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samantha_randolph's Reviews (1.59k)
*I received an ARC ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Maggie Davis led a fairly normal life until the fire. At 16, she had a younger brother and sister and parents who loved them all. She passed time by reading about relics, the pieces of long-ago magical creatures that everyone wanted. Some were common ones, ones to help with water needs in case of a drought. But others were so powerful they could manipulate minds. Maggie dreamed of one day working with these relics when the fire took everyone in her family away but her younger sister, Ella. Forced to work in a more-than-slightly scandalous saloon, Maggie is shocked when a rich relic baron tells her he thinks she has a gift with relics and offers to take care of her and Ella. Throw in Landon, a cowboy who may understand Maggie more than she thinks, Adelaide, a show girl at the saloon, and a plot that keeps you on your toes, you have this wonderful fantasy/historical novel.
I started off with this book with mixed feelings. I LOVED the unique idea of relics, but I usually stay away from historical fiction with Western-y stuff in it, like cowboys and Indians. Nothing wrong with either one, they just don't usually appeal to me. But I still thought the story sounded too good to pass up, so I gave it a shot, and I am so, so glad I did. This story had my attention from the first page and it kept it till the very end. Maggie's world is one of the most original worlds I've ever read. The combination of fantasy, history, romance, and mystery was superb. It was something new and exciting, and I can only hope we learn even more about it in the next book (There is a next one, right?).
Maggie was a wonderful character. She isn't ready to be a mother to her sister, but she gives it all she has. She's a girl with a backbone and isn't afraid to stick up for herself, but sometimes she doesn't recognize when she needs to do that. She makes mistakes, but she never gives up on protecting the people she loves and she knows what it right and wrong. She still has the innocence of her youth and tries to see the best in people, but she is far from naive when she sees someone she knows is evil. I liked that about her a lot. She fit her age very well, while also fitting the position a young woman without parents or a husband would be in at the time, giving her a maturity that will appeal to older readers.
There is romance in this, and it is not the main part of the book. Though I love the swoon-worthy YA love interests we have been seeing a lot and their tragic/heart-breaking/wonderful relationships, I was glad this story wasn't it. It gave way to the real focus of the story, Maggie herself, her struggle to do what is best and how to figure out what is best when she never expected she had to know so soon. It's about how friendships and family will impact you and change your life. It's about what you do when evil is going on so strongly around you and you have to be brave enough to fight back, even if you are the only one doing so. The romance in here is great and real and makes an excellent sort of background to showcase how Maggie is growing. Though having said that, I would really like to see more of it in a sequel (again, please tell me there will be a sequel) so we can see how Maggie will handle it now that her character has developed so far.
Though I adored Maggie, I think my favorite character was Adelaide. She was an unexpected best friend to Maggie with her own tragedy going on, a tragedy I don't think we have seen the last of. She has a dark past and a dark present. But even so, she tries her hardest to be a good friend and to keep fighting, even though she doesn't know how. She does have weak moments, but I think there is a strength in her that we are only beginning to see. Though they have very different backgrounds, Maggie and her make a strong friendship.
The only negative (and this is NOT a big negative, just one I think should be mentioned) I had was with Ella and Landon. I thought their characters were great, but I wanted to see more of them. Ella is such a big part of Maggie, and though she is mentioned regularly, I would've liked more dialogue with her to get to know her character better. The same goes for Landon. I felt there were excellent glimpses of who these two are, but I was eager to get more than a glimpse. Of course, you can't fit every detail of every character in one book, and I completely understand that. Just feel free to tell me more about them in the future books (There has to be a sequel....right?!).
Great read, loved it, 5/5 stars.
Maggie Davis led a fairly normal life until the fire. At 16, she had a younger brother and sister and parents who loved them all. She passed time by reading about relics, the pieces of long-ago magical creatures that everyone wanted. Some were common ones, ones to help with water needs in case of a drought. But others were so powerful they could manipulate minds. Maggie dreamed of one day working with these relics when the fire took everyone in her family away but her younger sister, Ella. Forced to work in a more-than-slightly scandalous saloon, Maggie is shocked when a rich relic baron tells her he thinks she has a gift with relics and offers to take care of her and Ella. Throw in Landon, a cowboy who may understand Maggie more than she thinks, Adelaide, a show girl at the saloon, and a plot that keeps you on your toes, you have this wonderful fantasy/historical novel.
I started off with this book with mixed feelings. I LOVED the unique idea of relics, but I usually stay away from historical fiction with Western-y stuff in it, like cowboys and Indians. Nothing wrong with either one, they just don't usually appeal to me. But I still thought the story sounded too good to pass up, so I gave it a shot, and I am so, so glad I did. This story had my attention from the first page and it kept it till the very end. Maggie's world is one of the most original worlds I've ever read. The combination of fantasy, history, romance, and mystery was superb. It was something new and exciting, and I can only hope we learn even more about it in the next book (There is a next one, right?).
Maggie was a wonderful character. She isn't ready to be a mother to her sister, but she gives it all she has. She's a girl with a backbone and isn't afraid to stick up for herself, but sometimes she doesn't recognize when she needs to do that. She makes mistakes, but she never gives up on protecting the people she loves and she knows what it right and wrong. She still has the innocence of her youth and tries to see the best in people, but she is far from naive when she sees someone she knows is evil. I liked that about her a lot. She fit her age very well, while also fitting the position a young woman without parents or a husband would be in at the time, giving her a maturity that will appeal to older readers.
There is romance in this, and it is not the main part of the book. Though I love the swoon-worthy YA love interests we have been seeing a lot and their tragic/heart-breaking/wonderful relationships, I was glad this story wasn't it. It gave way to the real focus of the story, Maggie herself, her struggle to do what is best and how to figure out what is best when she never expected she had to know so soon. It's about how friendships and family will impact you and change your life. It's about what you do when evil is going on so strongly around you and you have to be brave enough to fight back, even if you are the only one doing so. The romance in here is great and real and makes an excellent sort of background to showcase how Maggie is growing. Though having said that, I would really like to see more of it in a sequel (again, please tell me there will be a sequel) so we can see how Maggie will handle it now that her character has developed so far.
Though I adored Maggie, I think my favorite character was Adelaide. She was an unexpected best friend to Maggie with her own tragedy going on, a tragedy I don't think we have seen the last of. She has a dark past and a dark present. But even so, she tries her hardest to be a good friend and to keep fighting, even though she doesn't know how. She does have weak moments, but I think there is a strength in her that we are only beginning to see. Though they have very different backgrounds, Maggie and her make a strong friendship.
The only negative (and this is NOT a big negative, just one I think should be mentioned) I had was with Ella and Landon. I thought their characters were great, but I wanted to see more of them. Ella is such a big part of Maggie, and though she is mentioned regularly, I would've liked more dialogue with her to get to know her character better. The same goes for Landon. I felt there were excellent glimpses of who these two are, but I was eager to get more than a glimpse. Of course, you can't fit every detail of every character in one book, and I completely understand that. Just feel free to tell me more about them in the future books (There has to be a sequel....right?!).
Great read, loved it, 5/5 stars.
I received a free ARC copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
What would you do if you were pulled into a different place and told to fight aliens? What if you didn't win? In this case, you die.
Miki Jones is having a normal, high school drama filled day until she tries to save someone from being ran over. She thinks she dies, but then she is pulled into a sort of game. There, she and other teenagers form a team and have to fight the Drau, a deadly alien species. She learns that once they complete the mission they were 'pulled' to do, they are pulled back to their normal lives, in the moment they left off from. However, there will be more missions and they will keep being pulled. If they die in the game, they die in real life.
It took me a while to get into this book, but it was well worth it when I did. Miki and her friends start out immature, but Miki is pulled into the game in the second chapter, avoiding an overdose of that. In the game, she meets new people as well as people she vaguely knew of before in her normal life, Luka and Jackson. Luka is a kind and thoughtful character. Jackson is cocky and tortured. Naturally, a love triangle is formed. Thankfully, the love triangle does not take center stage in this story.
My favorite part of this story was the plot. Some points were a tad predictable, but I really got into the alien idea the author had going. She kept the plot fairly intense, and I couldn't put it down by the last 100 pages. The ending is naturally a cliff-hanger, but it does make me eager for the sequel.
Another thing I loved was Miki's character development. She comes a long way throughout this book. Even behind all the crazy alien action scenes, you see her at home with her widowed father, a broken man who is still trying to be a father. I was often touched by how much Miki cared for him and how it was killing her to see all the empty beer bottles he left around. Miki might actually be one of my top characters in terms of development that I've read. I hope to see more of that in the next book.
Jackson, while a smidge overdone in his tortured-ness, was very lovable. I felt he truly respected Miki and pushed her to do her best. Luka was sort of on the back-burner, so much so that I almost wished he hadn't been made part of a love triangle. He's a great friend to Miki, and I think friendship fits them both far better than a romantic relationship, regardless of whether Jackson is there or not.
While I enjoyed most of the secondary characters, I have little love for Carly, Miki's high school, normal best friend. She is immature and petty throughout the entire story. When Miki stands up to her, I absolutely love it, because Carly needs that. I know that many high school girls are like that, but I felt her character was made to fit that semi-stereotypical role and lacked depth. She does, however, make a good contrast for how Miki is maturing, and it was nice to see that.
If you are unsure of this book and think aliens/gaming aren't your thing, I still encourage you to give it a try if you like non-contemporary YA. The story has a way of growing on you. If you love alien/gaming/action-y things, then I would highly recommend you give this a try. 4/5 stars.
What would you do if you were pulled into a different place and told to fight aliens? What if you didn't win? In this case, you die.
Miki Jones is having a normal, high school drama filled day until she tries to save someone from being ran over. She thinks she dies, but then she is pulled into a sort of game. There, she and other teenagers form a team and have to fight the Drau, a deadly alien species. She learns that once they complete the mission they were 'pulled' to do, they are pulled back to their normal lives, in the moment they left off from. However, there will be more missions and they will keep being pulled. If they die in the game, they die in real life.
It took me a while to get into this book, but it was well worth it when I did. Miki and her friends start out immature, but Miki is pulled into the game in the second chapter, avoiding an overdose of that. In the game, she meets new people as well as people she vaguely knew of before in her normal life, Luka and Jackson. Luka is a kind and thoughtful character. Jackson is cocky and tortured. Naturally, a love triangle is formed. Thankfully, the love triangle does not take center stage in this story.
My favorite part of this story was the plot. Some points were a tad predictable, but I really got into the alien idea the author had going. She kept the plot fairly intense, and I couldn't put it down by the last 100 pages. The ending is naturally a cliff-hanger, but it does make me eager for the sequel.
Another thing I loved was Miki's character development. She comes a long way throughout this book. Even behind all the crazy alien action scenes, you see her at home with her widowed father, a broken man who is still trying to be a father. I was often touched by how much Miki cared for him and how it was killing her to see all the empty beer bottles he left around. Miki might actually be one of my top characters in terms of development that I've read. I hope to see more of that in the next book.
Jackson, while a smidge overdone in his tortured-ness, was very lovable. I felt he truly respected Miki and pushed her to do her best. Luka was sort of on the back-burner, so much so that I almost wished he hadn't been made part of a love triangle. He's a great friend to Miki, and I think friendship fits them both far better than a romantic relationship, regardless of whether Jackson is there or not.
While I enjoyed most of the secondary characters, I have little love for Carly, Miki's high school, normal best friend. She is immature and petty throughout the entire story. When Miki stands up to her, I absolutely love it, because Carly needs that. I know that many high school girls are like that, but I felt her character was made to fit that semi-stereotypical role and lacked depth. She does, however, make a good contrast for how Miki is maturing, and it was nice to see that.
If you are unsure of this book and think aliens/gaming aren't your thing, I still encourage you to give it a try if you like non-contemporary YA. The story has a way of growing on you. If you love alien/gaming/action-y things, then I would highly recommend you give this a try. 4/5 stars.
I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes in life, you make mistakes. Instead of fixing them, you go on with your life. However, those mistakes don't go away for good. After waking up in the afterlife, Eleanor is faced with her family and the decision she made to leave her daughter, Cassidy. Now, all of them are in the afterlife and the story of what decisions led up to the past fallout is told while trying to figure out the present mysteries.
I loved the idea of this book. The world created in it was so interesting. My favorite part was how the characters could change their age at any given time in the afterlife, usually depending on their mood. The author did a fantastic job of subtly explaining why that age is appropriate at that spot and what it means. The concept of it comes across as confusing just reading the synopsis, but it is handled well, and I never felt confused by it.
The characters, main and secondary, are strong and had distinct personalities. I liked getting to know each of them and how they wove into the story. The plot was decent for the most part. The build up was very nice, but I didn't like the ending. There is plenty of closure, but I didn't like how everything was wrapped up. But, given the strange world it is in, a more normal ending might not have fit is as well.
If you enjoy novels about families and their dynamics with a little mystery and good writing, I would recommend this to you.
Sometimes in life, you make mistakes. Instead of fixing them, you go on with your life. However, those mistakes don't go away for good. After waking up in the afterlife, Eleanor is faced with her family and the decision she made to leave her daughter, Cassidy. Now, all of them are in the afterlife and the story of what decisions led up to the past fallout is told while trying to figure out the present mysteries.
I loved the idea of this book. The world created in it was so interesting. My favorite part was how the characters could change their age at any given time in the afterlife, usually depending on their mood. The author did a fantastic job of subtly explaining why that age is appropriate at that spot and what it means. The concept of it comes across as confusing just reading the synopsis, but it is handled well, and I never felt confused by it.
The characters, main and secondary, are strong and had distinct personalities. I liked getting to know each of them and how they wove into the story. The plot was decent for the most part. The build up was very nice, but I didn't like the ending. There is plenty of closure, but I didn't like how everything was wrapped up. But, given the strange world it is in, a more normal ending might not have fit is as well.
If you enjoy novels about families and their dynamics with a little mystery and good writing, I would recommend this to you.
I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Set in historical France, Affaire de Coeur is the love story of wallflower Madeleine and the Comte Lucien. Madeleine, being of a lower class, has had the benefactor of her friend Collette who lets her stay in her household while Madeleine's father is away. It is at a party they are both at where she meets the Comte. Immediately drawn towards one another, how can they make a relationship work with all eyes of the society on them? How can they trust each other with scandalous gossip being as common as grass?
I loved the setting in this book. The author got the details of their surroundings in very well, and I loved the subtle details of it, though I think the accounts of the outfits were overly excessive.
Some parts of this book were predictable. The relationship in it went exactly as I thought it would. I thought the Comte's character was a bit flat, and I would have liked to have seen more life in him. I never understood why either of the them loved the other so much just because both didn't like the extravagance of the wealthy. Even so, I still found myself rooting for them. I thought the secondary character of Rose was lovely and hilarious as she helped them out throughout the novel.
The character I enjoyed most in this story was Collette. She is a walking scandal and flirt, but she doesn't do half the actions she does out of pettiness. I think she was mostly just hurt. Her and Madeleine are both insecure and though I understand the time period, it would have been nice for one of them to be strong and smart in their actions.
If you enjoy historical romances, I would recommend this to you. It wasn't my favorite, but it was worth the read. The writing was charming, and I think that is what made me like it given the plot and some of the main characters.
Set in historical France, Affaire de Coeur is the love story of wallflower Madeleine and the Comte Lucien. Madeleine, being of a lower class, has had the benefactor of her friend Collette who lets her stay in her household while Madeleine's father is away. It is at a party they are both at where she meets the Comte. Immediately drawn towards one another, how can they make a relationship work with all eyes of the society on them? How can they trust each other with scandalous gossip being as common as grass?
I loved the setting in this book. The author got the details of their surroundings in very well, and I loved the subtle details of it, though I think the accounts of the outfits were overly excessive.
Some parts of this book were predictable. The relationship in it went exactly as I thought it would. I thought the Comte's character was a bit flat, and I would have liked to have seen more life in him. I never understood why either of the them loved the other so much just because both didn't like the extravagance of the wealthy. Even so, I still found myself rooting for them. I thought the secondary character of Rose was lovely and hilarious as she helped them out throughout the novel.
The character I enjoyed most in this story was Collette. She is a walking scandal and flirt, but she doesn't do half the actions she does out of pettiness. I think she was mostly just hurt. Her and Madeleine are both insecure and though I understand the time period, it would have been nice for one of them to be strong and smart in their actions.
If you enjoy historical romances, I would recommend this to you. It wasn't my favorite, but it was worth the read. The writing was charming, and I think that is what made me like it given the plot and some of the main characters.
In the dystopian world that Tethered Twins takes place in, everyone has a twin they are connected to forever. If your twin experiences a heightened emotion, you do, too. If your twin dies, you die, too. At least, that's all Emmie had known until the day her twin died...and she didn't. From then on, her life starts spiraling and questions come up that she can't find answers for. Why does the terrorist group known as The Deck want multimillionaire Tobias? Why does her make-up artist friend have so many useful connections that have nothing to do with the makeup industry? And most importantly, how and why is she alive when her twin isn't?
I would give this a solid three stars. There is a lot of mystery in this book that is well played out, and I enjoyed that. It kept me interested and curious. I liked the idea of how the world would work if everyone had a twin they were connected to and what issues people would want to resolve because of that. However, the narrative in this book shifts frequently, not only from character to character, but from first to third person point of view as well and I didn't like that. It made the story confusing for the first several chapters. Some of the secondary characters were flat and predictable. I felt more could have been done with them. However, Emmie is a nice main character, and I did enjoy her friendship with Grace. I liked how both of their characters developed over the novel.
I somehow got the impression before I read it that it was supposed to be a YA dystopian, but it's adult. The content isn't excessively adult, so it would still be fine for YA readers, but I think adults would enjoy it more. Overall, it just didn't have the things I personally enjoyed in a book, but I think people who are more into adult dystopian with a little sci-fi and a lot of action would like it more than I did. I think this is supposed to be a trilogy and while I didn't like it enough to read a sequel, I believe there is a good audience of people who will love it. I received a free ebook copy through a LibraryThing member giveaway.
I would give this a solid three stars. There is a lot of mystery in this book that is well played out, and I enjoyed that. It kept me interested and curious. I liked the idea of how the world would work if everyone had a twin they were connected to and what issues people would want to resolve because of that. However, the narrative in this book shifts frequently, not only from character to character, but from first to third person point of view as well and I didn't like that. It made the story confusing for the first several chapters. Some of the secondary characters were flat and predictable. I felt more could have been done with them. However, Emmie is a nice main character, and I did enjoy her friendship with Grace. I liked how both of their characters developed over the novel.
I somehow got the impression before I read it that it was supposed to be a YA dystopian, but it's adult. The content isn't excessively adult, so it would still be fine for YA readers, but I think adults would enjoy it more. Overall, it just didn't have the things I personally enjoyed in a book, but I think people who are more into adult dystopian with a little sci-fi and a lot of action would like it more than I did. I think this is supposed to be a trilogy and while I didn't like it enough to read a sequel, I believe there is a good audience of people who will love it. I received a free ebook copy through a LibraryThing member giveaway.
High in action and breath-taking plot: Full review: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=38829
In 16th century Italy, Alessandra is still dreaming of her cousin Cat’s visit. Two years have passed though, and she feels that that magic has since left. But when things go wrong with her engagement, she sees the gypsy who helped Cat again, and it’s so long 16th century Italy, hello 21st century Beverly Hills.
What first drew me into this book was the main character, Alessandra, or Less. Being from the 16th century, she was raised to be the perfect lady: prim, proper, and calm. Her encounter with her cousin Cat is the only real adventure she ever had. Because of that, naturally she yearns for more, for something outside her limited life. Yet even with that, she is still hesitant. She still has to gather up courage to accept an adventure, any adventure, when it is offered to her. She’s struggling to become herself, someone she hasn’t had the chance to know yet. Rachel Harris taps into that that uncertainty clearly and realistically and makes Less not only believable, but easy to relate to as well.
Someone comes along to help her figure herself out: Austin a.ka. Mr. Swoon. He’s a combination of surfer, bad boy, mystery, hottie, and potential sweetheart all at once. He sees through Less’s attempts at being perfect and demands she change her I-MUST-be-a-lady ways. He was a wonderful male interest for Less. But with time travel, one never knows how those relationships will work out until the very last pages.
The wonderful now secondary character of Cat got her own little subplot that made the story even more enjoyable. She left Less’s best friend Lorenzo when she came back in time, but now, there is a boy who looks just like him in her time who won’t stay away from her…and she can’t stay away from him. I liked that we get to see her side romance there and how Cat and Less help each other out.
My favorite part of this light-hearted, fun, and flirty story was that though it was all those things, it still had moments when things weren’t so light-hearted, moments real and touching and deep. When you’re trying to find out who you are, you never get it right the first time. Or even the second. Less is no exception to that. Sometimes when trying not to be perfect, she just ends up being out-of-control wild, which though that may be the opposite of a do-gooder, is not the solution. It gave the story a surprise depth that I really enjoyed it.
Overall, if you’ve read other Rachel Harris works, you certainly won’t be disappointed! If you haven’t and you like fun and flirty and swoony things, I would highly recommend A Tale of Two Centuries.
What first drew me into this book was the main character, Alessandra, or Less. Being from the 16th century, she was raised to be the perfect lady: prim, proper, and calm. Her encounter with her cousin Cat is the only real adventure she ever had. Because of that, naturally she yearns for more, for something outside her limited life. Yet even with that, she is still hesitant. She still has to gather up courage to accept an adventure, any adventure, when it is offered to her. She’s struggling to become herself, someone she hasn’t had the chance to know yet. Rachel Harris taps into that that uncertainty clearly and realistically and makes Less not only believable, but easy to relate to as well.
Someone comes along to help her figure herself out: Austin a.ka. Mr. Swoon. He’s a combination of surfer, bad boy, mystery, hottie, and potential sweetheart all at once. He sees through Less’s attempts at being perfect and demands she change her I-MUST-be-a-lady ways. He was a wonderful male interest for Less. But with time travel, one never knows how those relationships will work out until the very last pages.
The wonderful now secondary character of Cat got her own little subplot that made the story even more enjoyable. She left Less’s best friend Lorenzo when she came back in time, but now, there is a boy who looks just like him in her time who won’t stay away from her…and she can’t stay away from him. I liked that we get to see her side romance there and how Cat and Less help each other out.
My favorite part of this light-hearted, fun, and flirty story was that though it was all those things, it still had moments when things weren’t so light-hearted, moments real and touching and deep. When you’re trying to find out who you are, you never get it right the first time. Or even the second. Less is no exception to that. Sometimes when trying not to be perfect, she just ends up being out-of-control wild, which though that may be the opposite of a do-gooder, is not the solution. It gave the story a surprise depth that I really enjoyed it.
Overall, if you’ve read other Rachel Harris works, you certainly won’t be disappointed! If you haven’t and you like fun and flirty and swoony things, I would highly recommend A Tale of Two Centuries.