is a fun easy and enjoyable read when you are looking for some darker fantasy without the heavy load. I received an e-arc through Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion which may or may not mirror your own – and that’s ok!
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