Interesting YA Romance
923471
Interesting YA romance story. I recommend it for teens. The mystery is well played, but the action sequences could be more exciting.
2631142
It's a fun book - I enjoyed reading it. Like a lot of YA fiction, there is the usual love triangle, but it wasn't as annoying as most of them due to the fact that the author is skilled at creating believable and likable characters.  Plus, there's a lot of action/adventure so there is more than just relationship drama.  Also nice to read a book for young adults without any profanity, graphic sex or drug use
3514496
This is a young adult novel, so brace yourselves. I had forgotten that going in and sort of struggled to keep myself interested for the first several chapters. I stuck with it and was semi-entertained. YA novels have me rolling my eyes and wondering how on earth any girl could be that insipid and melodramatic. Ah, there are some blessings to getting older.

I'm a sucker for Neverland stories and those that recast villains in a new and positive light. Both of these factors made this book a bit more palatable to me than most YA novels. I enjoyed Ms. Katmore's new look at the characters of Peter Pan and James Hook. It was more complex and darker with an interesting psychological approach to the characters. The interaction between heroine and hero was entertaining at times (she can be pretty feisty and he walks the fine line of honorable bad guy), but I agree with the complaints that label her as a "Mary Sue" character (Angel? Really?). Dialogue is entirely modern, even from the Neverland characters. It's...distracting. The romance between heroine and hero moves SO FAST and seems forced. And the solution to the story even faster. All in all, I'm did not hate it, but I will not continue on in the series.
3052142
This sci-fi young adult book takes you to a world where demons are present and looking for a place to birth their young. They decide on a town called, Trebridge, due to is much warmer climate. Once it is discovered they are going to attack, the city calls out for help. Much to their surprise help comes in many unlikely forms.

I had mixed feelings about this book. There is something very charming about a teen hero. Maybe I am just getting old...but I also see how the unlikely hero is what the author was going for. I appreciated that Britt was this amazing girl with special talents. It has a very pro vibe to it. But in a completely realistic way, she just wants to be a teen. Which left me feeling luke warm about the character. Nothing wrong with wanting to be a teen, but I just want my heros to want to be servants to their community.

This is really just what had me scratching my head. Not sure if this was supposed to encourage teens or what. Overall, I thought it was a solid sci-fi YA book. It was not too complex and had some interesting innovative points.
1169799
For fans of the fantasy genre, this is a great YA novel. The plot is well done and has some good twists. I was particularly impressed by the lead female character who is strong but vulnerable, beautifully described but not overly sexualized or idealized.  The writing itself has some common problems like repetitive analogies, and awkward wording. I look forward to reading more from this author as she gets more polished in her craft.
4889445
3.5 out of 5 stars!! After being away from the small island of Swans Landing for around 12 years, Mara returns to live with her father (a man she never knew). Feeling lost and alone, Mara finds herself drawn to Josh. Josh is a teen who keeps to himself and compels her at every turn. However Swans Landing is an island FULL of secrets and once Mara finally understands what those secrets are will she be willing to stick around the island or will she run away as far as she can

This is an intriguing and mysterious YA romance novel. It kept me guessing most of the way through while wishing for a good HEA to wrap it all up. What I got was a whole lot of secrecy. Yet, I liked that even though the series continues at a cliffhanger for the main storyline, there was a smallish HEA for Mara.

What can I say about Josh and Mara other than they were made for one another. While they are both so similar, it was how they seemed to help each other become who they were meant to be that I liked the most. It makes me interested to see how their relationship will continue as this series progresses. Especially because of how the ending was handled, I know they are in for plenty of tough roads ahead.

I recommend this novel and series to those looking for a unique suspenseful YA paranormal romance.

Review By: From Me to You ... Video, Photography, & Book Reviews
-- read more of this review and TWO TEASERS on my blog: frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com --
377207
This book was better than expected.  Well written with an interesting plot.  I actually forgot it was a YA book as I was reading it.  Interesting twist at the end that annoyed me but was also good.  Definitely made me interested to read the next book in the series.
1720775
Protostar by Braxton A. Cosby, the first book in The Star-Crossed Saga, is a nice starting to a promising new YA series.

Overall the story was good, quite engaging in fact, and the plot was well thought out. The writing was easy and flowed smoothly making this book an enjoyable and easy read. I liked the different cosmic concepts expressed in the story and enjoyed the romantic theme as well.

The book started out with a nice opening and I was pulled into the story right from the first page. It had a nice hook and the pace was easily set in the first few pages itself.

The characterization, though, felt weak and for some reason, I wasn't able to connect to the main leads, neither the male lead nor the female, though I did like them and cared just enough to read the entire story. The ending was good and fitting for a book thatll soon have a sequel, so all in all this book makes for a nice read.

Though I did feel that at places (however on only rare occasions) the sentence structures could have been better and the dialogues were not right. This can be due to the cultural difference in the use of English language in American English, but I couldn't help but noticing and mentioning it here.

Id recommend this book to mainly Young Adult lovers but Im sure that even Sci-Fi readers would enjoy this book.
208849
This is a YA genre, but I wouldnt recommend it for teens younger than fourteen because of the subject matter, which may be a little heady at this age.

Lena is now in high school, but she is lonely.  She is the only child, both of her parents are working all of the time, but then one day she discovers a girl her age, Juliet James, who is very attractive and seems to be full of fun.  Yet she doesnt mix well with the other girls. Lena also has a boyfriend, Quinn, whom she has dated some for the past few months.  But he is very possessive, always kissing Lena when he gets close to her, so Lena doesnt date him often. Lena offers to drive Juliet home one day and there she meets Juliets father, Mr. James, who is very cheerful and friendly.  There are two young men also living there, and almost immediately Lena learns that they are gay and in love with other.  They don't try to hide their affection and they are good about helping with the house and cooking.  Everyone is most affectionate with each other.
Juliet is very friendly and loving, which Lena has missed because her parents are not like that, and as time passes, Lena keeps getting this strong feeling she wants to kiss Juliet.  Quinn is jealous of the time Lena spends with Juliet and finally tells Lena that Juliet had just transferred from this other high school because she was a lesbian and there had been problems about it.
From this point on, Juliet is friendly and loving, but does not try to seduce Lena.  But she does explain the young men who are gay.  As time passes, Lena and Juliet are more and more drawn to each other, but Juliet does not push.  She just responds to Lena, and Lena is like filling herself up with love because of her lack at home.
The story is totally filled with the trials, emotions and foibles of high school children, but then becomes engrossed in the physical pull between Lena and Juliet, which Lena recognizes and prefers to call it being bisexual rather than lesbian, including when she has to admit it to her other high school friend and telling her folks, which is most difficult for her folks to accept, even though they don't understand it.
This book is well written, the sexual advances are handled tastefully and might be a good book for those teenagers who are facing these same life choices.  Even though it is for YA, I rather enjoyed it because I recalled much of my teenage years, although I did not have the desires set forth here.  In fact, when I was in high school, the vets were just coming home from WWII and they would make remarks about certain men and laugh, and it was quite awhile before we learned about queers and my mother didn't know anything about this, but my father did.
I was given a complimentary copy of the e-book for an honest review.
627670
Overall, I liked this YA book. Some parts were your average YA stuff that had me saying yada yada yada but where this book was different was quite good, and gripping. I mostly liked the main heroine Raielle. Even her name... she had spark and spirit where most YA heroines are wishy washy she was bold and strong. I wasn't sure I loved martyr parts to her personality at the end though and I didn't see that ending coming either. All and all it was an interesting story and I'm excited to see where the it goes from here.
4816334
I liked it--- I think its a good start to a new YA/Adult saga. And I like the paranormal universe the author created here. Granted its nothing entirely new (with mind readers, psychics, vampires, etcs) but its still enjoyable and not the same dystopian stuff I see all the time. But I can't say the plot and characters did much for me. I mean, the characters are interesting enough ... but, I feel there is something lacking. Violet is a nice/sweet girl but I had a hard time connecting with her most of the time. Dane was cool and kinda cute sometimes, but his coldness/secrecy and general strangness was a little annoying at times. And by strangeness, I mean that he rarely ever communicated verbally what he was wanted, what he was feeling, what he was planning, etcs. He was always just so ... aloof. Most of the time I like a mystery bad boy but it just wasn't working for me here. The book was also lacking in the romance department. Dane and Violet didn't even kiss until almost the end of the book. But despite all of that, I did like the book. I liked the friendship between Dane/Violet and I thought his grandma was cool too. Maybe I'll like this story more after I reread it again. And I do plan to read the sequel. I'm definitely interested in what happens next and in reading things from Dane's POV this time around.
3753001
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.  No Spoilers.
When I started this book, I was not sure what to expect.
What I found was an interesting story, acceptable for YA.  IT is well written, and makes you want to follow the young girl thru this, and the further adventures.  I personally hate cliffhangers, and this one, while not a full cliffhanger, leaves it open to follow her and friends on their adventures.
4963162
The structure of this series is interesting - one girl/woman and her journey to Mr. Happily Ever After.  Each book is about her relationship with a different guy.  I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this first book.  It was pitched as a "sweet" romance, meaning no sex scenes and there were not any.  But it read a bit more like a YA novel than an adult romance novel.  A lot of the book is about Jazz and Nathan as they are growing up best friends then falling in love.  You assume that he is Jazz's first partner but the book just does not discuss it at all, which seems a little odd to leave out.  Jazz also makes some choices that make me want to scream about her own future when she chooses where to go to college.  I know it happens but I am not sure that is the message you want to put out there in the world.  If you are looking for a romance that is very PG, this is for you.
2602641
Good book- Beauty / Beast genre - writing is YA level - story is interesting but not terribly complex - the reveals over the course of the book are gradual and coherent. Female main character is not as well developed as I would like. The love story is sweet. Plan to read the next in the series.
3376723
Despite the romance being rather cliched (our heroine with unusual violet eyes is weak and needs reassurance/help from the brooding, handsome lone wolf who does not trust anyone but her, and they bond almost instantly), this was a decent YA werewolf book. The plotline of the government conspiracy to create a way to run humans into werewolves in laboratories, doing their experiments on helpless children is properly sinister. The werewolf pack incorporating sympathetic humans as well as sympathetic actual wolves was a nice touch and underscored the themes of loyalty and family. The book is action-packed and plot-driven, if somewhat improbable. It's age-appropriate, with several examples of healthy relationships in wolf, human, and werewolf. Our heroine is not too sassy, too emotional, too perfect, or too sexualized. She seemed like a realistic mid-teenage girl.

This book is #4 in the series, but I have not read the rest of the series and thought it stood alone just fine. I got a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
420139
This YA romance starts off with a bang as a tornado whips through Ella's small Texas hometown. Her house is destroyed, leaving Ella and her parents homeless, with only the clothes on their backs and the few belongings they recovered. Ella's next door neighbors take in her family, and now Ella is living down the hall from her former best friend, Ethan.

Four years ago, Ethan rejected her, crushing her and ruining their friendship. Now she's forced to see him every day. Ethan doesn't seem to realize he should be her enemy, but Ethan's girlfriend definitely sees her that way.

I really enjoyed this YA romance, it had a lot of substance. Unlike a lot of stories set in high school, Ella faced real problems. Her family wasn't perfect and sometimes she needed to step up and parent herself. Ella doesn't whine about the situation, she does everything she can to help. She also stood up for herself. Ethan was a perfect contrast to her, non-confrontational but supportive when he needed to be. The little references and stories about their childhood friendship were adorable. I'd love to read a sequel about their college days.

If you're planning on giving this audiobook to a younger reader, it's a clean read but it does include some swearing, drinking, and bullying. I think it would be a good read for young teens as an introduction to discuss bullying, and what different actions could have been taken. As an adult reader, I enjoyed it, and if you need a story to take you back to high school days and your first relationship, this is the perfect choice.

The narrator did a great job, she performed separate male and female voices for Ethan and Ella's alternating chapters. I enjoyed her delivery, it pulled me into the story. I received a copy of the audiobook and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
1623591
The author, Kim Briggs, was nice enough to to gift me the ebook for a honest review.

  I found the plot of the book very interesting when I first heard about it, and it sounded different then most of the normal YA contemporary fiction novels.
  It starts out fast paced with the first couple chapters, which I really liked. I enjoyed the flow of the author's writing and she goes into great details.
  I didn't get how Christian, who never really spoke to Starr, all of a sudden felt the need to protect her and go out of his way to keep her safe. About 60% through the book, starts slowing down and kind of ends on a low note.
  But, reading the description of the second story, sounds like it will have more action and some interesting twist.