I puchased this book because it contains the novella that is next in my reading of Wings in the Night by Maggie Shayne. You do not need to read this one as part of the series. It's actually a very cute stand alone novella based in the Wings in the Night world that I really enjoyed. Diego and Anne make for an interesting pair and I really enjoyed their little banter back and forth. At times Diego seemed way too bogged down by his one bad relationship experience, but that was really the only downside of the story.

The second novella by Maureen Child I just couldn't get into. I'm not sure if it was part of a larger series and I just didn't understand the world building, but it seemed super rushed and I was a little confused through the whole thing.

This is the story of the world before - the world of man and technology - before magic returned to the world and the Shannara Chronicles began. Many times throughout the stories the past is referenced and the remains of ruins of our world can be seen in the forests and swamps of the world of Shannara. How did this happen? Well, start reading Running with the Demon to find out.

This one just didn't do it for me. I'm not sure if it was the sudden change from a high fantasy style to a completely urban fantasy - or that it was set in a town not too far away. I just couldn't see it in my head or connect with the characters. Nest is a very special teenager, from a very special family line. on her shoulders may rest the very furture of the world as we all know it. I had a hard time connecting with Nest as the story went on. her relationship with her friends, family, demon, creatures, and John just never rang very true for me.

It also takes a long time to get anywhere of significance in the storyline. I really had no clue why any of this was so important until about half way through the story. This made it a little difficult to keep going from chapter to chapter at times. Brooks writing is still very beautiful and he has a way of bringing a scene to life, this just wasn't one of my favorites.

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When two cursed souls cross - you never know what might happen. Jackson is running from anything and everything he just might fall in love with. It all gets taken from him - his curse to lose that which he loves most. So when he meets Layla, he will do anything to keep her distant.

Layla has a different curse - one that is slowly sucking her energy away piece by piece. She would do anything to be free, but has given up hope of being rescued. Her curse is a particularly nasty one - mostly because of the person currently in control of it. He's a serious piece of work and made an amazing bad guy.

Magic is a given and assumed in this world - which I wasn't expecting right off the bat - so it threw me off just a little at first. The magic is subtle at times and comes roaring to life other times. I loved the music aspects and the chemistry between Jackson and Layla from the very beginning. The book wraps up with a very exciting and happy ending that was quite satisfying.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

This story was so adorable. I loved Bekko the fish and his persistance and devotion to Matsou the frog. He stayed by her side even when she was sad and even when she hibernated - visiting her every day even though she couldn't know if he was really there or not.

The learning lesson kicks in when he hears the story of her childhood and her wish gone bad. A very fun tale that kids will really enjoy.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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Great world concept. This dytopia almost sounds like a utopia at first - but isn't that how they all seem to begin? With The Council in control of everything - no one really needs to do anything, except agree and fall in line.

This book is about what happens when you don't quite agree, and you don't fall in line. Unfortunately, the actual story just didn't live up to expectations. Aaron is almost childlike at times - ruining his college age character and the way I veiwed him throughout the story. Towards the end of this book I did see a bit of a more analytical problem solving adult start to come through, but it took a long time to get there.

The story line is a little jumpy, but it does move along nicely. There is action, sci-fi, and even some good family drama. It was a bit jumpy at times, it seemed like some scene breaks weren't included and it made some of the transitions a bit hard to follow.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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Conflicting Webs had a little too much going on for me. There are two very major story lines - which do overlap and interact nicely - but I felt like I neve really got to focus on one or the other.

In one story we have the April and her wedding - which seems destined to be sabotaged. If it can go wrong - it seems like it will. From accidents to the flower girl's birth mother trying to steal her away. A lot of the story revolves around this mother and her attempt to ruin Kyle and April's life while trying to start over with her own. Her story was actually my favorite part of the book. It was gritty and real, a part of life not everyone (thankfully) gets to see everyday.

On the other hand - and I'm going to be vague here to avoid spoilers - we have a horrible accident and some deaths that really made me want to cry. While her story was touching - it seemed like it was there to create more drama and have a few influences on the other story line. It never quite seemed complete somehow.

This was not my favorite of the series. Too much going on that meant I had a hard time really connecting to any one part of it. But till a good story.

*This book was received in exhange for an honest review*

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Time-travel can be hard to write. Especially when the time-travel changes present day situations. Tamara Gill did an amazing job with the small details on this one. While most of the story does take place in the past - one of the most moving scenes is actually in the present between Sarah and her father. It was written beautifully and really helped make the story what it is.

Sarah has really managed to make a mess of things - and she continues to do so. Even though she really only has the best intentions, she seems to have a gift of messing up the past. When she finds herself falling in love with Eric instead of just trying to retrieve a modern day artifact from him, she knows that she's in trouble. But they just can't seem to stay away from each other! Events seemed to just spiral out of their control and it just reminded me so much of real life.

The past was brought to life beautifully. I loved the people and even Sarah's small mistakes and how the ton reacted to them. She seemed to make quite a few minor mistakes every day - but Eric just found them endearing (a trait I loved about him). They were a very fun couple to watch and complimented each other amazingly. This is the way a time-travel romance is supposed to be.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Graying experiences quite the adventure in Grayling's Song. Being given the task to gather "the others" and find her mother's spellbook in order to save the world from a very vague evil shadowy menace was quite a terrifying concept for her. There are only a handful of people with the ability to help her, and she instantly starts off on her quest to find them

She manages to accumulate quite the variety of people. I loved how their personalities clashed and blended together at times in such a fun and realistic way. You like each one of them for different reasons and they are full of surprises - especially one of them!

What may be the downfall for some middle graders is the language. There is nothing foul or inappropriate, but it is very period specific. I could see some of the more reluctant readers struggling with reading and understanding it.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*

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This is the beginning of a very epic tale. There are dozens of characters and storyblines that are woven together - somewhat. I think as we go along things will become quite a nice tapestry of the world. This isn't just epic in the character count, but in the size of the world and realms. We go from nomadic desert kingdoms to frigid northlands and the places in between. There are hints of magic anc magical creatures, although I have yet to see one outside of dreams.

There is a lot of setting up the various story lines and beginnings. Almost too many. Outside of the usurper timeline, many of them didn't seem to go anywhere yet. This was a little disappointing because I really like to see forward progress and development of all the little pieces.

I'm sure these will be continued into the next book and I hope to see a lot of great things. I just wish more of those great and exciting things had happened in book one.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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