Going Down In Flames Series by Chris Cannon

Ok I want to start off by just letting you know how I came to find this book. I was sent the 5th book to review from the publisher through netgalley. I started it thinking maybe I could read it without reading the first four books, well I was wrong, so I went out of my own money bought the other four  AND let me just say that I am so flippin happy I was wrong and that I went ahead ans spent the money because this series was sooooo good. I really hope the author comes out with more than the 5 currently available because I will more than happily read any and all of them!

Just a heads up this post will be a long one.... It features a 5 book series!

BOOK 1: Going Down in Flames

SYNOPSIS:

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.

SOOO WHAT DID I THINK OF THIS BOOK?

I freaking loved it! First it is a super fast and fun read, I instantly connected with the characters especially Bryn the main character, she is so sassy and funny. There is love, laughs and legends what more could you possibly ask for! I will say there are a lot of similarities with this book series and the Harry Potter series, but instead of wizards you have shape shifting dragons. When dragons reach their 16th birthday they are able to morph from human to their dragon forms, so they are sent to a special dragon school, kind of like hogwarts, here they learn about their powers, how to use them and their history, again like hogwarts. 

Bryn does not know she is a dragon until a mysterious stranger shows up in her neighborhood and kindly informs her, which has her rushing home to confront her parents. Here not only is she informed that she is in fact a dragon, but a hybrid one. Her father is a red dragon and her mother is a blue dragon, which in dragon society are not supposed to exist, dragons are taught they can only marry and reproduce with their own clan, i.e. color. The mysterious stranger did not just show up to turn Bryn's life upset down but to make it even worse by delivering a letter from the "council", who are the leaders of the dragon world.... think the ministry of magic in harry potter, the letter informs her that she is suppose to report to dragon school that fall.

Once Bryn gets to school is where all the action really starts! Bryn has to learn who she really is, her powers all while trying to survive social exile oh and someone trying to kill her.

I give this book a 5 out of 5, heck I would give is a 7 out of 5. Definite must read! So well written! I can not say enough good things really about this book!!

BOOK 2: Bridges Burned

SYNOPSIS:

Don't just fight the system…burn it.

Since discovering she is a shape-shifting, fire-breathing dragon on her sixteenth birthday (surprise!), Bryn McKenna’s world has been thrown into chaos. Being a “crossbreed”—part Red dragon and part Blue—means Bryn will never fit in. Not with dragon society. Not with the archaic and controlling Directorate. And definitely not when she has striped hair and a not-so-popular affection for rule-breaking…

But sneaking around with her secret boyfriend, Zavien, gets a whole lot harder when he’s betrothed to someone else. Someone who isn't a mixed breed and totally forbidden. And for an added complication, it turns out Bryn’s former archnemesis Jaxon Westgate isn’t quite the evil asshat she thought. Now she’s caught between her desire to fit in and a need to set things on fire. Literally.

Because if Bryn can’t adapt to the status quo…well, then maybe it’s time for her to change it.

WHAT DID I THINK?:

AGAIN I freaking loved it!! It maybe hard to believe from my gushing review over book 1 but I actually like this one more than the first. Bryn starts to come more into herself so her sassiness just get better which just makes the story funnier and flow so well. You also are give even more of the backstory and dragon history. There is also plenty of relationship drama and action scenes. Someone or multiple someones are still trying to off her, she gets betrayed by Zavien, and possible new relationship with her mother's grandparents. So again lots of action and oh so much drama!

Def 5 out of 5 book, highly recommend. I couldn't put it down, super fast read. 

BOOK #: Trial By Fire

SYNOPSIS: 

Bryn’s hopes for a peaceful new semester at school go up in smoke when someone tries to kill her—again. She’s not sure which is scarier, facing the radicals who want to sacrifice her for their cause, or her impending nightmare of a Directorate-arranged marriage to her nemesis, Jaxon.

The one bright spot in her life is Valmont, her smoking-hot knight who is assigned to watch over her twenty-four hours a day. Is what she feels for him real or just a side effect of the dragon-knight bond? At this point, stopping the impending civil war might be easier than figuring out her love life.

She may have to live in their world, but she doesn’t have to play by their rules.

WHAT DID I THINK?

I did like this book, but out of the series I can say it was not my favorite, it took me a little longer to get through than the others did, I did not seem to be drawn back into as easily as the others. There is still plenty of sassiness and humor, plus you have Zavien out and new dude Valmont in, Valmont is a super hot knight there to watch over her and as a bonus his family owns the best Italian restaurant in town and for a girl with a appetite like Bryn that is like winning the lottery. Of course there is still relationship drama since as a dragon she is supposed to marry another dragon not a human even if he is a knight and her family, mostly her grandparents, want her to marry Jaxon, the leader of the council's son. Jaxon and Bryn pretty much hate each other so it is super fun when her grandmother and Jaxon's mom push them together. This book also has action since people are still trying to kill Bryn, but now they are also attacking the school and the council. I give this one a solid 4 out of 5. Good read, but just didn't quite have what the others did....

BOOK 4: Fanning the Flames

SYNOPSIS:

Bryn McKenna has it all, including her smoking-hot knight turned live-in boyfriend, Valmont. Even though she’s a hybrid dragon, she’s finally fitting into the new shape-shifting dragon world that’s become her own. But her grandparents want to ruin everything by making Bryn’s nightmare of an arranged marriage to Jaxon Westgate a reality. It doesn’t help that Jaxon’s father is on a witch hunt for Rebel sympathizers and Bryn finds herself in his line of fire.

If she doesn’t say, “ I do,” she’ll lose everything. Good-bye flying. Good-bye best friends. Good-bye magic. But if she bends to her grandparents’ will and agrees to marry Jaxon, she’ll lose the love of her life—her knight.

The Going Down in Flames series is best enjoyed in order.

WHAT DID I THINK?

I loved it! This one I really loved since you are exposed to even more backstory/dragon history. You are shown that Bryn is not the only hybrid. This one I will warn though will take you on one emotional rollercoaster. I do not want to ruin anything with saying too much, because if you ask my blog partner I am the world's worst at that, if I am excited about a book must like I am with this book I will basically tell you everything that happened.... So I will just say this author is not in the least scared to kill off some beloved characters. So there is a little less sass in this one but it still so well written that you will not want to put it down. 

5 out of 5 highly recommend!!

AND NOW FOR THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL....

BOOK 5: Burning Bright

SYNOPSIS:

Bryn is back for her senior year at the Institute for Excellence, also known as shape-shifting dragon school. She isn’t sure which is scarier, the life-force sucking dragons stalking campus or the fact that she’s officially betrothed to Jaxon, a guy who will never love her. Not that she could ever love him, either… That’s just ridiculous.

Senior year should be fun. Her parents are alive, she’s finally fitting in, and she’s learning how to be a Medic. But what’s with Jaxon giving her strange looks? He runs hot and cold, and he doesn’t even have the excuse of being a hybrid fire-and-ice-breathing dragon like her. One minute they’re having a great time and the next, she wants to blast a fireball at his head. The marriage contract of doom looms over them--unless this match not made in heaven kindles a flame… 

WHAT DID I THINK?

Ummmm this by far was the best one, saying I loved it just is not enough or truly capture my feelings for this book. It was just so so good. Bryn has her parents back, she has let Valmont out of his knighthood and is now on the path that might just be her fate/destiny....

Bryn's sassiness is back in full force in this book, which I just love so much, I love when a book literally has me laughing out loud. This book also like other gives you even more dragon history, only this time it shows the dark side of their history, making Bryn slightly sympathetic of the council and why they exist. Hybrids are out in full force in this book as well, of course trying to determine the peaceful hybrids from the rebels is a challenge and and for those hybrids at school that challenge falls on Bryn and Jaxon to determine.

There is also relationship drama since Bryn has now accepted Jaxon's marriage contract but Jaxon isn't the best mate since he is still bleeding emotionally over the death of Rhianna so she has to snap him out of depression and rage. 

This book has a ton of action scene, some that are really gory and may involve Jaxon basically gutting someone.... so if you felt the other books were lacking in this area you will definitely be happy to read this installment. 

I give this a 10 out of 5, it was by far the best in the series. I will say one thing, and hope and pray I am not spoiling anything for anyone, but the last 20 pages.... umm Chris that was cruel, I had a small panic attack I could not read the pages fast enough to find out if Jaxon was okay, but that ending was so so good and made me literally say "AWWWWWW".... i so hope this is not the end I need more Bryn and Jaxon in my life!!!!

SO over all I loved this series, I loved the characters, the action the sassiness, the laughter and the fantasy of it all. I recommend all to go out now, yes right freaking now and buy all 5 books you will not regret it! If just so happens something in you has died and you did not love this series fire off in the comment section below......

Coleman Haynes: The Tale of Truckee Episode 1

 

“If you had ever wished Harry Potter had a huge set of balls, shaded his way through Hogwarts and was sent in 1860’s wild wet California, this then is the book for you.”

After reading this first line of the book description I was like, yes this must be the book for me because that sounds awesome…. But please do not be fool this book is nothing like Harry Potter, there is no magic, no wizards nothing truly that ties this book in any way to the Harry Potter series. After saying that was I disappointed with this book? Nope, not at all, well I guess since it didn’t have to do with Harry Potter, but really this is an awesome book. I will say this book is not for the faint at heart since it is a very raw book. The language is abrasive, and there is a lot of death, and I mean A LOT OF DEATH! The deaths and mutilations are very graphic so for those bother by this might want to avoid this book because its everywhere in this book, also women in this book are treated like second class citizens, which is true to this time period, but they are also beaten and raped so if this is a trigger for you too this also avoid. There are also some slivers of homophobia in the book too, but again it is appropriate for the time period the book is set in.

I know this review doesn’t sound like I am giving this book high marks or that it is even that good with all the death, gore, and raping and such, but really I enjoyed the read. It was fast paced, and it kept me on my toes guessing the whole freaking time, literally the whole book! Every time I felt that I had it figured out they would kill another character and bam I’m back wondering. Characters you would feel would never be killed or you felt were vital to the storyline ….. BAM DEAD.

Also have to commend the author, he did an amazing job at the descriptions, I felt like I was in Truckee California with all the characters, the scenery, the actions and even the deaths were all described so fantastically.

So in Conclusion, this book is not for everyone no, some will be bothered by the language, the treatment of women and foreigners, the deaths and/or mutilations, but if you keep an open mind that this is set in the 1860s when these people were actually treated like this and just read the story for the story itself you will find you really love it. So I personally give it 5 out of 5. Also this is book 1 so there will be more, meaning that not all questions are answered in this novel, and you are left with a small cliffhanger.

Escape to Death by Stephen Perkins

 

 

I will start off by say this is a very very long book that is not a quick easy read. There is so much that goes on in this story, from political corruption to zombies to witchcraft and voodoo.... pretty much everything is in this book. I will also say that the author is able to weave together multiple storylines with lots of shock and awe that will keep any reader on their toes and guessing how it all will end. this guessing goes all the way up to pretty much the very last page. the book is also written very well, but I will say that some of the storylines it did have me wondering what their point was in the full scheme of the novel, and now that I have finished it I still feel that some of the people and their stories were not needed and just took up space unnecessarily. I also feel like there was too much going on, like stated above you have so many things going on that some things were not explained and given proper spotlighting that it deserved, this felt like this one book should have been broken up into multiple ones, a series. Also, with having things like witches and warlocks and zombies and corrupt business men, corrupt politicians, and so much more as a reader you don't really know who is the bad guys and who are the good ones, and those that you think are good turn out be bad or die. Just so much of so many things.

 

In conclusion, I give this a 3 out of 5. If it had been condensed more, the unnecessary storylines and people removed so that there could be more suspense and more focus on the true storylines and people it would have been a fantastic book. One that would be hard to put down and could have sparked a new series and a new hero.

END OF THE LAST GREAT KINGDOM (THE BRIMSTONE CHRONICLES #1) BY VICTOR ROSE

 

 

 

I really enjoyed this book, I loved how it combined the magic and fantasy of seen in books like Harry Potter with the blood, gore and battles seen in books like Game of Thrones. The overall premise of the book is a race war and young mage "Brimstone" that is the key to ending it. The characters in this book are highly developed, you get their fully backstory and learn what makes them act they way they do. The book is over 300 pages and it just book one in the saga, so even the smallest of characters you are given a little bit of a backstory on them so there is no filler characters each has a specific reason for being in the story. The setting is highly detailed as well and this is very important since the characters are pretty much always traveling.

 

If you are a fan of harry potter, but wanted something way more mature then you will like this novel, but I will say that some may not like this novel since it is VERY similar to harry potter, the first basic similarity is the group, Brimstone, Heat and Neutron.... which as you can see is three just like Harry, Ron and Hermione. Second, both go to magical school, in this book its Central, in Potter is Hogwarts. Third, Brimstone has to search for his fractured soul in order to become strong enough to defeat the order, and in Potter of course he has to locate the different horcrux to defeat the dark lord. But I will say the similarities do end pretty much there and that is because this story is a lot more mature than HP ever was since there is so much death in this book, and the deaths are very detailed and very gory. You have people stabbed in throats, peoples limbs being cut off, and oh you can forget the rotten corpses.

 

So even though this book is focused around young teens, like 13 years old, this book is probably not the best for kids of that age. But as an adult if you wanted a more mature harry potter then this is definitely the book for you.

 

The only real problem I had with the book, is that sometime the different characters and locations can get muddled and confusing of who is who since in the novel peoples name change as they take on new roles so it can be confusing to remember whose storyline you are reading about and the characters travel a lot and they often go to new places and then to places they have already been so the picture of the land gets confusing, so it would be awesome if the author had included a map at the beginning so you could tell the distances between places described in the characters travels. Time is another one that gets a bit confusing, since it is said to take weeks to get somewhere but then two pages later they are there, but the author will then use 10 pages to describe on day event, so dates would have been nice to.

 

So overall I would give this novel a solid 4 out of 5 stars, And I an definitely looking forward to reading the other novels in this series to see what becomes of Brimstone and all the other characters.

THE REDEMPTION OF CHARLIE MCCOY BY CD WILSHER

 

 

This is an action packed, sitting on the edge of your seat story from the first page to the last page. I will say this is definitely not a short book by no means but the author does an amazing job of structuring the story in a way that as a reader you do not notice the length or really even mind the length. Many stories will have its upbeat, fast paced parts but also have those parts that are slow and kind of unimportant to the storyline, I can say I did not find this happening in this story, all parts in the end are shown have a reason for being placed where they were.

 

I also loved how the author was able to switch between each character storyline with each new chapter without the reader having any confusion of whose storyline they were reading at that point, which I found as an issue with books that have as many different storylines as this one does.

 

The author does a great job also at making sure each character is complex with their own unique back story, which yes is one reason that the story is as long as it is. Yet I will say that even with the degree of detail, everything presented had a reason for being there and did not drag the story down at all, it just added to it.

 

The beginning I will also say and a few other parts throughout the story (especially the gore factor) reminded me a lot of Quinton Tarantino movies, and as speaking as a huge Tarantino fan this was a major major plus!

 

If I had to say anything negative about the book or anything I would change, first would be there were some words that I found misspelled, so maybe a little more carefulness in editing. Also, this book is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. The cover currently is very plain and I feel for how much action is in this story it is to plain and maybe people would pass over it without ever actually trying to find out what the book is about. Need to be more attention grabbing, maybe even have more to actually do with the story itself.

 

So in conclusion, I highly highly highly recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars all the way!

SURVIVOR BY SAMANTHA K. DUKE

 

I will just start off by saying I really did enjoy this book, but just a heads up it is a young adult novel that is set in high school. So that is the target audience, but there is enough drama, action and comedy to keep the attention of those that are unfortunately no longer young adults, but at the same time it should not be held to the standards of adult mystery/horror writers.

The basic premise of this novel is like a combination of Revenge of the Nerds meets Case of the Body Snatchers, this is due to the fact that is set in high school around a group of freshmen misfits that are constantly being picked on by the “popular” kids, but when a group of spirits, that suck the life out of kids in the high school and sometimes even enter then in order to stay in existence, come into the school these misfits save the day. Most of the target age audience probably would not get these references so that is another part that does make it enjoyable for older audiences.      

Another part that I highly enjoyed was each of the characters themselves, each has his or her own unique personalities and quirks, but at the same time these quirks play off each other for some very funny moments.

One thing I would change about this book those was plot development. I really wished the author would have made it a bit more suspenseful by drawing out some of the more tense moments, it seems that so much was focused on the characters and the beginning that the ending felt a bit rushed, but other than that I feel this is a really great book.

THANKSGIVING - JANET EVANOVICH

I’m going to make this short, but unfortunately not sweet which is really hard for me since Janet Evanovich is one of my favorite authors. So writing negative things about her are hard.

When Megan Murphy discovered a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she meant to give its careless owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter was too attractive to stay mad at for long. Soon the two are making Thanksgiving dinner for their families.


Thanksgiving is one of the single author romance novels Evanovich wrote previous to her critically acclaimed Stephanie Plum series. I have read three other of the single author romance novels and have enjoyed each a lot. They are easy stories of love and attraction of opposites that you can get lost in but aren’t the cheesy burning loins of Harlequin romance novels. Thanksgiving is not an awful book by no means I just did not get the character relationships. Like all romance novels two people have to fall in love and this book is no different but these characters I just didn’t get the ooey gooey lovie dovie feeling. Plus the ending of the book is lacking. You never find out what happened to the baby in the book that they get to watch. Does he go back to live with his parents, but is it a happy life. Do Megan and Patrick have kids? Why is the rabbit which brought to them together never mentioned again after the first few chapters? So many questions that when I finished I literally said out loud “WHAT?” I felt as though I had just wasted the last few hours reading this book. So this book isn’t worth reading because it can actually make you think down on an author that is otherwise really fantastic.

Wicked by Sara Shepard

**SOME SPOILERS-BEWARE**


Wicked is the latest installment in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. After the fourth novel in the series, Unbelievable, I was a little worried about where the plot line was going to go. I mean, they found out who A was, and they apparently found out who murdered Ali. However, I was pretty suspicious about who they pegged as the killer. Knowing that Shepard intends to write 8 novels in this series, I just have a feeling that the murderer isn't who we think it is.

In Wicked we have a new A, and I have absolutely no clue who it is (it also took me a while to find out who the first A was). So now I'm scratching my head and back in the same situation I was in before. Some part of me was mad at Shepard for putting me back in this situation, and another part was a little disappointed that this series didn't end with Unbelievable. Everything was wrapped up, and now I feel like Shepard and Alloy books are just trying to milk the series.

With that being said, I must admit that these books are so addicting and I can honestly say that I will probably buy and read the rest of the series. The next book, Killer, is due out in July 2009. If you're a fan of young adult fiction, and enjoy suspenseful reads then I suggest, once again, that you all look into this series.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

"She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew." -excerpt from Stargirl

Stargirl is one of those precious stories that isn't bogged down with useless words. It's very simple, direct, and with a message. Stargirl Caraway is a new student in Mica High School. None of the other kids have seen anybody quite like her. She's different. At first the other students are baffled by her hippy skirts and free-spirit ways, but soon she is the most popular girl in school. After she cheers for the opposing basketball team during a school tournament, she's immediately shunned by everyone in school-everyone but Leo.

Told by Leo Borlock, the story of Stargirl shows you how someone like her can make such an impact on so many people in such a short period of time. There are times when I smiled, when I wanted to shout at these narrow-minded people, and when I just wanted to cheer for Stargirl.

Stargirl Caraway is the kind of person everyone strives to be but is too afraid. We're afraid of the world and what it will say. We would all like to be so carefree that we could stand up in the middle of a high school cafeteria and sing "Happy Birthday" with a ukulele. We'd like to be able to wear flapper style dresses one day and an ankle length prairie dress the next. We'd all love to anonymously leave homemade greeting cards for any occasion to a deserving stranger or leave candy hearts for everyone on Valentine's Day. I think I can say that all of us would essentially like to be more like Stargirl. She's a nonconformist, and doesn't give one lick about what others think. She's never even thought to care.

I was touched, and I was left wanting to be just like Stargirl. I think the world would be a more happier place if there were more people like her.

I learned that there is a sequel to this book called Love, Stargirl. I'm pretty skeptical about reading it just because this is one of those books that doesn't need a second part. It's perfect just the way it is. I'm not in a hurry to read it, but if it crosses my path I may just have to. I can't resist Stargirl and her charm.

Little Stories by Jeff Roberts

Little Stories by Jeff Roberts is a collection of 11 short stories written by the author during his time as an undergraduate student. Each story is somewhat of a snapshot of life in general, and what people go through during this journey. While some of the stories are purely fictional, there are times when I wondered if a few weren't real life accounts (just muddled up a bit in order to call it fiction).

There were a few stories in this book that I would have liked to skip over entirely (Iowa City and Tadpoles), but there are stories that left me with a tear in my eye. My favorite story in this collection was Cosette, a touching account of Roberts and his daughter losing their pet cat. I believe this story effected me because I've been in that situation, and I know how emotionally draining it is to bury a "pet" that was so much more than that; they were a part of the family.

After reading an interview by Roberts, I wasn't surprised to learn that a lot of readers enjoyed The Red and the Black. This one was on my list as one that I enjoyed as well. While Roberts welcomes a daughter into the world, his grandfather is lying in ICU on his deathbed. Through Roberts compelling writing, you find yourself wondering what you would do in that same situation. Would you sneak your newborn daughter into an ICU to meet her dying grandfather?

That's the beauty of Robert's "little stories." They transplant you into the situation and you find yourself questioning how you would react. I even came across a few stories that seemed to be written about me, and while reading those it came to my attention that Roberts has a gift. He recognizes that life is not all roses and happiness and joyful times. Life is sometimes tough and his little stories are a fantastic snapshot of what some people choose not to pay attention to.

I wished Roberts would have had someone edit his writing a little better. There were typos and incorrect use of simple punctuation. I'm sure this was not the fault of Roberts himself, but just a lack of good editing. I, however, chose to overlook this small detail because the stories were so mesmerizing.

I made a small list of friends and family that may enjoy reading this: friends graduation from college, mothers, daughters, people in relationships, sons, fathers, anyone that has lost a loved one... There is something in this small book for everyone. I suggest you pick this up, pour yourself a cup o' Joe, and let yourself get sucked into this great book.